Royal Pricing Policy Suggestion

[FLCRUISINGCPL]

We booked the Liberty of the Seas for the 10/31/10 sailing during January's WOW sale and had a nice rate with a D2. This cruise was to celebrate my wife's birthday and we decided to ask our son this week (who is living at home) if he wanted to join us. He said yes so we called the Crown and Anchor desk (we are Diamond) to see what it would cost to add him.

 

Long story short, to move to a triple we would move down to an E1 (lower category), they would not protect our price for passengers 1 and 2 from our booking in January. We would have ended up paying $1,500 to add a 3rd passenger. We would of hoped they would have held our pricing, and just added a 3rd at the normal rate by moving down a category.

 

Bottom line, they wouldn't show any flexibility, only price us like a new booking, so we cancelled and spent our money with another company. A smart business policy would have been to price protect us, charge us the normal price for a 3rd, and moved us down a category so they could have earned our business.

 

As the economy slows, we will just wait out the cruise lines and book last minute as they begin to have problems filling up their ships.

[RayJacki]

We booked the Liberty of the Seas for the 10/31/10 sailing during January's WOW sale and had a nice rate with a D2. This cruise was to celebrate my wife's birthday and we decided to ask our son this week (who is living at home) if he wanted to join us. He said yes so we called the Crown and Anchor desk (we are Diamond) to see what it would cost to add him.

 

Long story short, to move to a triple we would move down to an E1 (lower category), they would not protect our price for passengers 1 and 2 from our booking in January. We would have ended up paying $1,500 to add a 3rd passenger. We would of hoped they would have held our pricing, and just added a 3rd at the normal rate by moving down a category.

 

Bottom line, they wouldn't show any flexibility, only price us like a new booking, so we cancelled and spent our money with another company. A smart business policy would have been to price protect us, charge us the normal price for a 3rd, and moved us down a category so they could have earned our business.

 

As the economy slows, we will just wait out the cruise lines and book last minute as they begin to have problems filling up their ships.

 

I may be wrong, but I think D2's only accommodate 2 people so your son couldn't have been added to your existing reservation.

[FLCRUISINGCPL]

Correct, D2 would only accomodate 2, but E1 lower category and relative price would accomodate 3. We just wanted to move down to E1, price protect 1 and 2, and add 3rd at normal 3rd passenger price, that would have been fair, as opposed to treating us like a new booking being made now.

[Sue L]

Well I understand your point, but it doesn't work like that. It would be like go to the a shoe store and saying I want to return the black shoesfor $50 but I would rather have the $200 blue ones and only still pay the 50$. Why should they do that? They have to price at the going rate. No company would do what you were asking.

 

Their ships are going out full. There are no triples or quad on many ships for the rest of the summer.

[cruisinfanatic]

We booked the Liberty of the Seas for the 10/31/10 sailing during January's WOW sale and had a nice rate with a D2. This cruise was to celebrate my wife's birthday and we decided to ask our son this week (who is living at home) if he wanted to join us. He said yes so we called the Crown and Anchor desk (we are Diamond) to see what it would cost to add him.

 

Long story short, to move to a triple we would move down to an E1 (lower category), they would not protect our price for passengers 1 and 2 from our booking in January. We would have ended up paying $1,500 to add a 3rd passenger. We would of hoped they would have held our pricing, and just added a 3rd at the normal rate by moving down a category.

 

Bottom line, they wouldn't show any flexibility, only price us like a new booking, so we cancelled and spent our money with another company. A smart business policy would have been to price protect us, charge us the normal price for a 3rd, and moved us down a category so they could have earned our business.

 

As the economy slows, we will just wait out the cruise lines and book last minute as they begin to have problems filling up their ships.

What you should have done was to book your son with you in the first place. Then you would not have a problem now. You cant expect now or at any time in the past for a change in categories without a change in cost. Even though you would have had a lower category, if the price had gone up, you would have to pay the new price.

You won't find the policy any different on any other line. So you canceled to make yourself feel better I guess

As far as your comment on the economy slowing? Where have you been? Seems the cost of your cruise being higher would not be so if they were having trouble filling the ship.

 

Just looked at pricing for that cruise. An E1 is $949 plus tax for the first 2. Not likely your D2 was priced all that much less, so I think you're complaint is over very little $$$$. With all your cruises, you seem to have no money problem.

[DonnaK]

Wow...on our last Mariner cruise, we were booked into a D1 quad. When the prices for insides dropped to the same price as the 3/4 rate we were paying, we moved our kids out of the quad and into an inside. However, we couldn't stay in the D1 because it wasn't across from any inside they had available. So, we moved into a D3 that was across the hall from the inside where they placed our kids. The D3 was more expensive than we originally paid for the 1st/2nd on the D1. The customer service again I spoke with gave us price protection and did not charge us the new rate on the 1st/2nd person.

[FLCRUISINGCPL]

Hear your points:

1. Shoe analogy not a good one

2. I understand, you say it is a new booking for all practical purposes, so pay today's price

3. I understand, booked him day one would have solved the problem

4. Pricing, lines have raised them this year, trying to hold them, but I predict they will soften later this year, we will see who is right.

5. Yes, I cancelled because I was frustrated, so to make myself feel better we spent our money with another company, we always vote with our wallet when we feel we were not treated as we had hoped.

6. Oh well, lesson learned, thanks for your valuable comments

[FLCRUISINGCPL]

Wow...on our last Mariner cruise, we were booked into a D1 quad. When the prices for insides dropped to the same price as the 3/4 rate we were paying, we moved our kids out of the quad and into an inside. However, we couldn't stay in the D1 because it wasn't across from any inside they had available. So, we moved into a D3 that was across the hall from the inside where they placed our kids. The D3 was more expensive than we originally paid for the 1st/2nd on the D1. The customer service again I spoke with gave us price protection and did not charge us the new rate on the 1st/2nd person.

 

 

DonnaK, RCCL customer service and supervisor understood our thought process, but would not budge or show any flexibility yesterday, they were firm. If we would have had your experience we would have been 100% happy.

[cruisinfanatic]

Hear your points:

1. Shoe analogy not a good one

2. I understand, you say it is a new booking for all practical purposes, so pay today's price

3. I understand, booked him day one would have solved the problem

4. Pricing, lines have raised them this year, trying to hold them, but I predict they will soften later this year, we will see who is right.

5. Yes, I cancelled because I was frustrated, so to make myself feel better we spent our money with another company, we always vote with our wallet when we feel we were not treated as we had hoped.

6. Oh well, lesson learned, thanks for your valuable comments

Total cost for 3 on Liberty sailing in a cat E1 is $2420.54

how do you figure that's $1500 more than your D2 cabin?

[FLCRUISINGCPL]

Total cost for 3 on Liberty sailing in a cat E1 is $2420.54

how do you figure that's $1500 more than your D2 cabin?

 

Beacuse we ad stellar D1 deal

[FLACRUISER99]

Me thinks RCI was happy to get out of that one.

[cruisinfanatic]

Beacuse we ad stellar D1 deal

I know there is no way you had a D2 cabin for $920 total

[FLCRUISINGCPL]

I know there is no way you had a D2 cabin for $920 total

 

But you would not believe it, me thinks you work for RCCL, because you are certainly not on the side of a fellow cruiser

[cruisinfanatic]

But you would not believe it, me thinks you work for RCCL, because you are certainly not on the side of a fellow cruiser

Me thinks?

 

As a former TA, I know that it would be quite unusual for even an inside to be $370pp + $90pp tax. Doesn't happen

No way you booked a balcony for that.

[njmomof2]

My sister was booked in a double cabin on Mariner just this month. We got her an awesome guarantee rate and they put her in an E2. Simply great price.

 

Then my niece decides that she wants to come. My sister has to change to at least an E1 triple. We look, I call, I try to pull in favors, but the reality was that they could not protect her original 1/2 price. We ended up moving her to a D1 triple (she simply could not go an entire week with a 20 yo sleeping in a pullman directly over her head) and unfortunately, we had to pay about $1200 total to get it all done.

 

The fact that someone got their lower rate protected is great. But the reality is that they have every right to charge you the higher current rate if you need to switch categories and add people. Yes, they are getting more money by having the third on board, but downgrading to a cabin that costs more than you are paying means that they can charge you.

 

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. I hope you enjoy whatever cruise you have decided to take.

[bajathree]

We booked the Liberty of the Seas for the 10/31/10 sailing during January's WOW sale and had a nice rate with a D2. This cruise was to celebrate my wife's birthday and we decided to ask our son this week (who is living at home) if he wanted to join us. He said yes so we called the Crown and Anchor desk (we are Diamond) to see what it would cost to add him.

 

Long story short, to move to a triple we would move down to an E1 (lower category), they would not protect our price for passengers 1 and 2 from our booking in January. We would have ended up paying $1,500 to add a 3rd passenger. We would of hoped they would have held our pricing, and just added a 3rd at the normal rate by moving down a category.

 

Bottom line, they wouldn't show any flexibility, only price us like a new booking, so we cancelled and spent our money with another company. A smart business policy would have been to price protect us, charge us the normal price for a 3rd, and moved us down a category so they could have earned our business.

 

As the economy slows, we will just wait out the cruise lines and book last minute as they begin to have problems filling up their ships.

 

This is exactly the point that the CL's aren't quite getting yet....."last minute" is going to be the future of cruise bookings if they don't make changes to current pricing policies.....they are currently dealing in an environment where there is MUCH more supply than demand and the longer people wait to book the more likely you are to loose them and their business.

[bajathree]

Well I understand your point, but it doesn't work like that. It would be like go to the a shoe store and saying I want to return the black shoesfor $50 but I would rather have the $200 blue ones and only still pay the 50$. Why should they do that? They have to price at the going rate. No company would do what you were asking.

 

Their ships are going out full. There are no triples or quad on many ships for the rest of the summer.

 

 

 

yea.....but at what price and for how long Sue:confused:

 

I thought this comment below from a very recent CC news article was very interesting after the many months of hearing how great bookings are and CL's are starting to raise prices:

 

Bill Kraus, president of Cruise Club of America, tells us that despite heavy bookings in early 2010, the fourth quarter of 2010 and early 2011 are "looking bleak for bookings, and rates will have to come down."

[jjb415]

Would this have been a situation where a travel agent may have come to bat for the customer and possibly got the client's desired result? Just curious. Thanks.

[mtchg]

Unfortunately; all indications are the poor economy is entrenched for awhile (and may even do the "double dip" recession thing).

 

RCCL (or anyone else) will not be able to hold the current rates. Expect them to go way down by the Fall.

 

 

Mitch

[FLCRUISINGCPL]

Would this have been a situation where a travel agent may have come to bat for the customer and possibly got the client's desired result? Just curious. Thanks.

 

Jack, we tried to talk with Crown and Anchor Customer Service and Supervisors. I do not think TA would have helped, bt sometimes calling back and talking with different people does based upon our experience.

[FLCRUISINGCPL]

Me thinks?

 

As a former TA, I know that it would be quite unusual for even an inside to be $370pp + $90pp tax. Doesn't happen

No way you booked a balcony for that.

 

Rate for D2 = $571 x 2

Taxes = $84.73 x 2

Total was $1,311.46

 

To add a 3rd (basically new price in E1) = $2,420.54

 

OK, so it was $1,109.08 not $1,500 different to:

1. Go down in category to E1

2. Add a 3rd

3. Versus the 3rd passenger rate of $250 + $84.73 tax, should have been $334.73, not $1,109.08 from our perspective to be customer friendly

[Tranquil Waters]

Unfortunately; all indications are the poor economy is entrenched for awhile (and may even do the "double dip" recession thing).

 

RCCL (or anyone else) will not be able to hold the current rates. Expect them to go way down by the Fall.

 

 

Mitch

 

Agree. And I also see last minute booking as the wave of the future. People will not be willing to pay premium, premium rates just to have a specific cabin (or not enough people to hardly count). People are too conscience of where there pennies are going these days.

 

That means that RCI will not have all the deposit $$$$ to use months ahead of time. And they will have a harder time making business decisions because they will have no idea how full their ships are going to be sailing until the last minute. I would imagine that both of these things would be very bad for RCI.

 

Will be interesting to see if they change their policies (once this last minute booking starts in large numbers) and again make it advantageous for early booking again?

[DaisyGirl55]

wow - sorry for your frustration...I know what it is like to call and look for some help and not get anywhere. I also get what some posters are saying about how Royal's policy to treat the change like a new booking is a valid practice.

 

Nobody really won here...not you and not the cruiseline for your cancellation.

 

The only thing I don't get is that you have 5 future cruises booked according to your countdown clocks. Are you saying that after this 5 you will only book last minute cruises, on the off chance that you may need to change something?

 

I always say I am not going to book too early, but I find myself picking up the phone and putting down yet another deposit. If I find a "deal" after, well, it is just my loss. Carnival is now offering OBC on a cruise that I booked a couple of weeks ago. I wish I could get that OBC...but it only applies to new bookings. Still not going to cancel my cruise though - but I may hold out next time just a bit longer!

[FLCRUISINGCPL]

wow - sorry for your frustration...I know what it is like to call and look for some help and not get anywhere. I also get what some posters are saying about how Royal's policy to treat the change like a new booking is a valid practice.

 

Nobody really won here...not you and not the cruiseline for your cancellation.

 

The only thing I don't get is that you have 5 future cruises booked according to your countdown clocks. Are you saying that after this 5 you will only book last minute cruises, on the off chance that you may need to change something?

 

I always say I am not going to book too early, but I find myself picking up the phone and putting down yet another deposit. If I find a "deal" after, well, it is just my loss. Carnival is now offering OBC on a cruise that I booked a couple of weeks ago. I wish I could get that OBC...but it only applies to new bookings. Still not going to cancel my cruise though - but I may hold out next time just a bit longer!

 

Thanks for your empathy, I understand all the points of view on our situation. From Oh Well Tough, to I am sorry to learn what happened.

 

From a future cruise perspective we will:

1. Book in advance when the relative price is a good value

2. Take last minute when we find a good deal

Examples:

1. Our January 2010 on Independce was las minute inside $303/pp + taxes

2. Our May 2010 on Century was last minute balcony at $449/pp + taxes

3. Our January 2011 on Millenium was great deal 10 day balcony for $799/pp + taxes

 

So the message is, we shop for good deals and will book early when we find them like the Liberty we just cancelled was 9 months ahead of the cruise. Otherwise, if we do not see rates in line with value, we will just wait. We are retired in our mid-50's and live in Florida, so we can be flexible. Cabin categories and location are not as important as a good value and more frequent cruises, we usually do 6-7 per year.

[bajathree]

Agree. And I also see last minute booking as the wave of the future. People will not be willing to pay premium, premium rates just to have a specific cabin (or not enough people to hardly count). People are too conscience of where there pennies are going these days.

 

That means that RCI will not have all the deposit $$$$ to use months ahead of time. And they will have a harder time making business decisions because they will have no idea how full their ships are going to be sailing until the last minute. I would imagine that both of these things would be very bad for RCI.

 

Will be interesting to see if they change their policies (once this last minute booking starts in large numbers) and again make it advantageous for early booking again?

 

....or the last minute cancellations just prior to final when people still see plenty availability..... because I see that one coming fast.....and then you will really see pricing crash as they have half empty ships 60-90 days out. Once you burn a customer that books far in advance....you will have a last minute booker for a long time.