royal carribean next cruise

[Tret]

Has anyone had any luck with this program? I have a cruise in June/July but was looking at taking another one in December as well.  Was curious if I should book now or wait till on the ship in June/July and go to the next desk while on the ship?

[KristiZ]

Welcome to the boards!

We use Next Cruise and have gotten some good deals. However, December can be a busy time so you might want to book sooner rather than later. Costs mostly just go up. 

[Vancity Cruiser]

3 hours ago, Tret said:

Has anyone had any luck with this program? I have a cruise in June/July but was looking at taking another one in December as well.  Was curious if I should book now or wait till on the ship in June/July and go to the next desk while on the ship?

I usually just purchase a next cruise certificate. That way you still get the on-board credit but can apply it to a cruise later on

[Pat Barile]

I can't seem to get a price list for the Valentines cruise 2023 with Texas Tenors

[AshleyDillo]

4 hours ago, Pat Barile said:

I can't seem to get a price list for the Valentines cruise 2023 with Texas Tenors

https://thetexastenors.com/cruise/

Usually for group cruises you need to book through the group in order to take advantage of the group activities.

[steverk]

The nextcruise pricing seems to match what your travel agent can get. Booking on board will get more on board credit and a reduced deposit for nonrefundable fares. The reduction can be significant.  For example,  i booked a 14 day Greenland cruise.  Normal deposit was $900. On board it was $200. The obc was $300.

Based on this. It makes sense to wait book on board if you're going to be on board within a within a week or so, but I wouldn't wait any longer. 

[Vancity Cruiser]

2 hours ago, steverk said:

The nextcruise pricing seems to match what your travel agent can get. Booking on board will get more on board credit and a reduced deposit for nonrefundable fares. The reduction can be significant.  For example,  i booked a 14 day Greenland cruise.  Normal deposit was $900. On board it was $200. The obc was $300.

Based on this. It makes sense to wait book on board if you're going to be on board within a within a week or so, but I wouldn't wait any longer. 

They can actually have you linked to your travel agent. When we book on board they ask if we want our booking transferred straight to our agent

[Moby Dick]

I've only used the Next Cruise Desk once.  Now, I'm wondering why I didn't use it more often.  Here's my story about it:

I purchased my cruise on the Symphony over two years ago.  With all the COVID going on, our original booking was changed several times.  The original purchase was a great deal.  Instead of going over the history of the COVID cancelations, I'll just stick to the end result.  But first, while we were at the Next Cruise Desk, which I believe the people working there are much more knowledgeable/trained than the "phone answers" at Corp., the gentleman told us two very important things.  First, if we purchased a cruise through the Next Cruise Desk, we could, with in XX amount of days, switch our booking over to a TA of our choice (yes, I know that that is true even if you book with one of the Corp., "phone answerers".  The second thing was that he offered us the Bank of America Credit Card and we, each of us, my wife and I, would get 10,000 bonus points just for applying.   Well, we both got one and we got 20,000 bonus points plus the points for the deposit that we put on those cards.  The points can be converted into On Board Credits for a cruise.  We also got a great deal for the cruise and some extra OBCs for booking at the Next Cruise Desk.

Moving forward, within the XX time frame my wife called/search the internet/just did a lot of research.  She saw a TA, will remain nameless, that was offering up to $1,500.00 OBC for booking with them.  I thought it was going to be B.S. but we called anyway.  In talking to the agent, I decide that it lagit.  So, we transferred our booking to this TA, a large company that apparent Only does Cruises.  We also got some other OBCs for a few other things.  

Bottom line, I am a big fan of The Next Cruise Desk.  They set a lot of good stuff in motion, at least for us.  My next cruise, if you add up all the OBCs I got from Royal and the TA is over $1,800.00, and if I want I can get about $500.00 OBCs from BOA C.C., from Bank of America's Royal Caribbean Credit Card.  But, I think I'll hold on to the BOA OBCs until our next cruise in November.  Our next cruise in May that I have over $1,800.00 in OBCs is a Star Class Cruise that is almost like an "all inclusive" vacation.  It's going to be hard to find a way to spend all of it.  Well, not really, it can be used in the casino and excursions and the various on board shops.  Our November cruise isn't Star Class, so the BOA OBCs will come in very handy.  

By the way, we only use the BOA Credit Card for Royal Caribbean purchases because it gives double points and I really don't care for BOA, I don't like to give them any of my money.  But, I'm a whore for a good deal.  

[CrimsonCruiser]

I personally love Next Cruise and I'll list all the reasons why below but I want to state it clearly up front that Next Cruise never has better pricing than you can get on your own. The biggest draw is usually the OBC and maybe a lower deposit.

Why I love Next Cruise:

• First and foremost the ability to talk to someone who is patient and knowledgeable about so many different facets of the cruises. Shore excursions, port access, best place on the ships, cost value etc it's truly a great experience especially if you're not such a veteran that you have more questions than answers.
• The OBC. By booking our suites via Next Cruise we almost always get up to $300 in OBC. These cruises are treats for us and having this extra bit of "free" m money to have fun on the ship is a nice perk.
• The ability to change and change and change again. On our last cruise we chose a Harmony iten in a smaller room than we normally get but after a day we weren't as excited as we wanted to be about it. So we went back and changed to a different iten. Only thing we paid was the difference in deposit. This ability to change on your own is probably possible, but it was nice to have someone to chat to about it.
• The fact I can soothe my post-cruise blues by looking at my next trip paperwork! You step off board with a new booking in hand! it's great!

[MTNeedsAVacay]

For those of you who book via NextCruise and then transfer to your TA- do you have your TA plan stuff out ahead of time (or you plan out yourself) with research, pricing, options, etc, then take that info on the cruise to book with NextCruise, then transfer it to your TA? That way you can still get the extra OBC from NextCruise and your TA still gets the booking? Does that have any negative affect on your TA's commission (like, would they get more commission if booked directly through them instead of having it transferred to them from NextCruise)?

Hope this makes sense!

 

[smokeybandit]

10 minutes ago, MTNeedsAVacay said:

For those of you who book via NextCruise and then transfer to your TA- do you have your TA plan stuff out ahead of time (or you plan out yourself) with research, pricing, options, etc, then take that info on the cruise to book with NextCruise, then transfer it to your TA? That way you can still get the extra OBC from NextCruise and your TA still gets the booking? Does that have any negative affect on your TA's commission (like, would they get more commission if booked directly through them instead of having it transferred to them from NextCruise)?

Hope this makes sense!

 

I don't believe TAs get any less commission from a 3rd party booking transferred to them vs. directly booking with them.

Your scenario is exactly what we do. We know what we want to book when we go to the NextCruise desk. Then when I get home, transfer it to my TA.

[steverk]

3 hours ago, MTNeedsAVacay said:

For those of you who book via NextCruise and then transfer to your TA- do you have your TA plan stuff out ahead of time (or you plan out yourself) with research, pricing, options, etc, then take that info on the cruise to book with NextCruise, then transfer it to your TA? That way you can still get the extra OBC from NextCruise and your TA still gets the booking? Does that have any negative affect on your TA's commission (like, would they get more commission if booked directly through them instead of having it transferred to them from NextCruise)?

Hope this makes sense!

 

My TA is  always happy when I book on board, so I don't think it negatively affects her commission. 

I've asked about coordinating,  and she never thought there was any advantage in doing so. 

[Temeculaguy]

I did it for the first time in January and it beat any offer i've ever gotten plus I was able to call the casino royale afterwards and stack the $500 discount. We often travel with family strewn across the country so there is the added convenience of having three or more couples from different coasts sit down and book the next one without time zone issues and scheduling a conference call with a TA. It might seem easy enough to pick a date but picking rooms and the whole suite class thing like coastal kitchen or suite lounge access and other things it's so much better when everyone is on the same page, either we are all in or we are all not in on certain accesses not to mention the OBC they throw at you.

[twangster]

By default a NextCruise booking made on board goes to the travel agency who booked you on the cruise where you visited NextCruise.  You can tell NextCruise not to associate it to that travel agency which will keep it a direct booking then later you transfer it to any travel agency or keep it direct.  The transfer time used to be 60 days but lately I've seen reference to 30 days.  After that you can't transfer an unassigned booking direct to a travel agency.

The future cruise open booking from NextCruise can be transferred to an agency as an open booking then your travel agent can pick the specific ship and sail date you want and turn it into a real booking.  You need to pick a ship and sail date soon to get any OBC from NextCruise, 30 days I think,  and if you don't use it within 12 months it is forfeited so you would lose your deposit.  

NextCruise is best when you book non-refundable deposit.  For folks who seek a fully refundable deposit there usually is no reduced deposits and you'll receive less OBC plus a higher price.  Sometimes though they'll surprise you with decent fully refundable rates so it never hurts to ask.  

[twangster]

On 3/27/2022 at 7:22 PM, Tret said:

Has anyone had any luck with this program? I have a cruise in June/July but was looking at taking another one in December as well.  Was curious if I should book now or wait till on the ship in June/July and go to the next desk while on the ship?

If you were boarding next week I'd suggest you wait to see what NextCruise will offer.  Waiting two months means rates will probably go up as ships sell cabins so any NextCruise savings will probably be lost by paying a higher basic cruise fare compared to today.

One strategy is book a refundable fare today as a backup.  In June see what the rates are at NextCruise. If the combined cruise fare and NextCruise OBC is a better deal then you can cancel the refundable booking.  If not keep the refundable booking or convert it to NRD (non refundable) for any savings that offers at that time.  Sometimes though rates have gone up so the refundable rate you booked two months ago is the best rate so it wouldn't make sense to convert it to NRD. 

[Matt F]

Has anyone experienced issues with NextCruise reps when requesting assignment to TA? The rep seemed to be annoyed when we asked for the TA assignment, then made use fill out a form and in the end she said that she couldn't find our TA in the system. I even showed her my TA's email signature line. All is good now because we were able to transfer it after the fact, but curious if anyone else has experienced something like this.

[ChessE4]

9 minutes ago, Matt F said:

Has anyone experienced issues with NextCruise reps when requesting assignment to TA? The rep seemed to be annoyed when we asked for the TA assignment, then made use fill out a form and in the end she said that she couldn't find our TA in the system. I even showed her my TA's email signature line. All is good now because we were able to transfer it after the fact, but curious if anyone else has experienced something like this.

No, we were able to do our transfer on the ship.

[smokeybandit]

15 minutes ago, Matt F said:

Has anyone experienced issues with NextCruise reps when requesting assignment to TA? The rep seemed to be annoyed when we asked for the TA assignment, then made use fill out a form and in the end she said that she couldn't find our TA in the system. I even showed her my TA's email signature line. All is good now because we were able to transfer it after the fact, but curious if anyone else has experienced something like this.

I think it's the extra paperwork step they don't like to deal with.

[twangster]

By default a NextCruise booking goes to the agency you used for the ship you are sailing when you visit NextCruise.  

I've never had an issue asking them to keep it direct or use a different agency.  

The key with any agency is the phone number NextCruise uses to search for them.  Ask your desired TA for their official Royal phone number.   

[smokeybandit]

Last month I pulled my old TA off the default reservation at NextCruise in order to transfer it to my MEI agent.

[Colombia20102018]

On 3/27/2022 at 11:07 PM, Vancity Cruiser said:

I usually just purchase a next cruise certificate. That way you still get the on-board credit but can apply it to a cruise later on

How do you buy it? How much does it cost? Does it have an expiration date? Do you need one per cabin or can it be applied to multiple rooms? Thanks

[FionaMG]

17 minutes ago, Colombia20102018 said:

How do you buy it? How much does it cost? Does it have an expiration date? Do you need one per cabin or can it be applied to multiple rooms? Thanks

You just get them from the Next Cruise agent on board. Each voucher corresponds to one booking with a specific booking number, so one per room. They're $200 so that's for 2 people. If you use it for a room where there's going to be more than 2 people you're supposed to pay an additional $100 deposit for each additional person when you select the actual sailing. Note that the cost is charged directly to your credit card; it doesn't go on your room account. 

You have to convert it to a named sailing within 60 days of purchase to get the obc. They do have an expiry date. It's either 1 or 2 years from date of purchase, can't remember which, but if you let them expire you lose the money.

They are assigned to your current TA unless you tell the Next Cruise agent otherwise, so when you're ready to pick a specific sailing you would need to get your TA to process the conversion. 

[need2cruz]

13 hours ago, FionaMG said:

You just get them from the Next Cruise agent on board. Each voucher corresponds to one booking with a specific booking number, so one per room. They're $200 so that's for 2 people. If you use it for a room where there's going to be more than 2 people you're supposed to pay an additional $100 deposit for each additional person when you select the actual sailing. Note that the cost is charged directly to your credit card; it doesn't go on your room account. 

You have to convert it to a named sailing within 60 days of purchase to get the obc. They do have an expiry date. It's either 1 or 2 years from date of purchase, can't remember which, but if you let them expire you lose the money.

They are assigned to your current TA unless you tell the Next Cruise agent otherwise, so when you're ready to pick a specific sailing you would need to get your TA to process the conversion. 

This sounds like a good idea.  This way your crown and anchor points from the current sailing could be applied before booking the next cruise.  I think I'm going to try this.

[twangster]

14 hours ago, Colombia20102018 said:

How do you buy it? How much does it cost? Does it have an expiration date? Do you need one per cabin or can it be applied to multiple rooms? Thanks

You can buy the open booking NextCruise certificate right in the Royal app once you are onboard.  This way you don't have to make an appointment or take up valuable cruise time sitting at NextCruise.

You have to pick a ship and sail date within 2 months to get any OBC and you have to use it within 12 months or it is lost.  Names can be changed until you pick a ship and sail date, after that one original name must remain on a reservation.  I think the limit is three of these per cruise (one in the app, the rest require a visit to NextCruise).