New BOGOHO rates!

[39august]

I just saved $120 pp on a cruise we booked several months ago with the new promotion. Glad to see that RCI has allowed "back dating" rates for both these BOGOHO promotions. Previously, on the May BOGOHO, we saved over $500 on another cruise also booked months before the promotion began.

[UCF_Knight]

It isn't helping me any, unfortunately. The rate with this promo is about $800 more than I paid for my November 2014 cruise a couple months ago.

[AidlEskimo]

It isn't helping me any, unfortunately.

 

my upcoming september cruise would cost me more money than before, if I booked now?

 

either BOGOHO or 3rd or 4th free works out to more then prior :cool:

[jc4me]

My cabin category is sold out, but they won't let me upgrade to a cabin at a lower rate without cancelling the booking (using my insurance) and re-booking and buying new insurance. Would end up costing $120 to save $50! :mad:

[gnocchi_mommy]

My rates are exactly the same, except I'd lose the $100 per cabin OBC (from the combinable WOW sale last week)

[ttnc4me]

No new rate for us. Same jacked up rate as last week, which was jacked up from a few weeks before that.

[Grannycb]

One cruise is the same, another is $800 more than it was last week.

[JKrise]

Same messed up marketing technique. Run up prices artificially, then return the prices to normal levels and call it a 'sale'.

 

Wish RCI would focus on fixing their horrible IT dept. Never seen so many sophomoric mistakes for so long.

 

 

JKrise

Edited June 9, 2014 by JKrise

[Goodtime Cruizin]

I think it really depends on 'when' you booked your cruise. I agree the rates have increased and then decrease w/ manufactured sales. But there are still some great rates out there to be found. But I find group rates always to be a bit less than the website pricing whether there is a sale going on or not.

[Justmekaren918]

Saved $150 for my Sept 14 cruise. We got that settled and I went into this was a special cruise and lost a credit and spent a whole time working with her team and had me on hold, and came back she asked me to take phone off speaker and call was disconnected, and she never called back. Very butch! My cell is in my profile.

 

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[SECdawg]

It is all about timing and category. We saved money on a two person room but the 3 person room we have on the same cruise would have cost about $20 more. I agree, their pricing and sales make no sense.

[PCWalton1]

Thanks to the new rates we just moved from a D2 to a JS on our upcoming Rhapsody Hawaii cruise for just $132 per person. And it's an aft JS too, 8598. :D

[Merion_Mom]

I just saved $120 pp on a cruise we booked several months ago with the new promotion. Glad to see that RCI has allowed "back dating" rates for both these BOGOHO promotions. Previously, on the May BOGOHO, we saved over $500 on another cruise also booked months before the promotion began.

 

It is SHOCKING, frankly, that they are letting everyone do this, when they are screwing me out of MY rates as a solo.

 

(http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2054654)

 

 

:mad:

[InsideCruiser]

Booked during the WOW Sale last week. Price for 2 people was $1669 plus tax with $200 in OBC.

 

Price with the BOGOHO is $1669 plus tax with no OBC.

 

Strange thing is that they have 1st and 2nd priced differently. 1st is is $1,185 and 2nd is $969 (less $485). Total $1669.

 

If they had it priced "properly" with 1st/2nd at $1077 the price would be $1077 plus $1077 (less $539). Total $1615. So not only do they jack up the prices for the sale, they artificially price the 2nd person so the 2nd person discount isn't off the "true" fair.

 

I feel badly for "ignorant" cruisers that believe they are booking a BOGOHO sale when actually they are saving nothing (and just missed out on $200 WOW OBC).

 

If anyone from RCL is reading, running a "sale" that does not reduce prices is no way to build a relationship with your customers. If you don't want a sale to apply to a particular sailing that's fine. But charging the same price and calling it a sale costs you a lot of goodwill. I had to take time out of my day to investigate the sale and discover it was a scam.

[George C]

We were considering a JS on Navigator for Nov 2015 but they wanted 2200 now with sale its 1600 which I still think is high ( we have a js booked for 1200 and a GS booked for 1600 for 2015 on same ship), will book something soon

[Clarea]

We were considering a JS on Navigator for Nov 2015 but they wanted 2200 now with sale its 1600 which I still think is high ( we have a js booked for 1200 and a GS booked for 1600 for 2015 on same ship), will book something soon

I agree, too high. We have a JS on NV for a September cruise on which the price just dropped to $1150pp.

[marci22]

It is SHOCKING, frankly, that they are letting everyone do this, when they are screwing me out of MY rates as a solo.

 

(http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2054654)

 

 

:mad:

 

yeah, I think it's weird that in some cases, they try to get every last dime out of you, won't let certain things be combined, etc, but then they adjust rates for previous purchases.

 

I think they just like the fact that they are filling their ships and they are stealing business from other cruise lines. My sister is a Disney cruiser and she recently cancelled her reservation there and booked RC for the same dates with KSF. She's paying around $2200 for 4 people in a D for 7 night Caribbean.

 

They're not going to worry about upsetting the occasional solo cruiser or D guest when they have new people flooding in. And also, a lot of people probably just book and forget it, so they don't come back for any adjustments. A few cc'ers getting adjustments doesn't bother them.

Edited June 11, 2014 by marci22

[patrioticgirl]

It is SHOCKING, frankly, that they are letting everyone do this, when they are screwing me out of MY rates as a solo.

 

(http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2054654)

 

 

:mad:

Merion Mom, ditto to that comment! I usually travel solo, but occasionally do travel with another person and book as a double. In the past month, I have placed 2 bookings, one as a single for July and the other as a double for March 2015. Once I have made a booking, I check frequently for price changes. This BOGO sale is doing nothing but driving up the prices and making it less likely that I will book in advance as a solo passenger.

A prime example: The cruise that I booked for March has increased slightly for the 2 passenger booking, but the real kicker is that the single pricing for the very same cabin, which was the same price as the double minus the port charges on the day I booked it, is now more than 200 dollars more as a solo passenger (WITHOUT port, taxes, and insurance yet calculated into the total) than my original invoice is quoting for 2 passengers (WITH cruise fare, port charges, taxes, and insurance included for 2)!

I am a teacher, so my time frames for sailing is limited to school vacation periods. Used to be that I would always book way in advance to assure that I got the best pricing, but with the way things have been changing, I am not sure this is always to my advantage if I am planning on sailing solo. I am pretty loyal to Royal and am a few points away from D+ status, but I am also Elite on Celebrity ... and even have a few Carnival cruise thrown into the mix. I realize that if I wait to do last minute bookings that there may be cruises that I am interested in that have sold out, but at this point, the itineraries aren't as important to me as just getting away on a cruise. I would hope that Royal would want to keep me as a passenger, but if it means that I have to pay more than I would pay as a solo passenger for the same length cruise on another line, they can be assured that my cruising funds will be deposited elsewhere. My bottom line is that my money will go the cruise line that gives me the best pricing.

Edited June 11, 2014 by patrioticgirl

[Folk Singer]

My rates are exactly the same, except I'd lose the $100 per cabin OBC (from the combinable WOW sale last week)

 

 

we saved as well with the bog oho for our next cruise. But the prices are jacked up a little from before.

Edited June 11, 2014 by Folk Singer

[Colorado Babe]

I have saved hundreds of dollars on two of out three upcoming cruises with all the specials lately. Keep checking daily.

 

 

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[Free2bMeForever]

Merion Mom, ditto to that comment! I usually travel solo, but occasionally do travel with another person and book as a double. In the past month, I have placed 2 bookings, one as a single for July and the other as a double for March 2015. Once I have made a booking, I check frequently for price changes. This BOGO sale is doing nothing but driving up the prices and making it less likely that I will book in advance as a solo passenger.

A prime example: The cruise that I booked for March has increased slightly for the 2 passenger booking, but the real kicker is that the single pricing for the very same cabin, which was the same price as the double minus the port charges on the day I booked it, is now more than 200 dollars more as a solo passenger (WITHOUT port, taxes, and insurance yet calculated into the total) than my original invoice is quoting for 2 passengers (WITH cruise fare, port charges, taxes, and insurance included for 2)!

I am a teacher, so my time frames for sailing is limited to school vacation periods. Used to be that I would always book way in advance to assure that I got the best pricing, but with the way things have been changing, I am not sure this is always to my advantage if I am planning on sailing solo. I am pretty loyal to Royal and am a few points away from D+ status, but I am also Elite on Celebrity ... and even have a few Carnival cruise thrown into the mix. I realize that if I wait to do last minute bookings that there may be cruises that I am interested in that have sold out, but at this point, the itineraries aren't as important to me as just getting away on a cruise. I would hope that Royal would want to keep me as a passenger, but if it means that I have to pay more than I would pay as a solo passenger for the same length cruise on another line, they can be assured that my cruising funds will be deposited elsewhere. My bottom line is that my money will go the cruise line that gives me the best pricing.

 

I agree. I booked an early Dec. cruise a few months ago (NOT when they were first released) for a solo balcony at about $1300 (including a 200% single supplement). With the BOGOHO, the cost is nearly $2900 for the 7 night cruise!!! The cost for a comparable itinerary, stateroom, and travel date on Carnival is $1464. If Royal's price trends continue, I'll be Platinum on Carnival before D+ on Royal even though I need to get fewer points on Royal.

[loubetti]

If you want to check the rates daily, then so be it. Otherwise these specials are often "smoke and mirrors" for many. They try to get people to book with them. Cast out the line with the bait, and see what you catch!

 

Granted, there is little doubt that some have saved, but this all comes down to marketing 101.

[InsideCruiser]

If you want to check the rates daily, then so be it. Otherwise these specials are often "smoke and mirrors" for many. They try to get people to book with them. Cast out the line with the bait, and see what you catch!

 

Granted, there is little doubt that some have saved, but this all comes down to marketing 101.

 

If you want to book it and forget it, so be it.

 

We received $200 OBC by re-booking under the terms of the recent WOW sale.

 

I guess it comes down to whether one feels it's worth the time investigating each sale to see whether actual savings are being offered.

 

For many it's more about "the game" then the actual savings. 8 months to wait and it gives you something cruise related to obsess over. :D

 

My point is that running a BOGOHO "sale" and then raising rates so that the net price remains the same (or even goes up) does not seem like a great way to build trust and brand loyalty. I would prefer they simply don't include the sailings where no savings are being offered.

 

But perhaps you're right, the marketing push around the "sale" may bring in enough new sales to justify upsetting a few seasoned cruisers. I suppose it's hard to attract customers with the sale and then tell them that the sailing they're interested in isn't included. So use some "smoke and mirrors" and their sailing is "on sale".

 

Not the way I would run a business but what do I know?

[DC2OC]

If you want to book it and forget it, so be it.

 

We received $200 OBC by re-booking under the terms of the recent WOW sale.

 

I guess it comes down to whether one feels it's worth the time investigating each sale to see whether actual savings are being offered.

 

For many it's more about "the game" then the actual savings. 8 months to wait and it gives you something cruise related to obsess over. :D

 

My point is that running a BOGOHO "sale" and then raising rates so that the net price remains the same (or even goes up) does not seem like a great way to build trust and brand loyalty. I would prefer they simply don't include the sailings where no savings are being offered.

 

But perhaps you're right, the marketing push around the "sale" may bring in enough new sales to justify upsetting a few seasoned cruisers. I suppose it's hard to attract customers with the sale and then tell them that the sailing they're interested in isn't included. So use some "smoke and mirrors" and their sailing is "on sale".

 

Not the way I would run a business but what do I know?

 

I booked a cabin in April on a 100 off outside cabin promotion.

Checked Monday the first day of the new promotion then called RCCL and saved an additional $396 .If I had waited until yesterday to call my savings would have been only $89

...........Frank