Rebook after final payment

[craigers]

A fair number of people on this site have said they called their travel agent after final payment and got a better rate for their room or an upgrade for less money,but I have never read where someone called their travel agent or cruiseline and was actually turned down.The cruiselines give you the impression that you cannot renegotiate your contract after final payment,unless you pay a penalty,but apparently some agents can.Any opinions on after the final payment situation?

:confused:

[spongerob]

Different cruise lines have different policies. Do you have a particular cruise in mind?

[Sheffie]

For our last cruise, the rates went down after final payment. We called our TA and they called RCI and got us the reduced rate. We did NOT have to re-book. After final payment you lose a lot of money for rebooking. Our friends who were on the same cruise, but used a different TA (I think it was some internet TA) could NOT get the reduced rate. Their TA wouldn't do it.

 

That is our experience.

[craigers]

Sheffie,Was your agent a large travel agent or a local small one?

[Bobba22]

On our last cruise, The Carnival Legend , last Easter we went with our TA at AAA Travel. After the final payment Carnival discounted the pice so We contacted our TA and were able to upgrade from a oceanview room to a Balcony room for no additional cost.

[craigers]

Thanks for the replies.We usually cruise in the fall when prices are generally low.We'll book one to three months from departure date when the prices are lowest[most of the time].This past year we booked about five months from departure,got one price change before final payment.Two months before we sailed the price dropped about five hundred dollars per room for a period of three days.I sat there and thought about calling,but i didn't.Our last six cruises have been with an online agent.Has anyone been successful making changes after final payment with an online agent?

[Sheffie]

Sheffie,Was your agent a large travel agent or a local small one?

 

My travel agent was a small one in a different state than which we live. She was great. I have changed to a local one and he told me that if the price drops he will be able to get the new price for me. VERY important for me to know this! I wouldn't have used him otherwise.

[Arwenmark]

I use a particular online, [with phone support] agency and they monitor the prices of booked cruises daily if the price drops they get it for you or you can upgrade many times I did that twice when there was actually a higher grade handicapped cabin available to upgrade too, usually not the case. Very few ships still have anything HC higher than an outside let alone balcony or suite.

 

Point is a good online agent can get you anything any other agent can and frequently more because of the volume of business they do, also I have my own same agent I use there every time I cruise, so yes I have personal contact.

[craigers]

Arwenmark,were these changes after final payment?Thanks for your reply.

[Sheffie]

I know that we got changes after our final payment. Twice.