AnnetteJackson

I’ve never tried to get a group rate on a Star Class room, but I did get a group rate on an Owners Suite for the <now cancelled> Oct 2020 NE/Canada Brilliance Group Cruise.  It would have meant a very nice savings.

There are many groups that are lifting and shifting to 2021 so it could be they are holding back some inventory while these groups and charters get settled.  They have about 30 days to work on this and contract it where they hold inventory - so this might be adding to the inventory issues.

There are many groups that are lifting and shifting to 2021 so it could be they are holding back some inventory while these groups and charters get settled.  They have about 30 days to work on this and contract it where they hold inventory - so this might be adding to the inventory issues.

Given that everyone at Royal is working from home and they have kids biting at their ankles like everyone else, a check in snag at 86 days away shouldn't be something to lose sleep over.  Luggage tags don't even come out until ~40 days so wait a month and try again.  

Sorry, I have to edit the info and close thread. There is way too high a chance this is not on the up and up (no offense to the OP, just no way to know).

If you booked your existing cruise with a TA and visit NextCruise while onboard,  any NextCruise booking will AUTOMATICALLY be assigned to the same TA.  
If you didn't book your existing cruise with a TA and booked it direct with Royal, then any booking made at NextCruise will remain unassigned to any TA.
You can instruct NextCruise NOT to automatically allocate a booking to your existing TA but unless you explicitly do so, any new booking will be assigned to your TA.

As you have already stated endlessly, you were burned on a singular occasion by a bad TA. Please do not minimize all the hard work the actual good agents do (and there are many of them out there, just because you got burned once, does not make them all bad) by inferring that they are only good for booking dining times and collecting deposits.
 
The benefits of a TA are endless, but clearly there is no point convincing you. However, it is very insulting to all the fantastic TAs out there to downplay their jobs.  The good ones work beyond hard.  And the best part of doing both is that you get benefits from both. Self service your own reservation and you only benefit from Next Cruise. 

That's good to see...We knew about the updated policy, but I hadn't actually seen it in action yet.

My thoughts exactly. In late June Royal Caribbean announced combined FCC option for scenarios like @Cat mom described, so glad to see it working!
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/06/26/you-can-combine-future-cruise-credits-instead-of-separately-being-reissued

My time is worth more than that, which is why I'd rather use a TA.  It's really a matter of finding a good fit.  I've found a TA that works for me and will do the legwork to reprice a cruise for a few $ if I asked. 
I don't have to use my time to sit on hold or talk to multiple agents at RC until I find one that actually knows and understands their policies.  It would be an entirely different story if I could completely book and manage a cruise myself online as easily as with a hotel or flight reservation, but it isn't and that's why I'd rather outsource that part of the job. 
Bonus is that I'm not the one that directly pays the TA and the TA can get the same or better pricing for me than I could myself.

Royal will contact you and your agent if you used one.  They will let you know your options and the process.  I am sure you will learn from these boards before you get the email ?  They have improved the process and it should not be as bad as you have seen.  (Maybe a little too much time doing them to perfect the process ? )    Keeping my fingers crossed for you tho....

Royal will contact you and your agent if you used one.  They will let you know your options and the process.  I am sure you will learn from these boards before you get the email ?  They have improved the process and it should not be as bad as you have seen.  (Maybe a little too much time doing them to perfect the process ? )    Keeping my fingers crossed for you tho....

Don't forget to check those Residence rates... those have been insane lately.  Many people assume that your C & A number links your state to check for that, but it doesn't always. I was able to reprice a trip for a client and they saved over $300 per room just because they lived in TX.
 

^This^

Don't forget to check those Residence rates... those have been insane lately.  Many people assume that your C & A number links your state to check for that, but it doesn't always. I was able to reprice a trip for a client and they saved over $300 per room just because they lived in TX.
 

Don't forget to check those Residence rates... those have been insane lately.  Many people assume that your C & A number links your state to check for that, but it doesn't always. I was able to reprice a trip for a client and they saved over $300 per room just because they lived in TX.
 

Don't forget to check those Residence rates... those have been insane lately.  Many people assume that your C & A number links your state to check for that, but it doesn't always. I was able to reprice a trip for a client and they saved over $300 per room just because they lived in TX.
 

Let's see how many wives can be irate with their husbands for going on vacation without them!

I saved $30 today on my Brilliance cruise!  Now 2 DX cost more than the actual cruise!   Just waiting on @Matt to book!

He is allowed to cruise with you again now that you are a family guy?

UPDATE!!!
With the current sale going on as of today (July 9th) I called again to receive another $144 off of our cruise fare.
In just under one month, we have now saved $388! Keep checking those prices!
FYI: I use the price alert feature on the Shipmate app to monitor prices. It sends me an email each time the price changes (up or down).

Hello, All!
Been a while since I've been here. Several times in the past, I've done a second "mock-booking" of my existing reservation, to see if I would come up with a lower price to no avail.
With the current 2021 sale going on, I was able to see that booking an available cabin RIGHT NEXT TO MINE was $79 cheaper so I decided to call RCCL. (Not a bunch, but, hey, every bit helps!)
To my surprise, not only was the basic rate $79 cheaper, but, I actually qualified for an additional discount as a resident of MICHIGAN! This has NEVER happened for me. In my experience, those discounts have usually been available for those in the home port state.
At the end of the call, I had a $244 discount off my cruise fare!
If not for finding this blog a few years ago, I wouldn't have known that re-pricing an existing reservation was possible.

You have made it very clear in all your posts that you dislike TAs.  However, it sounds like you let one bad experience turn you off from all others.  You dealt with a lemon of a TA, that much is certain.  It's not fair to paint all TAs with the same brush though.  
I am Type A to a fault.  It's in my nature and I have to be so in my job.  The Type A nature never goes off, so I know what you mean when you say that you want control over your reservation.  It does bother me as well at times when I cannot get full access because I have booked with a TA.
A bit about my background, I too am Canadian like you.  In my 18 years or so of booking cruises, I have gone every route.  I have tried using my local travel agency, booked direct through Royal, booked with Royal Vacation Planners, booked with US based TAs.  There are advantages and disadvantages to all of them, like everything else in life.
This is what I have learned.  Some TAs are flat out awful.  The exact kind that you are talking about, they are prompt for a booking and then go AWOL for all else.  I had booked with those.  Some TAs don't even know much, and you know more than them.  Sadly, I have booked with those as well.  However, if you look hard enough, there are some TAs that are simply wonderful.  And if you let one bad experience (which I have had my share) let that spoil you for all others, then you could be missing out as well.
Wonderful TAs are out there.  They are hard to find, but they exist.  Why would a Type A person like me still use a TA?  Bottom line, it saves me time and money. 
You are right, I know all the numbers and short cuts too to calling Royal.  However, for as much as I know, my TA knows more, and she has deeper connections as a TA that I do not have.  So I could sit there over and over again on the phone or let her fight for me.  The end result with her is that either I get what I would have been able to get by myself, or I actually get more, because she can sometimes work her magic and get rules to be bent.  It's kind of like cruising with a Genie or without.  Could you still have a great vacation without one?  For sure!  But I will choose the Genie every time if possible. 
I also save money in the sense that TA's get deals that the general population cannot get access to.  The trick is that by giving up control, it has to be worth it.  I have been really discouraged too a few times by some lemons out there and also not impressed by those who don't go the extra mile.  But a good TA, a really good one, can make a world of a difference and it is worth giving up the control. 
How is that possible?  Well, for me, it's because my TA is fighter, she hates the word no, and she is more Type A than I am.  But it took me a while to find her.  So what I am saying is that just because you came across one bad one, it doesn't mean they are all like that.
And as far as MEI goes, they are well known for their service and their competence.  As you know, they are also a sponsor of Royal Caribbean Blog.  They help @Matt keep the lights on here.  As you have discovered, not only is this a great community of people, but also a valuable resource for those who love to cruise or are learning to cruise.  As a Canadian, you may personally not prefer to use MEI or other TAs, but again, your situation is one of many, and for many Canadians like myself, it still pays, and then some to use MEI or other US based TAs.

That is the traditional wisdom but Royal is now (sometimes) allowing some changes that just never happened before.  The cost of a phone call is free (if you use the right number in the UK) so it never hurts to ask.

Thank you!  I am still around - just not with MEI-Travel.   Always happy to help if I can.