Wondering If.....

[GRANNYOFSIX]

Any update on the combining. Sort of bummed out that I am missing out on my savings certificate.

 

 

Sorry you missed out on the savings certificate - that's really a shame!!! Were you able to secure a resident rate discount??? I hope so!!! When are you cruising and on which ship? Hopefully there will be good sales for all of us soon:):):):)

 

 

[rock the boat]

Just got off the phone with RCCL about the current residency rate for PA. There was no problem with combining my C&A discount with the residency discount. Saved $162. P.P. plus the additional savings on the cruise vacation protection plan. It reduced my cruise by a total of $384.

[rock the boat]

If you go on rccl website and do a mock booking, when you click on view summary of charges, it will show the discount if it applies.

[Lady Hudson]

Sorry you missed out on the savings certificate - that's really a shame!!! Were you able to secure a resident rate discount??? I hope so!!! When are you cruising and on which ship? Hopefully there will be good sales for all of us soon:):):):)

 

 

 

September 20, 2014 -- Explorer. Did get the resident rate -- 98 dollars off of each fare. But still think the savings certificate should work!!

[GRANNYOFSIX]

Just got off the phone with RCCL about the current residency rate for PA. There was no problem with combining my C&A discount with the residency discount. Saved $162. P.P. plus the additional savings on the cruise vacation protection plan. It reduced my cruise by a total of $384.

 

Rock The Boat - That is soooo fantastic that your could combine discounts. I'm going to take your advise and do a mock booking - I never take it as far as "view summary of charges" - I will keep you posted:)

 

September 20, 2014 -- Explorer. Did get the resident rate -- 98 dollars off of each fare. But still think the savings certificate should work!!

 

Lady Hudson - I agree - I wish we could combine discounts. Did you try to do a mock booking taking it to "view summary charges" like the Rock The Boat suggested? I'm going to try it in a few minutes!

[Lunarclipse]

CAS Saving Certificates are combinable with Restricted Rates (Resident, Military, Police and Fire). One is applied as a coupon and the other is used at time of booking. With RCCL's new booking system this has not changed. Calling into RCI with your travel agent on the phone and asking if these 2 can be combined will get you the answer and get your TA the accurate info.

[LovesCruising]

 

Interesting that you were able to combine the resident rate and C&A Balcony discount - that's fantastic!!! My TA did say that different ships and sail dates have different New System Rules.......some sailings allow combining discounts- some don't - glad you were able to combine! Thanks for all your responses too:)

 

Thanks, I will keep looking for a price drop - final payment is the beginning of December so I have another month of keeping my fingers crossed:)

 

I still don't see why you can't combine - I have never heard of different sailings having different rules

 

Just got off the phone with RCCL about the current residency rate for PA. There was no problem with combining my C&A discount with the residency discount. Saved $162. P.P. plus the additional savings on the cruise vacation protection plan. It reduced my cruise by a total of $384.

 

Am I understanding correctly - OP you booked with a certificate - now there is a resident rate and your TA says no - sorry I still think they are wrong

 

why not call Royal and ask? I wouldn't say I already had a booking - I would just inquire if you could use both

[GRANNYOFSIX]

 

I still don't see why you can't combine - I have never heard of different sailings having different rules I don't understand that either!!

 

 

 

Am I understanding correctly - OP you booked with a certificate - now there is a resident rate and your TA says no - sorry I still think they are wrong Yes you are understand correctly - I did book with a certificate which was approved - now there is a resident rate which my TA said can't be applied - he called Royal a few times..

 

why not call Royal and ask? I wouldn't say I already had a booking - I would just inquire if you could use both

I will call Royal myself - will keep you posted...........thanks for your responses:)

[GRANNYOFSIX]

 

 

why not call Royal and ask? I wouldn't say I already had a booking - I would just inquire if you could use both

 

I called Royal - I told her I was aware of the new booking system - asked her if we could combine the C&A savings certificate along with a resident discount.......she said YES. I emailed my TA - will let you know as soon as I hear back from him......hopes are up again:)

 

Thanks everyone for your continued concern - I will keep you all informed of the outcome - I feel better that I called Royal myself and got the answer we all knew was correct - YES TO COMBINE C&A certificate with almost anything except balcony discount:)

Edited November 5, 2013 by GRANNYOFSIX

[GRANNYOFSIX]

10:30pm - my travel agent emailed me regarding my email to him telling him I called Royal and the rep said YES to combining discounts.........he said he called Royal again and when they put in my booking, etc. it REMOVED the $225 C&A certificate........for some reason Royal says I can't combine the C&A and the resident discount. I am really discouraged now and very confused abut this whole thing:(:confused:

[LovesCruising]

OP - I don't know what is going on with your TA - however - the answer you received when you called Royal about combining the C & A Certificate and the resident rate should be correct. I hope he can get your certificate discount back. I think he should attempt to get it added back for you.

[kc320]

I'm sorry, but I think you REALLY need to be doing a 3 way call with your TA & Royal...for some reason your TA is really giving you a run around. And having both on the line at the same time is the only way you are going to get the matter settled correctly!

[Ocean Boy]

10:30pm - my travel agent emailed me regarding my email to him telling him I called Royal and the rep said YES to combining discounts.........he said he called Royal again and when they put in my booking, etc. it REMOVED the $225 C&A certificate........for some reason Royal says I can't combine the C&A and the resident discount. I am really discouraged now and very confused abut this whole thing:(:confused:

 

This is why I don't use TAs any longer. I'd rather deal with the source than with a middle man.

[BecciBoo]

I recently had something similar happen with a very big TA around here (CC)! The Mgr explained to me that their discounts are very sensitive to fluctuations in rates...and that when I found a new lower rate on our Allure cruise in May and called to get our fare lowered, they had to remove one of my percs...the OBC they had promised me.

She said although they are "in tight" with RCCL, I am still considered part of their group (getting group rates hence able to give very good incentives) and that is why they had to withdraw my OBC. I am still going to use them in future because the bulk of my percs are still there and they are substantial. In lowering my fare I made only $50 on the deal in spite of losing the OBC so it was a pretty good reduction, but that amount will buy a bit of drinks etc. But just know that if the coupons and fares breach their "deal limits" with RCCL then they will remove some of them to counteract the lower fare. I think this is possibly why your TA would not allow your combination.

When dealing directly with RCCL I have combined the certificates with my C&A discount etc. lots of times and still had them honor Senior discounts and Residency. But then again, RCCL doesn't offer prepaid gratuities and free dinners either.

Edited November 5, 2013 by BecciBoo

[CruisinYaya]

CAS Saving Certificates are combinable with Restricted Rates (Resident, Military, Police and Fire). One is applied as a coupon and the other is used at time of booking. With RCCL's new booking system this has not changed. Calling into RCI with your travel agent on the phone and asking if these 2 can be combined will get you the answer and get your TA the accurate info.

 

This is absolutely true. If your TA refuses to do this, then they may be hiding something from you. :eek: Try calling C&A and asking them to reach out in a conference call to your TA so that you can get this resolved. Explain what is happening and ask for their assistance!

 

10:30pm - my travel agent emailed me regarding my email to him telling him I called Royal and the rep said YES to combining discounts.........he said he called Royal again and when they put in my booking, etc. it REMOVED the $225 C&A certificate........for some reason Royal says I can't combine the C&A and the resident discount. I am really discouraged now and very confused abut this whole thing:(:confused:

This may be a glitch with the new system. :confused: Again, go with getting a conference call between your TA and Royal!!

[reney313]

I don't understand what the rate has to do with using a C&A certificate.

 

If you booked when there was a residency rate, I would 100% expect to still apply a C&A certificate. The rate should not influence whether a certificate can be applied or not. That has always been sailing specific. If so, then that is a MAJOR change. I haven't looked at the C&A certificate terms for the current certs. Does it mention anything in those terms that the qualifier is not the sailing, but instead the rate you paid? I know there is language around not combining with other C&A discounts like Balcony, Shareholder's, etc. But not the rate that you pay?

 

I wonder if it is the nomenclature being used calling them both discounts vs. a rate and a coupon?

Edited November 5, 2013 by reney313

[rock the boat]

When I first called about the residency discount yesterday, the agent had to put me on hold and then explained that the new system won't just let him add the discount. He had to re-do everything from scratch so I would not loose my C&A discount. When I did our friends who are traveling with us, he had no problem with theirs since they are not C&A members. But as others have said, the residency rate is just that. Anything after that as far as discounts are applied accordingly.

[GRANNYOFSIX]

When I first called about the residency discount yesterday, the agent had to put me on hold and then explained that the new system won't just let him add the discount. He had to re-do everything from scratch so I would not loose my C&A discount. When I did our friends who are traveling with us, he had no problem with theirs since they are not C&A members. But as others have said, the residency rate is just that. Anything after that as far as discounts are applied accordingly.

 

Hi Everyone....I have learned a lot today and last night. I have spoken to Royal directly a couple of times. We did NOT lose our C&A savings certificate of $225 which is great. I did not lose any OBC either. I am exactly where I was when I began this post - just more knowledgeable;)

 

What I learned is the following:

1. YES, C&A savings certificates can be combined with resident or military or senior discounts.

 

2. Resident or military or senior discount promotions are not offered on all ships....and they come and go. Also these promotions are not offered to all categories. Just because these discounts may not be available today for your category, they may be available tomorrow. For my sailing CURRENTLY the resident promotion is not available for my category (cat I) (probably because my category is sold out). The resident rate is CURRENTLY only available for categories that I'm not interested in - I need mid ship and all the available cabins (large outside) eligible for the resident discount are not nearly midship. Since I'm not willing to change cabins or categories (my choice) I can't get the resident rate for this sailing but if I was willing to change cabins or categories there wouldn't be an issue at all.

 

3. C&A said things change quickly and my Category may be eligible again in the future - I will just keep checking prices.

 

Hopefully everything I wrote above is 100% accurate- I tried to remember everything from all conversations with Royal and my TA.

 

I'm definitely not blaming my TA - he tried - but I'm beginning to understand why people choose to go direct with Royal.

 

Thank you all so very much for your input! I learned a lot from all of your posts which allowed me to speak with a basic knowledge of this issue. :):)

 

If anything changes I will let you know!

Edited November 5, 2013 by GRANNYOFSIX

[Paul65]

Awww - thank you - your kind:)

 

What about his kind?

[Paul65]

Now it makes sense, reading your post above. It's not that you couldn't combine the certificate with the residency rate, but rather that the residency rate did not apply to your cabin category. They, or your TA, probably should have been able to explain it better to begin with, but it all makes sense now.

[Ocean Boy]

So it is pretty much as most of us thought and how it has been for a long time with residency rates and C&A discounts. The issue here is that there was no residency rate available.

[LovesCruising]

Now it makes sense, reading your post above. It's not that you couldn't combine the certificate with the residency rate, but rather that the residency rate did not apply to your cabin category. They, or your TA, probably should have been able to explain it better to begin with, but it all makes sense now.

 

So it is pretty much as most of us thought and how it has been for a long time with residency rates and C&A discounts. The issue here is that there was no residency rate available.

 

AND that is what the TA SHOULD have told you in the first place!:eek:

[Coralc]

We were missing a little part of the story. Thank you for your diligent efforts and for returning to explain it us. :)

[GRANNYOFSIX]

Thank you everyone for your kind words. I knew as soon as I received an explanation that "made sense" I wanted to share it with you.

 

You have all been amazing. I felt like I had a lot of support and it meant and means a lot!

 

Have a good night:)

 

Laura

Edited November 6, 2013 by GRANNYOFSIX

[GRANNYOFSIX]

So it is pretty much as most of us thought and how it has been for a long time with residency rates and C&A discounts. The issue here is that there was no residency rate available.

 

Well, there is still a residency rate available but no longer for my category. I'm just glad this whole thing finally makes sense:)