Royal Carribean no longer to allow discounted cruises

[Luvtotrav]

Today, I booked a cruise for this Feb on the Millenium. I used Best price cruises. I asked if a couple going with us could wait untill next week to finalize. The agent told me that as of Sunday midnight, Royal Carribean and Celibrity will no longer be allowing their cruises to be discounted and that the price through the cruise discount agency and the actual cruise company will be the same. No more deals as my agent said. I wonder if anyone else has heard about this happening.

 

I personally think that if this is true, I will be inclined to go with the company who chooses to want my business the most. I have cruised several times with both of these lines and I do enjoy them, but if another line has a better deal that is comparable, I will go with that over the line that chooses to not discount the price. I think this will be very short term as these lines will find that individuals will opt to go elsewhere.

 

Well I guess we will wait and see the results.

 

Have a great week!

[Martino]

Nothing to do with the price to you.......

 

TAs will be prohibited from publishing discounted fares in their ads; they are not prohibited from selling discounted fares. Your TA is either misinformed or trying to pull a fast one.

[Tussey]

I read the FAQ in another thread, and it says the TA cannot mention a rebate even on the telephone. If that is the case then Best Price Cruises is correct. There is no way for the agent to rebate, unless it is lthe same way a prostitute negotiates a trick - the customer has to mention the fee and the agents gives hand signals - hard to do over the telephone.

[MattInFLL]

The cruise line can not govern the private conversations between a TA and its customer. They absolutely can tell a customer whatever they want to in a phone call, private e-mail, private letter or whatever. This issue is really being misinterpreted over and over again. The cruise line can only tell them the prices they can advertise publicly. TA's who discount their commissions and pass the saving on to you still can do it.

 

Sounds like the TA here is trying to use the misinformation to their advantage.

[princessb]

So, who is right? Could you call your TA and they give you the best price, they just can't advertise online or in papers? Or, does RCCL have the sole pricing right - no matter who you book through the price remains the same?

[flagger]

Matt can I just say that I totally love your pictures of your Infinity trip last year. They totally take me there again and again. We too are going with Michelle in Ketchikan and cannot wait for those awesome picture opportunities. Fingers crossed for the ability to fly on that day.

[sealegs9]

Matt-

Our cc group even has a website http://honeybeetours.com/cruise/voyager.html

 

I can't seem to connect tonight- just updated our virus protection before logging on. Was able to access. Anyway- take a look.

 

Oh and that guy Folgy and his live reports from the Serenade bring back memories. I hope I like the Voyager as much. The Serenade was so elegant.

[Toto2Kansas]

I am a bit confused still on this issue as I just received an email from a discounter that I have used in the past. They said specifically that after August 15th all RCI and Celebrity cruises will go up 10% because of the 'no discount' pricing. So, I guess only time will tell with this one. But if they honestly can't discount it, I know a lot of other lines that still discount will get very very busy!

[Pistachio42]

I don't think the TA at Best Price Cruises (BPC) is misrepresenting this. I received a number of e-mails today pointing out this new policy, including ones from BPC, Crucon & CruiseClubofAmerica. One such e-mail said executives at RCI & Celebrity "have mandated that effective 08/16/04 they will not allow ANY of their product to be discounted and sold below the gross cruise price that is available thru the cruise line itself. They have instituted big penalties to travel agent offenders if they are caught."

 

If this policy prevails and no agency can discount and sell below the cruise lines price, then this universal price fixing policy will drive me and perhaps many others to seek out different cruise lines. I haven't received any emails about a somewhat similar policy being mentioned by Carnival for itself and its other companies, but all this sort of smacks of collusion as well between the two big cruise companies. Oh well .. ain't big business swell!

 

Tom

[Luvtotrav]

There is a really good thread regarding this topic on Celebrity page. It is titled "No long Celebrity discounts?"

[tinkerme1]

There are many threads here about this same subject. I do believe that the TA's that are telling you they can no longer discount their prices are telling you a very big fib. They can discount by offering you a portion of their commission. The directive from RCCL and Celebrity only states that they can no longer "advertise" discounted prices. I suggest you read the directive over very carefully. It sounds like your agent is NOT doing that.

[MattInFLL]

(Hey Flagger - I was looking at them just the other day, and thinking "..just a year ago..." Good luck with Michelle!

 

Sealegs - all my stuff has pretty much sold and everything else is already in Florida. But I am still in LA trying to wrap everything up.. soon I hope!)

 

As for the discounting. If the cruise line tries to set the price of their cruises in the market place it's called "price fixing" and that is illegal. All they can control is the advertised prices. They can not control a final negotiated selling price. These TA's are either misinformed themselves or are taking advantage of the confusion to save themselves the 10%. Read the press releases from the cruise lines and all the news coverage. It very specifically does say that TA's can still discount, they just can't publish the discounted price in a public forum or advertising.

 

But I am sure many large agencies are looking at this as a way to stop discounting. After all, they immediately start making 10% more. But that is dumb short term thinking. The cruise lines are doing this because they want to cut TA's out of the picture more and more, and these TA's are playing right into it. Many people will have the attitude, "well if it's the same price, why not book direct with the cruise line?" and cut out the middle man. Even I would do that. I only use TA's to save some money. If I can't, I'll go direct with the cruise line. I always prefer to deal directly with a supplier.

[beachchick]

Does anyone know if it is true that TAs, online or whatever, will be required to sell RCI cruises at an RCI-set price? This is what the emails I have received from online TAs have all said.

 

Another question, considering that RCI is selling cruises in the US, using a US-based headquarters, to US citizens, do US price-fixing laws apply? I've only read posters discussing that RCI is not a US company, but they have US headquarters so I'm not exactly sure what applies. Anybody know what's what?

 

beachchick

[Tussey]

I suggest you read the directive over very carefully. It sounds like your agent is NOT doing that.

 

I suggest YOU read it, the directive goes all the way to the call center. That is the final point of contact with the consumer - not just advertising. No more discount offers.

 

Agents who have been digging deep with RCI know what the mandate says - no more discounts period. They have been in talks with the company to clear all this up. These companies that sells hundreds of cruises daily do not make mistakes about what they are allowed to do.

 

If anything, RCI will back-pedal and use the vagueness of their press release to cushion their embarassment when they reverse this policy. But for right noe they are serious.

[ssapiers]

Another question...

 

Does RCCL discount prices to TAs by the number of cabins they book, say per month or year?

[bUU]

Clearly, the low-end electronic booking agencies have the most to lose from these changes, and therefore the most incentive to exaggerate the impact of them on customers.

[xpcdoojk]

Bicker, I am freightened everytime we agree!:D

 

jc

[SUSANITA]

The ONE thing I do seem to understand from this new policy is that discounted rates that we used to be able to get are now going UP.

 

If the TA's can only offer rates that match RCI's rates on their website, etc..., that is a HUGE increase in price to us. On any cruise I've booked, I've saved hundreds of dollars off RCI's published rates.

 

Are you guys saying that RCI's published rates are the ONLY rates we can get, unless a TA kicks in part of their commission???? I would imagine that not many TA's are going to be willing to work for less??

 

I feel like there is just a huge part of this puzzle that we are missing. It doesn't seem right that suddenly we all are gonna start paying published rates, but it seems like that is the case? Too much confusion surrounds this issue. :(

[xpcdoojk]

Bicker -

 

remember that ALL agencies will be affected.

Clearly we disagree that we have the most to loose. Brand-name internet agencies have the most resources at their disposal and will adapt.

 

As I have posted elsewhere, you are welcome to your opinion.

 

Regards

At least you didn't spam the board this time with your post.:rolleyes: :mad:

 

jc

[tinkerme1]

Sorry, I have read it, and I understand it.

 

This relates solely to "advertising". Please don't tell me I can't read......

[bUU]

Is pslron a TA? If so, this seems like a very disrespectful attitude to project to passengers for someone trying to convince someone of something.

[smeyer418]

The ONE thing I do seem to understand from this new policy is that discounted rates that we used to be able to get are now going UP.

 

If the TA's can only offer rates that match RCI's rates on their website, etc..., that is a HUGE increase in price to us. On any cruise I've booked, I've saved hundreds of dollars off RCI's published rates.

 

Are you guys saying that RCI's published rates are the ONLY rates we can get, unless a TA kicks in part of their commission???? I would imagine that not many TA's are going to be willing to work for less??

 

I feel like there is just a huge part of this puzzle that we are missing. It doesn't seem right that suddenly we all are gonna start paying published rates, but it seems like that is the case? Too much confusion surrounds this issue. :(

 

 

remember that they are not stopping group rates which are much less. Wholesalers buy rooms at the group rates and resell them. They are NOT stopping that....Group rates can be very low...

[Pistachio42]

I'm getting emails from internet travel agencies relaying information well beyond the simplistic "press release" which only mentioned the advertising co-op and essentially saying that the clarifications gotten from RCI is that there is to be no more TA discounting, rebating portions of commissions, giving of onboard credit, etc. So it seems no matter how carefully you read the press release, the info contained therein is only part of what RCI is actually doing.

[cruizinEllen]

I just called RCI customer service and they assured me that TA's will still be permitted to sell cruises at discounted rates. They will NOT be permitted to advertise these rates in any medium...only direct quotes to clients.

[smeyer418]

as if customer service knows... we all know they gave much wrong info...you think this has made its way down to CS yet?