Next cruise program changing again!!

[Clarea]

The rep told me that you can make one change without the OBC reverting to the $25 open booking amount. If you get a chance can you see if you can get confirmation of that? Thanks

I hope they put that in writing.

[jstewie23]

Wow so they knocked the JS folks down a peg. Must be part of the new suite benefits!

[orville99]

Why? :confused:

 

 

Because I generally have no use for non-refundable OBC once I'm on a cruise - that more than likely was originally booked with one of the old NCC's that already gave me OBC. We don't but anything in the onboard shops, don't drink much, and pretty much gave up on the casino long ago.

[MicCanberra]

Here is the text of the new policy.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS

Book your next cruise while onboard and earn up to $500 in INSTANT credit to spend during your cruise vacation right then and there! Plus, it's combinable with your Crown & Anchor Balcony & Suite Discount or the CAS Exclusive Savings and the limited time local offer to make it the BEST deal anywhere! Will you spend your $500 in the Spa and Salon or the Photo Gallery or on an Internet Package or all of the above? See the Cruise Sales Team onboard to get your free INSTANT onboard credit as soon as you step onboard.

 

 

NextCruise Confirmed Booking: Select your ship and sail date at the time of booking. A $50 to $500 non-refundable deposit per person is required to partake in the Next Cruise program when booking 5+ night voyages. The deposit schedule is the same as the Onboard Credit Schedule and is determined by category of stateroom and length of voyage. Reservations may be cancelled but deposit would be forfeited as it is non-refundable. Reservations may be changed to another ship or sail date up to 90 days prior to Holiday sailings and 75 days for all other sailings. Changes to reservations are applicable primarily to US, Canadian, United Kingdom, Ireland, European & Australian guests. Not all countries follow this cancellation/change policy. Onboard credit has no cash value, is not redeemable for cash and will expire if not used by 10:00PM on the final night of the cruise. Next Cruise offers are not combinable with the following rates: Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates or Shareholder Benefits. They are combinable with Crown & Anchor Balcony and Suite discounts and Savings Certificates. We value our relationships with our Travel Partners and unless we are advised ahead of time, your Decide Now confirmed booking will be attributed to the Travel Partner associated with your current cruise booking. However if you wish to have your booking reflect an alternative arrangement, please advise at the time of booking and a form will be provided for you to sign as authorization. Amount of Instant Onboard Credit ranges from $50 - $500 per stateroom and is determined based on category of stateroom and length of voyage (minimum 5 night sailing). Maximum one Instant Onboard Credit per stateroom is to be applied to the current cruise. Once deposit/Instant Onboard Credit is locked in, that will fulfill the Deposit / Instant Onboard Credit for the current cruise. Once the deposit / Instant Onboard Credit is applied, the only remaining benefit is the limited time combinable North American offer at the time of booking (excluding China product). You may change your ship or sail date, but your onboard credit is subject to repayment out of your onboard deposit if you book a lower category or shorter sailing. Program applicable to new individual Royal Caribbean bookings made after March 6, 2015. Bookings may be transferred into non-contracted groups and full deposit may be required. Individual enrollment may be converted and applied to a group booking. International deposits and requirements may vary. Please see your Cruise Sales Team for details and deposit policies. For those guests that choose to have their Onboard Credit on their future voyage, if the original ship and sail date selected while onboard is changed in the future, we reserve the right to adjust the onboard credit amount to the Open Booking model between $25 - $100 per stateroom based on length of cruise. After the Offer Period for any North American Offer that is combinable with your Next Cruise Booking has expired, the Offer will be removed from the booking if the guest cancels and reinstates the booking, applies a fare change, or changes the ship or sail date of the booking; certain other changes to the booking may also result in removal of the Offer. Additional deposits may be required for Grand Suites and above. At least one name must remain the same on the booking. Offer is subject to change without notice, capacity controlled, and may be withdrawn at any time. Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions and to change or update fares, fees and surcharges at any time without prior notice. © 2015 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Ships registry: The Bahamas.

 

Thanks for posting the details.

[ladysail2]

Wow so they knocked the JS folks down a peg. Must be part of the new suite benefits!

 

LOL, true! Wonder when they'll stop giving the extra point for booking a JS?? That's probably coming next. After that, the word 'suite' will be dropped from the description of the cabin....it will be know as a Balcony Supreme, BS, for short....:p....instead of a JS!!!! Those full Suite folks don't want to associate with any JS or BS folks, that's for sure...LOL :D:p

[molly361]

I hope they put that in writing.

 

That will be the day. I have my doubts about her answer but after I asked that question I asked her if the reservations that have already been made under the program that started last March will be allowed one change and she told me that those were going to be taken "on a case by case basis".

 

PS Have a great time!!!:) Hope everything goes smoothly!!

 

Edit In the beginning of the above terms it says you can make a change as long as it is 75 days before. But then at the end it looks like it says that the Next Cruise bookings OBC can be removed if any changes are made. Confusing!!!

Edited March 19, 2015 by molly361

[orville99]

Why? :confused:

 

 

Because I generally have no use for non-refundable OBC once I'm on a cruise - that more than likely was originally booked with one of the old NCC's that already gave me OBC. We don't but anything in the onboard shops, don't drink much, and pretty much gave up on the casino long ago.

[Big_G]

If true this will free up my time on every cruise because I will never visit a Future Cruise desk again. IMO, about as dumb an idea as RCL has ever come up with.

 

Because I generally have no use for non-refundable OBC once I'm on a cruise - that more than likely was originally booked with one of the old NCC's that already gave me OBC. We don't but anything in the onboard shops, don't drink much, and pretty much gave up on the casino long ago.

 

So it's not necessarily a dumb idea. It just not beneficial to you.

[orville99]

So it's not necessarily a dumb idea. It just not beneficial to you.

 

 

That's usually what IMO signifies. ;)

[jstewie23]

LOL, true! Wonder when they'll stop giving the extra point for booking a JS?? That's probably coming next. After that, the word 'suite' will be dropped from the description of the cabin....it will be know as a Balcony Supreme, BS, for short....:p....instead of a JS!!!! Those full Suite folks don't want to associate with any JS or BS folks, that's for sure...LOL :D:p

 

Yeah we usually book the JS. 4 of us in any balcony room gets pretty tight. The extra cruise point for JS is worth it compared to paying for a GS. Hope they don't screw the JS folks, especially since it always seems like JS get sold out on every cruise. Time will tell...

[orville99]

So it's not necessarily a dumb idea. It just not beneficial to you.

 

 

Should have added that if I take the "instant OBC" option it creates a non-refundable deposit on the cruise. Today, if I book on board, not only do I get a reduced deposit and OBC for the cruise I'm booking, but if I cancel my deposit is fully refundable. With this new scheme, I need to spend my deposit while I'm currently on board (which we rarely do), so if I cancel down the line I'm out of luck. The only saving grace in this latest spin move by RCL is that in the fine print of the T&C it appears that I have the option of either taking the "instant" OBC for the cruise I'm on, or deferring the OBC to the cruise I'm booking.

 

" For those guests that choose to have their Onboard Credit on their future voyage, if the original ship and sail date selected while onboard is changed in the future, we reserve the right to adjust the onboard credit amount to the Open Booking model between $25 - $100 per stateroom based on length of cruise."

[molly361]

Should have added that if I take the "instant OBC" option it creates a non-refundable deposit on the cruise. Today, if I book on board, not only do I get a reduced deposit and OBC for the cruise I'm booking, but if I cancel my deposit is fully refundable. With this new scheme, I need to spend my deposit while I'm currently on board (which we rarely do), so if I cancel down the line I'm out of luck. The only saving grace in this latest spin move by RCL is that in the fine print of the T&C it appears that I have the option of either taking the "instant" OBC for the cruise I'm on, or deferring the OBC to the cruise I'm booking.

 

" For those guests that choose to have their Onboard Credit on their future voyage, if the original ship and sail date selected while onboard is changed in the future, we reserve the right to adjust the onboard credit amount to the Open Booking model between $25 - $100 per stateroom based on length of cruise."

 

Yes you can take the OBC on the future cruise. Then the deposit is refundable and according to C and A you can change the sailing without the OBC getting reduced like it does now (Called twice and actually got the same answer:))

Edited March 19, 2015 by molly361

[cruisenfever]

Yes you can take the OBC on the future cruise. Then the deposit is refundable and according to C and A you can change the sailing without the OBC getting reduced like it does now (Called twice and actually got the same answer:))

I still would like to see that included in the Terms & Conditions. Nothing like having it in Black & White!!:p

[Locobill49]

Since we can get $100 obc from stock ownership, this doesn't do us much good since you can't do it both ways. The only benefit would be the cheaper deposit.

[cruizinmimi]

The rep told me that you can make one change without the OBC reverting to the $25 open booking amount. If you get a chance can you see if you can get confirmation of that? Thanks

 

This is not the case that happened to us. We had a "decide now" booking with OBC of $100 and I had to change the date when we got home. They changed the date of the cruise, but dropped me to $25 OBC:mad:

[orville99]

I still would like to see that included in the Terms & Conditions. Nothing like having it in Black & White!!:p

 

 

Unfortunately, the T&C on the new spin say something different than what has been communicated over the phone:

 

"For those guests that choose to have their Onboard Credit on their future voyage, if the original ship and sail date selected while onboard is changed in the future, we reserve the right to adjust the onboard credit amount to the Open Booking model between $25 - $100 per stateroom based on length of cruise."

[cruisenfever]

Unfortunately, the T&C on the new spin say something different than what has been communicated over the phone:

 

"For those guests that choose to have their Onboard Credit on their future voyage, if the original ship and sail date selected while onboard is changed in the future, we reserve the right to adjust the onboard credit amount to the Open Booking model between $25 - $100 per stateroom based on length of cruise."

We aren't talking OBC. We are talking deposits and which are refundable and which are not.

 

Non-refundable deposit is booking a cruise while on a cruise and having the OBC applied immediately to the cruise you are currently on.

 

Refundable deposit is booking a cruise while on a cruise and having the OBC applied to the future cruise. Deposit is refundable up until final payment.

 

The adjustment of OBC to an existing booking is nothing new when that booking is changed.

 

BTW, how is your wife??

Edited March 19, 2015 by cruisenfever

[internetwhiz]

Currently on Radiance. Can confirm what Molly said. JS is now with Balcony for OBC. Will post rates later.

 

If that is on paper from RC, a flyer, could you please make a photo of it, and post it here! Thanks. Does anyone have this in print from RC (and you are in the US).

[cruisenfever]

If that is on paper from RC, a flyer, could you please make a photo of it, and post it here! Thanks. Does anyone have this in print from RC (and you are in the US).

•5-7 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $50

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $100

◦Grand Suite and above: $200

 

•8-10 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $100

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $150

◦Grand Suite and above: $300

 

•11-14 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $150

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $200

◦Grand Suite and above: $400

 

•15 nights or longer cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $200

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $250

◦Grand Suite and above: $500

[marci22]

This is interesting because 2 days ago I called to cancel a cruise I had booked onboard. Rep told me I would have to forfeit my deposit even though I was before final (this was the D+ desk btw) because I had booked a decide now cruise onboard.

 

He put me on hold while he checked. In the end, I was refunded my deposits, but I figured something was going on. I'm not going to book onboard anymore.

[marci22]

Edit In the beginning of the above terms it says you can make a change as long as it is 75 days before. But then at the end it looks like it says that the Next Cruise bookings OBC can be removed if any changes are made. Confusing!!!

 

Including a fare change.

[cruisenfever]

This is interesting because 2 days ago I called to cancel a cruise I had booked onboard. Rep told me I would have to forfeit my deposit even though I was before final (this was the D+ desk btw) because I had booked a decide now cruise onboard.

 

He put me on hold while he checked. In the end, I was refunded my deposits, but I figured something was going on. I'm not going to book onboard anymore.

You can still book on board, just make sure that the OBC is applied to the cruise you are booking. Doing this your deposit will be completely refundable up until final payment.

[marci22]

You can still book on board, just make sure that the OBC is applied to the cruise you are booking. Doing this your deposit will be completely refundable up until final payment.

 

But is seems like you can lose your obc if you make any changes, including a fare change. Is that right?

 

edit: I see, it then reverts to the open booking model of obc. If you make any changes during a promo, you will lose those promo benefits if you make a change after the promo has ended.

 

Just too much to keep track of for me. I'll book last minute.

Edited March 19, 2015 by marci22

[orville99]

We aren't talking OBC. We are talking deposits and which are refundable and which are not.

 

Non-refundable deposit is booking a cruise while on a cruise and having the OBC applied immediately to the cruise you are currently on.

 

Refundable deposit is booking a cruise while on a cruise and having the OBC applied to the future cruise. Deposit is refundable up until final payment.

 

The adjustment of OBC to an existing booking is nothing new when that booking is changed.

 

BTW, how is your wife??

 

 

Sorry about that, I thought you were asking about the OBC not being reduced. I didn't see anything in the T&C that would have changed the refunding rules if you used the old (existing) onboard booking process.

 

The results from the MRI are back and DW is meeting with the Dr. this afternoon to discuss treatment, but it looks like she won't need any surgery:)

[Big_G]

Unfortunately, the T&C on the new spin say something different than what has been communicated over the phone:

 

"For those guests that choose to have their Onboard Credit on their future voyage, if the original ship and sail date selected while onboard is changed in the future, we reserve the right to adjust the onboard credit amount to the Open Booking model between $25 - $100 per stateroom based on length of cruise."

 

 

The adjustment of OBC to an existing booking is nothing new when that booking is changed.

 

I thought that was already the case. Thanks.