Advantages of booking another cruise while onboard

[brandy3415]

We will shortly be on a cruise.  I have been looking at several others, booked one on Celebrity.  I am thinking --should I wait to book the other until we are onboard or should I book this week while the cruise agency I deal with has percs? 

In the past I only booked a future cruise once onboard and it was just a "future cruise"--not a specific one.  All I got when I did book was 25 OBC from RCI. 

Makes me wonder what advantage I have. 

Can you all tell me?  Appreciate any input

 

[Clarea]

Royal gives you on board credit and reduced deposit if you opt for non-refundable deposit bookings.

[mac_tlc]

Here is the current NextCruise flyer:

 

[maxcat910]

To follow up, if we want to book a refundable rate is there any advantage?  Or are these only for non refundable deposits?

[Clarea]

1 minute ago, maxcat910 said:

To follow up, if we want to book a refundable rate is there any advantage?  Or are these only for non refundable deposits?

 

All onboard bookings are now non-refundable.

[maxcat910]

Thanks for letting me know!

[Ourusualbeach]

9 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

All onboard bookings are now non-refundable.

Bob, did that recently change. The last I heard was you could still book refundable rates on board but you had to pay the full deposit and the OBC was $25 less.

[Clarea]

2 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Bob, did that recently change. The last I heard was you could still book refundable rates on board but you had to pay the full deposit and the OBC was $25 less.

 

Ken, when I looked back at the source info just now, I saw that the document was entitled "China Next Cruise Bookings".  So I 'm assuming we can still do redfundable Next Cruise on non-China bookings, but I don't see the OBC amounts.

[Ourusualbeach]

Just now, Host Clarea said:

 

Ken, when I looked back at the source info just now, I saw that the document was entitled "China Next Cruise Bookings".  So I 'm assuming we can still do redfundable Next Cruise on non-China bookings, but I don't see the OBC amounts.

I haven’t seen the OBC amounts listed on any flyer for refundable book on board.  I know when I booked on board I received $75 OBC for a 7 day cruise in a balcony while the NRD for that was $200

[BayAreaCruisers]

Back in March we decided on a 2020 cruise, but decided to wait until April to book it while onboard Majesty.  We did receive a $50 OBC, but unfortunately the 2020 cruise price increased from March to April by more than that $50.  So we lost money by waiting.  In hindsight, I should have booked it earlier!  Maybe that was just bad luck on my part.....but just another thing to consider.

[molly361]

6 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I haven’t seen the OBC amounts listed on any flyer for refundable book on board.  I know when I booked on board I received $75 OBC for a 7 day cruise in a balcony while the NRD for that was $200

The flyer I have (2 years old) has for Refundable

4-5 nights inside/OV $15  Balcony  $25

6-9  inside/OV $25  Balcony $75

Don't know if it's changed since then

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, molly361 said:

The flyer I have (2 years old) has for Refundable

4-5 nights inside/OV $15  Balcony  $25

6-9  inside/OV $25  Balcony $75

Don't know if it's changed since then

That sounds right.  I just noticed a typo in my post.  Should have been $100 OBC for a NRD in a Balcony.

[fletch1027]

11 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

All onboard bookings are now non-refundable.

 

The advantage being $200 non-refundable vs $500 non-refundable. 🙂

[fletch1027]

9 hours ago, BayAreaCruisers said:

Back in March we decided on a 2020 cruise, but decided to wait until April to book it while onboard Majesty.  We did receive a $50 OBC, but unfortunately the 2020 cruise price increased from March to April by more than that $50.  So we lost money by waiting.  In hindsight, I should have booked it earlier!  Maybe that was just bad luck on my part.....but just another thing to consider.

 

Totally agree - we are currently planning a Feb 2021 cruise and debating whether to wait until onboard for our Feb 2020 cruise or book before then. 

 

With the prices seemingly trending up & up, we will likely book before our next cruise. 

[Clarea]

4 minutes ago, fletch1027 said:

 

The advantage being $200 non-refundable vs $500 non-refundable. 🙂

 

I was wrong about all onboard bookings being non-refundable.  I was reading a flyer for China sailings.

[mac_tlc]

Silly me....I forgot to post the extremely small print from the back page of the flyer. Here it is. To get the offer on the front page, looks like it’s all non-refundable deposit. Maybe is you ask they will tell you the refundable deposit terms. 

 

 

[phabric]

In March on the Symphony,  I had to push the Future Cruise agent as I wanted a Refundable Future Cruise Deposit, she finally mentioned,  “Opening Booking” deposit at $100 refundable with $25 OBC for 7 day balcony.  There is no expiry date, can transfer to anybody, a second person would be $100 deposit with no OBC.

 

I took 3 Opening Bookings in March.  In June, I used one to book a 2020 cruise with no problem, second and third person paid $100 each for a deposit.

[mac66]

We always check the prices for the next cruise while on board. It is almost always cheaper and/or better perks to go through our TA

[The Fun Researcher]

The benefits are negligible IMO.  I'd rather spend my time enjoying my cruise than trying to figure out what cruise I want to book next.

Dan

[Clarea]

Just now, The Fun Researcher said:

The benefits are negligible IMO.  I'd rather spend my time enjoying my cruise than trying to figure out what cruise I want to book next.

Dan

 

One of the nicest benefits for us was the ability to pay a reduced deposit, which is no longer possible with fully refundable deposit bookings.  We have not visited the Next Cruise desk in a couple of years now.

[The Fun Researcher]

4 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

One of the nicest benefits for us was the ability to pay a reduced deposit, which is no longer possible with fully refundable deposit bookings.  We have not visited the Next Cruise desk in a couple of years now.

 

Yeah we always book refundable (until we purchase airline tickets), so NextCruise a no go for us.   Once purchasing airline tickets we'll check to see if the non-refundable rate is lower than the refundable rate we had previously booked,  and if it is, we re-book non-refundable.

 

I hear ya on the deposit, but my mindset is that I'm going to pay it now or later so I don't mind paying a larger deposit up front, especially since it's refundable. 

 

Dan

[josh.vincent.180]

We have never booked while on ship but we leave in 2 weeks and already picked out our cruise next November 2020 and where given a $100 gift certificate that basically means you need to book on ship or just through Royal Carribean website.

 

My wife also has a 10% of code from https://www.clubroyaleoffers.com/ so I might see about trying to utilize it all on ship.

Edited August 29, 2019 by josh.vincent.180

[Ashland]

7 hours ago, phabric said:

In March on the Symphony,  I had to push the Future Cruise agent as I wanted a Refundable Future Cruise Deposit, she finally mentioned,  “Opening Booking” deposit at $100 refundable with $25 OBC for 7 day balcony.  There is no expiry date, can transfer to anybody, a second person would be $100 deposit with no OBC.

 

I took 3 Opening Bookings in March.  In June, I used one to book a 2020 cruise with no problem, second and third person paid $100 each for a deposit.

"Open Booking"...refundable, no expiration date ? ....This sure wasn't available when I booked a "Book Later" option onboard Freedom last September...Is this new as this sounds like the terms of the old ones I used to buy onboard ? Reduced deposit, refundable, no expiration date, $100.00 OBC (7nighter Balcony/JS).

My flyer looks just like the one front/back mac_tlc posted above.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Ashland

[Clarea]

1 hour ago, Ashland said:

"Open Booking"...refundable, no expiration date ? ....This sure wasn't available when I booked a "Book Later" option onboard Freedom last September...Is this new as this sounds like the terms of the old ones I used to buy onboard ? Reduced deposit, refundable, no expiration date, $100.00 OBC (7nighter Balcony/JS).

My flyer looks just like the one front/back mac_tlc posted above.

 

See if either of these helps:

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/NextCruise/19067112_NextCruise_BookNowBookLater_FAQs.pdf

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/NextCruise/BNBL_Consumer_Flyer.pdf

[phabric]

1 hour ago, Ashland said:

"Open Booking"...refundable, no expiration date ? ....This sure wasn't available when I booked a "Book Later" option onboard Freedom last September...Is this new as this sounds like the terms of the old ones I used to buy onboard ? Reduced deposit, refundable, no expiration date, $100.00 OBC (7nighter Balcony/JS).

My flyer looks just like the one front/back mac_tlc posted above.

 

I have not been on a RC ship for many years even though I am Platinum. 

 

I keep saying that on Princess, Celebrity, I could purchase a refundable FCD and book a cruise later and that was what I wanted since I had a couple of cruise already booked for the next couple of years and had no date or cruise itinerary picked..  They were pushing booking a cruise with a non refundable deposit and a bigger OBC. Finally, she said you can have a refundable Open Booking Voucher for $100 with a small OBC, transferable, with no expiry date.