NEXT Cruise

[LovetoCruise87]

I wanted to find out if anyone has booked their next cruise by using RC NEXT cruise program. I've always thought of doing that but never have. Advice, pros and cons?

[smokeybandit]

Sometimes you can get some OBC that you can't otherwise get. Sometimes a reduced deposit amount.  No real cons. Some claim cruises are more expensive at the NextCruise desk but I've never noticed this. Not that this matters since you could get the reprice later anyway.

[Reigert2008]

We have done it a few times.  You basically get whatever incentive the ship/Royal  is offering and make your deposit on board.  They will send it to your travel agent for you for the rest of the paperwork and such.  Sometimes you get a lower deposit or  maybe onboard credit.  

Every time we cruise, we take a list of possible weeks and itineraries that we think we want to do so that we are ready to pick one if the deal is right.  Sometimes if you can move your selection up or down a week or two, you can get a better deal.  

It also helps to look up some pricing ahead of time so you know a "ballpark" figure to compare to the NextCruise offer(s)

[barjpoe]

We booked a B2B2B a few years ago, HI to Vancouver; Vancouver to SEA; then SEA / AK

Ran into a little problem the agent didn't know that Americans can't do the Vancouver to SEA sailing. 

In the end we canceled the whole trip.

Other then that we've had no problems; as mentioned a lower deposit and maybe some on board credit. Yes, do your homework ahead of time.

[WesKinetic]

NextCruise is great if you're already on board and know what you want for your next cruise. There's certainly no downside to it. The only thing I would say is that, generally speaking, the amount of OBC you'll get is nice but not huge. So, if you already know what you want for a future trip, you're likely still better off booking early on your own than waiting until a future sailing to book through NextCruise. 

[smokeybandit]

8 minutes ago, WesKinetic said:

NextCruise is great if you're already on board and know what you want for your next cruise. There's certainly no downside to it. The only thing I would say is that, generally speaking, the amount of OBC you'll get is nice but not huge. So, if you already know what you want for a future trip, you're likely still better off booking early on your own than waiting until a future sailing to book through NextCruise. 

We got $300 last time (I think it was $150 per adult).  I don't know how normal that is, but that's a solid amount.

[WesKinetic]

8 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

We got $300 last time (I think it was $150 per adult).  I don't know how normal that is, but that's a solid amount.

True, it's nothing to shake a stick at. I just meant that, if you see a cruise you want to take at a reasonable price but your next scheduled cruise is a few months away, you're rolling the dice on if/how much the price would increase between now and when you could book it on your cruise. But you raise a good question--let's say you have a cruise booked for 2021 and you want to schedule one for 2022. You go ahead and get online today to book that 2022 cruise. But when you go on your 2021 cruise, you find the price hasn't increased. Is there any reason you couldn't cancel and rebook through NextCruise to get the same rate plus the OBC offer? 

[smokeybandit]

I definitely would not rely on NextCruise for more shorter term bookings. 

 

And I'd imagine you could cancel and get the NextCruise deal.

[teddy]

We’ve only cruised a handful of times, but each time we booked a future cruise there. 
 

One thing to be aware of is that the incentives are usually based on non-refundable deposits.  

[SpeedNoodles]

2 hours ago, barjpoe said:

We booked a B2B2B a few years ago, HI to Vancouver; Vancouver to SEA; then SEA / AK

Ran into a little problem the agent didn't know that Americans can't do the Vancouver to SEA sailing. 

 

Why can't Americans do the Vancouver to SEA sailing?  They can take a ferry from Washington to Victoria, BC - I guess I don't understand the difference (Sorry to hijack the thread).

[SpeedNoodles]

You can also put down a deposit at NextCruise and have a period of time in which to book it (I can't remember the timeframe, but you could put money down, secure a smaller deposit and OBC and choose your sailing at a different time).  At least that was offered during my past few cruises.

[Reigert2008]

13 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Why can't Americans do the Vancouver to SEA sailing?  They can take a ferry from Washington to Victoria, BC - I guess I don't understand the difference (Sorry to hijack the thread).

I literally wondered the same thing, but was afraid to ask!

[AshleyDillo]

20 minutes ago, teddy said:

One thing to be aware of is that the incentives are usually based on non-refundable deposits.  

I was going to mention this...typically the advertised incentives are for non-refundable but you can book refundable.  You won't get as much OBC with the refundable, but you still get a little bit.  

Usually they'll offer on onboard incentive for booking within the first few days of a cruise, too.  It's something small like a free bottle of champagne and a raffle entry to win OBC.

Also at NextCruise, the deposits will go through as a separate charge.  They don't get charged to your onboard account so you can't use OBC to offset it.   

[WesKinetic]

@SpeedNoodles That's a good point. I'd forgotten about that. 

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Why can't Americans do the Vancouver to SEA sailing?  They can take a ferry from Washington to Victoria, BC - I guess I don't understand the difference (Sorry to hijack the thread).

Isn't it to do with the PSVA (or whetever it's called) since they were doing a b2b starting in Hawaii, so that would mean their cruise starting and ending in the US, but point to point rather than a closed loop, and hence not legal? 

[SpeedNoodles]

12 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

Isn't it to do with the PSVA (or whetever it's called) since they were doing a b2b starting in Hawaii, so that would mean their cruise starting and ending in the US, but point to point rather than a closed loop, and hence not legal? 

The way I understand the PSVA is that a foreign-flagged vessel cannot transport passengers within the US (from US port to US port) without visiting a foreign port.  If they started in Hawaii, went to Vancouver, and then to Seattle, they'd have visited a foreign port. So I'm still confused (which, if will not surprise those who have become familiar with me here over the years).

[smokeybandit]

PSVA has nothing to do with the passengers, but the route. And since a B2B is technically two completely separate cruises, I'm not sure how that'd play into anything.

[FionaMG]

19 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

The way I understand the PSVA is that a foreign-flagged vessel cannot transport passengers within the US (from US port to US port) without visiting a foreign port.  If they started in Hawaii, went to Vancouver, and then to Seattle, they'd have visited a foreign port. So I'm still confused (which, if will not surprise those who have become familiar with me here over the years).

Yes, they would but, if I'm not mistaken, it only works for closed loop cruises, starting and ending in the same US port, which Hawaii to Seattle isn't. Similar cases crop up quite regularly and often result in folks having to cancel part of their b2b cruises, and it confused me too, but then @twangster was kind enough to explain it to me.

[Ogilthorpe]

As it has been noted, there are options for OBC or a discount with NEXT Cruise. The option I prefer is the OBC. That credit, unlike OBC that is part of a promotion is not subject to change if you re-price your cruise at a later date. Also, you have the option to rebook your cruise without a change fee for 30 (60?) Days once you make the reservation.

[FionaMG]

11 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

PSVA has nothing to do with the passengers, but the route. And since a B2B is technically two completely separate cruises, I'm not sure how that'd play into anything.

Apparently as far as the competent authorities are concerned the technicality of being 2 separate cruises is irrelevant. What counts is the initial boarding point and the final disembarkation point. You can get round it by having a b2b where you get off one ship part way through, spend the night on land and then continue your journey on a different ship. I think both @WAAAYTOOO and @twangster had plans to do that - TP to Hawaii on one ship, an overnight on land and continuing on a different ship the next day. Maybe one of them can chime in if they like.

[smokeybandit]

Don't you have to go through customs after the first leg of a B2B? You'd think that'd cover you.

[ConstantCruiser]

Closed loop cruise cruises start and end at the same port so those rules aren't a factor in this case.  Closed loop cruises just need a foreign port on the itinerary.  It can be any foreign port.

Open jaw or one way cruises have to start or end in a foreign port unless they include a distant foreign port on the itinerary.  Distant foreign ports are named in the PVSA as the ABC islands and ports in South America.  If a foreign port is not in South America or one of the ABC islands it's not a distant foreign port, it's just a foreign port.

CBP considers the passenger ticket to be the moment you embark for the first time to the moment you disembark for the last time as the overall journey.

Getting off for a few hours isn't an end to the overall journey from start to finish in the eyes of the CBP.  If you get off and spend a night in a hotel that is a sufficient break in the trip to have CBP view it as two trips, otherwise stepping off and jumping right back on is not a sufficient break.  That includes packing your luggage and completely debarking then checking in for the same ship like you were never on the previous cruise - that's not allowed.  CBP sees through that veiled attempt to evade the law.  

The reason they considered the original embarkation port and final disembarkation port is so that carriers can't craft and market an overall trip that violates the intent of the PVSA by selling multiple individual segments.   If cruise lines could evade the PVSA simply by selling two cruises between two US cities they would but that violates cabotage regulations.

Many cabotage laws and regulations come from the airline industry where this sort of thing could be more prevalent.  A foreign carrier can't sell you two segments changing planes in between but effectively transporting you from A to C even if you stop in B to change planes.   If you flew from Seattle to Toronto, changed planes and flew to New York that is viewed as a trip from Seattle to New York.   A foreign carrier like Air Canada can't do that.  Changing planes and flying two individual segments doesn't let a foreign carrier evade the law.  

Just because you purchase two or three cruises to make up the journey doesn't change the end to end trip you are taking.  Spend a night in a hotel in between cruises and you are good but by then the ship has sailed without you.

[ConstantCruiser]

As far as NextCruise goes...

I typically book a cruise when I see something that interests me but I always try to book refundable in case something changes.  

Then when I am on my next cruise I stop by the NextCruise desk and shop them for prices.  Since I already hold a booking I know exactly what to price and I can immediately see how that compares to my existing refundable booking.  I have done this countless times now.

Most of the time cruises go up in price over time.  Unless you are boarding a cruise in a week or two there is a significant chance that your cruise will go up in price by the time you board your next ship.  Any OBC you might get from NextCruise often can't cover the price increase that may have occurred in the interim.   So great, you get a couple hundred in OBC from Next but the base fare is now $200 per person higher so did you get a better deal?

It doesn't always work out that way.  Sometimes prices haven't changed and in those cases I make a new booking with NextCruise and then cancel my refundable booking.   My refundable booking is a fall back or safety insurance that allows me an opportunity to see how NextCruise compares.

NextCruise sometimes finds something I can't on the public website.  One time they were able to book a cruise on a refundable basis for the same rate that non-refundable was on the website.  Sometimes they have terrible rates on refundable or the Next OBC isn't combinable with whatever promo is running that week.  

There is no "always" with NextCruise.  Sometimes it a better deal and sometimes it isn't.

[Linda R]

I booked on a cruise ship the last cruise I took, for the first time.  There was a specific cruise I wanted and was not open to book prior to cruise I was on.  It became available when on the cruise though, so booked it right away.  I book cruises way in advance and pretty much know what I am interested in.  Right now I am waiting for transatlantic cruises 2023 to be available.

The cruise I did book thru NextCruise ended up being cancelled and I  lost the $600 OBC.  So unfortunately did not work out.  But the experience was good and they transferred the reservation to my travel agent right away. 

[smokeybandit]

2 hours ago, Linda R said:

The cruise I did book thru NextCruise ended up being cancelled and I  lost the $600 OBC.

You shouldn't have lost the OBC. I transferred NextCruise OBC for a canceled cruise onto a new cruise.

[ConstantCruiser]

2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

You shouldn't have lost the OBC. I transferred NextCruise OBC for a canceled cruise onto a new cruise.

That isn't guaranteed.

If there is another cruise option that works you can often retain the OBC but I have had several where they either didn't offer the ability to move or I didn't like the only options they would allow.  

For example, Royal moved my 2 bedroom aquatheater suite on Allure to a two bedroom grand suite on Liberty.   My choice was to accept that or ask for a refund.  If I accepted it my $400 OBC would be retained.  I did not accept it and lost my Next OBC.  Moving to a different ship was desired but declined by Royal.  My only choice was Liberty or refund.

In another example an Ultimate Panoramic Suite on Oasis was cancelled when they chartered the ship.  The two dates offered as an alternate did not have any Star Class Suites available.  In that case they didn't offer any cabin as an alternate and I was forced to accept the refund.  I lost $300 in Next OBC.  

When booking non-suite cabins Royal has more inventory to work with so they seem willing to bend the alternate ship and sail date rules more.  When suites are involved, especially Star Class, Royal will often not offer any alternate so Next OBC is lost.  

[Hagar]

The OBC from "booking onboard" (Next Cruise desk) is supposed to remain valid. As an example, I have a booking that is on it's fourth ship/sail date yet still carries the appropriate amount of OBC (based on category and length of cruise). 

 

But an old joke is that if you want two different answers from Royal, call three different times (Carnival you only call twice for the same effect though ;>)

[LovetoCruise87]

Thanks everyone for all of your information. I appreciate it.

[RockerDom31]

Just passing along a story about NextCruise to help with your decision.

In August 2019, my wife and I booked an August 2020 cruise at the NextCruise desk. We paid the reduced deposit (non-refundable) of $100 pp and got $100 OBC.

Thinking we were doing the right thing, we paid off the cruise before final payment date.

Cruise was cancelled and we opted for the full cash refund. However, $250 pp was given back as FCC. We were expecting $100 pp since that was deposit. Apparently, according to our travel agent, if we didn’t make any payments, we would have gotten $100 pp deposit as FCC back.

But since we paid for the cruise in full, the deposit refund issued was upped to $250. Therefore, we didn’t necessarily get “all” of our cash back.

In the grand scheme of things, this wasn’t a big deal since we used the $500 to put a deposit on our August 2022 cruise.

I’m sure somewhere along the way we signed something that laid out the refund policy for NextCruise. Just a heads up!

[CrimsonCruiser]

On 6/18/2021 at 10:02 AM, LovetoCruise87 said:

I wanted to find out if anyone has booked their next cruise by using RC NEXT cruise program. I've always thought of doing that but never have. Advice, pros and cons?

We booked our 3rd cruise through Next Cruise while on Enchantment. It was an okay experience. I enjoyed the $500 OBC we got (the biggest perk in booking on the ship) and the chance to talk to someone was nice. I will say, it's like anything else in life, experience in booking does depend on the agent. While the agent we had on Enchantment wasn't bad, I do wish she had been more informative. Compared to an agent we spoke to on Liberty, the Enchantment agent felt like she was just there to press buttons. The agent on Liberty was able to talk about what to do at certain ports, what ports were best for flying in, what ships had what features, and why we might even like ships we hadn't considered. She also knew a little bit about Celebrity's itineraries.

I already know I plan to make a couple of trips by the desk on our next trip to talk to several people and ask a million questions.

TL;DR - worth it for the OBC and chance to speak to a potentially uber knowledgeable human face to face; experience varies by agent.