Price adjustment not honored because it's for new bookings only?

[theapple477]

I booked a cruise a few months back that is sailing in December. Over the last few months, I've seen the price decrease and I call to get the price adjustment.

However this last time i checked it went down like $100! That's much more than the usual $20 I've seen it go down. When I called to get it price adjusted, they said that pricing is for new bookings only and that the current price I have was already the best for "existing bookings". I called back several times and talked to different reps just in case the one I talked to was misinformed but they all said the same thing. I even talked to a manager who said the same thing too.

That seems crazy to me. They will give better price to new bookings but wont price adjust mine??

And just as a side note, I have NOT made the final payment yet. Just the usual $200 deposit at the time of booking.

[Matt]

I assume you're a resident of USA or Canada?

All I can tell you is travel agents can re-price up until final payment date and I've had it done all the time.

This is an unfortunate reminder not to book directly through the cruise line. It's really frustrating that agents can do one thing but those that book direct can't get the same option.

[BrianB]

That’s strange. As Matt said, assuming you’re in the US or Canada.

I have lots of booked cruises and check nearly everyday for price drops. As soon as I find one, I call and reprice for the lower amount. I have never been denied. As long as it’s before final payment due date…even if I paid in full. They refund to my credit card if I paid in full before final due date.

I book and service my own reservations online direct with Royal. But, if I didn’t have the time to do it, I would definitely use a good TA.

If you used a TA, they would control the reservation and you would not be able to call Royal direct for a reprice…you would just call your TA and let them know. If you booked through Casinos at Seas, you would need to call CAS direct, but the agent should transfer your call for you.

[WAAAYTOOO]

@theapple477 is it possible that it is past final payment date since your sailing is in December ?  If so, you will not be able to reprice without setting off cancellation penalties.  When is your cruise ?

[Ryan79]

8 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

@theapple477 is it possible that it is past final payment date since your sailing is in December ?  If so, you will not be able to reprice without setting off cancellation penalties.  When is your cruise ?

I’m willing to bet this is the issue. I have a late December sailing and I’m already at the 100 day mark

[theapple477]

@WAAAYTOOO @Ryan79 The final payment is due tomorrow, 9/13. I have not paid it yet because I have heard that if you pay it early and the price goes down, it's even harder to get a price adjustment. So I was shocked and frustrated when they wouldn't give me the updated price last Saturday since I haven't gave the final payment yet...

[Xaa]

I'm not so sure.  From their other posts they say they are taking Navigator in December which are 3 and 4 night cruises.  I think final payment on those is at 75 days.  They also state they aren't to final payment.  If it's a 90 day final then if their cruise is after 12/11 they should still be good.

If they are to final payment date and haven't made it, they have additional problems.   I just don't think that's the case.  

[theapple477]

I also emailed Royal about this because i was just that frustrated and this is the response they sent back to me:

 

Thank you for your email. We know how exciting planning your cruise can be and helping you iron out the details is why we are here.

We understand your disappointment in seeing a lower price available for the category and sailing you booked with us. Due to the nature of business, there are times when pricing will fluctuate on available itineraries.

If the rate on your stateroom goes down, or a better promotion is offered prior to the final payment date, we can adjust the pricing to the lower rate as long as the promotion is offered to existing bookings. In the event it is offered on new reservations only, the promotion is not able to be applied.

Additionally, any current promotions on the reservation would be lost as they are linked to the rate you currently have. After the final payment date of a booking, we are only able to offer an upgrade to a higher category at an equal or lower value of the current stateroom category on a reserved booking if it is available.

It is our goal to provide you with as much information as we can to make your cruise planning experience as easy and stress-free as possible from beginning to end. With that in mind, I invite you to check out a couple of “FAQ’s” found on the Royal Caribbean website. I hope that you will find the following informative:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/booked/know-before-you-go       
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-should-i-do-before-my-cruise
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq

Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International. We look forward to welcoming you onboard soon and wish you good health and smooth sailing until then.

Best regards,

[Atlantix2000]

17 minutes ago, Xaa said:

I'm not so sure.  From their other posts they say they are taking Navigator in December which are 3 and 4 night cruises.  I think final payment on those is at 75 days.  They also state they aren't to final payment.  If it's a 90 day final then if their cruise is after 12/11 they should still be good.

If they are to final payment date and haven't made it, they have additional problems.   I just don't think that's the case.  

One of their posts is the roll call for Navigator on Dec 11 which by my count is 91 days away so need to pay really soon if it's 90 day final payment and they have a couple weeks left if it is 75 day final payment.  It's always possible the phone agents are incorrectly cutting off price changes before they should but odd that multiple agents would do this.  And I guess we can't completely discount the possibility that Royal really has offered a promo that's only good for new bookings.

[Xaa]

Right at 90 days today then.  Ouch!

[Lovetocruise2002]

If you are not past final payment, and you are resident of the US/Canada, then you should be able to re-price without issue. 

A sailing that my sister and I have booked on Utopia dropped in price about 2 weeks ago, well hers dropped, mine did not. Anyway, our TA got hers re-priced right away. So it can be done.

[teddy]

Before we started using a travel agent, we found that the word we used mattered when talking to Royal Caribbean phone reps. 
 

“Reprice” was different than “Rebook” which was different than  “Adjustment”. 
 

Using the word “Reprice” was what we found worked. 
 

As mentioned above, there may be other factors in play regarding your specific booking.