Is booking onboard worth it?

Can't find thread, but I thought I saw that booking on board is no longer worth it; i.e. no more smaller deposit and onboard credit. Is this correct? Looking at a cruise in 2020 but doing a cruise this Nov. Wondering if we needed to wait and book once we are on board this Nov.

You can still do the $100 deposit, but it will be on a non-refundable reservation which means if you decide to cancel or change ships more then 30 days after you get off, you will have to pay.

we booked onboard Liberty last month and got $250 in OBC. You no longer get to spend it on your current cruise, but that doesn't really bug me... I'll enjoy the OBC on the next cruise as much as I would have last month.

That said, I don't feel like we got a particularly screaming deal. The deposit amount is fairly irrelevant - you're gonna pay the price of the cruise whether you deposit $100 or $500 today, and it's not like you're going to earn a lot of interest keeping a few hundred extra in the bank right now.

And the OBC -- well, I get OBC with every cruise I book whether I book it on the ship or not.

One thing I like about booking on the ship is that it makes day 7 a little less melancholy, since I already have another cruise to look forward to. ;)

It is worth it if you continually price check for a reduction. We have booked on board and then waited for a sale and transferred to a TA to pick up various perks and still keep your OBC. Royal gives you 60 days to transfer a booking.

If you book onboard you get the same price as the website but you also get bonus OBC. The bigger your cabin and the longer the cruise the more OBC you get. You will get even more OBC if the cruise you book is more than six months away.

You will be given the option of applying this OBC to your new cruise, or instead receive a discount of the same amount for the new cruise.

While onboard I booked a GS on a cruise that sails one year from now and received $400 off. This was well worth it for me, about 10% discount!

Booking is applied to our TA who gives more $ back.

If you book onboard you get the same price as the website but you also get bonus OBC. The bigger your cabin and the longer the cruise the more OBC you get. You will get even more OBC if the cruise you book is more than six months away.

You will be given the option of applying this OBC to your new cruise, or instead receive a discount of the same amount for the new cruise.

 

While onboard I booked a GS on a cruise that sails one year from now and received $400 off. This was well worth it for me, about 10% discount!

Booking is applied to our TA who gives more $ back.

Did they say what happens if you get a price drop with the $400 off instead of taking OBC? Will that stay if the price goes down?

It was for us. We were able to get a GS for what now is way less than a regular balcony. Plus 200 OBC.

Oh & thanks to the wonderful people here we did score a price drop.

I only book longer cruises on board. To me it's not worth it for the 5 night cruises. I booked 3 12 night cruises and received $300 OBC for each one, with $100 deposit. I'll be transferring to my TA and will get another $100-$150 OBC.

Did they say what happens if you get a price drop with the $400 off instead of taking OBC? Will that stay if the price goes down?

That's an interesting question and they did not say, but now that you point this out I probably should have taken OBC instead of a discount to avoid any difficulties repricing.

That's an interesting question and they did not say, but now that you point this out I probably should have taken OBC instead of a discount to avoid any difficulties repricing.

Does it show on your booking invoice as a $400 credit or did they just reduce the price by $400?

I only book longer cruises on board. To me it's not worth it for the 5 night cruises. I booked 3 12 night cruises and received $300 OBC for each one, with $100 deposit. I'll be transferring to my TA and will get another $100-$150 OBC.

I’ve seen quite a few people talk about transferring the on board booking to a TA. How is this done? When I booked mine on board it automatically booked it with the TA I booked the cruise I was on with.

I’ve seen quite a few people talk about transferring the on board booking to a TA. How is this done? When I booked mine on board it automatically booked it with the TA I booked the cruise I was on with.

We booked our last cruise direct and therefore there was no TA attached to the reservation. If we wanted to book another on-board, they wouldn't have placed the booking with a TA automatically. We would've had to ask or waited and called the TA to have it transferred to them.

I’ve seen quite a few people talk about transferring the on board booking to a TA. How is this done? When I booked mine on board it automatically booked it with the TA I booked the cruise I was on with.

When I book on board, I tell them I don't want it to go to the TA, and fill out a paper. When I get home I decide if I want to transfer it, and have 60 days to do so. I just call the TA and give him the booking number and he takes care of it.

The cruise we are doing in May was booked while we were on our previous cruise and it was definitely worth it. We got more OBC and if you find better rates before final payment they give you that credit. The current deal while on board was just 30% off. I knew a better deal would come. So I kept checking and was able to snatch up a deal that came around for buy one get one 50% off, and for our other room which had our kids in I got my youngest son for free when they promoted kids sail free on select cruises.

We plan on booking again while on board for one of the Symphony of the Seas cruises out of Miami. [emoji41]

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Does it show on your booking invoice as a $400 credit or did they just reduce the price by $400?

The booking confirmation from Royal Caribbean handed to me on the ship showed each discount as a separate line item and broken out by passenger. However the booking confirmation I received from my TA only shows the bottom line price, plus taxes/fees per person. Any price reductions would have to go through the TA. I'm OK though, I am happy with the price and it has gone up for new bookings.

When I book on board, I tell them I don't want it to go to the TA, and fill out a paper. When I get home I decide if I want to transfer it, and have 60 days to do so. I just call the TA and give him the booking number and he takes care of it.

Our next cruise was booked directly from RC website. I plan on booking the Oasis TA on our next cruise. Would I even have to worry about signing a paper (since the cruise I’m on was booked direct with RC)if I plan on transferring it to a big box TA once home?

Our next cruise was booked directly from RC website. I plan on booking the Oasis TA on our next cruise. Would I even have to worry about signing a paper (since the cruise I’m on was booked direct with RC)if I plan on transferring it to a big box TA once home?

No, you can use the transfer form on the website when you are ready to transfer: http://rccl.force.com/directtransfers/DTTRoyal