Price Change

[klfhngr]

2 hours ago, sowhat said:

The answer  is  do not  book early !
We always  book after final  payment  date and some times  only a week  before  the sail date
We have had some good deals

 

This is not always an option, i.e., work, ask for time off, other stuff, etc. 

[fpcruiser]

On 10/12/2022 at 1:31 PM, cruisecrazy221 said:

Hey everyone!

question. We are sailing out on 11/4 on the Independence of the Seas. 
just looked at pricing and cabin availability and prices are so much lower than we paid. 
min the past they have either given shipboard credit or upgrades to compensate for the difference. 
 

so I called today and they are saying that since it’s past the final payment date they won’t do ANYTHING. I’m a bit annoyed. I’ve paid $500 more than what it’s going for now (for a lousy interior too). 
 

I’m waiting on a supervisor call back. But is this the new norm post Covid?

I was able to upgrade my cabin from an inside guarantee to a spacious panoramic ocean view for $200 more.

[OCSC Mike]

22 minutes ago, fpcruiser said:

I was able to upgrade my cabin from an inside guarantee to a spacious panoramic ocean view for $200 more.

 

I have the exact same RoyalUp in for a lesser amount. It's not worth $200 to us but we would like to try that type of cabin just for the heck of it. Obviously not a huge deal though or else we wouldn't have booked an interior GTY.

 

Enjoy the view!

[notscb]

On 10/12/2022 at 1:31 PM, cruisecrazy221 said:

I’m waiting on a supervisor call back. But is this the new norm post Covid?

 

Seems like it. They've quietly gotten rid of their post-covid policy of honoring the other price and replaced it with a 48 hour guarantee. IMHO, maybe think about what might be a "successful" resolution to the issue from your point of view and present that to the supervisor. Maybe it's an upgraded cabin, OBC of X amount, but realize they'll do everything they can to keep your "extra" $500.

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, notscb said:

They've quietly gotten rid of their post-covid policy of honoring the other price and replaced it with a 48 hour guarantee.

The 48 hour guarantee price drop inside final has been in place from before COVID.

[blueslily]

On 10/12/2022 at 3:39 PM, Ourusualbeach said:

If you think Royal is bad for slashing their prices you should check out NCL.  Just had a suite drop from $6600pp to $2200pp after final payment

That's one reason I usually book closer to sail date. I know many folks on here talk about booking early for best deals and cabin options, but with my flexibility, I have been happy with last minute booking benefits. Works for me. 

[not-enough-cruising]

16 hours ago, notscb said:

 

Seems like it. They've quietly gotten rid of their post-covid policy of honoring the other price and replaced it with a 48 hour guarantee. IMHO, maybe think about what might be a "successful" resolution to the issue from your point of view and present that to the supervisor. Maybe it's an upgraded cabin, OBC of X amount, but realize they'll do everything they can to keep your "extra" $500.

The "48 hour guarantee" and "price match" are 2 separate policies, and have always been that way.  There hangover been price drops or price matching after final payment (with the exception of a year or so immediately following the post Covid restart)

 

There is nothing new here

Edited October 14, 2022 by not-enough-cruising

[Airbear232]

On 10/12/2022 at 1:31 PM, cruisecrazy221 said:

Hey everyone!

question. We are sailing out on 11/4 on the Independence of the Seas. 
just looked at pricing and cabin availability and prices are so much lower than we paid. 
min the past they have either given shipboard credit or upgrades to compensate for the difference. 
 

so I called today and they are saying that since it’s past the final payment date they won’t do ANYTHING. I’m a bit annoyed. I’ve paid $500 more than what it’s going for now (for a lousy interior too). 
 

I’m waiting on a supervisor call back. But is this the new norm post Covid?

This is their documented policy.  You obviously thought it was good value when you booked.  Be grateful your able to go on a cruise and have a great trip.

[Bluemymind]

Best you can do is upgrade to a bette cabin. We book a cabin at a certain price point that we can live with and then hope to upgrade when prices drop. Back in the day like 3 plus years ago Celebrity would drop their prices last minute and we could always upgrade to a suite for free. Now they are holding pretty firm on their pricing for suites after final payment. Good luck upgrading. 

[orville99]

On 10/13/2022 at 10:54 AM, sowhat said:

The answer  is  do not  book early !
We always  book after final  payment  date and some times  only a week  before  the sail date
We have had some good deals

 

In more than 60 cruises with RCL, we have never seen a price after final payment date  lower than when we booked when the itineraries were released. We have, however, been able to get price reductions prior to final payment date (just saved more than $600 on a June 2023 Mariner cruise). 

[Kathscof]

I agree with others, if your price is so much lower, maybe the upgrades are around your price you paid for the lower option....if you can’t get money back, make the money they already have from you work in your favor....

[touesns]

I noticed today that our Jan 6th cruise price for an interior dropped by $300 after the final payment on the weekend.  I called RC and we were able to move to a Superior Balcony for an extra $100.  
 

[orville99]

13 hours ago, touesns said:

I noticed today that our Jan 6th cruise price for an interior dropped by $300 after the final payment on the weekend.  I called RC and we were able to move to a Superior Balcony for an extra $100.  
 

This is usually the better option if available. The thing about how they price their cabins is that the price one sees is relative to the time they first look. For example, we have a JS booked on Jewel for December. When we booked, the all in cost for us was $3,500. If someone were to book that category today, the all in cost would be $5,200. Final payment date is passed already, so if the cost in fact goes down between now and the sail date, it would have to drop below $3,500 for it to be of interest to us, but only have to drop below $5,200 for someone else to think they were getting a deal. 

[newtampagirl]

On 10/12/2022 at 1:31 PM, cruisecrazy221 said:

Hey everyone!

question. We are sailing out on 11/4 on the Independence of the Seas. 
just looked at pricing and cabin availability and prices are so much lower than we paid. 
min the past they have either given shipboard credit or upgrades to compensate for the difference. 
 

so I called today and they are saying that since it’s past the final payment date they won’t do ANYTHING. I’m a bit annoyed. I’ve paid $500 more than what it’s going for now (for a lousy interior too). 
 

I’m waiting on a supervisor call back. But is this the new norm post Covid?

This happened to us on our October 21st cruise. We had booked it the middle of August and as luck would have it, it went down in price a couple of weeks later. We transferred it to our TA and at least got $700 on board credit. That helped it sting a bit less!

[blueslily]

On 10/13/2022 at 1:29 PM, klfhngr said:

This is not always an option, i.e., work, ask for time off, other stuff, etc. 

If I'm watching a cruise I really want, I might go ahead and request the time off in advance. I then just book the cruise whenever I am ready based on the price drops. This is an option when I dont have to fly to a port. I have some ports within driving distance so I dont have to worry about airfare. If the price doesnt get down to what I want to pay, I just cancel my time off from work. The process works out ok for me usually. Happy cruising.