Booking your Own cruise and then switiching to TA before final payment??

[dixie54]

I am considering booking my own cruise and then switching to a TA for OBC and other perks before final payment.

 

Will the TA still offer the same perks? I just like to manage my own reservation and get price drops directly with RC since I will be booking many months before the cruise.

 

Have any of you done this? thanks for any info!!

[wvufan]

That's the way we do it all the time. My TA know this. I usually let her know ahead of time what I am planning in case she is aware of an incentive that isn't common knowledge. Just be sure to give the transfer enough time.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[galavant3]

This is a relatively recent change...

 

Can I transfer my reservation to a travel agent if I purchased my cruise directly from Royal Caribbean? - Royal Caribbean International Q: Can I transfer my reservation to a travel agent if I purchased my cruise directly from Royal Caribbean? A: Bookings may be transferred to a Travel Agent up until 60 days from creation if the request is made outside of Final Payment period and the booking is not paid in full. If a booking has a ChoiceAir ticket and the transfer request involves a change in currency we cannot accommodate a transfer.

[phoenix1181]

You'd need to ask the TA about the perks, that's their call.

 

As far as transferring is concerned, I believe that has to be done within a certain time frame of the booking. RCCL finally smartened up & stopped allowing people to utilize their staff & then force them to pay commission to a TA who did nothing more than offer OBC or paid tips.

[silentbob007]

I have done this in the past and it required faxing a transfer form to RCI. It may not be worth the hassle now, though witht he 60 rule. Also, keep in mind that besides the 60 day rule, it cannot be done after final payment.

[Crewzer33]

I do it with every reservation. I just did one with the "new" rules and it has worked out fine, since I have found the price reductions seem to always say "new bookings only." My agency charges if you make changes, so I just make sure I have my staterooms set before transferring. The original reservation is transferred (not cancelled and rebooked), so your booking number, stateroom, obcs that you got for booking on board, etc., all stay exactly the same. You can get the transfer form from RCCL.com and after faxing to them, I have found the reservation is transferred within 24 hours (it will state who handles the reservation on your reservation at RCCL.com).

[Salsa Dancer]

You'd need to ask the TA about the perks, that's their call.

 

As far as transferring is concerned, I believe that has to be done within a certain time frame of the booking. RCCL finally smartened up & stopped allowing people to utilize their staff & then force them to pay commission to a TA who did nothing more than offer OBC or paid tips.

 

My point of view is that the staff isn't being utilized any more by dealing with me directly instead of a TA for the months prior to final payment. I am the one who is saving the TA a lot of work and my work is rewarded with the incentives from the TA at final payment time. I love handling my own booking and watching for price drops, etc. A TA would not likely work as hard to track the discounts for me.

 

I'm not at all happy with the policy change as it has cost me a large amount of $ in OBCs from my travel agent. If I had been aware of the policy change, I would have transferred my booking sooner. Looks like I missed the boat. Pun intended. So sad!

[Salsa Dancer]

I do it with every reservation. I just did one with the "new" rules and it has worked out fine, since I have found the price reductions seem to always say "new bookings only." My agency charges if you make changes, so I just make sure I have my staterooms set before transferring. The original reservation is transferred (not cancelled and rebooked), so your booking number, stateroom, obcs that you got for booking on board, etc., all stay exactly the same. You can get the transfer form from RCCL.com and after faxing to them, I have found the reservation is transferred within 24 hours (it will state who handles the reservation on your reservation at RCCL.com).

 

 

Did you make your transfer within the 60-day time frame? I only just learned of the policy change and missed out on all of the OBCs that my travel agent normally offers me before I transfer. I've VERY disappointed. :(

[Dorie7]

My TA didn't give me anything for transferring the bookings, but I did so in order to get his help when needed. I would book myself, manage my booking myself and transfer just before the final payment date.

 

I want him to be my TA, but no one manages my reservations with the dedication that I do. I don't want RCI agents either! that is why I like to look after everything online.

 

Like salsa Dancer said, dealing with me or my TA should make no difference to RCI!!

 

Dorie:mad:

[Clarea]

...I'm not at all happy with the policy change as it has cost me a large amount of $ in OBCs from my travel agent. If I had been aware of the policy change, I would have transferred my booking sooner. Looks like I missed the boat. Pun intended. So sad!

If you made bookings before 10/18/2010, then these are grandfathered in under the old rules. Any bookings made before 10/18/2010 can be transferred to a TA up until final payment.

 

Bob

[Salsa Dancer]

I considered the perks from my travel agent really good, so when I switched (in the past) to right before final payment date, it added up to on-board credit to cover all gratuities, plus a dining upgrade at Portofino's for one night. I also love to watch for better rooms, or room upgrade deals, and price drops. As stated, no one does it better than the cruiser, I believe. I also hate to have to "pester" an agent with every change.

 

The policy change brings me to this conclusion. If you feel the benefits are worth it, cancel your original booking and have your travel agent rebook immediately. We are all free to do that until 75 days prior to our cruise date. If you check your "Cancellation Schedule" on the Reservation Form, it tells you what you will lose, at various times of cancellation.

 

My Cancellation Schedule reads that you lost $450 for my 12 night cruise, if I cancel 74-56 days prior to sailing.

 

I'm sure the cancellations would create quite a headache for RC, and I'd be sorry for that, but the policy change has cost me a LOT in on-board credits. They should supply the Travel Agency Transfer deadlines on the reservation form and that would have taken care of my disappointment. I JUST learned of the policy change and it is too late, unless I do the cancellation thing.

[Salsa Dancer]

Some people have posted that RC employees monitor this site and have put the kabosh on the transfers due to all of the noise about the benefits from the happy cruisers on the forum. I also know this from past thinking, that any of us who have participated in a Meet & Mingle, lose our anonymity. We give out our reservation # when signing up and the connection can easily be made between our screen names here and our reservation # when signing up for Meet & Mingle. I"m bothered by all of this, if the tips and such are causing cruise lines to end certain benefits of shared knowledge.

 

Maybe there should be another site with careful screening or tips shared offline via email? Too sad, if that is the case.

[will773]

We just did this with our June Allure cruise. All we did was print out and complete the Transfer form found on the RCCL website and faxed it to RCCL. A few days later, got a call from the travel agency saying the transfer was complete. Even before the call, when I logged into my reservation on the RCCL website, it had already listed the travel agency. It is very easy to do and the perks that we get were WAY, WAY too good to pass up! Hope this helps.

[Salsa Dancer]

If you made bookings before 10/18/2010, then these are grandfathered in under the old rules. Any bookings made before 10/18/2010 can be transferred to a TA up until final payment.

 

Bob

 

I spoke to an RC agent and she did mention that, but I booked Next Cruise on October 27th, and my actual cruise booking took place on December 9th. I totally missed out. I wish an agent would have mentioned this when I booked on the phone or at least the information listed on the reservation form. Wouldn't that make sense? How would we know of every policy change? It's a big site and a LOT of reading to do there. Just researching the cruise itself, the ports, the ships, the dates, was a HUGE task before booking.

 

Since I'm not able to transfer now (no grandfathering for me and I totally missed the 60 day deadline), I am considering cancelling, then rebooking with an agent. Has anyone else done this? I wish I didn't have to do it.

[Clarea]

...Since I'm not able to transfer now (no grandfathering for me and I totally missed the 60 day deadline), I am considering cancelling, then rebooking with an agent. Has anyone else done this? I wish I didn't have to do it.

You can certainly cancel and rebook, however be sure to check the prices. I have 4 cruises booked now, and each one has gone up much more that what I'd get from transferring to a TA. Maybe it's just the cruises I've picked, but I have seen many prices increases, and very few decreases.

 

Bob

[Salsa Dancer]

You can certainly cancel and rebook, however be sure to check the prices. I have 4 cruises booked now, and each one has gone up much more that what I'd get from transferring to a TA. Maybe it's just the cruises I've picked, but I have seen many prices increases, and very few decreases.

 

Bob

 

That was a good point to bring up for anyone reading about my dilemma. I did check and the price drops are still in effect, so it would be fine for me to switch now. Something to consider now as the pricing goes up closer to final payment date...from what I've seen in the past.

[Clarea]

That was a good point to bring up for anyone reading about my dilemma. I did check and the price drops are still in effect, so it would be fine for me to switch now. Something to consider now as the pricing goes up closer to final payment date...from what I've seen in the past.

I took a cruise in October and December. Both times the prices were stable until 1 week AFTER final payment, when they went down significantly. I suspect that with the new price drop policy, the majority of price drops are occurring after final payment.

[Salsa Dancer]

I meant to say that we lose our anonymity when we sign up for a "Meet & Greet" party on-board the ship and hosted by RC. You have to follow a link that connects your reservation ID info to this site. I don't think I'm willing to do that again, as I like the freedom to comment and share anonymously. That is the point of having a screen name. ;)

[lakim]

I spoke to an RC agent and she did mention that, but I booked Next Cruise on October 27th, and my actual cruise booking took place on December 9th. I totally missed out. I wish an agent would have mentioned this when I booked on the phone or at least the information listed on the reservation form. Wouldn't that make sense? How would we know of every policy change? It's a big site and a LOT of reading to do there. Just researching the cruise itself, the ports, the ships, the dates, was a HUGE task before booking.

 

Since I'm not able to transfer now (no grandfathering for me and I totally missed the 60 day deadline), I am considering cancelling, then rebooking with an agent. Has anyone else done this? I wish I didn't have to do it.

 

But if you cancel and rebook, won't you lose both the deposit you paid on the Next Cruise certificate and the OBC you received for having bought it? I know you can move Next Cruise bookings, but I thought they couldn't be canceled without losing everything. Can you cancel the sailing date associated with it and have the booking number go back to being just a certificate without a sailing date attached? (Does my question even make sense?)

[Salsa Dancer]

But if you cancel and rebook, won't you lose both the deposit you paid on the Next Cruise certificate and the OBC you received for having bought it? I know you can move Next Cruise bookings, but I thought they couldn't be canceled without losing everything. Can you cancel the sailing date associated with it and have the booking number go back to being just a certificate without a sailing date attached? (Does my question even make sense?)

 

The RC agent that i spoke to said that I would lose my $150 OBC but not my deposit. I'd better double-check with another rep, though, just to be sure that she was accurate. Thanks for the thought on this. Better safe than sorry.

[Paulxyz2004]

I meant to say that we lose our anonymity when we sign up for a "Meet & Greet" party on-board the ship and hosted by RC. You have to follow a link that connects your reservation ID info to this site. I don't think I'm willing to do that again, as I like the freedom to comment and share anonymously. That is the point of having a screen name. ;)

 

 

No need to worry about this, as you already have signed up in the past, they already know you and still can track your bookings and connect them with your screen name:p

[Paulxyz2004]

I considered the perks from my travel agent really good, so when I switched (in the past) to right before final payment date, it added up to on-board credit to cover all gratuities, plus a dining upgrade at Portofino's for one night. I also love to watch for better rooms, or room upgrade deals, and price drops. As stated, no one does it better than the cruiser, I believe. I also hate to have to "pester" an agent with every change.

 

The policy change brings me to this conclusion. If you feel the benefits are worth it, cancel your original booking and have your travel agent rebook immediately. We are all free to do that until 75 days prior to our cruise date. If you check your "Cancellation Schedule" on the Reservation Form, it tells you what you will lose, at various times of cancellation.

 

My Cancellation Schedule reads that you lost $450 for my 12 night cruise, if I cancel 74-56 days prior to sailing.

 

I'm sure the cancellations would create quite a headache for RC, and I'd be sorry for that, but the policy change has cost me a LOT in on-board credits. They should supply the Travel Agency Transfer deadlines on the reservation form and that would have taken care of my disappointment. I JUST learned of the policy change and it is too late, unless I do the cancellation thing.

 

 

I doubt it will be much of a headache for RCI. Yes if you think it´s beneficial for you, you can do the cancel and rebook thing. However I seriously doubt many people will do this and thús this is not creating much of a headache for RCI.

 

I really don´t get your point though, why won´t you book with a TA right away, or why can´t you transfer within 60 days:confused:

 

You said

My point of view is that the staff isn't being utilized any more by dealing with me directly instead of a TA for the months prior to final payment. I am the one who is saving the TA a lot of work and my work is rewarded with the incentives from the TA at final payment time. I love handling my own booking and watching for price drops, etc.

 

The RCI staff is utilized more, as if you deal with a TA the TA does most of the changes online via cruisingpower, when you deal with RCI you have to call and someone there has to answer your call and make the change and for all that they won´t save the commission in the end, as you transfer the booking.

 

You can still watch for price drops just call your TA instead of RCI.

 

A TA would not likely work as hard to track the discounts for me.

 

 

Not as hard as who? The RCI agent you booked with? I doubt it.

 

If you mean not as hard as yourself, I say you are right, but you can still work as hard on all that as you do when booking with RCI, just call a different person for adjustments.

 

The only thing might be that the TA is not willing to give as much of his/her commission if the TA has to do much more work with a number of changes.

[bajathree]

Did you make your transfer within the 60-day time frame? I only just learned of the policy change and missed out on all of the OBCs that my travel agent normally offers me before I transfer. I've VERY disappointed. :(

 

Obviously that is what Royal is hoping for;)sounds like the new 60 day policy is already adding to their profit.

[smroque]

Has RCCL made it more difficult to change staterooms within the same class?

 

E.G.:

 

I book an E1 stateroom, through a TA, for a 2012 cruise, the next time the TA offers a great deal with OBCs. (NOT using a Next Cruise certificate.)

 

I keep watching the E1 staterooms on the same cruise and 100 days before the cruise, my dream E1 cabin opens up. I have not yet made my final payment.

 

Are there any reasons or policies preventing me from changing cabins within the same class?

 

Thanks for your insight,

 

Sylvia

[Beebeforever]

I am going on my second cruise and all this talk is very interesting. My first and second cruise I booked through my TA. I really did not understand the booking on the cruise thing. And now you all are mentioning the benies from your TA, which I have not gotten. Can someone explain to me. Thanks