RCCL is losing its groove

[Mark_K]

Mark,

 

You're more trusting than I am. I like to agree on terms before entering into a contract.

 

Are you serious that Royal Caribbean expects people to contract for a cruise without knowing the price in advance? How does that qualify as a meeting of the minds?

 

This is a business after all.

If I were worried, I would have them put my cabin on a hold until they could give me a rate. However, I wouldn't bother with that unless the cruise was inside the final payment date.

[PacificJack]

We learned the hard way that once you've paid in full, there's no further option to get discounts from RCCL, so it's best to leave a balance of, say, $20, till the last minute.

 

RCL has more rules than the IRS and you only learn them as you go along since they keep changing all the time. Sometimes frequent cruisers get discounts; sometimes they don't. Sometimes investors get discounts; often they don't.

 

Be careful and be watchful.

[mommabean]

That's the lesson that I, too, have learned from this. You have to do business with RCL when everyone is there since no one has authority to do anything, even to remove the fuel surcharge, without checking with someone else.

 

I've also learned that the Crown & Anchor desk is in Wichita and you can call it directly and never have to disturb the siesta slumbers of the Miami staff. Why are the Wichita folks so much more responsive and capable than the Miami staff? Does anyone know?

 

Yes, as a native Miamian I DO know. We escaped the place 2 years ago and haven't looked back.

 

I can't tell you why in public. I think you know why.

 

Gina

[PacificJack]

Thanks for the insight. I know that Adam Goldstein has a comfortable place on a golf course in Coral Gables, but he could also live well in Rancho Sante Fe or even Short Hills, NJ (near Cape Liberty and New York -- that's the connection).

 

I imagine that RCL could elevate its stock price just by moving to New York, which is the fianancial and play capital of the world. Of course, the climate wouldn't be as nice as Miami, but then the heat and humidity in Miami can be enervating and debillitating, so there are compensations.

 

Miam, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaverale, etc. can still serve as ports for the Caribbean but as RCL becomes more international, a less parochial, less regional perspective could be a good thing.

[marci22]

We learned the hard way that once you've paid in full, there's no further option to get discounts from RCCL, so it's best to leave a balance of, say, $20, till the last minute.

 

RCL has more rules than the IRS and you only learn them as you go along since they keep changing all the time. Sometimes frequent cruisers get discounts; sometimes they don't. Sometimes investors get discounts; often they don't.

 

Be careful and be watchful.

 

I just posted something similar and someone else told me that it is "final payment due date" and not when you pay in full.

[PacificJack]

One thing is certain. RCL's mastery of the law and its contracts to favor its interest is far greater than any understanding or hope that cruisers might bring.

[Sue L]

We learned the hard way that once you've paid in full, there's no further option to get discounts from RCCL, so it's best to leave a balance of, say, $20, till the last minute.

 

RCL has more rules than the IRS and you only learn them as you go along since they keep changing all the time. Sometimes frequent cruisers get discounts; sometimes they don't. Sometimes investors get discounts; often they don't.

 

Be careful and be watchful.

 

 

Up until May 17th when the new rules took place if you paid in full you would get OBC after that point and it was very easy to do. Not sure why you were denied

[thelion]

We learned the hard way that once you've paid in full, there's no further option to get discounts from RCCL, so it's best to leave a balance of, say, $20, till the last minute.

 

RCL has more rules than the IRS and you only learn them as you go along since they keep changing all the time. Sometimes frequent cruisers get discounts; sometimes they don't. Sometimes investors get discounts; often they don't.

 

Be careful and be watchful.

 

This is a commonly misunderstood concept. It is not when YOU pay in full - it is when your final payment date is. Say your final payment date (due date) is January 1 but you paid in full December 30. All policies relating to final payment still consider January 1 to be your final payment date.

[critterchick]

We have many pre-2009 next cruise docs which will now expire unused since flying to cruise defeats the relaxation that is the whole point of cruising.

 

Thanks for your advice and insights, though.

 

Next Cruise bookings don't expire. I think (hope) that RCI will be back on the West Coast in the next couple of years. If not, all you need to do is book a cruise and then cancel it - we've done that with a couple of Next Cruise bookings and have gotten our full deposit back.

 

But I would just hold on to any pre-2009 bookings because you can combine all available benefits - OBC, shareholder, Diamond discount and coupons.