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Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast Episode - NextCruise

In:
14 Oct 2015

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The only feeling that can come close to the pure enjoyment of taking a Royal Caribbean cruise is probably booking another Royal Caribbean cruise.  Royal Caribbean offers guests a great program known as NextCruise to book future Royal Caribbean cruises while onboard a cruise yourself.  In terms of benefits, it is one of the best deals guests can enjoy and this week, we will go over the details of the NextCruise program and why you should consider booking another cruise while onboard a cruise.

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Royal Caribbean updates NextCruise offer and will give onboard booking bonus on the same cruise

In:
18 Mar 2015

Royal Caribbean has changed its onboard re-booking program, NextCruise, once again to offer the bonus on the cruise you are currently on instead of the future cruise.

Under the new terms of NextCruise, when you book a specific sailing while onboard a Royal Caribbean ship, the onboard credit amount you are entitled to will be added to your SeaPass account on the sailing you are on.  Under the old program, the bonus was applied to your onboard account when you took the upcoming cruise.

This change only affects cruises you book that have a specific sail date.  The open booking option will not change with this program.

The deposit will be nonrefundable and will be equal to the amount of onboard credit you get.

The amount of onboard credit you will receive is as follows:

  • 5-7 night cruises
    • Interior/Oceanview: $50
    • Balcony/Junior Suite: $100
    • Grand Suite and above: $200
  • 8-10 night cruises
    • Interior/Oceanview: $100
    • Balcony/Junior Suite: $150
    • Grand Suite and above: $300
  • 11-14 night cruises
    • Interior/Oceanview: $150
    • Balcony/Junior Suite: $200
    • Grand Suite and above: $400
  • 15 nights or longer cruises
    • Interior/Oceanview: $200
    • Balcony/Junior Suite: $250
    • Grand Suite and above: $500

Tip of the hat to Katina Bradley for alerting us to this news.

Royal Caribbean makes big changes to future cruise booking program

In:
15 Mar 2014

Royal Caribbean's popular NextCruise program appears to have changed signifigantly in terms of the benefits, according to an updated document released by Royal Caribbean.

The NextCruise program allows guests onboard their cruises to book future Royal Caribbean cruises, either a specific cruise or an open booking.

Under the terms of the new program, the amount of onboard credit a guest receives has been adjusted depending on the length of their cruise and the category of stateroom they pick.

Here is a break down of how much onboard credit you wil receive when booking a specific future cruise onboard your cruise.

  • Cruises of 5-7 nights
    • ​Interior: $25
    • Oceanview: $50
    • Balcony: $100
    • Suite: $200
  • Cruise of 8-10 nights
    • ​Interior: $50
    • Oceanview: $100
    • Balcony: $150
    • Suite: $250
  • Cruise of 11-14 nights
    • ​Interior: $75
    • Oceanview: $150
    • Balcony: $200
    • Suite: $300
  • Cruise of 15 or more nights
    • ​Interior: $100
    • Oceanview: $200
    • Balcony: $250
    • Suite: $400

In addition, the NextCruise open booking program incentives have had their onboard credit amounts reduced, with the amount varying depending on the length of your cruise.

  • 5-7 night cruises: $25
  • 8-10 night cruises: $50
  • 11-14 night cruises: $75
  • 15 or more nights: $100

The changes appear to favor cruises of longer length as well as those in balcony or suite accomodations.

The changes appear to be in place now and effective going forward.  The new policy does not affect NextCruise bookings or open bookings previously made.

Next Cruise Certificates: Everything you wanted to know

In:
04 Jan 2014

One of my favorite things Royal Caribbean offers to its guests is the NextCruise Certificate option for booking your next Royal Caribbean cruise onboard your cruise.  What exactly is a NextCruise Certificate and what does it get you? Let's answer all your questions!

What is a NextCruise Certificate

A NextCruise certificate is either an open booking or a specific booking for a future Royal Caribbean cruise that can only be purchased onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Guests onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise can go to the Loyalty Ambassador office and schedule an appointment to book either a specific upcoming sailing or purchase an open booking certificate.

The advantage of a NextCruise is you receive certain benefits, such as a lower deposit minimum and onboard credit.

How much is a NextCruise Certificate?

For guests that purchase a specific sailing, guests simply pay a deposit for either NextCruise option and can receive an onboard booking bonus of up to $500 per stateroom. 

Royal Caribbean gives guests the option of using that onboard credit on their current sailing or they can defer it to the sailing they booked.

For guests that opt for the open booking certificate, you pay a reduced deposit of $100 per person (Suite staterooms require a full deposit) and receive an onboard booking bonus of up to $200 per stateroom to spend on their next sailing with Royal Caribbean.

The deposit amount per person is non-refundable.  The NextCruise open booking Certificate does not expire.

What is the booking incentive I get with a NextCruise Certificate?

The amount of onboard credit you get from Royal Caribbean with a NextCruise Certificate depends on the length of cruise you select.  Here's the breakdown for open bookings .

  • 3-5 Nights $25
  • 6-9 Nights $100
  • 10-14 Nights $150
  • 15 + Nights $200

For a specific NextCruise sailing, here are the breakdown for the onboard booking bonus

  • 5-7 nights
    • Interior/Oceanview: $50
    • Balcony/Junior Suite: $100
    • Grand Suite & Above: $200
  • 8-10 nights
    • Interior/Oceanview: $100
    • Balcony/Junior Suite: $150
    • Grand Suite & Above: $300
  • 11-14 nights
    • Interior/Oceanview: $150
    • Balcony/Junior Suite: $200
    • Grand Suite & Above: $400
  • 15+ nights
    • Interior/Oceanview: $200
    • Balcony/Junior Suite: $250
    • Grand Suite & Above: $500

How do I use my NextCruise open booking Certificate?

After booking a NextCruise open booking, you will get via email a booking reservation number.  

When you are ready to book your next Royal Caribbean cruise, give your travel agent or Royal Caribbean your NextCruise number and they will turn it into an active reservation that reflects the deposit amount you made plus booking incentives your certificate has.

The deposit you made when purchasing the NextCruise Certificate of $100 is all you need to put down and no more money is required until final payment (suite deposits do require full deposit amount).

Can I use NextCruise with a travel agent?

NextCruise bookings allows passengers to still work with their travel agents automatically.

If you buy your NextCruise Certificate, you can opt to have a travel agent attached to it at that time or leave it open and let a travel agent use the certificate when you are ready to book.  

Can I combine my NextCruise Certificate with other discounts/deals?

Crown & Anchor Society members can combine the onboard booking bonus that they earned through a NextCruise Certificate with their Crown & Anchor Society Savings Certificate or the Platinum-tier and above Balcony and Suite discount.

Other deals Royal Caribbean offers may or may not be combinable and you will need to read the terms and conditions of those deals specifically.

So what's the downside/catch of booking a NextCruise Certificate?

The deposit you make is non-refundable so if you end up never taking another Royal Caribbean cruise, you're out that deposit amount.

Technically speaking, a NextCruise Certificate is a reservation in Royal Caribbean's eyes, so if there's a deal that comes out that is for only new reservations you may not be able to combine it with a NextCruise Certificate.

Royal Caribbean improves NextCruise program to allow more bookings and makes it combinable

In:
21 Jun 2013

Royal Caribbean’s NextCruise future booking program has gotten some new enhancements to make it a better value for passengers.  

Now passengers can book up to three Open Bookings with NextCruise, which are fully transferrable, and can be used as gifts for friends and family. Furthermore, Crown & Anchor Society members can combine the onboard booking bonus that they earned through Open Booking with their Crown & Anchor Society Savings Certificate or the Platinum-tier and above Balcony and Suite discount.

NextCruise is an exclusive benefit for Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program members that allows guests a reduced deposit of $100 per person ($200 per person for suite-category staterooms) and an onboard booking bonus of up to $200 per stateroom to spend on their next sailing with Royal Caribbean. Guests can choose to make a reservation on board for a specific Royal Caribbean sailing and enjoy their onboard booking bonus during their future cruise.

NextCruise bookings allows passengers to still work with their travel agents automatically. Royal Caribbean’s onboard Loyalty & Cruise Sales Teams are available to assist guests in determining their best future cruise booking option.

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