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Booking "Next Cruise" While on board


FloatMe

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Assuming they don't raise the price $240 tomorrow to prepare for the sale ;)

 

If you regularly use a travel agent they are supposed to automatically transfer the reservation to your TA (although my TA advised me they frequently "forget" but if you just notify your TA of the Res # they can chase it down, no paperwork to complete).

 

The benefits of the next cruise are pretty limited especially if you are doing an open booking vs. a specific sailing. Main benefit is the minimal deposit (mine last week was $100 for 3 passengers on a 7 night cruise).

 

For $100 you really cant go wrong and if you take the OBC on your current sailing you really aren't even out of pocket on the deal.

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Bookin onboard hasn't worked for me as I've always ended up getting a better fare later and having to rebook at a fare that hasn't allowed for the onboard booking bonus. The only line I've had great success with and have benefitted from by booking onboard has been Disney.

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If you do an onboard booking while on a cruise that was booked through a TA then the onboard booking will be under that TA's control. If you later decide that you do not want to use that TA for some reason it is something of a hassle to get it released from the TA's control and placed under your control. I recall having to write a couple of letters. I guess if you want it to remain under the control of the TA then there wouldn't be any problem. To be honest, I have forgotten why I wanted the reservation released back to me...but I do know that it wasn't a very simple process.

 

I have always been able to take advantage of a rate reduction even if I booked the cruise using an onboard booking. I cruised on the Oasis in January. That booking was done onboard the Grandeur more than a year prior and I was able to take advantage of a very significant price reduction that occurred for the Oasis cruise many months after I had booked it on the Grandeur. I was able to get the price reduction as well as keep the OBC that was given to me as a result of the onboard booking.

 

Sometimes, if you change the date/ship associated with an onboard booking you can lose the OBC. However, I have changed onboard bookings completely - changed the date, port of embarkation AND the ship and still retained the OBC so it depends on the agent that you get when you call to make the change. As a matter of fact, I actually received an INCREASE in my OBC when I recently changed a cruise for this coming Christmas that I booked onboard many, many months ago. I was originally cruising out of San Juan on the Adventure (7 days) and ended up changing it to the Grandeur out of Baltimore (8 days). They coincidentally have the same sail date (Dec. 19) but that could have changed...it just didn't. My OBC went UP from $200 for the 7 day on the Adventure to $250 on the 8 day on the Grandeur. I'm sure that is b/c it went from a 7 day to an 8 day cruise but I was very surprised that they actually gave me the OBC increase....ESPECIALLY since I had lost ALL of my OBC once before when I changed my original onboard booking once I got home (I was a bit of a rooky back then and didn't know any better...I think I would fight for it now !).

 

So it's a bit of hit-or-miss about whether or not you keep or lose your OBC if you change your onboard booking reservation once you get home. I have had both happen....and obviously it is better if they let you keep your OBC.

 

Bottom line...I would not let them take my OBC whether it is to take advantage of a price reduction or to change that reservation completely.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We're back from our cruise aboard Oasis. I went to the Next Cruise desk but decided not to make a reservation or put down a deposit. The person we "spoke" with couldn't have been less interested in us, explaining the process, or the benefits. And I had no idea one could transfer the reservation to another cruise until I read Matt's post. 

 

I get it - we were there late in the cruise, there were only three agents (often only two on duty), and not many people realized that there was an appointment book (I had an appointment). 

 

I was so put off by the experience that I sat at a table in the Schooner bar and surfed other cruise lines' websites; honesty if I wanted to be treated like that I'd vacation at a DMV office...

 

So my advice to anyone using Next Cruise on Oasis is to sign up for an appointment as early in the cruise as possible, and know what you want before you get to your appointment. 

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So my advice to anyone using Next Cruise on Oasis is to sign up for an appointment as early in the cruise as possible, and know what you want before you get to your appointment. 

Sorry you had a bad experience at NextCruise.  I do think your advice is spot on.  The best thing you can do is book an appointment early, like first or second day and get it out of the way.

 

On Quantum we waited to the end and it was a mistake as well. 

 

What I wish they'd do is install kiosks that allow you to use the RC site to book something but you get the onboard booking credits.  It would make the whole appointment book/line issue a thing of the past.

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What I wish they'd do is install kiosks that allow you to use the RC site to book something but you get the onboard booking credits.  It would make the whole appointment book/line issue a thing of the past.

 

Or something on the stateroom TV? Or maybe issue a super-secret individual code to cruisers that would allow them to get the same benefit if they booked on line or over the phone within 30 days of completing a cruise?

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We always book inside cabin & stopped onboard booking when they reduced incentive by 75% , a paltry $25. Competitors are still offering $100!

 

Same here. We had traditionally bought one or two NextCruise bookings to keep on hand for future use, but once they dropped the onboard credit, it became far less valuable.

 

We're currently using up our stash of open bookings. I think we have one left. After that, since we tend to book inside cabins, I'll look into the shareholder benefit instead since that still gives $100 in onboard credit for a 7-night cruise.

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Same here. We had traditionally bought one or two NextCruise bookings to keep on hand for future use, but once they dropped the onboard credit, it became far less valuable.

 

We're currently using up our stash of open bookings. I think we have one left. After that, since we tend to book inside cabins, I'll look into the shareholder benefit instead since that still gives $100 in onboard credit for a 7-night cruise.

 

 

We too invested in open bookings,..... 'cause ya' never know.

 

Well, unfortunately in our case a couple things happened. 1) RCL goes out of their way to not disclose that you have them in hopes that they are forgotten. 2) We did not forget! But it was a wrestling match to get RCL to "find" our past open booking numbers that we had not used yet. Several phone calls and literally 2 hours on the phone. Even after coming up with the credit card data we used to purchase them. Finally we received our magic numbers and still have two remaining. 3) After that ordeal I flat out admitted defeat that we should receive the benefits available when we originally purchased them. Forget about it!

 

So my advice is: GOOD RECORDKEEPING IS A MUST!

 

I'll get even with RCL in the Diamond Lounge the next time I'm onboard! And really punish them on Lobster Night--my personal best is 6 Fisherman's Catch entree's w/ 2 appetizers and a basket of rolls.

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I have a question... if I book a cruise onboard (where you don't have to book a specific cruise) and they give you an onboard credit and months later when you decide to pick the cruise you want and there is a promotion with an onboard credit will you get both onboard credits or just one?

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Usually the promotional onboard credit from a sale is not compatible with the "NextCruise" (or whatever they're calling them these days) onboard credit.

 

What is generally combinable is:

  • NextCruise onboard credit
  • Crown & Anchor balcony discount or pricing savings
  • Residency/senior/fire/emt/etc. rates

Other things are generally not combinable and would require declining something.

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