booking onboard??

[pattyk]

what do they offer when booking on board? We r going on a cruise in 9 days and plan on going on the Oasis in Jan..we have never booked while on board but this time we thought we would check it out..but now I see this WOW sale..is this a bettter deal? just wondering what they offer when u book on board>>thanks..

[AF-1]

I think the WOW sales are pretty good. Onboard they offeer next cruise certificate and discounts for your cabin; but the wow sales offer the same thing; plus if u are a crown and anchor member u can get a discount with that.

[Shippy]

...but I was not sure about the prices being the best .

While on the Mariner, I did what they call an 'an open next cruise booking'.

I did not have a particular cruise in mind but knew I would sail with Royal Caribbean again someday.

While onboard, you pay $100. & they give you a booking number for the future. There is no expiration date. When you find a cruise you want you either book directly through Royal Caribbean or 'sign over' that booking number to an agent.

 

We just did that, signed it over to an Internet travel agent. Very easy.

Anyway, that $100. goes towards your next downpayment PLUS you get $100. onboard credit so you have doubled your money.

It's a can't lose if you think you will ever sail with them again.

We are going on the Oasis in the Fall & I will gladly let them hold another $100. for me.

You can only take advantage of this offer while you are actually onboard.

[pattyk]

sorry, not understanding what u mean..I am a crown n anchor member so i would get a discount from wow sale or onboard..better way to book is where? what about balconey choices..would it b better to do wow or talk to someone directly on board...thanks again for helping

[bajathree]

I think the WOW sales are pretty good. Onboard they offeer next cruise certificate and discounts for your cabin; but the wow sales offer the same thing; plus if u are a crown and anchor member u can get a discount with that.

 

The WOW sale and on-board booking are 2 VERY different things and DO NOT offer the same thing.

The WOW sale for a 7-9 night sailing is 50% reduced deposit and you get a $100 OBC. It is NOT combinable with any other offer INCLUDING Crown and Anchor (balcony discount). You can't transfer it into a group (in case you went with a TA that had better group pricing)...you CAN't change the sailing without loosing the $100 OBC.

 

Booking on-board is MUCH better....the best way is to book the actual sailing date. You can also purchase a Next Cruise Certificate but that has a limitation on the deposit (get to it in a bit). Booking on-board for a 7-9 night sailing is a reduced deposit of only $100/pp and you still get a $100 OBC...it is combinable with resident discounts, Crown & Anchor (both balcony or certificates), you can change the sailing, you can move the booking into a group...much more flexible and combinable.

Now with a next Cruise Certificate...the way it works is just fill out the form and decided on the actual sailing at a later date. The cost is $100/pp...that is actually your deposit....you still get that reduced deposit of only $100/pp and for a 7-9 night sailing you would still get that $100 OBC....it's holds exactly the same benefits and has the same combinability of booking an actual sailing except for 1 thing.....if you cancel a sailing created with a Next Cruise Certificate you forfeit (loose) your deposit.....if you book an actual sailing and cancel your deposit is refunded in full...that is why booking an actual sailing date while on-board is better than a NCC.

[Clarea]

If you have the opportunity to book on board in the very near future, that would be a much better deal than the WOW sale.

 

First, booking on board allows combining the C&A balcony discount with the on board credit. No combining with a WOW booking.

 

Second, you can change the booking later. WOW sale bookings are typically restricted from changing sailing date or ships.

 

Third, the deposit might be less with booking on board, depending on the length of the cruise. WOW has half price deposits, on board has $100 deposits. So, for example, booking a 7 day cruise in a JS or less would cost $100 per person on board vs. $125 per person during the WOW. Conversely, booking a 3/4/5 day cruise during the WOW would have cheaper deposits ($50 pp) than booking on board ($100pp).

 

It is important to note that if you wait until you are on board to book a cruise, the price might go up far higher than any savings gained by waiting to book on board. This is the part of the equation that is impossible to predict.

[d4nigirl]

We got a discount on the down payment and $50 each of onboard credit when we booked our Alaska cruise aboard the Majesty last August.

 

Depends on the deal and whats going around. Sometimes I wish we just booked it online because there were some great discounts. Guess we'll see what's offered next.

[AF-1]

Bajathree, thanks for the clarification; your explanation makes more sense than mine.

[cruisenfever]

The only time the deposit for a Decide Now or Decide Later booking, that is made on board, would change from the $100pp is if a GS cabin or above is booked. Then a full deposit that is doubled will be required.

 

This also holds true when booking from home. All GS cabins and above require a full per person double deposit.

 

Deposits, when bookings are not made on a ship, for JS cabin or below are

 

$100pp for 3-5 nights

$250pp for 6-9 nights

$450pp for 10+ nights