CAS booked with discount cert and now big price drop

[DanSgt]

I received a land based casino offer that I applied to 7 day cruise on the Encore. The certificate was for an Oceanview and I upgraded several levels up to Club Balcony. The final payment date passed last week and of course the prices have dropped significantly.  I don't expect much because of the certificate picking up the bulk of the price. I am going to call and try to negotiate an OBC, what my question is  what to base the starting amount on? The price drop or the amount I paid originally for the upgrade? Any suggestions or experiences are welcome. Thanks 🙏 

[SpainAlien]

I was in a similar situation, they gave me FCC for 100% of the difference but they said they didn't do obc anymore.  The FCC has to be used on a new sailing within 12 months of your return date and only applies to the cruise fare not the taxes, port fees, etc.

Edited August 17, 2023 by SpainAlien

[Agent999]

Before you call, do an item by item comparison to ensure that there is really a price drop for the ENTIRE OFFER THAT YOU BOOKED, and not a change in price because one or more amenities are not currently available.

 

Some people book under price X which includes the BOGO airfare offer. Once you hit the 110 day mark (shortly after final payment) the airfare is no longer available, and as a result, the price goes down. However, this is NOT a price drop since one price includes the airfare and the other does not.

[sanger727]

You will not get credit based on the list price. If you get any credit it will be based on what you paid. No one cares what you could have paid but got for free. 

[Russiamomm]

7 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

You will not get credit based on the list price. If you get any credit it will be based on what you paid. No one cares what you could have paid but got for free. 

I have the same situation for my October Alaska cruise.  When we booked it we decided to just go with the “free” inside cabin and bid for the upgrade.  We’ve decided to just pay outright.  When he priced it out for me before the cost would have been roughly the difference between the posted rate for the inside and the balcony.  I have a call into my CAS guy, we’ll see if my calculus is right. 

[RRSeeker]

I believe it is the difference in price between of the cabin you were given for "free" and the cost of the cabin you are booked in for CSA pricing purposes to determine how much an upgrade will cost.  I always watch to see how much the difference is between the two cabin prices, but I have never actually repriced after final payment, I have however, upgraded to a higher category for a lower price than it would have been at the original booking. 

 

Most times when there are prices drops both categories drop so there is not much of a difference but every now and then it will work out in your favor.  On my September cruise I had upgraded to a Haven Penthouse Suite but a couple weeks later after final payment the oceanview I was given given for "free" dramatically raised in price ($1849 pp) so the Haven two bedroom was only $60.00 per person more than I paid for the penthouse suite upgrade. I called and upgraded for $120 total.  Interestingly enough, the minimum bid price if I submitted a bid from penthouse suite to two bedroom was $600 per person.

 

[Russiamomm]

Just an update.  My guy just called.  The price to upgrade was indeed the current difference between the price of the “free” cabin and the price of the cabin you’re upgrading to.  Cost us $240 pp to get the balcony.  We may have done better with a bid, but it was worth it to be guaranteed the balcony. 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Russiamomm said:

Just an update.  My guy just called.  The price to upgrade was indeed the current difference between the price of the “free” cabin and the price of the cabin you’re upgrading to.  Cost us $240 pp to get the balcony.  We may have done better with a bid, but it was worth it to be guaranteed the balcony. 

The upgrade cost is normally the value of the cabin at the time you originally booked and the current cost of the cabin you are trying to rebook into. The casino has "paid" the cruise line the price of the cabin at time of booking.

[Russiamomm]

36 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The upgrade cost is normally the value of the cabin at the time you originally booked and the current cost of the cabin you are trying to rebook into. The casino has "paid" the cruise line the price of the cabin at time of booking.

That makes sense.  It’s altogether possible that is how it was calculated.  Either way, the cost of the upgrade went down slightly since we booked it originally.  I had asked for a quote for the upgrade back then and todays quote was lower.  Probably because the cost of the balcony room dropped. 

[RRSeeker]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The upgrade cost is normally the value of the cabin at the time you originally booked and the current cost of the cabin you are trying to rebook into. The casino has "paid" the cruise line the price of the cabin at time of booking.

You may be correct but mine definitely did not work that way, when I called for the last time after final payment for the two bedroom they used the current oceanview price plus my upgrade I already paid to figure it out verbally on the phone. Prior to final payment they just rebooked for me when I went from oceanview to club balcony then to penthouse suite. I would have to find all my invoices to know for sure but honestly I don’t know the prices of the oceanview at each time I changed. I know the $1849 was really high and only stayed that way for a week or so.

 

Today the price is $1049 which is more in line with what recall at original booking but they are guarantees and we are 24 days from the cruise. Maybe I just got lucky