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Rebooking for Discounts


jce2

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Greetings All,

    First, thanks to Matt for straightening out my verification process.  Getting ready to book my very first cruise and I have rad a lot out here about rebooking your cruise when discounts occur.  How does this work.  Assume that I don't use a travel agent.  If I book my trip next weekend (after BOGO expires) and then later a good sale occurs, how so I take advantage?  Do I simply call and cancel, and then start all over?  Does that mean I lose my rooms and have to repick new ones etc.?  Do I have to make a new deposit and wait for my old deposit to be refunded?

 

 

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We have rebooked several times, and it is as easy a calling my TA and he takes care of the rest. So my first suggestion would be to use a good travel agent. Some will even check for you every time e RCCL changes their current the promotion.  If you insist on not using a TA, just call RCCL and ask to rebook, you will get to keep the same cabins that you originally booked. No additional deposit will be needed. ANY monies you have paid will remain on the new booking. Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I don't even think you booking number changes? 

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I agree with Floatme, I just called my TA and she calls Royal and they will give her the current price with promotions to see if it is better than what I have now. Just remember if you rebook and you have Onboard Credit, you will lose it. So you have to weigh that in to the rebook price. In other words, if you rebook and save $100 total but you lose $100 OBC, it is not worth rebooking the cruise.

 

You keep the same booking number every time you rebook. I had one cruise that I rebooked three times and the same number applied each time.

 

Candie

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I agree with Floatme, I just called my TA and she calls Royal and they will give her the current price with promotions to see if it is better than what I have now. Just remember if you rebook and you have Onboard Credit, you will lose it. So you have to weigh that in to the rebook price. In other words, if you rebook and save $100 total but you lose $100 OBC, it is not worth rebooking the cruise.

 

You keep the same booking number every time you rebook. I had one cruise that I rebooked three times and the same number applied each time.

 

Candie

In the situation you describe, I personally would rebook and have. I'd rather have the lower overall cruise fare rather than the OBC especially since I like to prebook and prepay everything before I board.

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When you re-book, you are essentially canceling and rebooking.  From personal experience, re-pricing/rebooking is so much simpler when you use a good TA.

On the Harmony OTS blog cruise, I am using an MEI travel agent because I want to be in on the activities planned by you.  So far, I have been "underwhelmed" by the service of the agent and have booked my 3 other existing cruise reservations with an RC agent on the phone.  Maybe I was expecting too much from the agent, but I rather doubt it.  If you have any recommendation of a specific agent, I would be happy to try using one again.  Thanks!

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On the Harmony OTS blog cruise, I am using an MEI travel agent because I want to be in on the activities planned by you. So far, I have been "underwhelmed" by the service of the agent and have booked my 3 other existing cruise reservations with an RC agent on the phone. Maybe I was expecting too much from the agent, but I rather doubt it. If you have any recommendation of a specific agent, I would be happy to try using one again. Thanks!

My agent, Heather Coursen, has been great. Very quick to follow up on issues and right on top of every promo that comes out where rebooking can save me some cash. Saved me a ton with the last promo (which I have been told by here as well as others here is the exception, not the rule). And very good at answering questions.

 

Her phone # is (818) 748-8308

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On the Harmony OTS blog cruise, I am using an MEI travel agent because I want to be in on the activities planned by you.  So far, I have been "underwhelmed" by the service of the agent and have booked my 3 other existing cruise reservations with an RC agent on the phone.  Maybe I was expecting too much from the agent, but I rather doubt it.  If you have any recommendation of a specific agent, I would be happy to try using one again.  Thanks!

May I ask what aspect of the service has not been to your liking? 

 

Personally, I like having a TA for things like

  • Quotes for possible cruises to take
  • Repricing when new sales come out so I don't have to
  • Dealing with RC when there is a billing problem (this is a big one)
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May I ask what aspect of the service has not been to your liking? 

 

Personally, I like having a TA for things like

  • Quotes for possible cruises to take
  • Repricing when new sales come out so I don't have to
  • Dealing with RC when there is a billing problem (this is a big one)

 

I had called and left a message regarding a possible price reduction, and she did not get back to me for 3 days....when I finally called her again.  Based on the items you suggested a TA might do for you, I have not had any of these services offered. All communication from her is via e-mail....no phone calls. If we had better rapport, I would not have booked 3 more cruises on my own with the RC agent.  

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My agent, Heather Coursen, has been great. Very quick to follow up on issues and right on top of every promo that comes out where rebooking can save me some cash. Saved me a ton with the last promo (which I have been told by here as well as others here is the exception, not the rule). And very good at answering questions.

 

Her phone # is (818) 748-8308

Thanks for the name and number of your agent....sounds much more efficient than mine.

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I had called and left a message regarding a possible price reduction, and she did not get back to me for 3 days....when I finally called her again.  Based on the items you suggested a TA might do for you, I have not had any of these services offered. All communication from her is via e-mail....no phone calls. If we had better rapport, I would not have booked 3 more cruises on my own with the RC agent.  

 

I will say that email does seem to be the preferred means of communication, most likely because it's the most common now and also the simplest. No chance of a missed call, the other person can reply at their leisure and be sure that the TA will see the reply when they get back.

 

That said, not getting back to you for 3 days isn't right, especially if that only happened because you called them again. I'd have ditched the agent as well.

 

If you do decide to give Heather a try, I'd suggest letting her know up front that you prefer that "personal touch" of a direct phone call for all correspondence and that email really doesn't work for you. She does call back quickly the times I've had to leave a message for her, and if she's going to be away for a while she makes that clear on her outgoing voice mail message.

 

Even if you go with another agent, I'd advise making that request up front. I'm sad to say, but the days of people calling everyone are basically done with unless you ask for it. If the agent is someone who really prefers email, they should tell you that up front and you can make an easy decision to look for another agent.

 

Regarding not hearing anything from the TA about a particular sale, I will relay my own experience for comparison (some of the details around timings might be off, but the key points are all true):

  • Made the initial booking with Heather at the end of December last year
  • RCI announced a new sale in January; called Heather and asked if she could check on that
  • Heard back from Heather by phone, told me the sale only shaved about a hundred bucks off the total cost. She also reassured me that she would be checking each sale as it came out and would let me know if that particular one saved us some more
  • February WOW sale came out at the start of the month; I decided to "test it out" and didn't email or call Heather
  • No contact from her through the first half of February
  • New sale after President's Day weekend came out that Tuesday, which further boosted the current WOW sale; I wasn't even aware this had happened yet
  • Got an email from Heather at like 9:30 or 10:00 AM, telling me the new sale had just started and she checked it out, saw it would save me a ton on our current reservation
  • She had already rebooked us, and included in the email was an updated invoice showing the new price of our cruise -- to the tune of $1600 less than before, plus the $200 in OBC available for our two balcony rooms! I called her on the phone to thank her, happened to catch her while she was still in the office. She said she has never seen a promotion that saved so much off the original booking, especially when we had originally booked 18 months out.

So they absolutely do that legwork for you, but you shouldn't expect a contact for every single new promotion that comes along. They'll just reach out when there's actual news to report. :)

 

I hope this is reassuring, and makes you feel more comfortable with using a TA / finding one who "fits" with you.

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Guest toodle68

I saw a price drop on the cruise I was on and call my personal "Royal Caribbean Vacation Planner" .. and he adjusted the price.. same reservation number, same rooms and I kept my OBC from when I booked it on my previous cruise.. No rebooking.

 

Direct number if anyone is interested..

Royal Caribbean

Vacation Planner - Rubens Cadet 1- 800-859-7225 Ext 26854

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One thing I learned recently is that if you are past your final payment date (deadline for rebooking) you can still upgrade your room for free if you find a better room at the same price as what you paid.

After final payment date many people drop out, even possibly a large group. In that case prices can drop dramatically, maybe get a balcony for the price of your interior.

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I will say that email does seem to be the preferred means of communication, most likely because it's the most common now and also the simplest. No chance of a missed call, the other person can reply at their leisure and be sure that the TA will see the reply when they get back.

 

That said, not getting back to you for 3 days isn't right, especially if that only happened because you called them again. I'd have ditched the agent as well.

 

If you do decide to give Heather a try, I'd suggest letting her know up front that you prefer that "personal touch" of a direct phone call for all correspondence and that email really doesn't work for you. She does call back quickly the times I've had to leave a message for her, and if she's going to be away for a while she makes that clear on her outgoing voice mail message.

 

Even if you go with another agent, I'd advise making that request up front. I'm sad to say, but the days of people calling everyone are basically done with unless you ask for it. If the agent is someone who really prefers email, they should tell you that up front and you can make an easy decision to look for another agent.

 

Regarding not hearing anything from the TA about a particular sale, I will relay my own experience for comparison (some of the details around timings might be off, but the key points are all true):

  • Made the initial booking with Heather at the end of December last year
  • RCI announced a new sale in January; called Heather and asked if she could check on that
  • Heard back from Heather by phone, told me the sale only shaved about a hundred bucks off the total cost. She also reassured me that she would be checking each sale as it came out and would let me know if that particular one saved us some more
  • February WOW sale came out at the start of the month; I decided to "test it out" and didn't email or call Heather
  • No contact from her through the first half of February
  • New sale after President's Day weekend came out that Tuesday, which further boosted the current WOW sale; I wasn't even aware this had happened yet
  • Got an email from Heather at like 9:30 or 10:00 AM, telling me the new sale had just started and she checked it out, saw it would save me a ton on our current reservation
  • She had already rebooked us, and included in the email was an updated invoice showing the new price of our cruise -- to the tune of $1600 less than before, plus the $200 in OBC available for our two balcony rooms! I called her on the phone to thank her, happened to catch her while she was still in the office. She said she has never seen a promotion that saved so much off the original booking, especially when we had originally booked 18 months out.

So they absolutely do that legwork for you, but you shouldn't expect a contact for every single new promotion that comes along. They'll just reach out when there's actual news to report. :)

 

I hope this is reassuring, and makes you feel more comfortable with using a TA / finding one who "fits" with you.

Thank you so much for the information about your TA.  She sounds like one I would choose to have.  Today I contacted mine about making a payment on my upcoming cruise.  It still has not been posted on my credit card nor have I received an updated sheet with my new balance.  She sounds totally disinterested in helping me whether by text or phone.  I do not feel I can switch agents at this point, but I will definitely contact yours for future cruises.

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  • 2 weeks later...

TA question I know is answered but I'm a lazy web searcher. I just turned over a booking for a 2019 cruise out of Galveston to MEI. My first time using an agent. Can I go ahead and book dining venues and excursions on my cruise planner or do I give that up when I use a TA? I like to do it myself online  as it is part of the fun for me.

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I finally did go with a TA. I had already booked the room and excursions.  A few days later he changed my rez.  Only saved $1 on each of the promenades (and nothing on the balcony) but each promenade got $50 OBC and the Balcony got $100.  Really glad I went with a TA!  (his name is John Ames with MEI)

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I finally did go with a TA. I had already booked the room and excursions.  A few days later he changed my rez.  Only saved $1 on each of the promenades (and nothing on the balcony) but each promenade got $50 OBC and the Balcony got $100.  Really glad I went with a TA!  (his name is John Ames with MEI)

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One thing I learned recently is that if you are past your final payment date (deadline for rebooking) you can still upgrade your room for free if you find a better room at the same price as what you paid.

After final payment date many people drop out, even possibly a large group. In that case prices can drop dramatically, maybe get a balcony for the price of your interior.

I was able to call and get my interior room switched to ocean balcony without having to pay more. Thank goodness for this site!!

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I was able to call and get my interior room switched to ocean balcony without having to pay more. Thank goodness for this site!!

I have saved a lot of money through the nice people here.  Matt is particularly good about notifying us of sales.  On my Allure cruise, I was able to save on both my beverage package, my shore excursions, internet, and my spa treatments because Matt let us know about a 20% sale that Royal had announced.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'd like to get this straight.  Is it true that once the final payment is made, we can't rebook our stateroom if the price goes down?  In our case, we have a Boardwalk view balcony on Oasis (6/25-7/2).  Tonight, when I priced the same category (B2) for that week, the price was lower by about $500.  Our TA claims that there isn't anything she can do since prices went down 1-Apr and our final payment was due the week prior.   

 

Any suggestions?

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I'd like to get the straight.  Is it true that once the final payment is made, we can't rebook our stateroom if the price goes down?  In our case, we have a Boardwalk view balcony on Oasis (6/25-7/2).  Tonight, when I priced the same category (B2) for that week, the price was lower by about $500.  Our TA claims that there isn't anything she can do since prices went down 1-Apr and our final payment was due the week prior.   

 

Any suggestions?

Can you book up a level? We just did. We had an interior room for 4, booked after final payment date. Prices went down, so for a small fee, we now have 2 ocean view rooms with 2-people each. The agent on the phone had to get 2 other people to help her make it happen, but since we ultimately were actually giving them a little more money, they found a way to do it without charging any penalties. It may not get you your money BACK - but maybe you can get 'more for your money.'

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I'd like to get this straight.  Is it true that once the final payment is made, we can't rebook our stateroom if the price goes down?  In our case, we have a Boardwalk view balcony on Oasis (6/25-7/2).  Tonight, when I priced the same category (B2) for that week, the price was lower by about $500.  Our TA claims that there isn't anything she can do since prices went down 1-Apr and our final payment was due the week prior.   

 

Any suggestions?

That is correct.  The exception is if the price of the room category higher than you have booked reaches the price you paid (or lower), you can upgrade to that category for no additional cost.

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So, it appears that RCI plays this game:  Since final payment on a 7-night cruise is due 90 days before the cruise, they tend to discount prices for that cruise roughly 89 days before the cruise.  

 

Since we've already made the final payment, we can't rebook for the discounted price. I understand that we can upgrade our stateroom if there's a better room at a same/lower price, However, it appears that our only option is to upgrade from our Boardwalk balcony (includes "eat/drink/play"  package) to an oceanview (same size stateroom/balcony and no "eat/drink/play").  

 

Not cool!

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So, it appears that RCI plays this game:  Since final payment on a 7-night cruise is due 90 days before the cruise, they tend to discount prices for that cruise roughly 89 days before the cruise.

 

It has been my experience that it is fairly rare for a room/category to be "discounted" (no such thing) ever.....even after final payment.  Yes, it isn't unheard of but it's still rare.  RCI doesn't want the nightmare of a thousand or more people calling up for a  price reduction (rare though they are) all the way up until sail date.  RCI wants the ship to sail full or as close to full as they can arrange so they could reduce the price of a room/category to try and fill the remaining (generally undesirable locations) rooms.  I look at it this way.....you can either book the room you want and know that you may pay a little more for the security of getting what you want or you can wait until after final payment date and settle for what's left and HOPE that there is a price reduction (and there generally is not).  It depends on what is the most important to you.

 

As far as the upgrade to an oceanview balcony from a Boardwalk balcony, again, it's what's important to you.  Most people would prefer the ocean view to the inside view and would be willing to give up 1 meal and a few beverages for a week's view of the ocean.  You can always keep what you have !!!

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