Next Cruise - Not the bargain it used to be

[Kareenjack]

I had a next cruise certificate that was purchase prior to the change in Royal Caribbean's policy.  Originally, if you purchased a next cruise certificate, you will place $100 down and get a $100 matching cabin credit.  You could change your ship and sailing date anytime you chose and still get your $100 cabin credit when you sailed.  Now, if you change your ship and sail date there is a $100 change fee and you won't get your cabin credit.  Because I'd purchased my next cruise certificate prior to of policy, I called to change ships.  I was still charged a $100 change fee!  I had to speak to a Supervisor and explain I purchased the next cruise certificate prior to the change in policy.  I was still charged $100.  I then escalated to the next person on the list and explained I was a diamond member who cruised twice a year and didn't feel I should have to forfeit $100.  That's when I was told they would override the change fee but I lost my $100 cabin credit!  In other words, they still charged me $100 even though that was not the policy when I made my deposit.

At this point, I wouldn't recommend booking a cruise in advance.  Planning more than a year in advance is difficult because you don't know what will happen during that year.  I recommend waiting until three months out.  You may not get the cabin you want but you may get better pricing and you will know for sure if you are able to cruise.  Not sure if Royal Caribbean is having financial issues but the "cut backs" are becoming more frequent.  Just a thought...Maybe build fewer ships and give back some of the perks that used to make cruising a more financially feasible vacation.  

[princevaliantus]

47 minutes ago, Kareenjack said:

I had a next cruise certificate that was purchase prior to the change in Royal Caribbean's policy.  Originally, if you purchased a next cruise certificate, you will place $100 down and get a $100 matching cabin credit.  You could change your ship and sailing date anytime you chose and still get your $100 cabin credit when you sailed.  Now, if you change your ship and sail date there is a $100 change fee and you won't get your cabin credit.  Because I'd purchased my next cruise certificate prior to of policy, I called to change ships.  I was still charged a $100 change fee!  I had to speak to a Supervisor and explain I purchased the next cruise certificate prior to the change in policy.  I was still charged $100.  I then escalated to the next person on the list and explained I was a diamond member who cruised twice a year and didn't feel I should have to forfeit $100.  That's when I was told they would override the change fee but I lost my $100 cabin credit!  In other words, they still charged me $100 even though that was not the policy when I made my deposit.

At this point, I wouldn't recommend booking a cruise in advance.  Planning more than a year in advance is difficult because you don't know what will happen during that year.  I recommend waiting until three months out.  You may not get the cabin you want but you may get better pricing and you will know for sure if you are able to cruise.  Not sure if Royal Caribbean is having financial issues but the "cut backs" are becoming more frequent.  Just a thought...Maybe build fewer ships and give back some of the perks that used to make cruising a more financially feasible vacation.  

My suggestion to you would be that you should have called C&A and let them handle it. I had the same situation under the old policy and they honored it without penalty or losing any future cruise credit.

[PocketsRN]

As heavily invested as they are in development right now, I can't imagine they're in too bad a spot financially.  I think they're just so singularly focused on revenue generation that, for all the big great stuff they're coming out with, those non-material but just-as-important products are suffering.

[twangster]

The problem is that people were taking advantage of the previous policies.  They would book several cruises knowing they would likely never actually take them.  Then just before final payment was due they would cancel them and move to another ship   They would do this over and over, creating fake bookings they never planned to take just to keep their certificate.

From Royal’s perspective this created an excess amount of inventory suddenly appearing 90 days before sailing and they had difficult times filling all the cabins.  It created booking volatility.

The original concept was never to allow people to manipulate the system to keep a cruise certificate for years by constantly creating fake or placeholder bookings.

Royal is a business.  It has share holders it is responsible for.  Like many other cruise lines they changed policy to avoid people booking cruises they never intended to take.  

The policies in place now are designed to motivate people to only book a cruise that they intend to sail.  The $100 fee also allows them to cover some of their losses when they have to discount prices closer to sail date due to cancelations.  

Like most policy changes they change because people were taking advantage of them abusing the rules for their own gain.  

The current rules reduce booking volatility and create stable and predictable bookings which allows them to offer better overall pricing to all guests. In the past their losses from booking volatility were covered by fare increases for everyone.  This is one of the ways the current pricing available hasn’t increased compared with the overall inflation trends outside of the cruise industry.  

[Matt]

13 hours ago, Kareenjack said:

Planning more than a year in advance is difficult because you don't know what will happen during that year.  I recommend waiting until three months out

I disagree with this recommendation.  I do agree it's hard to know what you will do a year or more from now, but that's why refundable cruise fares exist and it's why I always book refundable fares.

[SPS]

THREE MONTHS OUT!?!?!?! No chance I'd do that. That would also mean paying in full at the time of booking AND find airfare, ground transportation, and hotel, etc. in a short amount of time.