What, no early booking promotion this year?

[Phamer55]

During the last 2 years I've been able to make use of an early booking promotion to get money off the price of my cruise. I thought these specials run right after the new season announcements were made. Is RCI not offering early booking specials this year? Or am I jumping the gun and they may start offering them once Mexico, Panana Canal, etc. are announced.

[MoreCruisesNow]

Early Booking Promotions are really just another name - Breakthrough Rates, another - for the opening price of a sailing.

 

Generally speaking the Breakthrough Rate is raised based on sales until closer to the sailing date, at which point various promotions might be offered for particular categories which may not have sold well.

 

There really are no "special" prices early in a sailings' life - there is no incentive to discount rooms which haven't even had a chance to sell - although they will be, of course, priced lower than they will be when half the staterooms in a category (for instance) are sold.

[cruising forever]

We've gotten an "early booking bonus" which translated as mega sbc $$$$ once when we booked as soon as the sailings were released. I'm guessing this is more in line with what the OP was talking about?

[MoreCruisesNow]

If you got one, it was from the travel agent, NOT from RCI.

 

Again...what would be the point of a discount/OBC offer when no one has had a chance to buy a stateroom?

 

And, I would ask the OP...a discount from what? From the "brochure" price, which, in recognition of the silliness of "brochure" prices, RCI doesn't even publicize any longer. Virtually no one EVER paid that price.

[Esmerelda]

When we booked the Liberty late spring/early summer of 2006 for 2007, we got something like $99 off per person or stateroom...I can't recall now. But it was an incentive for booking early is what I was told by RCCL via phone.

 

I too wondered why there wasn't any of that this time around. I was anxiously awaiting that.

[nurseone]

booking can make a huge difference. We booked Legend out of Santo Domingo the week the cruise opened up 21 months out and at aout 15 months out the prices had climbed and by 6 months out it would have cost us 1800pp more for our B2B that what we paid by booking so early. You just never know.

[lccruiser2006]

If you got one, it was from the travel agent, NOT from RCI.

 

Again...what would be the point of a discount/OBC offer when no one has had a chance to buy a stateroom?

 

And, I would ask the OP...a discount from what? From the "brochure" price, which, in recognition of the silliness of "brochure" prices, RCI doesn't even publicize any longer. Virtually no one EVER paid that price.

 

In the last few years (2 that I know of) RCI has offered a discount for booking within the first 45 days after the sailing was announced. It could be applied after deposit. This was from RCI not a TA.

 

To the OP, I was wondering about this too. It helps to ask your res agent or TA press the issue, as the right hand doesn't always know what the left hand is doing at Royal, or train accordingly.

[Phamer55]

You're right Laura, I am referring to the discount offered during the first 45 days after the sailing was announced. Two years ago it was $99, and last year I got $200 off for the Mariner. The Mariner one was specific to the new Mexico sailings, but there may have been other early discounts as well. And yes, there were both RCI discounts and had nothing to do with individual TA's.

[snausman]

The promotion last year that I got was called the WOW promotion. I got 100.00 per cabin ship board credit. And it was thru RCCL not a TA. It was also about this time last year that I booked it. Does anyone else remeber it?

 

Laura

[vikielynne]

I booked a few cruises during last year's WOW promo.....it was in June & you had 1/2 price deposits, which was nice since I was booking 3 cruises then a fair amount of obc...I'd like to see it again too.

[cruising forever]

Yup, our Med bonus was from RCCL as well :)

 

We also got a promo booking for our Mariner cruise; half off deposits (actually, just deferred until final), but anything to keep $$$ in your pockets a little longer is a bonus to us!

[heatherb1958]

If you look on http://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk there is a section under 'news and offers' showing early booking discounts, Upto £400 off per cabin depending on length of cruise.You have to trawl through the 'hot deals' first before the early booking deals are shown.

When I booked our Brilliance Jan '09 B2B back in December the early booking discount was £100 per person for each cruise , total £400 saving

I did a check on RCI uk site for the cruise I was interested in then went to the online UK agent to book. The agent showed the £100pp as a discount and then gave an extra 5%( now gone upto 7%!) for booking on line.

The current pricing is way more than we have paid , so far !!

[pcur]

We also took advantage of the WOW sale last year. I haven't seen anything so far this year, though.

 

I have found our cruise prices do jump dramatically as the date of the cruise comes closer, so I'm a firm believer in booking early and watching the prices. Another CC member had a great way of doing it, and that's what I do: bookmark the ressie page that shows you the prices BEFORE you would book, rename it to our booked Cat and price, and then just go back to it periodically to check the price. I book anywhere from 9 to 18 months in advance.

 

I currently have 4 cruises booked.

 

5-night on the Enchantment went up $150 per person since I booked 8 months in advance.

 

15-night on the Radiance went up over $1,000 per person, and I booked this one 18 months in advance.

 

12-night on the Explorer, the category we booked is sold out, but the price for FOUR categories BELOW ours is $150 per person more. So, our category is probably at least $500 per person more. I booked this one 12 months in advance.

 

14-night on the Voyager is the same for now, booked 13 months in advance.

 

So, you may not get a discount at booking, but you definitely can save a bundle over the raised prices.

 

Beware, however, that RCCL frequently RAISES the price of the cabins when it's got a coupon or sale going on. You pay the same price as you would without the sale or promotional.

[yogimax]

Wait til the first Genesis ship comes on line. The over-capacity will lead to severe discounting of the smaller ships!

[MoreCruisesNow]

I've got a $100 bill to put on that bet, Yogi.

 

There really ain't no such animal as over-capacity.

 

Remember, ships move!

[Mydnite]

RC CL in the UK does different offers (and different; read usually higher) prices than the US site,

[heatherb1958]

RC CL in the UK does different offers (and different; read usually higher) prices than the US site,

 

Not when I booked my cruises, believe you me I check , re-check and triple check now !!!;) :D :D