Need advice re booking

[Miamia65]

Apart from finding your cruise in the "hot deals" section of the RCI website I cannot find any special promotional ts and cs associated with a hot deal.

 

You are only 6 days from the cut off for receiving a full refund for your deposit from RCI. Is it your TA who is charging you the cancellation? Because at this point it shouldn't be RCI. You should ask your TA to show you the Ts and Cs for the cancellation fee and compare the cost of cancelling and the saving after re-booking.

 

When there are special promotions that RCI offer, it usually says that if you have a current booking and cancel and re-book you are not eligible for the sale price. But this doesn't appear to be a RCI sale, agree its a hot deal but I can't find an RCI Ts and Cs for hot deals on their website nor in their Ts and Cs which are available from the home page (right at the very bottom).

 

You could call RCI and if they agree their are no special Ts and Cs, then you could ask to transfer your booking to RCI - not sure if this is possible but you could ask or other posters might be able to answer this.

[The_Big_M]

My problem is I want to stay with this cruise and correct me if I am wrong but if I cancel with my TA and try to re-book direct with RCI for the same cruise and same cabin category, RCI will not give me the discounted price as it is not a new booking.

 

As above, that's only the case if it is a new bookings only promotional rate.

 

It's one of those things that can't easily be said. It's not shown publically. And even if you contact RCL, the advice you get on such questions is hit and miss.

[aussielozzie18]

Apart from finding your cruise in the "hot deals" section of the RCI website I cannot find any special promotional ts and cs associated with a hot deal.

 

You are only 6 days from the cut off for receiving a full refund for your deposit from RCI. Is it your TA who is charging you the cancellation? Because at this point it shouldn't be RCI. You should ask your TA to show you the Ts and Cs for the cancellation fee and compare the cost of cancelling and the saving after re-booking.

 

When there are special promotions that RCI offer, it usually says that if you have a current booking and cancel and re-book you are not eligible for the sale price. But this doesn't appear to be a RCI sale, agree its a hot deal but I can't find an RCI Ts and Cs for hot deals on their website nor in their Ts and Cs which are available from the home page (right at the very bottom).

 

You could call RCI and if they agree their are no special Ts and Cs, then you could ask to transfer your booking to RCI - not sure if this is possible but you could ask or other posters might be able to answer this.

 

This would be wonderful if it was possible. Can any experienced RCI cruisers advise if they think this is a possibility?

 

There is no special promo for RCI atm, only kids sail free or discounted (which doesnt apply to us anyway) It just seems its a HOT price for the third person in the balcony cabin on our particular cruise.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Again, it probably wouldn't hurt to contact RCI. If they say there is no problem, and the cancellation fees from your TA are less than the saving then cancel with the TA, and book direct with RCI or though a different TA. I spotted one online that is cheaper than RCI by a couple of hundred dollars. It is the TA I used and they are very good at FINDing cruise SALEs.

[aussielozzie18]

As above, that's only the case if it is a new bookings only promotional rate.

 

It's one of those things that can't easily be said. It's not shown publically. And even if you contact RCL, the advice you get on such questions is hit and miss.

 

This is getting so confusing. I figure if I ring RCI, I am going to be on hold for ages and we can't make personal calls at work and its difficult at home as well.

I also worry what the additional canx fee the online TA will charge. I know its $100 each but the fine print says its up to them to charge additional fees if they want and as my TA knows I am wanting to cancel only to book a cheaper rate, I am sure they will not want to lose my expensive booking so they could make it difficult for me.

 

Geez, my first cruise was such a straight forward booking and good value.

 

Hope any other newbie cruisers who read this thread, learn lessons from me

[goodycruising]

Thanks Goodycruising for your feedback. Yes, I have to accept that the price I booked it at initially was the price I was happy with but its still a bit hard to swallow when you can see how much less a new booking is getting the same cabin for now.

 

In answer to your question, the other two "adults" in the cabin are in fact my two teens so I am not in a position for the booking to be made under another name. If I cancel the booking, I will have to pay a per person canx fee plus whatever else they want to charge me - T & C are a bit murky (another lesson learned).

 

Hopefully, sometime in the future, I am able to book a cruise at a bargain price and it was make up for the money I "lost" on this one.

 

Yep, I know, it is still hard to swallow. We like to get good value for our hard earned dollars.

 

I looked at the terms of the third for the cheaper price, and it is a sale/promotion with restrictions on cancelling (hope that can be read on my picture below). Are you sure that you would qualify, as it does say the third and fourth kid sails cheaper? I couldn't find what restrictions there were on the age of the third person however.

 

I am sure you will enjoy the trip with your family. Is New Year the only time you can go? It could be good value for you to go another time if possible? I would love to cruise over Christmas and New Year, but we can do a November and a February cruise for the price of one holiday time trip.

 

What category of cabin have you booked? Someone else here mentioned trying to go for an upgrade, and that can be worth looking at. You might get something bigger for nearly the same price.

 

Edited July 25, 2014 by goodycruising

[The_Big_M]

I also worry what the additional canx fee the online TA will charge. I know its $100 each but the fine print says its up to them to charge additional fees if they want and as my TA knows I am wanting to cancel only to book a cheaper rate, I am sure they will not want to lose my expensive booking so they could make it difficult for me.

 

They can't just make up extra fees. That print is referring to e.g. if the cruise line charges fees, or other travel providers.

 

As long as you cancel before your cut-off - note that the travel agent may have a different final payment date to the cruise line though - then you would only be hit by the cancellation fee above.

[Miamia65]

Post # 31 by goodycruising provides the Ts and Cs and it indicates that its a promotion so if you cancel you CANNOT book the same cruise, ie. same ship and sail date and get the reduced price.

 

This happened to me, in January I booked rhapsody for 25 november, then the buy one get one 50% off promo came out and the price dropped. The Ts and Cs did not allow cancelling and re-booking or getting a price drop. So I cancelled and booked a different cruise - same date and different ship - all good. The Australian rules for changes are very tough unlike the american rules....it's just how it is.

 

So if you really want to do this cruise, do not change anything, go on the cruise and have a good time.

[MicCanberra]

Post # 31 by goodycruising provides the Ts and Cs and it indicates that its a promotion so if you cancel you CANNOT book the same cruise, ie. same ship and sail date and get the reduced price.

 

This happened to me, in January I booked rhapsody for 25 november, then the buy one get one 50% off promo came out and the price dropped. The Ts and Cs did not allow cancelling and re-booking or getting a price drop. So I cancelled and booked a different cruise - same date and different ship - all good. The Australian rules for changes are very tough unlike the american rules....it's just how it is.

 

So if you really want to do this cruise, do not change anything, go on the cruise and have a good time.

 

I still think an upgrade may be worth asking for:D

[Miamia65]

I still think an upgrade may be worth asking for:D

 

Just curious, have you asked for an upgrade and received one based on this scenario?

[Aussieflyer]

Post # 31 by goodycruising provides the Ts and Cs and it indicates that its a promotion so if you cancel you CANNOT book the same cruise, ie. same ship and sail date and get the reduced price.

 

This happened to me, in January I booked rhapsody for 25 november, then the buy one get one 50% off promo came out and the price dropped. The Ts and Cs did not allow cancelling and re-booking or getting a price drop. So I cancelled and booked a different cruise - same date and different ship - all good. The Australian rules for changes are very tough unlike the american rules....it's just how it is.

 

So if you really want to do this cruise, do not change anything, go on the cruise and have a good time.

 

We had the same thing happen with RCI some time ago. To cancel and rebook is not a "new booking" - geez they get you every time :mad:

In the end we cancelled the whole thing as a matter of principle.

Annoying though it is, my advice would be if you can't get an upgrade, try and put it out of your mind and have a fantastic cruise.

Edited July 26, 2014 by Aussieflyer

[MicCanberra]

Just curious, have you asked for an upgrade and received one based on this scenario?

 

Possibly not this exact scenario , but similar and with X. We were locked in with drinks packages and good pricing, etc, then the price dropped about six months later, so I asked for an upgrade. We went from a Balcony (2B) to Concierge (C2), when it dropped more just recently, we went from the Concierge to a Suite (NS) while retaining the packages and our OBC and gratuities. Cruise is in December and the prices for some categories are still dropping. If the next suite up drops enough , I will be on the phone quick smart.

My point is, I have never received cash back but I have been upgraded for no extra or just a little.:D

[Aussie FF]

Just curious, have you asked for an upgrade and received one based on this scenario?

 

Yes, I have done it many times.

Now I deliberately book the lowest category I would be happy with.

Then I watch for price drops, then I do a paid upgrade to the next category. :) And again and again, every time that price drops.

 

RFS here I come.:D

 

Edit:OH NO, I'm giving away all my secrets:-)

Edited July 26, 2014 by Aussie FF

[MicCanberra]

Yes, I have done it many times.

Now I deliberately book the lowest category I would be happy with.

Then I watch for price drops, then I do a paid upgrade to the next category. :) And again and again, every time that price drops.

 

RFS here I come.:D

 

Edit:OH NO, I'm giving away all my secrets:-)

 

Yes, I am guilty of that as well.:D

[OzKiwiJJ]

Then I watch for price drops, then I do a paid upgrade to the next category. :) And again and again, every time that price drops.

 

 

I'm watching! I'm watching!

 

But the next category isn't coming down low enough :(

[Aussie FF]

The best time is after final payments are in, and cabins open up.:D

 

Note to self-Must stop giving up this info,:rolleyes:

[OzKiwiJJ]

Thank you :D

[MicCanberra]

We are a sharing caring bunch most of the time.:D

[Miamia65]

I'm glad this has worked for you - MicCanberra and AussieFF because it hasn't for me.

 

In 2012, I booked a JS (it was our first cruise on RCI) for 4 passengers on Rhapsody. I wanted to book the RFS but it required a booking with 5 passengers (I later learnt that I could have added a 5th passenger to secure the cabin and then removed before final payment..... anyway ... I digress ... just before final payment it appeared on RCI's website and I could book it for 4 passengers. Rang my T/A ... no way would they let me upgrade from the JS. Both my T/A and I spoke to the Manager at RCI and I emailed him (Jonathon)... english bloke, very pompous and would not budget. I was wanting to pay a LOT more money, not just an upgrade to get a better rate! Anyway in the end we came to an agreement because over the 2 weeks of trying to negotiate this the RFS dropped in price from $11k to $9k and the JS was just under $8k (I know it was pricey but it was 12 nights). I cancelled and re-booked, lost the deposit but what I lost I got back in the reduced price of the cabin and OBC. My T/A gave me more OBC and RCI gave me OBC. I know this probably seems strange but I really wanted to cruise in the RFS, 3 teenagers - needed to bathrooms.

 

I should also explain that this cruise was also affected by the famous RCI stuff up with Rhapsody when they inserted extra cabins during dry dock and re-numbered all the cabins. We had a centre AFT JS and because they re-numbered we ended up being pushed around to the port side with an obstructed view JS. I was not having that and there was a thread that was going crazy over people's cabin stuff ups.

 

So this helped me negotiate for compensation of extra OBC, which like I said pretty much got me $900 of my $1200 deposit back (between RCI and the TA).

 

Anyway I would love to know how to get an upgrade after final payment on RCI? I watch the pricing on my booked cruise all the time and have my upgrade preferences set but my observation has been that unless you are in the US or have booked through a US T/A there is not upgrade unless the upgrade fairy visits.

[MicCanberra]

I'm glad this has worked for you - MicCanberra and AussieFF because it hasn't for me.

 

In 2012, I booked a JS (it was our first cruise on RCI) for 4 passengers on Rhapsody. I wanted to book the RFS but it required a booking with 5 passengers (I later learnt that I could have added a 5th passenger to secure the cabin and then removed before final payment..... anyway ... I digress ... just before final payment it appeared on RCI's website and I could book it for 4 passengers. Rang my T/A ... no way would they let me upgrade from the JS. Both my T/A and I spoke to the Manager at RCI and I emailed him (Jonathon)... english bloke, very pompous and would not budget. I was wanting to pay a LOT more money, not just an upgrade to get a better rate! Anyway in the end we came to an agreement because over the 2 weeks of trying to negotiate this the RFS dropped in price from $11k to $9k and the JS was just under $8k (I know it was pricey but it was 12 nights). I cancelled and re-booked, lost the deposit but what I lost I got back in the reduced price of the cabin and OBC. My T/A gave me more OBC and RCI gave me OBC. I know this probably seems strange but I really wanted to cruise in the RFS, 3 teenagers - needed to bathrooms.

 

I should also explain that this cruise was also affected by the famous RCI stuff up with Rhapsody when they inserted extra cabins during dry dock and re-numbered all the cabins. We had a centre AFT JS and because they re-numbered we ended up being pushed around to the port side with an obstructed view JS. I was not having that and there was a thread that was going crazy over people's cabin stuff ups.

 

So this helped me negotiate for compensation of extra OBC, which like I said pretty much got me $900 of my $1200 deposit back (between RCI and the TA).

 

Anyway I would love to know how to get an upgrade after final payment on RCI? I watch the pricing on my booked cruise all the time and have my upgrade preferences set but my observation has been that unless you are in the US or have booked through a US T/A there is not upgrade unless the upgrade fairy visits.

 

Sounds like a total stuff up. Of course the higher the cabin class the harder it is to get upgrades, (i.e Inside to OV, or OV to Balcony is much easier than Balcony to concierge or concierge to suite unless the price has really dropped.) It is good you finally got your RFS and didn't really lose out though just a lot of hassle.:D

[Miamia65]

Sounds like a total stuff up. Of course the higher the cabin class the harder it is to get upgrades, (i.e Inside to OV, or OV to Balcony is much easier than Balcony to concierge or concierge to suite unless the price has really dropped.) It is good you finally got your RFS and didn't really lose out though just a lot of hassle.:D

 

Yes it was a hassle but they really did mess up at the time with the cabin number changes etc. Actually we had 2 cabins booked, the other was an OS (MIL) so I leveraged that booking and the total spend with the Supervisor/Manager in the Sydney office.

 

When I start researching my next cruise I start writing down what the pricing is for different cabin types. Every week, I keep track of the pricing and get a general feel for what it costs for different times of the year. Of course, xmas and new year are very highly priced so whilst it would be nice to cruise at this time I'm looking for value.

 

My current booking on the Voyager is a JS which I bought during the BOGO sale and for the 13 nights I paid $4675 including my Crown & Anchor Society discount. We have always cruised in suites, so my points have tallied up fairly quickly. This will be our 4th cruise with RCI. I'm planning on sticking with them and cruising in every class of ship. Although if oasis or allure comes to Australia I will be back on one of those ships in a flash.

 

I think the US market get much better deals than we do here in Australia, although the market is growing so the more ships the more demand and the promotions have been good this year. Back in April you could get a cabin on Radiance to Hawaii for $1000 per person (inside of course) about 6 weeks prior to the departure date.

 

I don't just do this for cruising I subscribe to hotel chains and other sites that sell hotel rooms and airlines and I save the emails so that I know when they are selling cheap airline seats for certain times of year and what the rates are. I do this so when I see a good deal I grab it. So there are some of my secrets ...

 

PS I love this website - so much information and great people willing to share information ...

[MicCanberra]

Yes, one of the best things about CC is the sharing of information.:D