Question about paying for pre cruise drink packages, meals etc etc

[Brad548ye]

Hi everyone,

 

I've just ordered and paid for 3 soda drink packages for me, my wife and my daughter for a price of £204.18 which included a £28.99 service charge. I assume I'll be hit with these service charges every time I reserve a speciality restaurant booking and such like so I suppose the best thing will be to plan what I want and order it all in one big single order. But my question is regarding some advice I saw on another thread.....Some were saying that if the price comes down for this or that then to simply cancel the booking and then rebook......if you do this will you get the service fee refunded as well as the price of whatever it was that you booked?

 

Many Thanks in advance

 

Brad

[twangster]

Much of the advice on this forum comes from US guests using the US website.  Not all of it may apply to a UK resident using the UK website.

 

In the US we have the ability to make purchases and cancel them for a full refund any time up to ~3 days from sailing.  

 

Once in your cruise planner look for Order History near the top.  Look for your beverage package purchase.  Can you expand it and see an option to cancel it?  That's how we on the US site can cancel a purchase for a full credit card or OBC refund.

[Grandma Dazzles]

UK books under different rules, so not sure if you can cancel and rebook if cheaper price.  However, you indicated you had booked the soda package, which rarely changes.  It’s the alcohol and also refreshment packages that tend to go on sale. Soda package is $12.99 per person, per day.  The package has an automatic 18% gratuity, which is what i think you are referring to as the service charge. I thought that was already included in UK pricing, but perhaps not. The 18% gratuity is added to the purchase price, so it doesn’t make any difference if you book things together or not; it’s 18% of the total amount purchased.  If you cancel the package it’s refunded.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Grandma Dazzles

[Brad548ye]

Thanks for the advice, It looks like I can cancel it if I want to but I didn't go far enough into the process to see if I got all my money back or not. You're more than likely right about soda package not coming down, I was thinking more about the speciality restaurants. Its all very confusing knowing when and what to book as I've never cruised with RCI before, in fact only ever had 2 cruises in 2010 and 2011 with NCL and then Carnival. Looks like I need to book these things quickly or they are all filled by the time you set foot on the boat. lol

[newxmascruiser]

Works the same way with UK site on cancelling/reordering in the cruise planner I’ve done it a few times. If you cancel you get a full refund within about a week. 

[KiwiGal117]

Our experience so far is that it is easy to book dining in the ship (if you have done a package) - the only one that fills up is the teppanyaki at Izumi as it has limited seating

[brillohead]

Your WHOLE price does get refunded for cancelled cruise-planner items.

And as someone else mentioned, the service charge is a percentage, so there is no benefit to purchasing "everything together" like you mentioned doing.

Also note that the service charge / gratuity at 18% only applies to SERVICE items like drinks, dinners, spa facilities.  If you purchase an excursion, a ship tour, or internet -- things where you're not being served /serviced -- there is no service charge / gratuity added on in the Cruise Planner.