Courtesy Holds are being phased out

[cruisegirl1]

Airfare isn't even available yet on the one cruise we have booked that requires a flight, so no need to check that prior to hold.

 

I rarely used the hold feature for cruises outside of final payment. I simply paid a refundable deposit, then had plenty of time to do all that other checking.

 

I will miss the 24 hour courtesy hold feature for cruises WITHIN the final payment window.

 

M

[MaritimeR&R]

Perhaps we should start a list of ships not offering a hold.

 

Hi, everyone. As the OP of this thread, my intent was to inform everyone of the phase-in of the new policy and hopefully to create a list of those ship/sailings already affected by the policy. It was not to provide an opportunity for being judgmental, for bashing, or any other unkind comment. Let's try to keep it informative.:)-

 

Sailings/ships known to have no holds:

 

Oasis of the Seas - April 2016

Freedom of the Seas - November 2016

 

Please add any you come across. Thanks.

[cruisegirl1]

Hi, everyone. As the OP of this thread, my intent was to inform everyone of the phase-in of the new policy and hopefully to create a list of those ship/sailings already affected by the policy. It was not to provide an opportunity for being judgmental, for bashing, or any other unkind comment. Let's try to keep it informative.:)-

 

Sailings/ships known to have no holds:

 

Oasis of the Seas - April 2016

Freedom of the Seas - November 2016

 

Please add any you come across. Thanks.

 

Enchantment of the Seas - November 2015. No Hold button on reservation screen and when I called RCCL to ask permission to place a courtesy hold, my hold request was denied. I did not try to do a hold with my TA.

 

Actually I was under the impression that 24 hour holds were generally no longer available for any reservation regardless of ship or sail date.

 

M

[marci22]

Sailings/ships known to have no holds:

 

Allure - All Caribbean sailings -no holds. Med sailings -hold allowed, except for one Med sailing that was listed as a 'deal'

Enchantment of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Bahamas cruises)

Freedom of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises)

Oasis of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises)

Radiance - Alaska, Australia, Tasmania, Rocky Wilderness Adventure Cruisetour -holds allowed

Edited September 22, 2015 by marci22

[MaritimeR&R]

Enchantment of the Seas - November 2015. No Hold button on reservation screen and when I called RCCL to ask permission to place a courtesy hold, my hold request was denied. I did not try to do a hold with my TA.

 

Actually I was under the impression that 24 hour holds were generally no longer available for any reservation regardless of ship or sail date.

 

M

 

Not all ships/sailings have been affected. It is slowly being phased in, but an earlier poster noted that it seems to be mainly affecting Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. I have not checked that out.

[John&LaLa]

I rarely used the hold feature for cruises outside of final payment. I simply paid a refundable deposit, then had plenty of time to do all that other checking.

 

I will miss the 24 hour courtesy hold feature for cruises WITHIN the final payment window.

 

M

 

I held one once just to keep someone else on CC from getting it.

I know, that was bad.

[marci22]

Sailings/ships known to have no holds:

 

Allure - All Caribbean sailings -no holds. Med sailings -hold allowed, except for one Med sailing that was listed as a 'deal'

Enchantment of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Bahamas cruises)

Freedom of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises)

Oasis of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises)

Radiance - Alaska, Australia, Tasmania, Rocky Wilderness Adventure Cruisetour -holds allowed

 

... the Rep I spoke to yesterday (who is holding a cabin for me until tomorrow btw)...

 

Is he holding a Caribbean or Bahamas itinerary?

Edited September 22, 2015 by marci22

[CptSticky]

Here is an actual example of a hold. Two years ago we were sailing 6 B2B's and had a "waitlist" with Royal for a cabin. Late one night I saw the cabin enter inventory (Royal had failed to pay attention to our waitlist [not the first time that has happened to me]). So I placed a 24 hour hold on it so the TA could call C&A in the morning and fix Royal's error. Some on here have stated that it's not an important enough of a reason (a specific cabin) to have a hold policy in place. I submit that not having to change cabins on a B2B is important.

[marci22]

Here is an actual example of a hold. Two years ago we were sailing 6 B2B's and had a "waitlist" with Royal for a cabin. Late one night I saw the cabin enter inventory (Royal had failed to pay attention to our waitlist [not the first time that has happened to me]). So I placed a 24 hour hold on it so the TA could call C&A in the morning and fix Royal's error. Some on here have stated that it's not an important enough of a reason (a specific cabin) to have a hold policy in place. I submit that not having to change cabins on a B2B is important.

 

There are definitely times when a courtesy hold is very handy. I have used them myself, when my TA was closed and I needed to prove a price drop.

 

Taking them away is annoying, and it will sometimes cause inconvenience, but people who want to grab a cabin can always just put a deposit on it and cancel it later. But not everyone can do this, and it is unfortunate that Royal is taking away this customer convenience (supposedly) because of departmental infighting.

[Dall]

What is the matter with you??? Some of us need to contact our bosses for time off; may want to call family members see if they want to go on the cruise, take a cursory look at airfare. I don't know why you have to be so negative in your response.

 

Agree with you! Sometimes just browsing you might see a good deal even though you had no intentions of booking...you need time to make sure it will all come together.

[rcclfanbp]

I have "occasionally" used Courtesy Holds when I saw a really good cruise deal but would need time to check with my boss (the wife) to determine if it fits in our budget, travel desires and schedules. Twenty-four hours is usually sufficient since I am no longer employed and have time to research airfare, our budget, etc. I had a Courtesy Hold 3-4 weeks ago but let it lapse the next day because the stock market dropped "significantly" the day I placed the hold (no money no cruise). But I have converted Courtesy Holds to actual reservations, so I will miss this feature.

[cruisegirl1]

Not all ships/sailings have been affected. It is slowly being phased in, but an earlier poster noted that it seems to be mainly affecting Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. I have not checked that out.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll keep it in mind when researching our next cruise.

 

M

[karena1]

Just tried to do a courtesy hold and did not work. So guess this is true.

[Fouremco]

Sailings/ships known to have no holds:

 

Allure - All Caribbean sailings -no holds. Med sailings -hold allowed, except for one Med sailing that was listed as a 'deal'

Enchantment of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Bahamas cruises)

Freedom of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises)

Oasis of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises)

Radiance - Alaska, Australia, Tasmania, Rocky Wilderness Adventure Cruisetour -holds allowed

Are you including TAs in this list, or just those who like to book themselves? I only ask because my TA currently has a hold (more than 24 hours) on the Allure for a 2017 Eastern Caribbean cruise.

[John&LaLa]

Are you including TAs in this list, or just those who like to book themselves? I only ask because my TA currently has a hold (more than 24 hours) on the Allure for a 2017 Eastern Caribbean cruise.

 

Last I heard, this was only what individuals could select

[Linda/Ohio]

Since the holds are all happening electronically I can't imagine why it would be such as issue to maintain this feature for the convenience of the cruisers. It is not as if an employee has to sit down and write each "Courtesy Hold" and then erase it in 24 hours. It is a software program. I did find it a a wonderful courtesy and generally if I made a hold I would be booking a cruise on that ship once I knew the details could be sorted out.

[MaritimeR&R]

Are you including TAs in this list, or just those who like to book themselves? I only ask because my TA currently has a hold (more than 24 hours) on the Allure for a 2017 Eastern Caribbean cruise.

 

I am the OP of this thread, from what I was made to understand, the "no holds" are going fleet wide because of internal departmental issues and the tying up of too much inventory. Given those reasons, it may eventually extend to TA's, but I did not inquire specifically about them.

[marci22]

Are you including TAs in this list, or just those who like to book themselves? I only ask because my TA currently has a hold (more than 24 hours) on the Allure for a 2017 Eastern Caribbean cruise.

 

I looked at random sailings online, not TAs.

[John&LaLa]

Are we discussing Travel Agents or TransAtlantic

[MaritimeR&R]

Are we discussing Travel Agents or TransAtlantic

 

agents...lol

[John&LaLa]

agents...lol

 

That's what I thought

[Fouremco]

Are we discussing Travel Agents or TransAtlantic

Context is everything. A "TransAtlantic" can't possibly have a hold on a Caribbean cruise. :D

[MAHA]

For those who find a good deal on a Sunday and cannot place a 24 hr. hold anymore, you can always book it through Royal and then transfer it to your TA.

Edited September 23, 2015 by MAHA

[molly361]

And now if you want to book anything with the reduced deposit you will have to do the entire reservation on the phone.

 

In the past I would put a cabin on courtesy hold and just call RCL and pay the reduced deposit amount.

[John&LaLa]

And now if you want to book anything with the reduced deposit you will have to do the entire reservation on the phone.

 

In the past I would put a cabin on courtesy hold and just call RCL and pay the reduced deposit amount.

 

What is the reduced deposit? I thought that was only for booking onboard