Price Drop After Final Payment

[Ja-sun]

I have already payed off my cruise for October 2022. There has been a price drop and I would be saving $500. Now, would my TA have to cancel and rebook my rooms again, or could she just contact RC and ask for OBC? Either would work for me.

[twangster]

What country are you based in?

In the US it's very easy for a TA to reprice a cruise especially one before final payment due date.  No need to cancel/rebook, it's a simple price adjustment that should result in a credit to your credit card.  After final payment due date it would be given in the form of OBC.

[Ja-sun]

8 minutes ago, twangster said:

What country are you based in?

In the US it's very easy for a TA to reprice a cruise especially one before final payment due date.  No need to cancel/rebook, it's a simple price adjustment that should result in a credit to your credit card.  After final payment due date it would be given in the form of OBC.

I'm in the US. Are you positive of this? So if my TA says there is nothing she can do, then I'm going to call her out on it.

[Matt]

6 minutes ago, Ja-sun said:

I'm in the US. Are you positive of this? So if my TA says there is nothing she can do, then I'm going to call her out on it.

If you are BEFORE final payment date and in the US, then yes, absolutely you can reprice without cancelling and rebooking.

TAs should be able to do this, although I think it requires them to call in to reprice.

[Ja-sun]

10 minutes ago, Matt said:

If you are BEFORE final payment date and in the US, then yes, absolutely you can reprice without cancelling and rebooking.

TAs should be able to do this, although I think it requires them to call in to reprice.

So my next question would be, if my TA basically refuses to do this, would I be able to call RC and do this myself?

[twangster]

6 minutes ago, Ja-sun said:

So my next question would be, if my TA basically refuses to do this, would I be able to call RC and do this myself?

No.  

First you need to make sure your category of cabin has dropped.  That doesn't mean "balcony" for example, but the actual category code such as 2D or 4D or 3V or whatever your actual category is.  Sometimes a 2D balcony might be cheaper but a 4D balcony is not.  If you have a 4D cabin booked, make sure that 4D is cheaper.  

If your TA refuses to reprice your next step would be to contact the owner of the travel agency.  If the owner refuses to reprice you would need to work through Royal to have your agency removed from the booking.  Only then could you work with Royal direct to reprice but you would lose any perks your agency had added to the booking.

[Ja-sun]

14 minutes ago, twangster said:

No.  

First you need to make sure your category of cabin has dropped.  That doesn't mean "balcony" for example, but the actual category code such as 2D or 4D or 3V or whatever your actual category is.  Sometimes a 2D balcony might be cheaper but a 4D balcony is not.  If you have a 4D cabin booked, make sure that 4D is cheaper.  

If your TA refuses to reprice your next step would be to contact the owner of the travel agency.  If the owner refuses to reprice you would need to work through Royal to have your agency removed from the booking.  Only then could you work with Royal direct to reprice but you would lose any perks your agency had added to the booking.

Well, hopefully my TA will take care of it. If not, I will be looking for another. Problem is, I chose an agency that had the best OBC promo. I would hate to lose that.

[twangster]

Adding - prior to final payment due date you can change cabin categories.  

1D, 2D, 3D, 4D, 5D, etc. are all examples of balcony cabin categories.  You might have a 4D booked but now a 2D is cheaper.  You should be able to change categories up or down prior to final payment due date.  It does mean changing cabins so make sure there is a cabin you like in the cheaper category.  

It's possible that there is now a "guarantee' rate available and that is cheaper but changing to a GTY cabin means you must accept the cruise line assigning your cabin.  

[Ja-sun]

7 minutes ago, twangster said:

Adding - prior to final payment due date you can change cabin categories.  

1D, 2D, 3D, 4D, 5D, etc. are all examples of balcony cabin categories.  You might have a 4D booked but now a 2D is cheaper.  You should be able to change categories up or down prior to final payment due date.  It does mean changing cabins so make sure there is a cabin you like in the cheaper category.  

It's possible that there is no a "guarantee' rate available and that is cheaper but changing to a GTY cabin means you must accept the cruise line assigning your cabin.  

So what I'm going by is I asked my TA about another couple joining us. She gave me a price which ended up being $250 cheaper than what I paid. I have two rooms, so a total of $500 I would be saving. She never mentions 1D, 2D, etc. I never knew there was a difference other than what part of the ship your room was located at.

[twangster]

20 minutes ago, Ja-sun said:

So what I'm going by is I asked my TA about another couple joining us. She gave me a price which ended up being $250 cheaper than what I paid. I have two rooms, so a total of $500 I would be saving. She never mentions 1D, 2D, etc. I never knew there was a difference other than what part of the ship your room was located at.

Ask for a detailed invoice that should indicate your exact cabin category.  Compare that to what is being offered to the new couple.  Maybe they were quoted a cheaper category in a less desirable location. 

If you want to share cabin numbers we can look it up and determine what your category is.  

[twangster]

Here is an example where a 2D balcony is less than a 4D balcony.  The 4D balcony cabin 6572 is $40 per person more, or $80 total.  

On the surface it may seem that a "balcony" is less than your current rate but if you currently have a 4D balcony you can't compare that to a lower 2D rate or ask for your 4D cabin to match the 2D rate. 

At this point well before final payment you can ask to move to a 2D cabin but that means physically moving to a new cabin that is a 2D.  If your current cabin is a 4D and you love that cabin location then downgrading to a 2D cabin may not be worth the savings.

 

[Ja-sun]

29 minutes ago, twangster said:

Here is an example where a 2D balcony is less than a 4D balcony.  The 4D balcony cabin 6572 is $40 per person more, or $80 total.  

On the surface it may seem that a "balcony" is less than your current rate but if you currently have a 4D balcony you can't compare that to a lower 2D rate or ask for your 4D cabin to match the 2D rate. 

At this point well before final payment you can ask to move to a 2D cabin but that means physically moving to a new cabin that is a 2D.  If your current cabin is a 4D and you love that cabin location then downgrading to a 2D cabin may not be worth the savings.

 

So basically just the location determines the 2D from the 4D. I could see if one had more sq ft of room space or something. I'll have to look mine up now.

[twangster]

1 hour ago, Ja-sun said:

So basically just the location determines the 2D from the 4D. I could see if one had more sq ft of room space or something. I'll have to look mine up now.

Even number indicates a capacity of 2 guests.  Odd number something other than 2 guests such as 3, 4 or 5 guests but this varies on different ships. 

The number, higher or lower can be location or other aspects such as being an aft balcony, more central, forward or aft, etc. It's generally some sort of desirability factor. 

Size is typically the same until you get into 2B or 4B where the B indicates "spacious" balcony for example.   

Sometimes price anomalies occur where a more desirable cabin is cheaper than an otherwise standard or more common type of cabin.  

It can vary by class of ship.  Voyager and Freedom class have some aft facing balconies that are 4D while on Radiance class the aft facing balconies are 4B category.   

The point or takeaway is that each category can have price drops or price increases independent of other categories within the same type of cabin, i.e. interior, oceanview or balcony.  Only when your actual booked category drops in price can you request a price adjustment.  

[Sharla]

1 hour ago, Matt said:

although I think it requires them to call in to reprice.

Most of the time it can be done online, even if paid in full. If the category is sold out then it requires a phone call.

[Ja-sun]

48 minutes ago, twangster said:

Even number indicates a capacity of 2 guests.  Odd number something other than 2 guests such as 3, 4 ot 5 guests but this varies on different ships. 

The number, higher or lower can be location or other aspects such as being an aft balcony, more central, forward or aft, etc. It's generally some sort of desirability factor. 

Size is typically the same until you get into 2B or 4B where the B indicates "spacious" balcony for example.   

Sometimes price anomalies occur where a more desirable cabin is cheaper than an otherwise standard or more common type of cabin.  

It can vary by class of ship.  Voyager and Freedom class have some aft facing balconies that are 4D while on Radiance class the aft facing balconies are 4B category.   

The point or takeaway is that each category can have price drops or price increases independent of other categories within the same type of cabin, i.e. interior, oceanview or balcony.  Only when your actual booked category drops in price can you request a price adjustment.  

Very nice. You learn something new everyday. Thank you.

[Done]

5 hours ago, Ja-sun said:

I have already payed off my cruise for October 2022. There has been a price drop and I would be saving $500. Now, would my TA have to cancel and rebook my rooms again, or could she just contact RC and ask for OBC? Either would work for me.

This if from RCL website.  The way a I read this your cruise is after the required sail date.

 

For sailings booked by March 31, 2022 that depart by September 30, 2022, our Best Price Guarantee gives you an adjustment if you spot a better price on your cruise. So you’re ensured to get the best value. Give us a call up to 48 hours before your sail date and you’ll receive the price difference as an onboard credit or rate adjustment — it’s your choice. 

[twangster]

25 minutes ago, Toby said:

This if from RCL website.  The way a I read this your cruise is after the required sail date.

 

For sailings booked by March 31, 2022 that depart by September 30, 2022, our Best Price Guarantee gives you an adjustment if you spot a better price on your cruise. So you’re ensured to get the best value. Give us a call up to 48 hours before your sail date and you’ll receive the price difference as an onboard credit or rate adjustment — it’s your choice. 

In the US cruises have always been able to be repriced prior to final payment due date.  It was price adjustments after final payment due date that gained benefit from the CWC best price guarantee.

I've not seen that Royal has suspended price drops prior to final payment for US booked cruises.  If that is a new policy change that would be newsworthy.  

[Done]

28 minutes ago, twangster said:

In the US cruises have always been able to be repriced prior to final payment due date.  It was price adjustments after final payment due date that gained benefit from the CWC best price guarantee.

I've not seen that Royal has suspended price drops prior to final payment for US booked cruises.  If that is a new policy change that would be newsworthy.  

Was repricing allowed before the pandemic shut down?    I did a mock booking and under terms and conditions was this nugget.  It said I had 48 hours to find a cheaper price.  I am not trying to prove you wrong.  I want to determine if these conditions are written but not followed.

[twangster]

2 hours ago, Toby said:

Was repricing allowed before the pandemic shut down?    I did a mock booking and under terms and conditions was this nugget.  It said I had 48 hours to find a cheaper price.  I am not trying to prove you wrong.  I want to determine if these conditions are written but not followed.

Prior to the shutdown and before CWC was ever a concept cruises booked in North America could be repriced prior to final payment due date.  

At one point several years ago after final payment due date a price drop would be handled with OBC.  Then there was a bad stretch of hurricanes that caused a lot of losses.  Royal stated their "goodwill fund" for price adjustments after final payment due date had been consumed by hurricane losses so they stopped offering adjustments after final payment.  They would sometimes allow an upgrade to a better cabin if you were willing to pay the difference to get there.  Price adjustments prior to final payment due were still allowed.  

Cruisers in other regions were not so fortunate.  They never could reprice before CWC was introduced.  Now, with CWC some cruisers in other regions can reprice as long as CWC is in play for the dates involved.