Save, Sail, and Be Merry Special?

[thomaskuhn]

We are booked on the Mariner of the Seas of of Canaveral on March 16th.  When booking I was bummed that there were no specials going on for drink packages, but since all the balconies were booked and there was only one junior suite left, we took it. 

 

I just got an email for the start of the Save sail and be merry special.  The ad shows 50% off a second drink package.  Going online only shows a change in price from $69 to $65.  and Calling them, the guy said that there is only a 10% discount (???).  So is there a sale or what? It had my booking ID and ship in the email.

[brillohead]

It's half off the "onboard" price for second person.

If the onboard price is $86/day, then the first person is $86 and the second person is $43 for a total of $129 and a per-person price of $64.50 which is rounded up to the whole number of $65/person/day.

Don't worry about if there is or isn't a sale or how much of what percentage it is.  If it's a price you are okay with paying -- buy it.  If the price goes down later, cancel and buy at the lower price.

 

[Clarea]

55 minutes ago, thomaskuhn said:

...  So is there a sale or what? It had my booking ID and ship in the email.

 

Yes, it's a Royal Caribbean "make up the percent off" fake sale.  In other words, ignore any "percent off" that Royal mentions, just look at the bottom line cost.  You're fortunate  you got a $4 discount, the price could have gone up with their "sale".

[molsonschooner]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

It's half off the "onboard" price for second person.

If the onboard price is $86/day, then the first person is $86 and the second person is $43 for a total of $129 and a per-person price of $64.50 which is rounded up to the whole number of $65/person/day.

Don't worry about if there is or isn't a sale or how much of what percentage it is.  If it's a price you are okay with paying -- buy it.  If the price goes down later, cancel and buy at the lower price.

 

how do you know what the on board price is?

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, molsonschooner said:

how do you know what the on board price is?

You don't, that varies too.

[molly361]

1 minute ago, molsonschooner said:

how do you know what the on board price is?

It's a closely guarded secret😇

[brillohead]

3 minutes ago, molsonschooner said:

how do you know what the on board price is?

 

2 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

You don't, that varies too.

^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^

Like everything else, it's all "dynamic pricing" -- if sales are good, price stays high.  If sales are down, price goes down to motivate people to purchase.

[cruiseguy1016]

3 hours ago, brillohead said:

It's half off the "onboard" price for second person.

If the onboard price is $86/day, then the first person is $86 and the second person is $43 for a total of $129 and a per-person price of $64.50 which is rounded up to the whole number of $65/person/day.

Don't worry about if there is or isn't a sale or how much of what percentage it is.  If it's a price you are okay with paying -- buy it.  If the price goes down later, cancel and buy at the lower price.

 

Just to clarify, you should buy at the lower price first, then cancel the original one. RCI's prices (and fake sales) fluctuate so much, you want to make sure you have the lower price booked first in case in goes up after you cancel the original.

[NavyCruiser]

$86? 

Wonder when the drink packages will be higher than the cruise fares...?

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, NavyCruiser said:

$86? 

Wonder when the drink packages will be higher than the cruise fares...?

NCL's is $99, if I'm not mistaken....  

[Biker19]

5 hours ago, NavyCruiser said:

Wonder when the drink packages will be higher than the cruise fares...?

That is already happening.

 

Biker, who's March Anthem cruise is less than the price of the drink package.

[Iamcruzin]

15 hours ago, molsonschooner said:

how do you know what the on board price is?

You don't. That's the beauty of the sale. They can raise the fictional onboard price anytime for any ship or sailing to come up with a larger fake discount %.  I find it hysterical how they can get away with this. If you can land a price in the the mid $50 dollar range that's a good deal based on what I know other cruise lines charge. Even the cruise lines that claim they are giving you the free drink package just add it to the over all cost of the cruise. Celebrity pricing is now out of my price range unless I get a last minute deal. I won't sacrifice placing a non refundable deposit for a lower fare with out the included perks.

[awestover89]

13 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

Just to clarify, you should buy at the lower price first, then cancel the original one. RCI's prices (and fake sales) fluctuate so much, you want to make sure you have the lower price booked first in case in goes up after you cancel the original.

 

We've never been able to do it that way, it says that the item has already been purchased for the selected guest. 

[Esmerelda]

About 90% of their sales are fake.  As a longtime customer of RC, it gets old.  I would rather deal with a company that just gives you the real price upfront, no games.  I’ve heard many people state the same. Their marketing department has to be tired. 😕

[ILCTCRUISER]

32 minutes ago, Esmerelda said:

 Their marketing department has to be tired. 😕

OR...RCL's marketing department employees know what to do to justify their positions.  No sales, fake or real, then no need for x number of employees.

[Clarea]

34 minutes ago, Esmerelda said:

 ....  Their marketing department has to be tired. 😕

 

I'm guessing that the marketing department is getting big bonuses.   This fake sale thing is over 5 years old and still going strong.  I imagine that the vast majority of people are deceived into feeling that they are getting a great deal.

[fletch1027]

I noticed also with the current sale that they are now offering OBC again (as opposed to the "Instant Savings" that supersedes the C&A balcony discount) - HOWEVER when I just did a couple of sample bookings with & without my C&A number, the OBC disappears. It now looks similar to the "Instant Savings" promotions where we get EITHER a balc discount OR OBC but not both. Is that standard or something new??

 

[Clarea]

6 minutes ago, fletch1027 said:

I noticed also with the current sale that they are now offering OBC again (as opposed to the "Instant Savings" that supersedes the C&A balcony discount) - HOWEVER when I just did a couple of sample bookings with & without my C&A number, the OBC disappears. It now looks similar to the "Instant Savings" promotions where we get EITHER a balc discount OR OBC but not both. Is that standard or something new??

 

 

It's just another way that Royal diminishes the balcony discount.

[long4acruise]

2 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I'm guessing that the marketing department is getting big bonuses.   This fake sale thing is over 5 years old and still going strong.  

You are so right!  The last real sale was late spring (May) 2014. 

A little tired of all the fake sales and funny math so now I just book early and at the category and price I feel comfortable with (price/per night). Later, watch for price drops and maybe a self-upgrade after final payment.

[NavyCruiser]

Can't wait til the Food & Bev dept start to copy the Casino & offer "free" cruises if you buy their most expensive drink packages...

[fletch1027]

3 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

It's just another way that Royal diminishes the balcony discount.

 

Yep ☹️- but I wasn't sure if this was a new policy or something they've always been doing with OBC? Our last several cruises have been done onboard @ NextCruise (as opposed to online) and NextCruise gives both (at lease they did as of 9 months ago)...

[Clarea]

3 hours ago, fletch1027 said:

 

Yep ☹️- but I wasn't sure if this was a new policy or something they've always been doing with OBC? Our last several cruises have been done onboard @ NextCruise (as opposed to online) and NextCruise gives both (at lease they did as of 9 months ago)...

 

The "instant discount" is something they invented during the fake sale era that started in May 2014.  My recollection is that the non-combinable OBC started sometime after the instant discount.  So these sneaky ways to diminish the balcony discount (and make it uneconomical for those with a balcony discount to get a price drop) are not brand new, but something that has developed in the last 5 yeats.