Don't know if we should book or not...

[kwazi07]

Hey everyone!

 

We're currently looking at booking another cruise on Freedom for six nights. The itinerary and ship looks great, but we are struggling if we should wait for a better deal or book now.

 

Here are the options.

Book direct thru Royal: we like planning our own vacations and we found a room on here that we really want (and do not see it on any of the TA sites). The price is $3,990, no incentives.

 

Book on a site that gives you hotel points for booking: not going to name names just in case the mods don't like it, but the hotel chain we use frequently has a site where you can book cruises for hotel points, which would amount to at least two free nights on another vacation we are planning. The price is the same, but the room we want is not available on that site (we may try calling).

 

We also found a online travel agency thru a cruise bidding site that offered a competitive rate of $3800, with $375 OBC. This is a great deal, but again mostly undesirable rooms are available (but again, we may call). Also, I'm a little leery of using a TA we found online vs one we know and trust (like many that you guys seem to have).

 

I know this is a lengthy post, but I don't know with whom or when we should book. Should we wait for a better price from Royal, or should we go ahead with one of the other travel agencies? Finally, is it common for TAs to not publish all of the rooms they offer on their website?

 

Thanks!

[LisaAtlCruiser]

I would book through Royal and get the room you want. If price goes down later, you can reprice the cruise. But you can never go back to a previous lower price. And also, once the room you want is gone, it is generally gone.

 

You can also book directly with Royal and transfer to a TA. I do that often.

[kwazi07]

I would book through Royal and get the room you want. If price goes down later, you can reprice the cruise. But you can never go back to a previous lower price. And also, once the room you want is gone, it is generally gone.

 

You can also book directly with Royal and transfer to a TA. I do that often.

 

On the booking with Royal and transferring: does the TA still offer their OBC or lower prices if you transfer?

[LisaAtlCruiser]

On the booking with Royal and transferring: does the TA still offer their OBC or lower prices if you transfer?

 

I still get the TA benefits when I transfer the booking. I don't know about a lower price...but I definitely get the OBC offered or whatever else.

 

It is super easy to transfer to a TA. You need the phone number from the TA that needs to be used to look them up on RCL's transfer form. I had to call my TA to find out what that was - but now I keep it handy. You can transfer the booking up to 60 days after booking.

 

One thing to keep in mind when choosing a TA though is the hours they keep. I have read so many posts on cruise critic where someone sees an incredible sale (like Cyber Monday) that only lasts the day and they are unable to reach their TA. And once a TA owns your reservations - RCL will not be able to do anything for you. Oh - and make sure your TA will not charge you to change or cancel your cruise (outside the normal cancel fees RCL will charge).

[cruzgryphon]

Sometimes Royal Caribbean blocks groups of cabins (usually in better locations) that they don't allow TAs to access. Sometimes TAs buy blocks of cabins and will only sell those cabins.

Definitely agree with the advice from the other poster. Pay the deposit now for the cruise and then if the price goes down between now and final payment you can get have the price reduced on your booking - so best of both worlds.