11 Cabins Booked--no group incentive?

[alittlehope]

We booked 11 cabins through a TA for a family reunion. I have read in several posts that with the booking of more than 8 cabins, we should have received one free berth. Is this accurate? Is there any reason why we would not be eligible for this incentive? Is a call to our TA in order? Any light you could shed on this would be great. I would like to have my ducks in a row before I make any calls. :confused:

[maddea20]

I would defn call my TA because that is correct, every 8 rooms u book u receive 1 free room.

[Merion_Mom]

I am not sure that it is one free cabin. I thought that it was one free cruise fare. Not taxes, not port fees, just the cruise fare. And it's the lowest priced fare, if they aren't all the same category of cabin.

[IMNiles]

I sailed with a group in December, we did not book as a group originally, and after a few phone calls I got one free berth for 16 paid, at the predominant category. By one berth, I mean one person, NOT one cabin.

[Nliedel]

It's a free fare and that is correct, one free for every eight paid. Call your TA and talk to them about it first thing tomorrow. You will still have to pay port fees and taxes, but that's not so much.

[maddea20]

I sailed with a group in December, we did not book as a group originally, and after a few phone calls I got one free berth for 16 paid, at the predominant category. By one berth, I mean one person, NOT one cabin.

 

whatever!

[sparkygrl]

We book directly with RCCL and are attempting to make our cruise a group trip. We were told by our RCCL representative, we call and ask for her each time we have questions and she e-mails us information. We were told that every other cabin that friends and family book they need to give them our reservation number as our cabin in the "group coordinator". All of the cabins are then linked together and arrangements are made for all of us to be sitting together.

 

You should check with your TA that your cabins have been reserved in a manner that makes them eligible for the group discount.

[JudyOh]

You should be receiving on free cruise fare as stated in several responses, cruisefare only, taxes are not included in that. Also, if the TA did not book as a group (I cannot see why they did not), you can most likely get it switched to a group (sometimes group space is sold out). On most group cruises there are amenity points also which can be used for various things (bottle of wine, shore excursion, reduced cabin rate and also reducing number needed for free fare, from 16 to 14 or 12 or 10). These all depend on the number of points available for your sailing. Check into it, the TA apparently is using the incentive and amenity points for extra money in their pocket.

[MGoBlue2]

We booked 11 cabins through a TA for a family reunion. I have read in several posts that with the booking of more than 8 cabins, we should have received one free berth. Is this accurate? Is there any reason why we would not be eligible for this incentive? Is a call to our TA in order? Any light you could shed on this would be great. I would like to have my ducks in a row before I make any calls. :confused:

When we looked into it, we were told you needed 8 cabins in one category to qualify. We ended up having less than 8 couples going so didn't pursue it, but maybe that's the problem.

[ccletzgo]

We have a group booked but in differant catagory's. I havent heard of the one catagory rule?

[Nitra]

It is 8 cabins and the incentive is based on the most categories booked. Say if you have 10 cabins - 5 Cat D1, 2 Cat L, 3 Cat M, then your incentive would be based on 1 cruise fare for the D1, so if your D1 was say 800 per person before taxes and port based on a double occupancy, then you would have 800 dollar TC credit.

 

A friend of mine recently called RCCL directly and was told in order to get the group incentives they had to go thru a TA, not sure that is true, but that is what they were told. Since you are going thru a TA it should be fine. Sometimes the TA will wait to advise the incentives until final payment because a group can fall apart and then you would not get any incentive and the bookings would go to individual and just be linked for dinner seatings.

 

I hold off telling my clients because too many times the group does fall apart and then you have to tell them they no longer get the incentives and they dont want to hear that either. Maybe just let your TA know you are aware of the incentives and also are aware that if the group does fall apart for some reason you are aware you will not get them.

[Clarkk W Griswald]

Don't be surprised if you run into your TA on your cruise. That's probably where your free fare is going!

[zotzer]

Don't be surprised if you run into your TA on your cruise. That's probably where your free fare is going!

 

I was thinking the same thing! Will probably see the TA with a bottle of free wine in hand too! LOL

 

Since this cruise is in June, I imagine final payment has already been made.

 

Tracy

[Nliedel]

Royal Caribbean's site says that for group pricing you do need to go through a TA. The catagory information Nitra mentioned is indeed correct. It does not make a difference which catagory your group books in.

[alittlehope]

Thanks so much for the replies. I appreciate you all taking the time to post. Not having booked as a group before, I didn't think to ask about incentives. Final payments have been made, so I will start making some calls. It would be really exciting to give my parents a discount on their first cruise!

[Ella2]

Hmmm, if you're past final payment I'm not sure you can convert your individual reservations to groups at this point. Your TA really dropped the ball on this one if he/she did not obtain group status for you prior to final payment. I hope he/she is able to get something for your group.

 

Enjoy your cruise! :)

[Nliedel]

Yep you may be in a bad place because of your TA. At this point I would go to them and if you do not get satisfaction, then their manager. I was a TA for years and we all knew the group drill.

 

BTW. I know some people suspect the TA may have taken the free cruise, but I've never seen it. I did read the post a few weeks ago where someone did see their TA on the ship and I have to admit, that was suspect, but again, no proof.

[CRUISE-A-WAY]

I have a similar situation where we are booked as a group through a TA but have not heard about a free berth or any group incentives. We are on the Mariner in June so final payment was made. We have 2 D1's, 3 E2's, 1 Promenade, 1 Cat L and 1 Cat N = 8 cabins. As for passengers, we have 2 in each cabin except for one of the E2's has one (person paid 2 fares)and the Cat L has 3 = 16. Have I confused everyone yet?!! :confused: I just want to be specific when I ask if this qualifies us for a free berth and any points before I call the TA tomorrow. I know that the third person in the Cat L does not qualify but since the person in the single E2 paid for 2 I am hoping that does qualify for 2. This person is my 80 yr old Mom who had booked with a friend who is unable to go now so my Mom paid the full fare for the E2 by herself. I am hoping we do qualify for a free berth so I can give it to her. Any helpful info you can give would be appreciated. Thanks!!:o

[Jeano222]

There are TA's that take both the tour conductor credit and amenity points as additional commission. These TA's feel people out as far as their knowledge of what they are intitled to. This is not illegal for a TA to do, but if you suspect that is what happened, that TA's name should be mud.

 

I am a travel agent myself and I have gone on the cruise using the tour conductor credit but it is my own personal group and I always give the amenity points back to the clients. I do a lot for my groups as far as watching for price cuts, arranging hotels, excursions and so on. I really earn my tour conductor credit. I have another group and the first person is the tour conductor and they will get everything they are entitled to.

[pmshirl]

8 cabins is 8 cabins, no matter how many people are in each one! I have a ? maybe someone can answer. I have run group cruises for the past 14 years, and used many different Ta's to run them. This is the 1st time I was told that my free berth would be given to me after the cruise. The TA states that if it is given to me prior he is taxed on the amount. Anyone ever hear of that one???? I have run group cruises where i had over 100 on the ship and got 7 free berths and never got the $$$ credit after the cruise.

[Gypsea]

pmshirl-I am surprised you never encountered that before. I don't think it's that uncommon but by the volume you seem to book I would think most agents would strive to keep you happy and give it up front if you so desire. It doesn't arrive in house till the commission shows up and that's after you sail.

 

As for the amenity points let me say these are NOT GIVEN ON EVERY sailing. My August 5th Explorer group to Bermuda were not offered these because there aren't ANY! RC knows this will be a sell out so they aren't going to spring for them. My group leader will be receiving the TC, however.

[isujim]

When you talk to your ta......make sure they go through the "group department"........the call center in Miami or Wichita probably won't have a clue as to what you are talking about..........ASK FOR THE GROUP DEPARTMENT..........your reservations for all your cabins will have to be transferred into the group department.

 

I just did a small group last month for 9 cabins...........the free fare is not really based on a "free passage" It is based on the number and type of cabins you book for your group........our amount was $1210 or something like that, which I returned and split between all 9 cabins.........

 

Remember the key is to get your bookings into the group department......once you get your bookings there......everything else should fall into place.

 

Jim

[pmshirl]

pmshirl-I am surprised you never encountered that before. I don't think it's that uncommon but by the volume you seem to book I would think most agents would strive to keep you happy and give it up front if you so desire. It doesn't arrive in house till the commission shows up and that's after you sail.

 

As for the amenity points let me say these are NOT GIVEN ON EVERY sailing. My August 5th Explorer group to Bermuda were not offered these because there aren't ANY! RC knows this will be a sell out so they aren't going to spring for them. My group leader will be receiving the TC, however.

 

Thank You very much for the comment. I suppose you are correct with the TA trying to keep me happy! I run groups every year, sometimes twice a year, so once the TA knows I have the clients they offer all kinds of perks. Thank You again.

[IMNiles]

Originally Posted by IMNiles

I sailed with a group in December, we did not book as a group originally, and after a few phone calls I got one free berth for 16 paid, at the predominant category. By one berth, I mean one person, NOT one cabin.

 

whatever!

 

um, ok, well my point was that my group did NOT book as a group. We were all individual bookings (but cross-referenced) because the group rate was much WORSE than what we got booking as individuals. We had a total of 16 people in 8 cabins. We then got the credit after the fact, several months after we sailed. We got the equivalent of cruise fare for one berth (no taxes or port fees) for the predominantly booked cabin. For us, the most-booked cabin was D1, so we got the $700 or so that one berth in a D1 would cost (double occupancy, meaning we got "half" a cabin)

[Stormlover]

I have saw my TA on 2 of our cruises.;)