Future Price Drops and 2nd Passenger 50% Promotion

[Coralc]

We were going to wait and think about booking our cruise, but for some reason I pushed for it the first week of BOGOHO. I just did a mock booking earlier today and our GS on Freedom in Sept. 2015 is currently $900 more than what we paid for it. I'm pretty excited about the deal.

 

And I agree. It's a brilliant strategy. I can only imagine how many people scrambled to take advantage of the deal and filled up more rooms than they would have by now.

 

Yes it's great, unless you missed re-pricing an already booked cruise on May 1st and are now bitter and resentful because there is no longer any savings. <jk> :D:):D

 

It didn't work for us. And we aren't in a position to book other or more cruises just because they were a "great deal" . There is still airfare, vacation time and hotels involved.

 

Oh well. Maybe the next opportunity. :D

Edited June 14, 2014 by Coralc

[Parrotheadtoo]

Thanks all for your answers. It appears the 50% 2nd passenger is marketing smoke and mirrors. Haven't found any terrific cruise price bargains for cruises we've checked out. Noticed the website shows the average price of the two fares. Once a cabin is chosen, and looking at the breakdown of prices, found the original room price was hiked to accommodate an average of the each passenger per cabin at about the same rate as it would have been without the promo. Oh, well...:rolleyes:

 

Ahoy Matey Denamo

I always check the rates via the RCCL website just before booking with the Loyal Ambassador on the ship.

We booked a cruise at the buy one, get one 50% off for the second person.

It turned out to be the same bottom line as if I booked online instead of the ship. Yep, the promo had a higher per person rate.

 

Do your homework!

 

Edited June 14, 2014 by Parrotheadtoo

[frawnsay]

So, I've done the math, and for the cruise that we booked last month with the BOGO, there's a price drop. Small, but it's there.

 

So, at what amount would you go for a price drop? (this is totally subjective, I know)

[Coralc]

So, I've done the math, and for the cruise that we booked last month with the BOGO, there's a price drop. Small, but it's there.

 

So, at what amount would you go for a price drop? (this is totally subjective, I know)

 

Go for it now. The sale lasts until July 15. After that...who knows?

 

In my opinion you should ask to have it re-priced again to take advantage of a price drop. It's sort of like the stock market...will it go lower? :)

[frawnsay]

I guess I just want to make sure that I can take advantage of a price drop as many times as I can. I assume that until final payment, I can take advantage of price drops as many times as are applicable. Is this correct?

 

And then (if I've read CC info correctly), if a price drop occurs AFTER final payment, I can check for upgraded categories and perhaps gain a "better" room for the same or minimal increased price.

 

With a price drop, should I adjust my trip insurance? And what *if* I were to upgrade--do I adjust trip insurance?

 

Again...all via the TA. It's a family friend, so no charges.

[Coralc]

You can take advantage of price drops until July 15..... Personally, I'm not quite sure what exactly will happen after that. :)

[molly361]

So, I've done the math, and for the cruise that we booked last month with the BOGO, there's a price drop. Small, but it's there.

 

So, at what amount would you go for a price drop? (this is totally subjective, I know)

 

I would go for it!! Any price drop is s good one. Up until final payment you can get as many as there are to get!!!

Edited June 16, 2014 by molly361

[Clarea]

I guess I just want to make sure that I can take advantage of a price drop as many times as I can. I assume that until final payment, I can take advantage of price drops as many times as are applicable. Is this correct?

 

And then (if I've read CC info correctly), if a price drop occurs AFTER final payment, I can check for upgraded categories and perhaps gain a "better" room for the same or minimal increased price.

 

With a price drop, should I adjust my trip insurance? And what *if* I were to upgrade--do I adjust trip insurance?

 

Again...all via the TA. It's a family friend, so no charges.

I would adjust trip insurance based on whatever price you end up paying. If you get a free upgrade, there's no need to adjust.

[marci22]

so, at what amount would you go for a price drop? (this is totally subjective, i know)

 

>$20

[NewYork8048]

It is not smoke and mirrors. I got a great deal when the sale first started the first week of May. So many people are taking advantage of the sale that as the cabins fill up, the price increases.

 

Here is where it bothers me: It was a sale for a few days in beginning of May and many people took advantage of it. HOWEVER, I got a notice from RCI about this "sale" in the mail in June. If I look at the "sale" price today, it is almost the same price as it was in April, therefore, it is really no longer a "sale". Raising the price of the cruise and giving 1/2 off the second person does not a sale make. Whether I paid for the cruise in April for 2 full fares or today with the half off second guest - it is almost the same price. When this "sale" ends, if the inflated price stays on the website, then maybe I will believe the prices increased because of demand and the cruises filling up, but if the prices go back down to the April prices, then I will know that although RCI keeps advertising this sale, it was really only a true sale for the first week in May and after that is was a little marketing scam by RCI.

[NewYork8048]

Yes it's great, unless you missed re-pricing an already booked cruise on May 1st and are now bitter and resentful because there is no longer any savings. <jk> :D:):D

 

It didn't work for us. And we aren't in a position to book other or more cruises just because they were a "great deal" . There is still airfare, vacation time and hotels involved.

 

Oh well. Maybe the next opportunity. :D

 

I think the problem is "sale" means savings to most people..even in your post above you indicate that some people are feeling bitter and resentful if there is no longer any savings...if RCI would quite referring to this as a 50% off second guest sale it would take care of the issue. The fares are what the fares are-but trying to trick people into thinking they are getting a great deal when the current fares are just about the same prices from April is going to create discord. RCI indicating that cruises are selling out and that is why the sale price is raising, then it does not make sense to me that they extend the "Sale" through July if the "Sale" price is the same as the full pre-sale price? I don't know if anyone from Royal Caribbean reads these posts or not, but I hope they take note and not extend "Sales" in the future if they have to raise the base prices to do it.

[Ocean Boy]

Here is where it bothers me: It was a sale for a few days in beginning of May and many people took advantage of it. HOWEVER, I got a notice from RCI about this "sale" in the mail in June. If I look at the "sale" price today, it is almost the same price as it was in April, therefore, it is really no longer a "sale". Raising the price of the cruise and giving 1/2 off the second person does not a sale make. Whether I paid for the cruise in April for 2 full fares or today with the half off second guest - it is almost the same price. When this "sale" ends, if the inflated price stays on the website, then maybe I will believe the prices increased because of demand and the cruises filling up, but if the prices go back down to the April prices, then I will know that although RCI keeps advertising this sale, it was really only a true sale for the first week in May and after that is was a little marketing scam by RCI.

 

The issue is that your (and the rest of the world's) definition of a sale and RCI's definition are completely different things. If you keep in mind that RCI's idea of a sale is to sell cruises, often times at equal to or more than the non-sale price, then you will no longer be bothered.;)

[pcur]

The issue is that your (and the rest of the world's) definition of a sale and RCI's definition are completely different things. If you keep in mind that RCI's idea of a sale is to sell cruises, often times at equal to or more than the non-sale price, then you will no longer be bothered.;)

 

Agree completely. It's not up to the consumer to set the price, so we either buy or don't buy. Cruise prices are one of the commodities that are constantly changing price; never static.

 

I have two bookings with this BOGOHO promo, and neither of them is a spectacular deal. I'm still running around $113 / day per person for balcony cabins. Kind of a "meh" price. However, the second one I went from an ocean vew to a balcony for an extra $22 a day each.

 

When I book I'm not looking at anything necessarily being a "sale", but just looking for a price that I think is reasonable. Then, I hope for a price drop!! :D

[NewYork8048]

The issue is that your (and the rest of the world's) definition of a sale and RCI's definition are completely different things. If you keep in mind that RCI's idea of a sale is to sell cruises, often times at equal to or more than the non-sale price, then you will no longer be bothered.;)

 

Funny! :) I think most people think that a "sale" means that you will get something at a discounted price. In my opinion Pricing something that is equal to or more than the non-sale price is not a "sale". I guess we will have to agree to disagree on what is a "Sale".

[pcur]

Funny! :) I think most people think that a "sale" means that you will get something at a discounted price. In my opinion Pricing something that is equal to or more than the non-sale price is not a "sale". I guess we will have to agree to disagree on what is a "Sale".

 

Like beauty, "sale" is in the mind of the beholder. :D

 

It also depends on your starting place, because the "non-sale price" is a constantly moving target.

[Ocean Boy]

Funny! :) I think most people think that a "sale" means that you will get something at a discounted price. In my opinion Pricing something that is equal to or more than the non-sale price is not a "sale". I guess we will have to agree to disagree on what is a "Sale".

 

WE do not disagree. I am just trying to tell you how the world of RCI works.:p

[nolesrule]

Depends on the cause of the price increase.

 

If the price gets jacked up in conjunction with the sale, then it's a bit misleading. But if the price goes up because of decreased supply due to the success of the sale (i.e., the price increases lag behind the start of the promotion), then it's, to borrow a phrase from my day job, "works as designed", since those price changes are reflective of the market.

 

The only way to know which is the case is to track the pricing changes to exact dates, and know when the sales start.

 

The one cruise I have booked that's eligible for this promo (which unfortunately I'm going to be cancelling), had no price changes since July 2013 for our cabin. When the sale started, there was still no change to the base price before calculating in the 50% discount. Just a week ago, it went up $4. That's still $696 less in total than what we booked it at.