Next Cruise Credit

[Mum2Mercury]

I've bought them in the past, but I'm not sure what's going on these days:  

 

- What are the benefits of buying a Next Cruise Credit while we're onboard?  

- If we have our dates picked out, we can book online ... or we can book later, right?  What are the benefits of each option? 

- We can transfer a Next Cruise-reserved booking to a travel agent (including Costco) within a short period of time, right?  

- This is not the same thing as a Future Cruise Credit, right? 

 

Thanks.

[Sunshine3601]

Only need $100 deposit pp, may get OBC if book onboard with NextCruise.

You can opt for Book Later with NextCruise.

Yes you can transfer to your TA.

FCC is future cruise credit, not NextCruise.  

[Mum2Mercury]

So if I wanted to reserve TWO cruises for TWO people, I should have $400 ready.  Good -- somehow I had the idea it was $200 per item now.  

 

And FCC is something completely different.  That's what I thought, but then I wondered if it was "the new term" for Next Cruise. 

THANKS. 

[ArveyD]

On 7/7/2022 at 9:01 PM, Sunshine3601 said:

Only need $100 deposit pp, may get OBC if book onboard with NextCruise.

You can opt for Book Later with NextCruise.

Yes you can transfer to your TA.

FCC is future cruise credit, not NextCruise.  

No it’s actually $200 per stateroom and offers no practical advantages to the consumer. This offer DOES NOT apply to travel agents that have blocks of rooms and offer bookings at discounted prices. I just did this and had to pay an additional deposit amount and my $100 dollar onboard credit was not honored. I view this as a misleading gimmick for benefit of the cruise line. Read the fine print and keep your $200 until you’re actually ready to book.

[ArveyD]

On 7/7/2022 at 8:55 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

I've bought them in the past, but I'm not sure what's going on these days:  

 

- What are the benefits of buying a Next Cruise Credit while we're onboard?  

- If we have our dates picked out, we can book online ... or we can book later, right?  What are the benefits of each option? 

- We can transfer a Next Cruise-reserved booking to a travel agent (including Costco) within a short period of time, right?  

- This is not the same thing as a Future Cruise Credit, right? 

 

Thanks.

The alleged advantage is that you are required to only pay a $200 deposit per stateroom and you get some additional OBC depending on cruise length and cabin type. What is not told explicitly and buried in fine print is that it is not applicable for use with travel agents with blocks of cabins that offer substantial discounts. Forget the Future Cruise desk. It’s a gimmick for the cruise line not a legitimate discount.

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, ArveyD said:

No it’s actually $200 per stateroom and offers no practical advantages to the consumer. This offer DOES NOT apply to travel agents that have blocks of rooms and offer bookings at discounted prices. I just did this and had to pay an additional deposit amount and my $100 dollar onboard credit was not honored. I view this as a misleading gimmick for benefit of the cruise line. Read the fine print and keep your $200 until you’re actually ready to book.

You are correct thst group bookings require the full cabin deposit however I have never had any of my clients next cruise  OBC denied when moving them into a group. 

[iuki]

On 7/7/2022 at 3:55 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

I've bought them in the past, but I'm not sure what's going on these days:  

 

- What are the benefits of buying a Next Cruise Credit while we're onboard?  

- If we have our dates picked out, we can book online ... or we can book later, right?  What are the benefits of each option? 

- We can transfer a Next Cruise-reserved booking to a travel agent (including Costco) within a short period of time, right?  

- This is not the same thing as a Future Cruise Credit, right? 

 

Thanks.

On our last cruise we booked an 18-night cruise to the South Pacific.  We paid a $200.00 total deposit.  My SIL wanted to book, but needed someone to share a room with her.  When she got home, a friend told her she would love to go.  So 2 weeks after the cruise, she and her friend had to put a deposit of $450.00 each to book that same cruise.  That’s the only real advantage.

[iuki]

Just now, iuki said:

On our last cruise we booked an 18-night cruise to the South Pacific.  We paid a $200.00 total deposit.  My SIL wanted to book, but needed someone to share a room with her.  When she got home, a friend told her she would love to go.  So 2 weeks after the cruise, she and her friend had to put a deposit of $450.00 each to book that same cruise.  That’s the only real advantage.

Forgot about the OBC.  They didn’t get one.

[Surfguyxxx]

6 hours ago, ArveyD said:

No it’s actually $200 per stateroom and offers no practical advantages to the consumer. 

Not true.  I received a $600 OBC for a cruise I'd booked using Next Cruise.  I just didn't want the hassle of booking something right there onboard.  I had time to look at home and utilized this offer.     

[twangster]

The "Book Later"  future cruise option is not a credit but an open booking waiting for a specific ship and sail date to be chosen. 

 

 

When you purchase one of these either at NextCruise or right in the app when on board you will be assigned a booking number just like the confirmation number you would normally get with any normal booking.  That booking number will later become the actual booking number for your cruise once a ship and sail date has been chosen.

 

 

The booking can be transferred to a travel partner before picking a ship and sail date.  Once the open booking has been transferred your preferred travel partner can move it to the ship and sail date you tell them to.  Once they do that it's just like a booking for a specific ship and sail date made at NextCruise. 

 

It can take a few days for the NextCruise OBC to appear on the booking once a specific ship and sail date has been chosen.

 

The amount of the OBC will vary based on cruise length, cabin type and if you are solo or double occupancy.  Single cruisers receive a portion of the potential OBC.  Long cruises in suites have the highest potential OBC.  Short cruises in interior or oceanview have the lowest potential OBC.

 

 

If you fail to pick a ship and sail date within 12 months the entire deposit is lost.  You have two months to pick a ship and sail date to get the OBC.  For example if you wait 3 months after buying a "Book Later" to pick the ship and sail date there will be no OBC.  

 

It is not a Future Cruise Credit or a NextCruise "credit".  It's not a credit at all.  It's a real booking but one that lacks a specific ship and sail date.  It's an open booking waiting for the ship and sail date to be chosen.

 

You are putting down a deposit towards a cruise on a ship and sail date you can pick later.

 

 

Edited July 9, 2022 by twangster

[nelblu]

I was charged $100 as solo and $300 for a cabin with 3 Paxs.  Also, if I'm not mistaken, you lose the OBC if not converted to an actual sail within a 60 day window.   

[twangster]

When you book one of these it will appear as a future cruise in the app and when logged in on the website under your future cruises. 

 

They assign a fake ship and a sail date well into the future as place holders.  The ship will be "NextCruise" and the date will be something like in the year 2049.  These are just placeholders until you pick the real ship and sail date.   The booking number listed will be real and that is the booking number you'll need to pick the real ship and sail date.

[Mum2Mercury]

Too much /too convoluted for me.  Here are my real, not hypothetical, complete thoughts: 

 

- We (2 people) are cruising in September 2022. 

- We have already picked two dates in 2023 /plan to sail back-to-back.  

- We were thinking of reserving two Next Cruises while onboard -- actual dates /ressies, not open bookings for the future.  

- After the cruise, we plan to transfer the cruise to Costco (for additional benefits) and should be able to make that happen that within a week or two of returning home.

- My expectation is that we'd pay $400 (2 people x 2 cruises) and get $100 OBC for each cruise. 

 

Are we setting ourselves up for failure in any way?  

 

 

[nelblu]

56 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Too much /too convoluted for me.  Here are my real, not hypothetical, complete thoughts: 

 

- We (2 people) are cruising in September 2022. 

- We have already picked two dates in 2023 /plan to sail back-to-back.  

- We were thinking of reserving two Next Cruises while onboard -- actual dates /ressies, not open bookings for the future.  

- After the cruise, we plan to transfer the cruise to Costco (for additional benefits) and should be able to make that happen that within a week or two of returning home.

- My expectation is that we'd pay $400 (2 people x 2 cruises) and get $100 OBC for each cruise. 

 

Are we setting ourselves up for failure in any way?  

 

 

That's the way I see it.  When I book on board I get the $100 OBC and I usually transfer to my TA and take advantage of their promos.  In addition, just sent in my application for Sharehodler's Benefits of an add'l $100 in OBCs.

[twangster]

2 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Too much /too convoluted for me.  Here are my real, not hypothetical, complete thoughts: 

 

- We (2 people) are cruising in September 2022. 

- We have already picked two dates in 2023 /plan to sail back-to-back.  

- We were thinking of reserving two Next Cruises while onboard -- actual dates /ressies, not open bookings for the future.  

- After the cruise, we plan to transfer the cruise to Costco (for additional benefits) and should be able to make that happen that within a week or two of returning home.

- My expectation is that we'd pay $400 (2 people x 2 cruises) and get $100 OBC for each cruise. 

 

Are we setting ourselves up for failure in any way?  

 

 

 

If you booked your September cruise through a travel agency by default that travel agency will be assigned any NextCruise booking you make on board.  If you don't want that same travel agency to get the new booking make sure to tell them that at NextCruise.

 

Depending on your 2023 sail date when booking in September there may or not be same cabin availability on both cruises of the B2B.  Doing some research on your own will help narrow down category and cabin selection during the NextCruise booking process.  royalcaribbean.com is a free website you can visit when on the ship wifi without a paid Voom plan.  You can use that to search for fares and cabins if you so desire and you would like to stay in the same cabin on both cruises. 

 

Keep an eye on cruise fares starting now.  By waiting until September to book your B2B it's entirely possible cruise fares will increase by a $100 or more in the interim AND cabin selections will reduce as other people book cruises on your dates. If the cruise fares go up $200 for each cruise between now and September and you get $100 OBC you've lost $200 plus you may find there are no common cabins available for both legs of the B2b so you might need to move cabins. 

 

In that scenario it makes little sense to wait until September to book your B2B.  

[Mum2Mercury]

2 hours ago, nelblu said:

That's the way I see it.  When I book on board I get the $100 OBC and I usually transfer to my TA and take advantage of their promos.  In addition, just sent in my application for Sharehodler's Benefits of an add'l $100 in OBCs.

That's exactly what we expect to happen -- and, yes, we're shareholders too. 

[Mum2Mercury]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

If you booked your September cruise through a travel agency by default that travel agency will be assigned any NextCruise booking you make on board.  If you don't want that same travel agency to get the new booking make sure to tell them that at NextCruise.

 

Depending on your 2023 sail date when booking in September there may or not be same cabin availability on both cruises of the B2B.  Doing some research on your own will help narrow down category and cabin selection during the NextCruise booking process.  royalcaribbean.com is a free website you can visit when on the ship wifi without a paid Voom plan.  You can use that to search for fares and cabins if you so desire and you would like to stay in the same cabin on both cruises. 

 

Keep an eye on cruise fares starting now.  By waiting until September to book your B2B it's entirely possible cruise fares will increase by a $100 or more in the interim AND cabin selections will reduce as other people book cruises on your dates. If the cruise fares go up $200 for each cruise between now and September and you get $100 OBC you've lost $200 plus you may find there are no common cabins available for both legs of the B2b so you might need to move cabins. 

 

In that scenario it makes little sense to wait until September to book your B2B.  

We booked our upcoming cruise very recently /directly through Royal.  So no "automatic" travel agency -- although I'm very glad to know that's their procedure. 

 

Good advice on cabins.  The week before we cruise, I'll go through the website (at home with plenty of time to be obsessive) and pick out 5-6 rooms available on both cruises.  That'll make it easier to book the same room for both legs of the Next Cruise.  

 

I hear what you're saying about losing /saving, but September tends to be a low-priced month.  Even if it goes up in the short-term, I'm counting on it going down later.  I'm inclined to wait until we're onboard.  Point taken though.  

[SG65CB]

13 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Too much /too convoluted for me.  Here are my real, not hypothetical, complete thoughts: 

 

- We (2 people) are cruising in September 2022. 

- We have already picked two dates in 2023 /plan to sail back-to-back.  

- We were thinking of reserving two Next Cruises while onboard -- actual dates /ressies, not open bookings for the future.  

- After the cruise, we plan to transfer the cruise to Costco (for additional benefits) and should be able to make that happen that within a week or two of returning home.

- My expectation is that we'd pay $400 (2 people x 2 cruises) and get $100 OBC for each cruise. 

 

Are we setting ourselves up for failure in any way?  

 

 

 

This is exactly how it works, except you are not booking a "Next Cruise", you are simply booking a cruise by walking in to the NextCruise office on the ship to book it. Just like booking online yourself, except you get some benefits from booking it while on the ship. 

 

Once it is booked you can transfer it just like any booking to your TA and you will keep the NextCruise benefits, plus get your TA benefits. 

 

The $100 OBC per cruise depends on the length of the cruise and type of cabin. $100 is for a balcony cabin on 6-9 night cruise. 

 

You have the option of taking the OBC, or having the price of the cruise discounted by that same amount.