Thoodt Posted January 21 Report Posted January 21 Yourself? Online? Call RCCL and book? I usually received discounted or comp cruises via CR, so I call CR directly. It's an absolutely awful experience, but I like to talk to someone live. It's always at least 45+ mins. There's the whole language barrier thing (overseas)...and many times they are working from home. There's a kid crying in the background, a dog barking...or it's a call center and you can hear 100+ conversations going on in the background. I had 2 calls drop last week after 30+ mins on each. I have used my travel agent in the past, but when it gets to CR stuff, she's not too versed in that. Someone school me on the best way to book a cruise and get everything you want... Quote
Eyeonhevn Posted January 21 Report Posted January 21 I will book online and then call with my reservation ID to do some of the other details. Other times I call them directly. It is a pain! Quote
Ampurp85 Posted January 21 Report Posted January 21 If you are using a casino comp, the only way is through them or a travel agent. Most regular reps will have to transfer you through to the casino. You can try to book online through the CR website but you need very specific things and there is no guarantee it will process. The only time I wait is when it's a holiday sale. Mostly it's less than 5min. Do the calls sometimes drop, yes, but that's with anything. Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 21 Report Posted January 21 I always call myself. It can be a complete PITA but I quit asking my TA to do my casino bookings years ago. They are just waaaytooo much trouble for very little reward ($$) for her. Over the years you get pretty good at doing it....knowing what you can ask for and what you cannot expect to achieve. My biggest lesson regarding booking casino comps is....be SURE that you are booking the best value. Recently I have had a LOT of bookings where the price for an Ocean View Balcony Guarantee is LESS than the cost of an interior comp (which is pretty much all I get...I'm a small potatoes player). In the case of our 2024 annual tier (Prime) comps both of us were able to get OBV GTY for $-0- upcharge b/c the cost of the XB (OV Balcony) was less than the 4V which is the interior category that a Prime gets. I find this to be the case on most of the big ships...it's the ONE time that dynamic pricing works in your favor. The big ships have WAAAY more balcony rooms than they do interiors, so the price on an OVB will generally be low when there are still lots of balconies available. As the balconies get consumed, their prices go up and the interiors will be the lower cost. We have 2 new instant comp rewards certificates where the cost of the OVB is lower than the category that we "won" with the certificate...so we are getting used to doing lots of OVB guarantees. You take your chances on where you will end up but IMO ANY balcony beats ANY interior...and we're all gamblers, right ? WAYNO, Ampurp85, fireclan and 2 others 5 Quote
Sharla Posted January 21 Report Posted January 21 3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said: It can be a complete PITA but I quit asking my TA to do my casino bookings years ago. They are just waaaytooo much trouble for very little reward ($$) for her. So true. It's a ton of work for $25.Plus we also have to call, cannot service online, etc. Ampurp85 and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote
Traveling Mike Posted January 22 Report Posted January 22 I do not get comp cruises... but... I always book on my cruises or I book online. I make sure everything is set the way I want it and then I transfer the booking to Costco Travel to get their support and rebate. If I have anything to change Costco can change most of it without calling RCL. If it is something they cannot do they will call and get it taken care of. They are paid by the hour so they do not mind how much time they spend on my issues or changes. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote
FOB Posted January 22 Report Posted January 22 In the U.K. we have less access to cruise specialist TAs so I tend to book online if it’s just for me and the hubby for a single cruise. will phone if it’s multiple cabins (booked 5 cabins in November for my big birthday family cruise in May 2026) or if I am going to do something more complicated like a B2B where we want the same cabin for both sailings Quote
MdFormula350 Posted January 22 Report Posted January 22 hopefully i obtain a comp annual cruise next cycle i plan to call myself, once i heard its not optimal for a TA to get involved. otherwise normal cruises ill book online myself and some will inquiry with my MEI travel TA via online/email. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote
CrimsonCruiser Posted January 22 Report Posted January 22 Our very first cruise we called and booked over the phone because we were taking advantage of a Cruise and Universal Studios package that royal used to offer and it was nigh impossible to book that online as first timers. Our second and third cruises we booked online ourselves. Everything after that we have booked through next cruise on board to get that sweet sweet suite OBC Ampurp85 and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote
Southern Dan Posted January 22 Report Posted January 22 I just call them, usually takes all of 20 minutes. Quote
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