Listen RCCL. Wow Sale Over Rated ?

[Tex_Jen]

I'm going to take advantage of the sale to book an inside or oceanview on Monarch for January. Short cruise. Didn't have a NextCruise booked and there are no balconies so that I could use my platinum balcony discount. If not for that, I would have ignored this "sale". Too many restrictions.

 

Jen

[sassyredhat]

Just so you are aware there are 14 other ships that sail from San Diego and none of the 14 are Royal Caribbean ships, so as you know you have other options to look at.

You said something about an inexpensive way to try RCCL......you do know though that in the end you will pay the Total Price.

 

 

Oh yes, I do know that :) but I wanted to try RCCL. ROS will be doing 4 day cruises to Cabo RT San Diego, so it's a good way for me to try a new line.

 

You're right. I think it averages out to a regular price.

 

Heck, if DH won't fly, I have to get creative. :D

 

Pat

[Maraprince]

:( Well, my TA just confirmed it...it would cost me a lot more money to book as of today for the same cruise I am already booked on! Plus, I would also be paying the higher fuel charges as well. So, no savings for someone who is currently booked. To get the on-board credit, it would cost me more than the credit with the higher cabin price!

 

 

 

MARAPRINCE

[Maraprince]

:( Well, my TA just confirmed it...it would cost me a lot more money to book as of today for the same cruise I am already booked on! Plus, I would also be paying the higher fuel charges as well. So, no savings for someone who is currently booked. To get the on-board credit, it would cost me more than the credit with the higher cabin price!

 

 

 

MARAPRINCE

[DonnaK]

It's not just good for first time cruisers - we "only" have 4 RCI cruises under our belt and are lowly Gold C&A members. We don't have access to any other promotions, so we appreciate the WOW sales. As well, my husband is much more open and agreeable to allowing me to reserve future cruises when we don't have to lay out so much money upfront.

 

The WOW sales aren't overrated to folks like us!

[KKeeganS]

It's not just good for first time cruisers - we "only" have 4 RCI cruises under our belt and are lowly Gold C&A members. We don't have access to any other promotions, so we appreciate the WOW sales. As well, my husband is much more open and agreeable to allowing me to reserve future cruises when we don't have to lay out so much money upfront.

 

The WOW sales aren't overrated to folks like us!

 

We're in the same boat *rimshot*. I realize that the "sale" isn't saving us anything from the cruise fare, but not shelling out the full deposit makes hubby happy. My TA also throws in pre-paid gratuities during these sales, so we get that plus the OBC. Better than a stick in the eye for those of us not yet worthy of the Platinum discounts or willing to buy 100 shares of stock for a discount.

[zebra36]

too many restrictions, no combining with other better programs, etc. I think it is a great sale to entice first time cruisers.

Ditto!

[DC2OC]

Overated..Not for stockholders,Next Cruise,ect,ect.I would accept no extra OBC but at least offer 1/2 deposits................Frank

[bqkali]

Everyone keeps saying this is a good sale for a first-time cruiser who has no other discounts...but I disagree :cool:

 

I'm a first time cruiser (though I have an NCL cruise booked) and meanwhile I've been looking for a 3 or 4 night cruise. I was going to book the Majesty, but saw this sale and decided to wait. Since then, prices have gone up $30 pp so a $50 OBC is no longer enticing! I even looked at switching dates or even switching ships, but the price has gone up for every weekend!

 

Maybe there were some sailings where prices didn't rise and for those people, they were lucky to get the additional OBC. I'll keep waiting for a last-minute deal.

[phillycore]

Jimbo you have a point. First time RCCL cruisers (trying to entice cruisers from another line) might be the real target. Many complaints from Carinval and NCL cruisers about the cost on RCCL for comparable cruises. RCCL may be trying to alleviate the issue by offering half price deposits and making payments for the balance as a way to get those cruisers to try RCCL. The hook is just to get a booking. After the booking, people are less likely to cancel.

 

 

Exactly why my DW and I are looking at the WoW sale..

We are both long time Carnival cruisers (once with NCL) and want to try RCI out but could never justify the $100+ over Carnival for the same itinerary. Something like this allows RCI to be more competitive and evens the playing field.. Who knows we may like RCI more and be long time RCI cruisers in the future... The thing is once you've already sailed with these cruise lines is you get incentives to re-cruise with them in the future. When the cruise line you are happy with is also cheaper than the competitor it makes it that much easier to book again with them and harder to switch...pay more and have the potential to not be as happy as well..

[Centexcruiseaddict]

The reduced deposit is a great way for folks like us to reserve a cabin with a minimal initial cash output. Granted, we'll end up paying full price eventually, but at least it gets our foot in the door. We save up and go on a cash basis. so the scheme fits us well. However, for those of us in Texas and surrounding states, this is somewhat defeated since there is no RCI service availiable to us without flying to a port city, or a long drive. If RCI was interested in passengers from our area, they'd keep at least one ship year round. Carvnival does and they're prospering here. So, as much as i loved our one RCI cruise on our beloved Rhapsody, I have no choice but to book Carnival, if i want to cruise within our budget. And by the way, I hate Carnival with a passion after reading how they treat their staff, but we love to cruise so we have no choice at this point. Just my two cents worth

[KillaFee]

Only on Cruise Critic do people actually complain about a sale. Sheesh. :rolleyes:

Laura

[xpcdoojk]

Jimbo, as usual, while I agree with you the bottom line is who cares if it works or not??? That is RCIs problem or success, and while I am a shareholder, I don't get why it matters to any of us if it works or not from our perspective. I think it gets people excited when they see an advertisement from a TA. I got notice of it from at least 10 in the past week. The Wow sale did nothing at all for me, personally, but I bet that a lot of TAs are getting activity today greater than a week ago, and I bet a few people that were not thinking of booking a cruise now are. So, it is in my opinion is a success even if I don't do anything, personally, different than before the sale. I did look at it and if I didn't already have my cruise booked and I wasn't a C&A member would have been able to book my trip for less with this sale than before.

 

Further, I have my first AFT cabin on my transatlantic next year on the Independence OTS, and I may be seeking admission into your religious sect afterwards, please don't automatically black ball me!:D

 

jc

[cruiserbryce]

while there are a lot of resrtictions for the sale it works out for those that are more than 1st time cruisers...we have been on 4 RC cruises...so still gold members, dont have a RC visa (because we pay for our cruise with $ we already have to avoid the interest payments), and wont be on a cruise until September where we will be able to get the OBC

[Cruising Greek]

It's not just good for first time cruisers - we "only" have 4 RCI cruises under our belt and are lowly Gold C&A members. We don't have access to any other promotions, so we appreciate the WOW sales. As well, my husband is much more open and agreeable to allowing me to reserve future cruises when we don't have to lay out so much money upfront.

 

The WOW sales aren't overrated to folks like us!

 

Donna,

 

I agree. The fact that I only need 1/2 the deposit on 3 people (along with DW and DD) for a cruise that is a year away is a great savings in the near term. We get our choice of cabins, a year to save up for the cruise, and a $200 on-board credit!

 

I don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I only have 1 cruise on RCL, but I LOVED their product, so I'm back. I don't have 100 shares yet, so no credit for that. We love to plan ahead, join the roll calls and have something to look forward to during the doldrums of every work day.

 

Overall, I think that this is a good thing for RCL. It gets the less-cruised and newbies to try their offering. If they get hooked like I did, then it's great news for all of us. It will make getting those 100 shares worthwhile, and not just for OBC!

 

-Crusising Greek

[allenee]

WOW it was not a bargin for me. I passed, will use myFCC and group OBC.

[Theresa522]

How would a first time cruiser even know about this offer of only paying half a deposit to reserve a cruise? If a first time cruiser goes to Travel Agency to book a cruise and the agent tells them..well you picked the right time to book a cruise....Royal Caribbean has a special going on today. Guess what you only have to pay half the deposit today to book your cruise..........Come on people get serious will you, if a new cruiser came into a Travel agency to book a cruise, they are going to book it regardless if half or all the deposit is due.

 

That's just silly to assume this is going to entice new cruisers?

 

 

I totally agree.

[xpcdoojk]

Jimbo, you might want to check out the following thread.:D

 

jc

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=774370

[DC2OC]

How would a first time cruiser even know about this offer of only paying half a deposit to reserve a cruise? If a first time cruiser goes to Travel Agency to book a cruise and the agent tells them..well you picked the right time to book a cruise....Royal Caribbean has a special going on today. Guess what you only have to pay half the deposit today to book your cruise..........Come on people get serious will you, if a new cruiser came into a Travel agency to book a cruise, they are going to book it regardless if half or all the deposit is due.

 

That's just silly to assume this is going to entice new cruisers?

 

I've received at least a half dozen emails announcing this sale.Its a nice deal for most cruisers.I read somewhere that most cruisers are first or second time cruisers.................Frank:)

[cs]

Everyone keeps saying this is a good sale for a first-time cruiser who has no other discounts...but I disagree :cool:

 

I'm a first time cruiser (though I have an NCL cruise booked) and meanwhile I've been looking for a 3 or 4 night cruise. I was going to book the Majesty, but saw this sale and decided to wait. Since then, prices have gone up $30 pp so a $50 OBC is no longer enticing! I even looked at switching dates or even switching ships, but the price has gone up for every weekend!

 

Maybe there were some sailings where prices didn't rise and for those people, they were lucky to get the additional OBC. I'll keep waiting for a last-minute deal.

 

I noticed that a lot of the prices were increased since yesterday too. I guess they increased the better selling itineraries prior to this "sale".

[ssantow]

For it to be over rated it has to be rated and it seems most of us have very high expectations that every time RCI has a sale it should give us all free or near free cruises. (OK I am a little over the top here, but you know what I mean)

If you have cruised with RCI many times the wow factor tends to climb. This sale is meant for those that may have never sailed before of at least never sailed with RCI. Every company, no matter how loyal their customer base is, needs to continually bring in new blood and that is what this sale is for.

[firefly333]

How would a first time cruiser even know about this offer of only paying half a deposit to reserve a cruise? ..........Come on people get serious will you, if a new cruiser came into a Travel agency to book a cruise, they are going to book it regardless if half or all the deposit is due.

 

That's just silly to assume this is going to entice new cruisers?

 

I just answered this post on the Carnival board, someone who has never been on RCL thinking about the wow sale. So would you advise him/her to book during the WOW sale and try RCL out or not? I say yes.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=774386

 

We are trying to book a cruise without spending alot of money this summer. The two that we are looking at is the Holiday out of Mobile (I know this is an older ship - but we have sailed the Celebration twice and loved it!) Or Enchantment of the Seas - Royal Caribbean out of Ft. Lauderdale. Both of these are 4 night cruises - the Carnival Cruise has 2 at sea days which I love - the Royal Caribbean one goes to Key West which I also love! There will be four of us going and we are going to get 2 oceanview rooms. What do you suggest as the better cruise? We have never been on a Royal Caribbean one before - but they are having a one day sale that is for today only.

[psupa]

I do better when I'm ready to book. If I find something I like, and the price is right, I book it. Most times I book out at least a year and get a better deal. ThenI watch and if there is a price drop, I call my TA. Last cruise I got a $360 price drop. So far the prices keep going up.

[DonnaK]

You get credit if the price decreases for a cruise you booked during the WOW sale. It states this very clearly on the bottom of the invoice, and we have been able to do this for other cruises booked during previous WOW sales. So, even if the price went up, it still pays to book now, and then call for the credit when the price goes back down.

[Let'sGo!]

Okay, so now I'm confused. I did book a cruise today and I'm wondering if it was a mistake...

 

Price:

The price of our E2 "hump" balcony for next May on Mariner out of LA is $300 more p/p than we paid for our Promenade cabin on Adventure this past February.

 

Bonuses:

--We got the reduced deposit - whatever. We'll still end up paying for the whole thing.

--We got pre-paid gratuities (TA deal)

--Plus the $100 OBC.

 

HOWEVER - that said, we did book a NextCruise while on Adventure and we both just reached Platinum status.

 

I asked the TA about the Platinum discount that we weren't taking advantage of and she said it would $100. So wouldn't that even things out??? We're getting $100 OBC instead of $100 savings?

 

And I figured we're still saving the NextCruise booking for a future cruise.

 

I don't have the BOA credit card, I don't have stock.

 

So... would I save more if I had not booked today??? In my mind, with fuel prices the way they are, I'm thinking prices are just going to continue to go up. I agree, I don't think today's p/p prices were any big savings. But I certainly don't want to know I screwed up!