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YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and the way they are doing these sale prices they get to assign you to a cabin unless you pay full price to select your cabin. My wife and i just got off a 7 day cruise in nov 2019 and now the same cruise (in 2020 on sale at 60% off second guest) and picking the same cabin would have cost us DOUBLE what we just paid unless we selected the"SALE" price and let them assign us a cabin.  This "Sale" pricing gimmick is Definitely discriminating (and possibly ILLEGAL) to limited mobility and handicap people (my wife is one of those) as you have to select a HC cabin or a cabin near elevators for ease of use. 

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NOPE, I went thru RCCL and another agency and this is the way RCCL is doing it now. I had gotten 2 open bookings when on board and was looking to get them booked and found out about this ridiculous pricing scheme bait and switch they are doing. as i am booking to complete our nights to diamond

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5 hours ago, dcr50usa said:

NOPE, I went thru RCCL and another agency and this is the way RCCL is doing it now. I had gotten 2 open bookings when on board and was looking to get them booked and found out about this ridiculous pricing scheme bait and switch they are doing. as i am booking to complete our nights to diamond

I have also noticed that the pricing for new cruises has increased. I don't get how this is "bait and switch".

 

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The bait was the "sale price" of approx $460 pp if RCCL assigned the cabin, The switch was NOT a SALE Price of $760pp if you chose your cabin, WHICH is HIGHLY Discriminatory to mobility impaired and HC people (which my wife is one)

There is NO provisions in RCCL assigning a mobility impaired person a reasonable cabin to fit their disability requirements at the "Sale" Price, you HAVE TO PURCHASE AT THE GUARANTEED CABIN RATE,

The cruise we took in nov was a similar sale price (7nights) and i was able to select our cabin assignment close to the elevator, NOW under this new system I can NEVER get the "Sale" price again due to THE DISCRIMINATORY SALE PRICING SCHEME THEY ARE NOW USING:(  The price for the cruise in Nov 2019 was 1/2 the cost for the same in Nov 2020 if i had to pay the "guaranteed cabin price"  the sale price guaranteed cabin was within $100 of what I paid in Nov 2019

THIS is a NEW gimmick that RCCL is using to increase their profit, just like when they changed the onboard reduced cabin deposits/booking from refundable/movable to non-refundable.

IF this keeps up I am going to change cruise lines, I was going to use my booking to get my diamond upgrade, but now i am going to do what is cheapest so my onboard bookings i purchased in Nov will not go to waste.

AND:  so much for the "assigned senior cruise rep" to help you with you bookings, The guy assigned to me "Terry ...." sent me an email announcing this fact. Have sent an email back in what i was looking for on 2 Jan, did not hear anything, called main RCCL res 12 Jan, the guy made a note and sent it to "Terry" and supposedly to his supervisor and today i have not heard from "Terry" who according to his email and voice mail today is at work when i called and left a vmail at 11am EST and it is now 6+hrs later with NO CONTACT

RCCL HOME OFFICE CUSTOMER SERVICE/ISSUE RESOLUTION HAS GONE DOWNHILL for me since 2015 (The home office, out of the blue, no reason given, cancelled my cruise and refunded my money 10 days before sailing, the travel agent managed to get everything put back including my cabin by the elev, but RCCL 3 days before sailing canxed it a SECOND TIME, no reason given and stuck us in a freedom class ship in direct midships which my mobility impaired wife had to use a wheelchair, did not care if they upgraded to a balcony, the location to the elev was the #1 priority for our enjoyment (Had inside 2 cabins frm elev originally) RCCL's resolution was negligible considering what we went thru and several diamond, + & Pinacle members on board agreed with us, I will miss the ship's crew personnel as they have been the only reason i have been staying with RCCL, but with this latest round of issue's I will not recommend RCCL to anybody anymore and go to another cruise line

started cruising in 2007, if other lines are following RCCL's policies my last yr will be this year

 

 

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GOOD Idea if I knew of one that would be effective, i used one agency from 2007 to after my screwed up cruise in 2015, even the President of the world wide agency was directly involved and could not get anywhere with RCCL before we sailed and my wife suffered the whole time we were on the cruise, so why pay a travel agency 16% fee when they are no help when push comes to shove when the cruise line 100% screwed up not once but TWICE in less than 10 days before my sailing, but would not fix the problem. It was simple on my 2015 cruise all they had to do was offer the people they sold my inside cabin to the free upgrade to the balcony midship were they put us. Travel agents are great for the booking part but any trouble shows up they can't get anything resolved before OR after you get on the ship even when the cruise line is 100% in the wrong.

IF a respected travel agency cannot do anything for their clients in these situations,  i have tried working directly with RCCL but as stated before I can not even get a response from their own APPOINTED "Senior" travel rep, I have still not heard from Terry... today after 17 days of trying patiently but know i probably will lose out on this round of sail prices  like i did on the ones back on 12 Jan.

If anybody out there has a GOOD travel agent that has resolved major booking issues successfully for them in the past, i would be interested in the agent's contact information as we like being on RCCL ships but do not care for the home office supervisors, managers & "their conflict resolution dept"

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13 hours ago, dcr50usa said:

The bait was the "sale price" of approx $460 pp if RCCL assigned the cabin, The switch was NOT a SALE Price of $760pp if you chose your cabin, WHICH is HIGHLY Discriminatory to mobility impaired and HC people (which my wife is one)

There is NO provisions in RCCL assigning a mobility impaired person a reasonable cabin to fit their disability requirements at the "Sale" Price, you HAVE TO PURCHASE AT THE GUARANTEED CABIN RATE,

The cruise we took in nov was a similar sale price (7nights) and i was able to select our cabin assignment close to the elevator, NOW under this new system I can NEVER get the "Sale" price again due to THE DISCRIMINATORY SALE PRICING SCHEME THEY ARE NOW USING:(  The price for the cruise in Nov 2019 was 1/2 the cost for the same in Nov 2020 if i had to pay the "guaranteed cabin price"  the sale price guaranteed cabin was within $100 of what I paid in Nov 2019

THIS is a NEW gimmick that RCCL is using to increase their profit, just like when they changed the onboard reduced cabin deposits/booking from refundable/movable to non-refundable.

IF this keeps up I am going to change cruise lines, I was going to use my booking to get my diamond upgrade, but now i am going to do what is cheapest so my onboard bookings i purchased in Nov will not go to waste.

AND:  so much for the "assigned senior cruise rep" to help you with you bookings, The guy assigned to me "Terry ...." sent me an email announcing this fact. Have sent an email back in what i was looking for on 2 Jan, did not hear anything, called main RCCL res 12 Jan, the guy made a note and sent it to "Terry" and supposedly to his supervisor and today i have not heard from "Terry" who according to his email and voice mail today is at work when i called and left a vmail at 11am EST and it is now 6+hrs later with NO CONTACT

RCCL HOME OFFICE CUSTOMER SERVICE/ISSUE RESOLUTION HAS GONE DOWNHILL for me since 2015 (The home office, out of the blue, no reason given, cancelled my cruise and refunded my money 10 days before sailing, the travel agent managed to get everything put back including my cabin by the elev, but RCCL 3 days before sailing canxed it a SECOND TIME, no reason given and stuck us in a freedom class ship in direct midships which my mobility impaired wife had to use a wheelchair, did not care if they upgraded to a balcony, the location to the elev was the #1 priority for our enjoyment (Had inside 2 cabins frm elev originally) RCCL's resolution was negligible considering what we went thru and several diamond, + & Pinacle members on board agreed with us, I will miss the ship's crew personnel as they have been the only reason i have been staying with RCCL, but with this latest round of issue's I will not recommend RCCL to anybody anymore and go to another cruise line

started cruising in 2007, if other lines are following RCCL's policies my last yr will be this year

 

 

I think the moral of the story is to pick your own room (which we have always done) after shopping around for the desired itinerary and time of year.  We have never tried to game the system, and we haven't been disappointed.   A couple of cruises were more expensive than we liked, but that was because we selected popular dates (we had little choice due to school schedules) and didn't book far enough in advance.  Whatever you choose, have a great cruise.  PS.  We always use a travel agent.

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14 hours ago, dcr50usa said:

The bait was the "sale price" of approx $460 pp if RCCL assigned the cabin, The switch was NOT a SALE Price of $760pp if you chose your cabin, WHICH is HIGHLY Discriminatory to mobility impaired and HC people (which my wife is one)

There is NO provisions in RCCL assigning a mobility impaired person a reasonable cabin to fit their disability requirements at the "Sale" Price, you HAVE TO PURCHASE AT THE GUARANTEED CABIN RATE,

 

 

 

 

Actually, you couldn't be more wrong. The American with Disabilities Act under Title III (Public Accommodations) ONLY provides "To ensure that people with disabilities are able to reserve specific accessible guest rooms that match their individual needs" and does not regulate pricing or give "special" pricing to those with disabilities. The pricing schemes in any given business is that of AND the sole discretion of the business entity/owners.  Inasmuch, RCCL has cabins available specifically to those cruises with disabilities.  Online Reservation Requirements for Places of Lodging must adhere to the following:

• Persons with disabilities must be able to reserve accessible guest rooms during the same hours and in the same method as other guests.

• Places of lodging must identify and describe accessible features of the hotel and guest rooms in enough detail that a person with a disability can independently assess whether the facility will meet their needs.

• Accessible guest rooms must be held back until all other rooms of that type have been reserved.

• Reserved accessible rooms must be removed from the reservation system to eliminate double booking.

• Specific rooms reserved by individuals with disabilities must be guaranteed and held, regardless of whether rooms are held for others.

In sum, RCCL can price ANY room as they see fit.

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we have not ever tried to "GAME" the system, if you will remember before you became pinnacle, the system was straight forward , you booked your selected cabin at the sale price put your deposit down (which was always refundable) and paid the rest 90 days prior to sailing.  It does not work that way anymore. We started cruising as my wife ended up enjoying it, she is retired and i still work but have plenty of vacation time and in a job that allows me to take 2-3 wks off at a time even with short notice. Since my wife has limited mobility we are limited in what ports we can get to,the time of year and itinerary is not factor in choosing our cruise. Price is the main factor along the ship and we try  not repeating the last cruise we went on. We enjoy the atmosphere and meeting people. We have never tried to game the system, we just expect to be treated fairly like we used to by the company when we first started. 

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Thank-you for the update on the disabilities act, but still that group is now being targeted by RCCL's pricing and sales gimmicks and since i started cruising i feel that this should be made aware to all cruisers young and old.  I know if i don't like it, I can lv RCCL, I do not want to as we have at least 20 more yrs of cruising left, but all folks should be made aware of this so they can make their own decision as one day they may be in my shoes. 

Yes, All companies can set their price for a service or goods, but the Consumer drives the price on whether or not they feel the price is reasonable for the service or goods provided and buy it or pass and find another company that is charging a more reasonable price for the same service or goods.

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9 minutes ago, dcr50usa said:

Thank-you for the update on the disabilities act, but still that group is now being targeted by RCCL's pricing and sales gimmicks and since i started cruising i feel that this should be made aware to all cruisers young and old.  I know if i don't like it, I can lv RCCL, I do not want to as we have at least 20 more yrs of cruising left, but all folks should be made aware of this so they can make their own decision as one day they may be in my shoes. 

Yes, All companies can set their price for a service or goods, but the Consumer drives the price on whether or not they feel the price is reasonable for the service or goods provided and buy it or pass and find another company that is charging a more reasonable price for the same service or goods.

I completely understand why you’re upset...that said, I don’t think RCCL is targeting a specific group or discriminating against anyone with this pricing strategy.  They’re simply doing what is best for their bottom line, which as a publicly traded company, they’re supposed to do.  Do I like that choosing my own room is more expensive than letting Royal choose it for me?  Nope.  But I completely understand why it benefits RCCL to make the GTY reservations less expensive and allows them the flexibility to fill cabins as they see the need.  As some people have noted on this site, it has worked out very well for them with upgrades.  Again, I understand your  frustration, but I don’t see an intentional discrimination here.

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The move away from fully refundable deposits was in response to many people who did game the old system.   I'm not saying anyone here did, but it was commonplace.

 Back then people would book cruises they had no intention to taking just to secure OBC or other perks and benefits.  Then just before 90 days they would call in and move the booking to another ship.  Some people did this for years with one booking.  The problem the company faced was a surplus of cabins all coming available just before the 90 day mark.  At that point many people have already made plans so they had a difficult time selling the ship.  

The current approach is designed to motivate people to only book cruises they intent to actually take much like non-refundable airfare when flying.  Accepting non-refundable comes with terms and conditions.  Accepting guarantee cabins to save money comes with sacrifices.

The other issue for us cruisers right now is that cruising is extremely popular.  More people are taking more cruises.  Based on supply and demand that is driving up prices.  When demand is high pricing will increase.  All cruise lines follow this pricing principle.  

Inexpensive cruises are available but sometimes that means taking an older ship or less desirable itinerary.  If it's popular it's in demand and pricing will not be the lowest available.  That's why I often sail off peak and I don't mind older and smaller ships.  They are great value.

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I agree with most of your post, but the way corporate america has gone over the past 40+yrs, the shareholders do not see much from these actions, only corporate management. I am pretty sure when this concept was approached the actuaries identified the mobility impaired group (mainly senior cruisers) as willing to pay the higher rates to get the cabin they want. That is fine if you want to accept that, but I feel that they are taking advantage of this group and as a consumer I am voicing my opinion and will probably back it up by using other companies (and advising others to do the same) if they charge what i consider a fair and equatable price for the goods & services i am purchasing.  I believe in free enterprise but i do not believe in going to the extremes.

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Back then people would book cruises they had no intention to taking just to secure OBC or other perks and benefits.  Then just before 90 days they would call in and move the booking to another ship.  Some people did this for years with one booking.  The problem the company faced was a surplus of cabins all coming available just before the 90 day mark.  At that point many people have already made plans so they had a difficult time selling the ship.  

 

I was not aware of this, Thanks. I have only moved a booking due to critical family issues (medical and the like) as we usually book as far in advance as possible to avoid issues.

My wife and i sort of follow the same cruise pattern, and as far as ships go the biggest we have been on are freedom class, and go on the smaller class ships. We are not interested in the new mega ships at all and will probably never go on one.

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its true supply and demand is what controls the prices.  in my book just being out of dry dock on ANY cruise is well worth it.  even us solo travelers take a hit with the prices too.  reality its just the norm among any cruise line.  they all pretty much follow same practices in some form or fashion.

in regard to your issue that travel agents cant go to battle for you thats not true especially if its a good agent.  remember WE dont pay their commissions at all, its the cruise lines who do.  you have to find an agent you  not only feel confident and trust but knows what you are looking for and expect so you can build a relationship on that so if for any reason a unsettling issues arises YOU arent one on the phone battling with RCL, its your agent.  less headaches for you in the long run.

recently i had issue where my reservation was cancelled and cabin sold to another passenger after i did final payment and check in.  all i did was text my agent the problem and off she ran to combat for me.  my travel agent immediately went to battle and got my cabin back.  it was a mess for sure but not my battle nor headache, it was my travel agent's battle.  when it was all said and done i got my cabin back with some obc.

maybe you should try MEI since they are blog sponsor.  reach out to Annette Jackson, she will place you with one of her agents that meets you needs and wants so you can have a smooth process of booking and memorable sailing.  i am sure she can find the right person that is perfect fit for you.

 

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Thanks for the referral, I will reach out to her this morning

My prior agent/agency had been making travel arrangements for over 30yrs for our travel companions parents and had always had good service that why we went with that agency, but when the stuff hit the fan they restored it, like yours did but 4  days later RCCL cancelled it the second time, sold the cabin and the agency could not get it fixed

will let you know how things go, thanks again for the help

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Okay, sorry to go a bit OT here, but I just have to throw this out there.  Want to know why I follow this board obsessively and pretty well ignore other cruise forums?  This thread right here.  This conversations could have gone SO many different ways (none of them good!), but instead we got questions probing for more information, relevant information and a potential solution versus arguments and "side-taking."  Turns out there ARE still some little nice corners of the internet.

***Puts soapbox away.***

Thank you for your time.

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Agreed with the post above. It took me over a decade to convince my wife to go on our first cruise this June. I found Matt's videos first which led me to this forum. The people in here are an awesome resource, answering the basic newbie questions I've asked and have been super friendly and inviting about it.

You guys rock.

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On 1/20/2020 at 7:55 AM, dcr50usa said:

Thank-you for the update on the disabilities act, but still that group is now being targeted by RCCL's pricing and sales gimmicks and since i started cruising i feel that this should be made aware to all cruisers young and old.  I know if i don't like it, I can lv RCCL, I do not want to as we have at least 20 more yrs of cruising left, but all folks should be made aware of this so they can make their own decision as one day they may be in my shoes. 

Yes, All companies can set their price for a service or goods, but the Consumer drives the price on whether or not they feel the price is reasonable for the service or goods provided and buy it or pass and find another company that is charging a more reasonable price for the same service or goods.

Had you researched and looked for a good travel agent, I don't think you would have ever ran into these problems, especially with an accessible state room. Both of my parents are in wheelchairs, my mother cannot transfer by herself. We always work with a travel agent to secure their accessible state room AND! that they are priced similar, IF NOT EQUAL, to that particular nonaccssuble state room category. Therefore, always work with a travel agent when you are trying to reserve accessible staterooms.

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On 1/9/2020 at 3:11 PM, Jolly Ogre said:

Has anyone noticed the dramatic price increases for 2020 and beyond?

For my cruise for 2022 that I booked just before Christmas the interior rooms are now more that the Jr suit that i booked.

I have been looking for a 2021 sailing for the fall/winter months but unfortunately RCL has raised the price so much that I am no longer able to afford two sailings a year. With one already booked for April 2021 and prices going through the roof I will have to wait for 2022 to come around now. It is a shame that I want to give my money to RCL but they see that more people are willing to pay the higher books so that just leaves me SOL.

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I did seem to notice that the prices for some sailings have more than doubled. Also there seems to be less and less shorter getaway cruises. I normally get 4-5 extra vacation days in January and was hard pressed to find any sailings within my budget or time frame. I wanted to rebook a January shorter cruise on the Mariner and it was more than twice what I paid in 2019. I want to be mad at RCL but everything has gone up in prices.  Unfortunately I think this is going to lead to less new loyalty members as people want to get the most bang for their buck.

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17 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I did seem to notice that the prices for some sailings have more than doubled. Also there seems to be less and less shorter getaway cruises. I normally get 4-5 extra vacation days in January and was hard pressed to find any sailings within my budget or time frame. I wanted to rebook a January shorter cruise on the Mariner and it was more than twice what I paid in 2019. I want to be mad at RCL but everything has gone up in prices.  Unfortunately I think this is going to lead to less new loyalty members as people want to get the most bang for their buck.

I personally am trying to avoid having to go to another line for I really enjoy RCL ships but if the prices continue to go up I might have to start looking elsewhere or as I mentioned before only cruise once a year.

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I just recently started taking more vacations in and around the USA...well more so not always traveling to Europe. I find that cruising works the best because of the entertainment, hospitality and overall value. I was hoping to cruise 2-3 times a year but RCL is making it a smidgen difficult to be loyal. Most of the 4-5 day sailing cost as much, sometimes more than,  a 7 day or higher. I just cannot justify the higher prices because it fits in my time frame.

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I’d say keep on checking the price. We saved a huge amount today on a 14 day cruise out of Southampton going this summer. I had settled on paying far too much as we loved our first one. Today we got around 30% off, but lost our deposit as we are in the uk. Still a saving of over £3000!

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4 hours ago, Nikkoo said:

I’d say keep on checking the price. We saved a huge amount today on a 14 day cruise out of Southampton going this summer. I had settled on paying far too much as we loved our first one. Today we got around 30% off, but lost our deposit as we are in the uk. Still a saving of over £3000!

I am glad you got a great deal but it would seem deals are subjective. I have been obsessively checking prices. My goal was to book 3 cruises this year: one for this month(Jan) because i always get a few extra days off, one for my birthday month of May and one for my family vacation in October. So far the only one I have booked is Oct. There seemed to be less sailings around the time I would have been able to take in Jan, I needed a Mon-Fri itinerary. I am of course bereft by this ..... ?

I started looking in  2019 after my first RCL cruise on Mariner. I booked my October 2020 during the black Friday sale and am currently weighing an Anthem and Allure booking for May. Its the big 3-5 for me and I wanted to treat myself to a suite. Unfortunately after a little research RCL is not coming up as the front runner. I really like the standards of RCL and I am pretty sure I will be at least 86% loyal...but mamma needs her fix.

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It might be a uk thing right now. We had symphony booked for feb 21, just for the 2 of us, and that is coming in £550 cheaper right now. As we booked on board for that one we were told we could reprice once. It’s a 23% discount so even though it’s a year away I can’t see us saving much more. 
 

If you’re in the uk reprice this weekend. You could well save a lot more than the deposit you would lose!!!

 

Peace,

 

Nikkoo

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