I hope RCCL does NOT follow suit on this!!

[Sue L]

So well put!!!

 

What I find sad is how many folks think RCCL, a for profit company responsible to a board and shareholders, think RCCL should make so many exceptions and special accomodations all the time. Not going at specific folks etc...but just when you think about the various threads and all of the special exceptions folks think they should get...

 

I think overall most folks are responsible and get things done/pain on time which is good. However the bad apples tend to spoil the basket, or in this case the folks who don't pay up timely cause everyone to suffer when a mistake is made. If mistakes were very rare then probably the old rules could live on.

 

I presume Cunard and Princess are just making sure cabins are available for others ready with $$$ to pay after final payment. When I looked at their sailings for a particular week recently many of the ships were virtually full...I bet after final payment deadline there will be more cabin choices at least for a couple of days.

 

 

 

Well to use Janet524's example of the gas company, so if you were accidentally late...ran out of stamps....were away....family emergency ...or just plain forgot.. and your payment for your bill didn't make it to the payment center on time for whatever reason you would be fine with them turning off your service and cancelling your account the next day???

[critterchick]

Rccl does NOT call you to remind you, though most TA's do.

 

Princess reminds the TA a week in advance that payment is due. Then it's up to the TA to remind the client.

 

Personal Vacation Planner

 

I think that's Carnival, no? RCI has Certified (in what I don't know, LOL) Vacation Planners.;)

 

If RCI were to adopt the policy and start reminding people that final payment is due, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But people often book cruises up to 18 months in advance. Although many people are organized enough to calendar the final payment date, it would be nice to have a reminder a few weeks in advance. Right now, they don't do anything until after final payment has passed, which obviously would be too late in a "no extensions" environment. But if they remind you 7-10 days in advance, then I don't see an issue with it. Big if....

[Sue L]

Princess reminds the TA a week in advance that payment is due. Then it's up to the TA to remind the client.

 

 

 

I think that's Carnival, no? RCI has Certified (in what I don't know, LOL) Vacation Planners.;)

 

If RCI were to adopt the policy and start reminding people that final payment is due, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But people often book cruises up to 18 months in advance. Although many people are organized enough to calendar the final payment date, it would be nice to have a reminder a few weeks in advance. Right now, they don't do anything until after final payment has passed, which obviously would be too late in a "no extensions" environment. But if they remind you 7-10 days in advance, then I don't see an issue with it. Big if....

 

Opps you're right, they all get mixed up sometimes should just say cruise line reps. lol, covers them all

[BethCarp]

but you would be surprised how many don't, even after being reminded.

How is that anyone else's problem?

 

Yes they do! Maybe not call, but remind you each month... It is called a bill!

And RCCL gives you a bill when you book your cruise. They also give you a lot longer to pay it off.

[Merion_Mom]

Rccl does NOT call you to remind you, though most TA's do.

 

My CVP calls if I have not already taken the initiative myself; on the rare occasions when I haven't paid by the day before, I have gotten a reminder email about 20% of the time.

 

These were cruises booked directly with RC.

[Sue L]

My CVP calls if I have not already taken the initiative myself; on the rare occasions when I haven't paid by the day before, I have gotten a reminder email about 20% of the time.

 

These were cruises booked directly with RC.

 

 

Glad to hear it, from the comments they seem to be doing it more, been a long time since I booked direct through the line. :rolleyes:;):D

[Merion_Mom]

I do not sail untill May 22,2011. My bill had been paid and then came a price decress. I even got a obc for $720.00 because of that. I never wait till the end. If I don't have the money now, I never go. RCL has been good to me and so has my TA. They are the best so I make it ez for them. ;)

 

IME, I would NEVER pay for a May cruise in November!!!! :eek:

[Alexis]

So well put!!!

 

What I find sad is how many folks think RCCL, a for profit company responsible to a board and shareholders, think RCCL should make so many exceptions and special accomodations all the time. Not going at specific folks etc...but just when you think about the various threads and all of the special exceptions folks think they should get...

 

I think overall most folks are responsible and get things done/pain on time which is good. However the bad apples tend to spoil the basket, or in this case the folks who don't pay up timely cause everyone to suffer when a mistake is made. If mistakes were very rare then probably the old rules could live on.

 

I presume Cunard and Princess are just making sure cabins are available for others ready with $$$ to pay after final payment. When I looked at their sailings for a particular week recently many of the ships were virtually full...I bet after final payment deadline there will be more cabin choices at least for a couple of days.

 

In 30 cruises, no one has ever had to tell us when the final payment was due.

It is on our invoice we receive when we book the cruise. All my invoices and paperwork go in a large envelope.

It is written on the outside of that envelope along with all the other information about our cruises.

Final Payment date is Sept. 24, 2011 at 5:00 PM est.

As soon as I get that invoice, I also write the date it is due on my calenders. I put it in the calendar the month before it is due and the month and actual day it is due.

I keep one calendar by my computer and one on my kitchen counter at all times.

I do the same with my taxes and all other important bills to be paid.

I call that being a responsible adult. :rolleyes:

I agree the cruise lines are a business. They have a right to expect their money on time. People certainly are given enough notice on when it is due.

 

 

=Sue L;26830103]Well to use Janet524's example of the gas company, so if you were accidentally late...ran out of stamps....were away....family emergency ...or just plain forgot.. and your payment for your bill didn't make it to the payment center on time for whatever reason you would be fine with them turning off your service and cancelling your account the next day???

 

Hi SueL,

You being a travel agent, I can see where you would be more concerned about this then those of us on here who pay our cruises off on time and feel that is the proper thing to do.

I really do not think a fun cruise and the power company can be fairly compared.

The power company can not do that.

My husband worked for the L.I.L.CO power company there on Long Island for 38 + years. It took more than that to turn off one's power. They had to leave enough electric on for a refrigerator, etc. to work so that people could eat, have enough power to survive.

Two very different scenarios. ;)

[tnt10]

Actually sounds reasonable to me. Have never missed a deadline or had a cruise cancelled.

As for waiting for price drops, etc., isn't that soon to be a thing of the past with RCI's new policy in effect?

Happy Cruising,

TnT

[Rancher Dave]

In 30 cruises, no one has ever had to tell us when the final payment was due.

It is on our invoice we receive when we book the cruise. All my invoices and paperwork go in a large envelope.

It is written on the outside of that envelope along with all the other information about our cruises.

Final Payment date is Sept. 24, 2011 at 5:00 PM est.

As soon as I get that invoice, I also write the date it is due on my calenders. I put it in the calendar the month before it is due and the month and actual day it is due.

I keep one calendar by my computer and one on my kitchen counter at all times.

I do the same with my taxes and all other important bills to be paid.

I call that being a responsible adult. :rolleyes:

I agree the cruise lines are a business. They have a right to expect their money on time. People certainly are given enough notice on when it is due.

 

Due dates for cruises etc...go on Outlook as a task and on the calendar so I get it twice...but last cruise booked was paid up at time of booking...book late pay it all off an no issues with a cancel for late pay...:D

Never pay taxes late...government can be a tougher group to fight then a cruise line.

 

Well to use Janet524's example of the gas company, so if you were accidentally late...ran out of stamps....were away....family emergency ...or just plain forgot.. and your payment for your bill didn't make it to the payment center on time for whatever reason you would be fine with them turning off your service and cancelling your account the next day???

 

If you miss the hard deadline, which is what Cunard and Princess are reinforcing as the due date...yep you get cut off. Don't pay the car payment, the car gets repo'd... I am sure where exceptinal circumstances come up and the cruiser or TA calls C or P ahead of the hard deadline exceptions will still be made...just far less often...it wouldn't be advertised that exceptions are still available.

[critterchick]

If you miss the hard deadline, which is what Cunard and Princess are reinforcing as the due date...yep you get cut off. Don't pay the car payment, the car gets repo'd... I am sure where exceptinal circumstances come up and the cruiser or TA calls C or P ahead of the hard deadline exceptions will still be made...just far less often...it wouldn't be advertised that exceptions are still available.

 

You'd have to miss a few car payments or electric bills before the repo or shut off. I had an interesting time with Verizon when I got a new line - I signed up for automatic payment of my bill, and the email bill I received said DO NOT PAY - AUTOMATIC PAYMENT. Well, they didn't chargethe card on file, but didn't cut off my service, just threatened to if I didn't pay by xx date, a few weeks later. So I did, and then they charged my card, so I'm still running a credit.:mad::rolleyes: That's why I favor some kind of reminder a week or so out. Then, if there is some kind of issue (see Merion Mom's post), there would be time to straighten it all out.

 

And Sue, why bring this up on CC and give RCI ideas????:eek::p

[Merion_Mom]

Opps you're right, they all get mixed up sometimes should just say cruise line reps. lol, covers them all

 

I think that if you called up and spoke to a CVP, she would tell you that it stands for Cruise Vacation Planner.

[christie584]

On my last cruise I received 3 email reminders from RCI of final payment due.

1 reminder 30 days prior, 1 reminder 9 days prior, and 1 reminder 4 days prior.

 

That's good to know. I still haven't taken my first cruise, but when I booked for my Feb cruise, I wasn't told by the RCCI person on the phone that I would have to do anything further after I gave my card info. I was asked if they could charge the full amount to my card and I said yes, so I thought everything was taken care of. I noticed on my credit card that only a small amount was taken out. Even when I called to ask why the full amount wasn't taken in the first place I STILL wasn't told that I had to worry about the final payment. The guy I talked to made it sound like it would be taken care of by them - like an auto pay. Good thing I discovered CC or I'd be lost!!!

[ehfl]

I really don't see what the big deal is. They tell you when you have to make final payment. It's your choice whether you want to meet your obligations or not. You can always rebook if you really want to stay on the ship.

 

There are plenty of things to whine about in this world....seriously, this is not one of them.

[land lover]

I think this really screws the TAs.

 

Sure, we all need to pay bills on time, but I, have forgotten about final payment a few times when I booked directly and thank goodness, it was still being held for me, the reason why, I was told was because they leave some leedway for TAs, sounds like this will no longer be the case so expect TAs to move final payment back.

[land lover]

BTW.. IMHO, a vacation bill can't be compared to regular monthly payments of living expenses.

[Sue L]

I am really taken a back by the general feeling on this one, I guess I look at it differently because I am looking after multiple cruises and not just my own vacation.

I am glad everyone is so conscientious and never misses their final payments, I wish everyone was that way.....but I can testify that they are not!

[marci22]

[quote name='Sue L']I am really taken a back by the general feeling on this one, I guess I look at it differently because I am looking after multiple cruises and not just my own vacation.

I am glad everyone is so conscientious and never misses their final payments, I wish everyone was that way.....but I can testify that they are not![/quote]

It's like a lot of things: people don't think anything of it until it happens to them. Then you'll hear it!

[Fury1995]

[quote name='Janet524']The gas company doesn't call to remind me to pay my bill. The electric company doesn't call to remind me to pay my bill. The bank doesn't call to remind me to pay my mortgage. It's just terrible that I actually have to be responsible and remember to do it all by my self![/QUOTE]


I get e-mails from all of my utility companies that my bill is due. Same with my mortgage. Go green! Go paperless! You would get bill reminders also. ;)

[TBSCruiser]

Wow, you people amaze me, this is just another example of taking something away...a grace period!

You know stuff happens and while we all intend to stay on top of something, there are times in life that outside forces beyond our control take over. And ship happens

I sail most of the lines and I appreciate Sue L posting this information and you people should be thanking her for all her informative posts instead of brow beating her.

I hope nothing ever happens that you do find your reservation has gone poof because of a technicality.

Sue L thanks for taking the time to post this and sorry that our fellow cruisers are giving you such a hard time.

[Fury1995]

Sue,

Just to be clear... this isn't a policy RCCL has put in place and hasn't suggested any intention of doing so, correct?

[lady_cruiser]

With all the rhymes and reasons here lets just all agree that we hope this never happens.

Many things could prevent someone from forgetting. The top on my list is that you can have a child or parent that has to be suddenly admitted to a hospital, lets say 10 days, prior to the final payment. With emergency surgery then several days in IC unit the last thing on your mind would be your final payment for your cruise.

So many different scenarios can happen two or three weeks before final payment that we shouldn't jump to the conclusion that people are just too lazy to remember its due.

[Lizcourt]

Since no one else has said this, I guess I must be alone in thinking it, but here goes. . . . This is a CHANGE in policy? I always kind of assumed that if you didn't make the final payment when due, the reservation was cancelled.

And BTW, unless cruise bookings pick up or you're booked on a fully packed sailing, I wouldn't be so sure that this "policy" isn't going to be honored in the breach when the delay is for a real, justifiable problem as opposed to someone just wanting to delay payment -- and I would bet a week in a baby-grand-piano suite that the poster who's early payment was improperly missed by RCCL wouldn't have lost her cruise reservation even if RCCL does adopt this policy.

[temple1]

When I booked my first cruise with RCCL I asked the vacation planner if I would receive a notice before final payment was due. Kind of like a BILL as a reminder. She said no, but it was in my on line info. Me, being me, I asked her what would happen if they did not receive final payment on that day - she told me not to worry, I would have a couple of days to get it in.

Thank goodness. Yes, I have a memory like a sieve. I do have a fear of missing the date and it is on my calendar. But like others pointed out -

1. if you are a day late with the electric bill your power is not disconnected and you have to go through the whole application process again. and

2. You get a monthly reminder that the electric, gas, cable, etc. are due. Unlike making a reservation 18 months ago and life intervening inbetween.

[Alexis]

[quote name='TBSCruiser']Wow, you people amaze me, this is just another example of taking something away...a grace period!

You know stuff happens and while we all intend to stay on top of something, there are times in life that outside forces beyond our control take over. And ship happens

I sail most of the lines and I appreciate Sue L posting this information and you people should be thanking her for all her informative posts instead of [B]brow beating her[/B].

I hope nothing ever happens that you do find your reservation has gone poof because of a technicality.

[B]Sue L thanks for taking the time to post this and sorry that our fellow cruisers are giving you such a hard time[/B].[/quote]

Sue L is not being "Brow Beaten" by the posters on the RCCL board who respond.
This isn't even about RCCL "yet" as far as we know.
We are all merely posting that those of us who pay early or always on time, are not going to get uptight about what other cruise lines are doing.
Let's get real here. :)
All of us on here have always been friendly with Sue L and that certainly is not going to change over a posting such as this.
EDIT: [B]These are opinions toward the posting topic, not harsh words toward Sue L. the messenger[/B].