Ozraiel Posted July 28, 2022 Report Share Posted July 28, 2022 Hello fellow cruisers, I am having an issue with the Best Price Guarantee Program. When I booked the cruise, the policy was that they would give you the lowest price up to 48 hours before the sail date. However, recently Royal Caribbean significantly changed the policy to only allow change 48 hours after booking. I called their customer service today and they refused to honor the policy in effect at time of booking, stating that the policy change applies to existing bookings. That does not make sense to me, and I was wondering if any one here has any experience or suggestions on how to move forward. To be honest, the attitude left a sour taste in my mouth that goes way beyond the money part. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJones Posted July 28, 2022 Report Share Posted July 28, 2022 Call back to speak to a different agent who might be better informed Ozraiel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bakerette Posted July 29, 2022 Report Share Posted July 29, 2022 I booked my past 8 cruises directly with royal caribbean & every time I saw a better price on there website I called royal caribbean and I asked if they could reprice with the a promotion that is different or betray than when I booked all of my past & future cruises if more than 1 of them had a better price or promotion. Ozraiel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted July 29, 2022 Report Share Posted July 29, 2022 When was the booking made? If it is a booking made after March 31st and sailing after Sept 30th your hands may be tied. Policies change all the time. The best price guarantee allowed you to reprice all the way until 48hr before you sail, and they would refund the difference as OBC. You can call and get a reprice as long as you aren't with final payment for cruises past that Sept 30th date. That was the old policy. The 48hr after actual booking refers to cancellation and changes in ship and itinerary without any fees. Make sure you are saying you want to honor a reprice and not change/cancel/rebook the booking. BrianB, Ozraiel and ChessE4 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozraiel Posted August 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 Thanks for the advise. I did call back and no luck. To be clear, I was talking about the Best Price Guarantee Program, NOT the Cruise with Confidence My booking did not not qualify for the Cruise with Confidence program. My issue is that at the time I made my booking, the Best Price Guarantee Program was to give you the best price up to 48 hours prior to sail date. On June 1 (about 2 weeks after I booked) Royal changed their Best Price Guarantee Program to give you the best price within 48 hours of booking. The difference between the 2 policies is huge, and my main gripe is that any guarantee that was given by Royal at time of booking can be later taken away without recourse. The change pretty much makes the Best Price Guarantee Program useless, and does not give the peace of mind to encourage you to book as early as possible. I guess this is another live and learn situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 The best price guarantee has always (pre-covid) said "within 48 hours of booking" yet it was always easy to get a reprice at any time before final payment. This is what it said in 2019: When you reserve with Royal Caribbean and subsequently find a lower rate advertised by Royal Caribbean within 48 hours from the time the reservation is made, we will honor that lower eligible rate by applying an onboard credit to the reservation equal to 110% of the price difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Done Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 The Best Price Guarantee policy was presented in the past with the Cruise With Confidence policies. I searched the RC website and found this information What is the Royal Caribbean Best Price Guarantee Program? A Spot a better price on your booked cruise? Our Best Price Guarantee lets you take advantage of a better price within 48 hours from the time you booked— just give us a call or use our online form. You’ll receive the difference as a non-refundable onboard credit inside final payment or rate adjustment outside final payment. For more information on the Cruise with Confidence Best Price Guarantee for sailings booked on or before March 31, 2022, that depart on or before September 30, 2022, click here. I read this to mean the Best Price Guarantee has been changed from what is used to be. I also clicked on the link they suggested and found this: If I move forward with the Cruise with Confidence Best Price Guarantee, when will I get my onboard credit? A The Cruise with Confidence Best Price Guarantee program allows guests to take advantage of better rates up to 48 hours prior to sail date! Guests must have booked on or before March 31, 2022, for sailings that depart before September 30, 2022 and they can request the difference of their booked rates versus any rate reduction. The difference in pricing will be added to the booking as an onboard credit, inside final payment, and it’ll be applied within 14 business days, and a new confirmation will be generated with the Onboard Credit value. I read this as the former best price guarantee was rolled into Cruise With Confidence policies and has been subsequently discontinued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRMLVM Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 Today's RoyalCaribbeanBlog entry says "Royal Caribbean’s Best Price Guarantee Program guarantees you’ll receive the best price on your cruise if there's a price drop. If you book a cruise 12 months in advance for $1000, for example, and later see the price has dropped to $750, you’ll receive the new, cheaper price provided your cruise is not past the final payment date." But I also see what Toby found, above, that seems to say that as of April 1, 2022, you can only re-price within 48 hrs. ??? (just chiming in to say that I also found conflicting information and am not sure what the current rules are, or when they were posted if they changed. The OP states he booked in May 2022) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew_hull1 Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 I think it is all in the the customer service rep you get. I had to talk to four different agents before they would honor a reprice. I was able to reprice after final payment date as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 The best price guarantee with the 48hr cutoff offers a percentage over value. Whereas you can always price drop. It is always about wording with customer service reps. Remember that for many, English is not their first language. So, if OP asked about best price guarantee, then they will quote the 48hr, 110% spiel. If OP called and said my cabin price has decreased, can I get the new rate. They will be able to do it as long as final payment hasn't been made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Done Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 I do wish there was a definitive place to get answers besides, "Keep calling customer service until you get the answer you want." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRMLVM Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 30 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: Whereas you can always price drop. Is there a place on the website, or in our booking docs, that it says this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 1 hour ago, PRMLVM said: Is there a place on the website, or in our booking docs, that it says this? I believe it said on the invoice but that might have been before CWC went into effect after the restart. I don't think a lot of things are in writing and in my experience it really doesn't matter. Most companies will honor what they will to keep a customer, regardless of it is official policy or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRMLVM Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 31 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: I believe it said on the invoice but that might have been before CWC went into effect after the restart. I don't think a lot of things are in writing and in my experience it really doesn't matter. Most companies will honor what they will to keep a customer, regardless of it is official policy or not. ok, thank you! I just wanted to know if I was missing something. I do see the re-pricing "policy" talked about a LOT and wondered what else I'm not seeing! You're right about so much RCCL stuff not being in writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad2Cue Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 2 hours ago, PRMLVM said: ok, thank you! I just wanted to know if I was missing something. I do see the re-pricing "policy" talked about a LOT and wondered what else I'm not seeing! You're right about so much RCCL stuff not being in writing. Repricing seems to be a thing of the past. The prices of the cruises I have booked just go up. I haven't seen a price drop in ages. All my cruises are booked refundable now so it is a MOOT point. Repricing used to be fun but it seems like a waste of time to check the prices anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 22 minutes ago, Dad2Cue said: Repricing seems to be a thing of the past. The prices of the cruises I have booked just go up. I haven't seen a price drop in ages. All my cruises are booked refundable now so it is a mute point. Repricing used to be fun but it seems like a waste of time to check the prices anymore. I wouldn't give up just because there haven't been price drops lately. Royal goes through phases where it raises prices to test the market. If booking trends survive that becomes the new price. If sales falter they will eventually test price drops. It's totally market driven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 Don’t stop checking for price drops ! I’ve had 13 fare reductions on my 12-22-22 Oasis cruise. Reductions are getting hard to come by but there still are some out there. Linda R 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 1 hour ago, Dad2Cue said: Repricing seems to be a thing of the past. The prices of the cruises I have booked just go up. I haven't seen a price drop in ages. All my cruises are booked refundable now so it is a mute point. Repricing used to be fun but it seems like a waste of time to check the prices anymore. My pet peeve here. It’s a MOOT (no longer relevant) point not a MUTE (silent) point. Sorry it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 I have repriced several cruises, I tend to book 9+ months out so I see drops here and there. I also don't cruise during peak times so that might be why it is a "moot" point for others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad2Cue Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 32 minutes ago, Pooch said: My pet peeve here. It’s a MOOT (no longer relevant) point not a MUTE (silent) point. Sorry it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me!! Sometimes it is better to be mute. fireclan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 Can’t help myself on this one. I manage to let all the other spelling, syntax, grammatical errors slide. This one just makes me nuts. Sorry, no disrespect intended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 1 hour ago, Pooch said: My pet peeve here. It’s a MOOT (no longer relevant) point not a MUTE (silent) point. Sorry it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me!! I mean if it's moot, it's probably mute, too! Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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