Refundable/nonrefundable deposits not offered on cruises anymore?

[Baked Alaska]

Hey all! Mocking up some cruises this morning and not once was I given the option of refundable or non-refundable (in suites or otherwise)! I've used chrome in both regular and incognito mode. Anyone else seeing this? @Matt heard anything about this?

[JLMoran]

It was reported a while back that you no longer select that at the beginning of the selection process. Instead, there is now a checkbox towards the end of booking, on the same screen where you can check the box for trip insurance. Should see it there as long as you go that far along with the booking, want to say it's after you've entered all the passenger info, maybe on the same screen where you enter credit card information.

[Baked Alaska]

Just now, JLMoran said:

It was reported a while back that you no longer select that at the beginning of the selection process. Instead, there is now a checkbox towards the end of booking, on the same screen where you can check the box for trip insurance. Should see it there as long as you go that far along with the booking, want to say it's after you've entered all the passenger info, maybe on the same screen where you enter credit card information.

So, I wonder (since I book through my TA). . . is the price that we are seeing the non-refundable fare?

[JLMoran]

5 minutes ago, Baked Alaska said:

So, I wonder (since I book through my TA). . . is the price that we are seeing the non-refundable fare?

Price you first see on the RC web site is the non-refundable rate, yes. If you've already booked with your TA, he/she should indicate if they've given you the NRD or refundable; my recollection is they default to refundable unless you explicitly tell them you want the NRD.

[Keeves]

This sounds quite bizzare. Someone can get all the way to the credit card page, and only then is he told what he gets for the price???

So I'm trying it myself, as an experiment... Let's see, let's go from Miami to Bahamas in March 2019. It tells me that this will be on Mariner, stopping at CocoCay and Nassau, there are 5 dates available, and the *average* price is USD $399 per person. So I click on it...

And now it shows me five different dates (March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29) with five different prices for an Interior room. The average is not $399, the *lowest* is $399. Huh? Oh, now I see, the previous screen had said "from USD $399 Avg per person". Gotta watch those "from"s!!! Caveat emptor!

So the 5 prices range from $399 to $470. I'll pick the middle one, $420 on March 29 2019. I'd like one room for 2 adults. I'm now at a screen titled "Select your room type". That surprised me, because I thought I had already selected an Interior room. But this is actually a good thing, because this screen gives me some useful information about the price:

"INTERIOR / from $395 Per Person / $50 Stateroom Savings Included / + $25 Free Onboard Spending Credit"

I don't know what "Stateroom Savings Included" means; my guess is that they are advertising this room somewhere for $445. But where did the $420 figure comes from? It seems that the $420 that I saw a few screens earlier means that if I pay $420 up front (remember, we need to pay RCCL in full way before the vacation begins) then they will give us a room worth $395, and they'll also give us $25 to spend on board.

A real cynic (such as myself) would say, "So what's really happening is that I'm giving RCCL a $25 interest-free loan for a couple of months, which they will pay back via liquor and cappucino." But wait, that calculation works only if I will actually pay then $420, like the other screen said. But THIS screen says I'm paying only $395. Which is it? I don't know. We'll have to see...

But THIS PART is really important!!! Before we go to the next screen, please read the fine print at the bottom, which says:

"*Price is per person, cruise only, reflects any promotional savings, and is subject to change and availability until booked. Non-refundable deposit booking ("NRDB") cancelled prior to final payment due date will receive a future cruise credit in the amount of the deposit minus a $100 per person service fee. FCC is non-transferable and expires after 12-months from issue date. 100USD/100CAD per person service fee applies to changes to NRDB ship or sail date."

So I don't know how much I'm paying, but I DO know that it is NON-refundable.

Okay, let's press the yellow "SELECT" button...

Drum roll.. (it took a while for the next screen to appear)

I now have two options:
$395 USD Per Person ... includes $50 instant savings ... Non-refundable deposit [SELECT]
$445 USD Per Person ... includes $50 instant savings ... Refundable deposit [SELECT]

Regardless which option I choose, the next screen asks me to choose between a standard Interior Room (for $395 or $445), or a Promenade View Interior Room (for $40 more, i.e., $435 or $485).

I now consider this experiment over. I still haven't picked out exactly which room number I want, and quite a way until I have to enter my credit card number. But IF I READ THE SCREEN CAREFULLY, then I have already chosen whether or not to pay an extra $50 for the privilege of a Refundable ticket.

WAIT! It's a good thing I didn't press "Submit Reply" yet. Is $395 the actual non-refundable price, or is it $420. I am so confused. Now I understand some of the complaints that I've been reading on these messages boards.

Let's go with the $395 price, and pick a room. There are 3 rooms remaining on the forward section of Deck 10, and I'm picking 1531.

I am finally at the screen with the total price, which is:

"Subtotal $790 + Taxes&Fees $183.86 = $973.86"

That would make total sense if the price was $395 each, so that two is $790. I also see that it includes "$25.00 Free Onboard Spending Credit - FREE", meaning that the actual price (after they pay back this $25 loan) is only $370. (Pretty cheap for a three-night vacation that includes meals, if you ask me.)

But I am going to totally ignore the line that says "BOGO NO REF DEP - $414.00 discount". I didn't see anything like this on any previous screen, and I am too tired to look into it.

[twangster]

1 hour ago, Keeves said:

This sounds quite bizzare. Someone can get all the way to the credit card page, and only then is he told what he gets for the price???

I don't think that's an accurate statement.  It's generally displayed in the upper right corner and this is updated as you make changes such as a different category.  Not every single interior cabin is exactly the same price.  Not every balcony cabin is the same price.  There are categories within each cabin type.   A 4D balcony isn't the same price as a 5D balcony.  If you select a 5D cabin you'll see the price in the upper right is adjusted long before you reach the credit card page.  At each step as you progress that price changes depending on what you select.  A mid ship cabin is often more money than an aft or forward cabin, etc.

 

1 hour ago, Keeves said:

Oh, now I see, the previous screen had said "from USD $399 Avg per person". Gotta watch those "from"s!!! Caveat emptor!

Congratulations, you actually read the page.  Many folks get all bent out of shape when they just see a number and focus exclusively on that then get mad that somehow the price changed.  

The "instant savings" appears from time to time.  It's a limited time promo that doesn't apply to all ships or sailings.  Next week it probably won't be there.

Now here is the other thing that trips a lot of people up.  This week's prices are based on this week's sales and promos.  Next week may see a different sale and/or promo.  Next week's prices are not this week's prices minus what ever next week's sale terms are. 

This week may be the "Hoopdy Doopy Let's Get Loopy" sale and the price for two people in a balcony on this date on that ship is $395 per person. 

Next week is a new sale "Crazy Sale of the Second Week of the Month" sale.  This is a BOGO, second guest 50% off.

A lot of people think "Great it was $395 per person last week so 50% off second guest is $198 for a total of $593". Wrong.  This week's pricing is NOT calculated using last week's sale prices.  It's a whole new week like last week didn't exist.  It's calculated from the "regular price" which itself varies depending on sales trends.   It's not unusual for this week's sale price to be within a few dollars of last week's sale price.  This isn't a shady conspiracy, it's all there for any one who actually reads and pays attention to see.  

Bottom line - book when you see a price you are willing to pay.  Keep watching for sales and reprice it but don't be surprised if there are not massive savings every time a new super duper sale is announced.

[Lovetocruise2002]

9 hours ago, twangster said:

Bottom line - book when you see a price you are willing to pay.  Keep watching for sales and reprice it but don't be surprised if there are not massive savings every time a new super duper sale is announced.

^^^This is exactly what we go by.  Sometimes, too much time is spent analyzing and nit picking over instant savings, OBCs, the lack of OBCs, etc. and RC gives and takes them away so often, who can keep track?  My thinking has always been, are we good with the price?  If so, book it, then monitor it for price drops.  This has always worked in our favour since we book way before 90 days.  If/when RC changes that, I will re-evaluate then.  But until then, I agree completely with the above line.

[Baked Alaska]

@Lovetocruise2002 and @twangsterI'd like to go by the "bottom line", but when it's not presented until the very end, it's time wasted (fill in passenger names, etc). HOWEVER! When I was mocking up some cruises this morning around 1AM (it's what I do when I can't sleep), the refundable/non refundable fare was again offered at the beginning of the stateroom selection. Wonder if it wasn't a glitch (either way). Haven't check lately.

[WAAAYTOOO]

12 hours ago, twangster said:

This week may be the "Hoopdy Doopy Let's Get Loopy" sale

What kind of bot-talk is that ??  I’m beginning to think that maybe you’re not a bot at ALL.

[Baked Alaska]

@WAAAYTOOO That would be a sale on the 3 day booze cruises!

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, Baked Alaska said:

@Lovetocruise2002 and @twangsterI'd like to go by the "bottom line", but when it's not presented until the very end, it's time wasted (fill in passenger names, etc). HOWEVER! When I was mocking up some cruises this morning around 1AM (it's what I do when I can't sleep), the refundable/non refundable fare was again offered at the beginning of the stateroom selection. Wonder if it wasn't a glitch (either way). Haven't check lately.

I have a feeling it is glitch sometimes.  I check my prices all the time and like you said, sometimes, the refundable option shows up at the start and sometimes it doesn't.  This morning it did not.  But on Saturday it did.  Wonky Royal IT.....

[JLMoran]

8 hours ago, Baked Alaska said:

When I was mocking up some cruises this morning around 1AM (it's what I do when I can't sleep), the refundable/non refundable fare was again offered at the beginning of the stateroom selection. Wonder if it wasn't a glitch (either way).

7 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I have a feeling it is glitch sometimes.  I check my prices all the time and like you said, sometimes, the refundable option shows up at the start and sometimes it doesn't.  This morning it did not.  But on Saturday it did.  Wonky Royal IT.....

There was definitely a post from a couple of months ago where someone had thought the refundable rates were totally gone, and in one of the replies someone posted a screen shot that showed the selection for refundable on that last / next-to-last screen where you select trip insurance or not, and enter your CC info. Given that others here have now seen it in a new location, it's clear that Royal is playing around with this; I would guess they saw a drop in bookings (maybe a sharp one) as other people thought refundable had just plain gone away, and that led to them making this change.

[Lovetocruise2002]

39 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

There was definitely a post from a couple of months ago where someone had thought the refundable rates were totally gone, and in one of the replies someone posted a screen shot that showed the selection for refundable on that last / next-to-last screen where you select trip insurance or not, and enter your CC info. Given that others here have now seen it in a new location, it's clear that Royal is playing around with this; I would guess they saw a drop in bookings (maybe a sharp one) as other people thought refundable had just plain gone away, and that led to them making this change.

You're absolutely right. There was a post like that. Then shortly after that, the choice  came back at the beginning and now it comes and goes.