New "Courtesy Holds" tab

[CrimsonCruiser]

I was just logged in, checking on things for our upcoming cruise and noticed this new "Courtesy Holds" tab. I like it. It's rare for me to only need 24 hours if I'm contemplating (and we book with a TA anyway) but still...pretty cool  I think.

[OCSC Mike]

I also get longer holds from a TA but agree it's a nice feature if booking direct.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Nice to see that addition.  

[Ampurp85]

Royal seems to be trying to make the website more user friendly. God knows the reps aren't always well-versed/knowledgeable.

[smokeybandit]

Now if only they'd let you enter number of guests before you start searching. The same thing every flight/hotel website lets you do.

[smokeybandit]

...

[Kenneth]

Another great option RC is really trying to make their website user friendly. would love for them to add the ability to search for staterooms that accommodate more then 4 guests, instead of being told to call in.

[monctonguy]

I thought back in the day when i started cruising(2013) that this was a feature offered back then??1

[Matt]

5 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

I thought back in the day when i started cruising(2013) that this was a feature offered back then??1

Yes, you're correct. Then they removed it.

Back in the day I used to do holds to see what was in the cruise planner

[YOLO]

A real improvement - nice!

[Mr.Cruiser]

So how does the Courtesy Hold work? Can I make a reservation for a cruise on the website without paying for it and decide within 24 hours if I want to book and pay a deposit for it?

[Matt]

16 hours ago, Mr.Cruiser said:

So how does the Courtesy Hold work? Can I make a reservation for a cruise on the website without paying for it and decide within 24 hours if I want to book and pay a deposit for it?

Pretty much. I think it's 48 hours, but your workflow is correct.

Last I checked, it wasn't available for all sailings yet

[smokeybandit]

Now if they'd just have a courtesy 50% off button, then I'd have a lot on that tab

[Mr.Cruiser]

5 hours ago, Matt said:

Pretty much. I think it's 48 hours, but your workflow is correct.

Last I checked, it wasn't available for all sailings yet

Nice! I had tried it before but then I must have caught the cruises where it doesn't work. At the end you have to enter all the data as usual and already make a deposit by credit card. Can someone please give me an example of a cruise where this works?

Thank you.

[MICHELLE]

Yes, agents have the ability to hold longer but its nice they are letting direct 24 hour holds again
Yes, they used to do this back in the day....

also we are seeing new enhancements on invoices now - Bedding is a line item
Which is very helpful - this below is an example of a quad cabin for clients

ex;  Bed Configuration: 2 LOWER TWIN BEDS - CONVERTED TO QUEEN, SOFA BED DOUBLE

[MICHELLE]

2 minutes ago, michelle said:

Yes, agents have the ability to hold longer but its nice they are letting direct 24 hour holds again
Yes, they used to do this back in the day....

also we are seeing new enhancements on invoices now - Bedding is a line item
Which is very helpful - this below is an example of a quad cabin for clients

ex;  Bed Configuration: 2 LOWER TWIN BEDS - CONVERTED TO QUEEN, SOFA BED DOUBLE

 

And an example of a triple where it tells you if its an upper berth or sofabed
i'm sure these are all not 'absolutely perfect- but its helpful, like when they also added
on invoices the percentage of obstruction your cabin has - 

triple OV balcony on Freedom
Bed Configuration: 2 LOWER TWIN BEDS - CONVERTED TO QUEEN
Available Upper berths - 1

[Cruisingmama]

On 8/2/2023 at 10:36 AM, michelle said:

 

And an example of a triple where it tells you if its an upper berth or sofabed
i'm sure these are all not 'absolutely perfect- but its helpful, like when they also added
on invoices the percentage of obstruction your cabin has - 

triple OV balcony on Freedom
Bed Configuration: 2 LOWER TWIN BEDS - CONVERTED TO QUEEN
Available Upper berths - 1

 

Would be helpful if you would know the bed configuration BEFORE getting an invoice.. For 3 or 4 you have to ask Dr. Google whether there's a sofa bed or pull down depending on the ship/cabin. Really annoying.

[smokeybandit]

I just tried this as I wanted to grab a price without bothering my TA on a weekend. It's a 48 hour+5 hour hold.  We'll see if I can transfer a hold to a TA or how that works.

[smokeybandit]

I'll be curious to see if this makes it harder to book some of the limited room types if people have longer holds yet don't end up booking.

 

[Doug_Texas]

I’m concerned about the number of cabins artificially taken out of inventory through “hold” where I’ll have to select a cabin for actual purchase that isn’t really what I want or having to log in day after day after day to see what drops back into inventory. A benefit for some is a problem for others.  Is there anything that prevents multiple “holds” on cabins? 

[12thman]

8 hours ago, Doug_Texas said:

I’m concerned about the number of cabins artificially taken out of inventory through “hold” where I’ll have to select a cabin for actual purchase that isn’t really what I want or having to log in day after day after day to see what drops back into inventory. A benefit for some is a problem for others.  Is there anything that prevents multiple “holds” on cabins? 

Yes, you can do 4 holds at a time. It doesn't cause the price of same cabins or suites to increase in my searching. I've been using this feature for months now. To me it's easier to find what I want and hold it think about it and if I book it send the booking to my TA. It's better than constantly bugging my TA.