Cancelling and Rebooking Beverage Package at a Lower Rate

[moviegal]

Hello everyone!

 

I'm new to Royal and will be sailing this fall. I plan to buy the deluxe beverage package before my cruise. I have read a bit about how people buy the package online and if there are any sales or price drops, they cancel it and rebook. Could someone who sails RCI frequently explain briefly how that works, and how you do it? Is it easy to do? Can you do it online, or must I call in for an agent to help?

 

I don't want to buy the package and then have a lot of hassle if it drops in price. (Right now, it's $72.99 per day for my 4 day cruise, is that a good deal)? What price would you hold out for?

 

Thanks so much, I appreciate any guidance and help any of you can give.

[PhillyFan33579]

It’s simple. In cruise planner (or the app) you first cancel the drink package you previously ordered. Once it is cancelled, you can buy it again at the current price. 

[Another_Critic]

2 minutes ago, moviegal said:

(Right now, it's $72.99 per day for my 4 day cruise, is that a good deal)? What price would you hold out for?

Only you can decide if you will get the desired value out of the package.

 

I personally would not buy a drink package (and never have).

[Fishfan0073]

1 hour ago, moviegal said:

Hello everyone!

 

I'm new to Royal and will be sailing this fall. I plan to buy the deluxe beverage package before my cruise. I have read a bit about how people buy the package online and if there are any sales or price drops, they cancel it and rebook. Could someone who sails RCI frequently explain briefly how that works, and how you do it? Is it easy to do? Can you do it online, or must I call in for an agent to help?

 

I don't want to buy the package and then have a lot of hassle if it drops in price. (Right now, it's $72.99 per day for my 4 day cruise, is that a good deal)? What price would you hold out for?

 

Thanks so much, I appreciate any guidance and help any of you can give.

It is super simple and have done it a couple of times.  as PhillyFan said just cancel and repurchase.  The credit takes a couple of days to show back on your card but it is that simple.

[Tree_skier]

2 hours ago, moviegal said:

don't want to buy the package and then have a lot of hassle if it drops in price. (Right now, it's $72.99 per day for my 4 day cruise, is that a good deal)? What price would you hold out for?

There is no hassle cancelling and repurchasing... The refunds have been showing back up on the credit card in about 4 days so depending on CC cutoff date you won't even notice the extra on your statement.

 

72.99 is an OK price.  If I was intending to get it I pay that price and hope for better. The absolute best price I've seen lately is 69.99 so you are pretty close to that.

[reallyitsmema]

2 hours ago, moviegal said:

Hello everyone!

 

I'm new to Royal and will be sailing this fall. I plan to buy the deluxe beverage package before my cruise. I have read a bit about how people buy the package online and if there are any sales or price drops, they cancel it and rebook. Could someone who sails RCI frequently explain briefly how that works, and how you do it? Is it easy to do? Can you do it online, or must I call in for an agent to help?

 

I don't want to buy the package and then have a lot of hassle if it drops in price. (Right now, it's $72.99 per day for my 4 day cruise, is that a good deal)? What price would you hold out for?

 

Thanks so much, I appreciate any guidance and help any of you can give.

 

If you are going to buy the package, I would do it and just keep an eye on sales.  There have been some really good sales recently on multiple sailings and we were able to cancel our refreshment package and repurchase.  Very quick and simple and the refund was quicker than it has ever been in the past.  Wasn't a huge price difference on that, but was worth the effort as it reduces the gratuities also.  During that particular sale, the deluxe beverage package was $59.99 for our Odyssey sailing, best price I have seen in a long time.  The current price on our sailing is $69.99.

 

If you are sailing a new ship, I would expect the beverage packages to be higher.  They know they have a captive audience, so they charge accordingly.

[Sizzlechest]

Buy it now. Do not wait for a lower price. It could even go up.

 

As far as repricing, I do it over the phone. I've had issues in the past where I canceled it, but couldn't rebuy it because the refund wasn't complete and it wouldn't allow me to rebuy it. Prices can change on a dime, so I would do everything with a representative on the line.

[cruisinfly]

I've cancelled and rebooked through the cruise planner (all online) many times to save a few bucks for my upcoming cruise. Really easy and no hassle.

 

Only potential "gotcha" is watching the true price. Sometimes they advertise "gratuities included" and sometimes advertise a lower price without gratuities, but they are added to your cart before you click the final purchase button.

 

With a shore excursion, if it's really popular, there's a risk someone might snap up your slot when you cancel and before you rebook but I've never had that happen.

[Another_Critic]

Current prices for my booked sailings.

 

Symphony 7 nt. $77.99

Odyssey 14 nt. $55.99

Vision 12 nt. $66.99

Radiance 8 nt. $63.99

Radiance 16 nt. $71.99

[Annie01]

I’ve cancelled and repurchased a few planner items in the last few months. It will most likely take much less time for you to cancel and repurchase items online than it was writing your post here.  
 

Go for it and enjoy your cruise!

[Mom*3]

Only you can decide if the price works for you. Somehow, I only cruise during peak times, spring break and summer, so my price always seems high. I think I paid $75.99 in March 2024 and on my upcoming summer cruise, July 2024. I think I paid $72.99 in March of 2023, so I would personally book it for $72.99. 
But, as mentioned, if you book it now and change your mind, you can always cancel. Just understand, it takes several business days to credit back to your card. 
 

Happy cruising!

[PhillyFan33579]

20 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Current prices for my booked sailings.

 

Symphony 7 nt. $77.99

Odyssey 14 nt. $55.99

Vision 12 nt. $66.99

Radiance 8 nt. $63.99

Radiance 16 nt. $71.99

That seems consistent with prices I have seen on my recent and upcoming cruises. I miss the pre COVID days when you could usually get the deluxe drink package for under $60 on any cruise. 

[ARandomTraveler]

20 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Current prices for my booked sailings.

 

Symphony 7 nt. $77.99

Odyssey 14 nt. $55.99

Vision 12 nt. $66.99

Radiance 8 nt. $63.99

Radiance 16 nt. $71.99

Wow that's not bad, for a while there (last year at least) it seemed like $72.99 was as low as it was going for Caribbean cruises, and most times people were reporting prices into the $80's. I guess RC wasn't getting as many sales as they wanted and finally started dropping prices. 
 

My cruise on Spectrum last summer was only $43, but it was a 12-day cruise so it was still gonna be the same as paying $80 on a 7-day cruise. I knew I couldn't drink for 12 days straight so I didn't get it. Bought the refreshment at $19 but didn't get my moneys worth out of that either.

[Another_Critic]

29 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

Wow that's not bad,...

I consider it "bad" when the cost of the package adds 50% or more to your cruise cost.  YMMV.

[ARandomTraveler]

6 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

I consider it "bad" when the cost of the package adds 50% or more to your cruise cost.  YMMV.

It's more than I would spend, but considering the prices we were seeing last year, the prices listed didn't seem bad. That's what I meant. 
 

As someone who doesn't drink much and can easily go a whole cruise without having alcohol, I'm glad they don't add that 50% cost to the cruise fare. Let the people who feel it's worth the money pay it.