teddy Posted October 28, 2019 Report Share Posted October 28, 2019 I did a bit of searching to see if this topic was covered at some point. Not sure whether it is better to piggy-back on another thread or make my own, but yolo....sorry if I have commited an internet faux pas We've never used a TA before, however we have decided to go through MEI for our next cruise. Our original plan was to book at Next Cruise on our Jan sailing on Adventure. We definitely want to wait until this sailing as we are contemplating sailing out of Puerto Rico and want to see what it's like there on the port cali in San Juan before we book. We are thinking of spending a day or two extra in San Juan. Now that we have decided to use MEI, what is the best way to move forward? Book on board then contact MEI to have booking sent to them? Contact MEI before booking on board? Say the heck with Next Cruise and just go through MEI exclusively? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Ogre Posted October 28, 2019 Report Share Posted October 28, 2019 Following Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted October 28, 2019 Report Share Posted October 28, 2019 I would contact MEI and get set up with some pricing quotes for what you are interested in..create a rapport with an agent and make sure that it feels like a good fit. You're under no obligations to book anything. Then at least you have a frame of reference for what pricing is. Just remember that pricing constantly changes. If you see a good deal you may want to just book with MEI -- do it refundable if possible in case you end up changing your mind about cruising out of San Juan. You can always switch to non-refundable once you get back from your cruise if you do decide to go with it. If you don't book before you sail, check the pricing again right before you cruise so you know what you should be seeing for pricing. You also can price things out onboard using the ship's wifi. It allows you to connect to Royal's website even without an internet package. Then you can book onboard with NextCruise and have your MEI agent transfer the booking when you get home. Check http://www.royalonboardsales.com/ for the current NextCruise offers before you sail. Some of the biggest benefits of using NextCruise are limited to non-refundable bookings for certain sailings..but my experience has been even booking onboard for a refundable rate with no reduced deposit, a 7-day sailing netted $76 of OBC we wouldn't have gotten otherwise. I monitor pricing enough that I wouldn't sleep on a super good deal over waiting for my upcoming cruise to use NextCruise..I would definitely book refundable if I wasn't completely committed, knowing that I could double-book on my cruise at NextCruise and then cancel the original booking. Clay Purvis, ChessE4 and teddy 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted October 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2019 That's really helpful. Thank you so much for taking the time to help. We appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 If I can expand your question to be a bit more general, I'd say if you find yourself in the NextCruise office and want to use MEI, simply inform the NextCruise agent that you want to have MEI manage the reservation. If MEI booked you on the cruise you are currently on, when at the NextCruise office, tell them to use the travel agent you're sailing with currently. If not, tell them to either assign the reservation to yourself (and you can transfer it to MEI after you get home) or provide NextCruise with your MEI agent's info and it will be sent to them. teddy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnetteJackson Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 8 hours ago, Matt said: If I can expand your question to be a bit more general, I'd say if you find yourself in the NextCruise office and want to use MEI, simply inform the NextCruise agent that you want to have MEI manage the reservation. If MEI booked you on the cruise you are currently on, when at the NextCruise office, tell them to use the travel agent you're sailing with currently. If not, tell them to either assign the reservation to yourself (and you can transfer it to MEI after you get home) or provide NextCruise with your MEI agent's info and it will be sent to them. Or you could do the Matt method.... He typically checks with me to see what price is he is booked at or will send me what next cruise is offering so I can check with what he is booked at. Then he knows if he needs to book on board or not. Check with the agent you are working with or I can assign you to an agent prior to your sailing - and then work with them to make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck! teddy and Matt 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted October 30, 2019 Report Share Posted October 30, 2019 teddy and coneyraven 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted October 30, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2019 16 hours ago, AnnetteJackson said: Or you could do the Matt method.... He typically checks with me to see what price is he is booked at or will send me what next cruise is offering so I can check with what he is booked at. Then he knows if he needs to book on board or not. Check with the agent you are working with or I can assign you to an agent prior to your sailing - and then work with them to make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck! Thanks for the help. We'll be in touch once we get through the end of November. Very excited to go this route as opposed to trying to learn everything ourselves. AnnetteJackson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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