David Bennett

I'm so sorry for you, best wishes for your wife's father

Keep us posted. Thoughts and prayers for your family.

I often wondered if there was a option to "re-book" a different cruise let's say for sometime in 2017, and then you could call later to cancel that one to get your money back?
 
What are the rules on changing/rebooking a cruise so many days out I wonder?

You can get a 100% refund even if only a few days left. But you have the risk of not being allowed to re book. So you need to asked yourself a simple question; what is more important to me being able to cruise with Royal or to get all my money back? If you make yourself into a problem Royal will cancel you off the cruise and refund. But it does have risk involved, one way is to not agree to the terms within the boarding information. Or just be become a problem for Royal.
 
That is from the customers side, looking from Royal's side you booked the cruise and now you will not take the cruise so they are entitled to recover the loss you have caused.  

Keep in mind that your drink package costs are fully refundable.

Not certain what RC Europe policy is but here is what is in the US;
 
6 Nights or longer
90+ No charges
89-64 Deposit Amount
63-43 50% of total price (taxes and fees excluded)*
42-22 75% of total (taxes & fees excluded)**
21 or less No refund (excluding taxes and fees)

I noticed this 20% off thing two days ago for my June cruise on Oasis, except I only saw the select package available. Called and was told there was a glitch in the system and to wait a day. Called back next day and was told there was a 20% off promotion for my cruise but there was still a glitch and to wait another day. They assured me the 20% off would still be valid. Today, all the package options show but at about a 4% discount instead of 20%. I think the same thing you're showing probably. I'll be calling today and can let you know what they say.

I am newbie cruiser and I can't for a second work out how th RC website prices work. I am traveling from the UK on the Harmony Of The Seas.
 
Yesterday the drinks packages were where for instants: The premium package was £39.90 per day per person, today they are advertising 20% off but they have put the prices up. So how is that 20% off???? This is the same with all the packages.
 
Also when you go to book Voom packages again for instants: they are offering 30% off, but when you click on say one device package(£6.99 per day) the total comes to £53.46 which is £4.53 more than it should be.
 
SO where are the savings? 

Seems relevant - just came across this on CC. 
 
Jewel docked next to Empress: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=49629976&postcount=644

I think that's some good logic for picking Jewel. Whenever there is a newly refurbished ship, I always prioritize that because the changes are usually a good thing.

We are sailing on the Jewel as it comes out of dry dock B2B April 24(4 day), and 28(15 day T/A) out of Ft. Lauderdale. Have been doing some reading about the changes. Adding Izumi where the Seaview Cafe is now(ala Serenade). Refurbing Chops, refurbing Portofino's and renaming Giovani's. Making the current Concierge Lounge into a family oceanview cabin # 1054(I think suite). Whacking off a chunk of the Viking Crown Lounge to make the new CL. I think they are adding about 10 balcony cabins on deck 11, forward starboard, cutting out a chunk of the spa. I would assume some other minor sprucing up, could be a few other things, but those stuck out.
 
Will be happy to report back, we're going to get a good long look at the changes including the new CL.

If/when I get any info on her refurb, I will be sure to post it!

The three night package gives you 20% off which is the same that you'd receive for dining on the first night. The benefit of the package is that you've prepaid the expense and receive the discount in all three restaurants instead of just the one on the first night.

Brilliant tips from you all. Def going to book appointment on next cruise in 2016 when I am onboard.

Brilliant tips from you all. Def going to book appointment on next cruise in 2016 when I am onboard.

We booked with NextCruise on Liberty of the Seas a couple weeks ago. The process was very easy. We used the ship's computer to surf the Royal Caribbean website for free. We found the cruise that we wanted to take and then went to the NextCruise office and told them which date, ship, and cabin we wanted. The NextCruise guy took it from there.
 
We booked a future Liberty sailing for January 2017, balcony cabin. Here was our deal:
Cruise pricing was exactly the same as the website (we got a BOGO deal) Deposit was reduced to just $100. Charged it on our credit card. Immediately received a $100 OBC for the cruise we were currently on. Received $300 OBC for the future cruise that we had just booked (The November Promotion) We will also have the booking transferred to our travel agent and get their perks for OBC, etc. 
The NextCruise office was very busy all week. As others said above, go during the first day or two of your cruise and make an appointment if they are busy.
 
I will definitely try to book onboard from now on. As Matt always says, "It's free money".
 
EDITED: clarified, as others point out below, that the $300 OBC was the November promotion, not part of the NextCruise onboard booking bonus.

Also, if you are considering booking onboard, I would recommend going to the NextCruise office (for us on the Liberty, it was in the Royal Promenade) very early in the cruise and schedule an appointment in the book.  They had a table outside of the NextCruise office with the latest RC cruise catalogs, flyers and two logs. One log to schedule an appointment (time slots set up for duration of cruise) and another to sign-in as a walk-in (you just wait until they call your stateroom number from the log).
 
Pre-scheduled appointments booked fast and the last couple of days of the cruise tend to be extremely hectic for them of course!  I believe the normal office hours were 9:00AM-5:00PM (or maybe 6:00PM) and on the last day they stayed open until 8:00PM.  
 
If you book, you will get the onboard credit on your current cruise account the next day and also an envelope will be delivered to your stateroom with the booking confirmation paperwork.

Well all booked today with RCI direct. Even got my C&A discount . $1200/£780 per person including flights and transfers! Roll on Next August.

It cant hurt to ask for the C&A discount but make sure they price it both ways.
 
The RCI website has a nasty tendency to automatically apply the C&A balcony discount (if you are logged in to the website) even if the balcony discount is LESS than the discount/OBC being offered to everyone else at the time. On at least two occasions my net price was higher with the C&A discount applied than it was without it ;)
 
(Balcony discount is frequently not combinable with other discounts so it takes off the "general public" discount and puts on the "C&A" discount)

Glad to see so many nice post about the Jewel. Really looking forward to our trip and checking out all the windows

That includes the flights as well??! Amazing deal......are you kidding me.
 
Where could I sign up?
 
It usually costs me that much just for the cruise...no flights, no transfers, no grats!

Jewel is a good ship, very different from Oasis class though.

That is an inside stateroom Matt. Figure I would save some money on the cruise to spend on Restaurants and drinks later. Also includes transfers to and from Rome airport.

I loved Jewel of the Seas.  She has great character and is the perfect ship for port intensive itineraries.
 
That rate sounds pretty good. What category stateroom?

like the Jewel of the Seas a lot and that class of ships has unique things on it.  And I agree
with the others what I like most is all the windows on this class of ships that are perfect for
places like Alaska - happy to help you if needed