How do price drops work in the UK?

[wendyam76]

I've booked a July Oasis cruise on the RCCL UK website. Just noticed the price for our large interior stateroom has dropped by approx £100. We don't make final payment until next week so do I just phone up and ask them to honour the price drop? I really want to keep the same stateroom as it is very near to the Central Park area.

Many thanks

Wendy

[uktraveller]

I've booked a July Oasis cruise on the RCCL UK website. Just noticed the price for our large interior stateroom has dropped by approx £100. We don't make final payment until next week so do I just phone up and ask them to honour the price drop? I really want to keep the same stateroom as it is very near to the Central Park area.

Many thanks

Wendy

Hi Wendy,

 

Yes, if you booked direct with RCI, you phone and tell them the price of your cabin has gone down and ask if they can apply that new price to your booking. Sometimes, the prices are "for new bookings only" and they won't adjust your price but there's no way to tell other than phone and ask! They won't change anything else (cabin number etc) on your reservation.

 

Try to get hold of them asap...as price reductions can disappear quickly.

 

Good luck :)

[wendyam76]

Thank you so much - of course I find it 30 mins after the reservation closes so will just make sure to call first thing tomorrow. And as you say I can only ask.

[Elizanessie]

Hi Wendy

 

Take a screen shot of the lower price, that way you have proof of what you saw when you talk to them tomorrow...just incase it has changed by morning.

 

Good luck. :D

[wendyam76]

Thank you - I went to do that and of course it had changed! Will still be worth phoning though; as they say if you don't ask you don't get!

[emdia43]

Keep watching the prices, they fluctuate a lot. The first price refund is 'free' but any subsequent ones they will charge a 35pounds admin fee.

[wendyam76]

Just wanted to thank you all for your help. Phoned this morning and he couldn't find the price drop either but was very helpful. I'll keep checking before I make the final payment - I am right in thinking that once I make the final payment they won't honour any price drops (I booked this in Jan 2011).

Wendy

[Albert Ross]

Just wanted to thank you all for your help. Phoned this morning and he couldn't find the price drop either but was very helpful. I'll keep checking before I make the final payment - I am right in thinking that once I make the final payment they won't honour any price drops (I booked this in Jan 2011).

Wendy

No, in the UK they will honour price drops right up to sailing date. You will get any refund back to your credit card, it is not refunded back as obc. See, some things are better in the UK than in the USA!!;)

[wendyam76]

Oh wow - I didn't realise that - 3rd RCCL cruise and I am still learning so much! Thank you so much.

[dutchclogs]

Just wanted to thank you all for your help. Phoned this morning and he couldn't find the price drop either but was very helpful. I'll keep checking before I make the final payment - I am right in thinking that once I make the final payment they won't honour any price drops (I booked this in Jan 2011

Wendy

Hi, this happened to me too a few weeks back. A lower price may be for new bookings only but it may also be a 24 hour promotion that can apparently slip under the radar... Still, as previous posters have said, it's always worth a phone call to check and to keep on checking

 

Gill

[FLACRUISER99]

No, in the UK they will honour price drops right up to sailing date. You will get any refund back to your credit card, it is not refunded back as obc. See, some things are better in the UK than in the USA!!;)

Maybe that's one of the reasons why you folks pay higher prices in the UK!:rolleyes:

[kimberley]

Maybe that's one of the reasons why you folks pay higher prices in the UK!:rolleyes:

 

They normally just use the it's for new bookings card !!!!!

[GlenG]

What happens when you have booked via a UK TA? Are you still able to get them to honour any price drops from RCI?

[Elizanessie]

What happens when you have booked via a UK TA? Are you still able to get them to honour any price drops from RCI?

 

Some UK TAs will give you a price drop...it used to be that they all had to but sadly now that isn't the case.

 

If you have access to their Terms & Conditions that should show if they give price drops or not.

[uktraveller]

What happens when you have booked via a UK TA? Are you still able to get them to honour any price drops from RCI?

Some Travel agents will, and some will not. You can only ask!!

We had one booking through an online TA and they originally said no, but when pressed they agreed to contact RCI for a price drop providing we re-negotiated the commission/discount with them........so give it a try....you have nothing to lose!

[LegalEagle2012]

Just noticed a price drop on my D1 balcony to far less than we paid our TA even after they discounted the cruise by £280. Obviously they are closed at this late hour on a Saturday evening but I have taken a screen shot and emailed them.

 

Also copied them into an email I had from Crown and Anchor concerning an Agent's ability to honour price drops after final payment. I note from a blacked out section of my invoice - that I can see through - that the TA does not have to pay the money over to RCCI until 3rd June!!

 

Can only wait and see what happens? Also noting that several Junior Suites seem to have opened up for four persons - there were none available before when I have checked and the prices for those are dropping too!

 

Will post what happens as soon as I hear something but not holding my breath!

 

Karen

[LegalEagle2012]

No response today but I anticipate with it being a Bank Holiday weekend, that the Customer Service dept at my TA is closed.

 

Fingers still firmly crossed!

 

Karen

[LegalEagle2012]

Had a call today from my TA - trying to baffle me with figures and saying that as they had already given me a £283 discount on the base price with Royal then they could not discount further.

 

However, she did say I could remove their discount and take the current price advertised but this would work out no cheaper!! Hmm by my maths we would save almost £500 if we did this and that is disregarding the discount from the TA!.

 

Had another call from them later today too - thought they were going to offer an upgrade!! No, but they did offer me the opportunity to pre-pay the gratuities for the four of us - normally at just under £200, for a 50% discount. Jumped at this chance of this as it came to £98 for all four of us for a seven day trip!!

 

Never usually pre-pay and never heard of this before?

 

Karen

[yummymummy99]

Really interested in this! We note that our AOS sailing for next yr is already about £100 cheaper per cabin and wondering if it's feasible to ask TA to review price with RCI? We did get reduction in price from out TA so not sure where we stand?

 

What happened with your case in the bed OsmondFan?

[Albert Ross]

Had a call today from my TA - trying to baffle me with figures and saying that as they had already given me a £283 discount on the base price with Royal then they could not discount further.

 

However, she did say I could remove their discount and take the current price advertised but this would work out no cheaper!! Hmm by my maths we would save almost £500 if we did this and that is disregarding the discount from the TA!.

 

Had another call from them later today too - thought they were going to offer an upgrade!! No, but they did offer me the opportunity to pre-pay the gratuities for the four of us - normally at just under £200, for a 50% discount. Jumped at this chance of this as it came to £98 for all four of us for a seven day trip!!

 

Never usually pre-pay and never heard of this before?

 

Karen

 

I attribute the following to a CCer called Greghouseo. This is the clearest way I have ever seen the UK discounts explained:

 

A lot will depend on whether you negotiated a discount on your original booking.

 

If you didn't and paid the list price then each TA should honour a price drop provided that price is applicable for exisiting bookings and not just for new bookings.

 

If, however, you negotiated a discount on your original booking any price drop might involve your TA going into a loss and as such they may not be prepared to apply it to the booking. I will give an example as below to explain what I mean

 

You see a cruise for £1000pp and you negotiate it to a price of £880pp.

The TA will have got approx 15% commission which means that they will have effectively paid £850pp for the cruise and made a £30pp margin.

 

NOW if you see that the cruise has dropped by £400 per person and are expecting your TA to honour the price drop, then the maths stack up as follows:-

Cruise cost £600pp less 15% commission means cruise costs TA £510. If the TA then honours the £400 drop it will mean that he has sold it to you at £880 less £400 = £480 so would lose £30pp on the booking which clearly is not sustainable.

 

Therefore, whilst you may expect a rice drop to be honoured. Be aware that it may not be honoured in full, and also be aware that it isn't the TA being churlish, it is a simple fact of economics.

 

In the US, I believe I am right in saying discounts are not permitted, so a price drop isn't a problem in applying.

[yummymummy99]

Really interested in this! We note that our AOS sailing for next yr is already about £100 cheaper per cabin and wondering if it's feasible to ask TA to review price with RCI? We did get reduction in price from out TA so not sure where we stand?

 

What happened with your case in the bed OsmondFan?

 

Lol typo - end not bed*!!!

 

Thanks for reply albertross!

[Albert Ross]

 

What happened with your case in the bed OsmondFan?

 

OT. Donny Osmond for ever...;)