NO MORE DISCOUNTING!!! What are your feelings???

[ROSS]

How do you feel about the new policy at RCI and Carnival??? If TAs are not allowed to discount who will benefit from this policy??? Do you feel that this is business as usual or is this a veiled attempt at a price increase???

ROSS

 

[CMWWest]

FYI -- I recently book a cruise through Costco and saved about $500 on a cabin for 2 people b/c it is a discount warehouse.

 

[marvholly]

Policy appears to be hogwash. Checked exactly the same ship/date/cabin via the web with Celebrity and 2 large on-line agencies this am. Celebrity was $730, both agencies $580. It still pays to shop.

 

[ROSS]

I beleive there is a small grace period before the new policy goes into effect.

My question is...How do you think this policy will affect cruise prices in the future??? Do you think everyone will be the same or that there will be "secret discounting"???

ROSS

 

[marvholly]

The "grace" period ended yesterday which is why I checked this am.

 

[Ma Bell]

Some of the travel agents hold cabins and deposit them. They are taking the chance that they will sell them. If they paid the deposit before the change in policy, they probably have some cabins left at a lower price.

 

[Scapel]

I think the new policy will give smaller TA more of a normal palying field in which to compete. Before the small TA never got a chance to work with the customer. Now, with the new policy the customer will have to call around to check prices. This will give the smaller TA a shot at booking the customer. There will still be the large difference in the very large travel agencies that work on volume and the smaller ones that work on service. My experience is that my large TA is delivering much better service than the smaller one.
If the Cruise market does not treat the TA properly, they will have a harder time with their market. Rennaissance would not use TA and in spite of a good product went the way of belly up.
We will have to wait and see what happens if a TA wishes to give a customer a discount on the sly.
The Cruise agency will take them out of the loop if they advertise the low prices, but will they take them out of the loop if they give rebates after the sale. The only way they will find out is if the customer brags to another TA and that TA turns them in.
We will have to wait and see.

 

[paulfredo]

I"m sorry, but purhaps I, and others, are confused. The new policy doesn't allow agents to ADVERTISE discounts. They may still discount, but they cannot print the discounted fair in their literature, on line, or otherwise.

paul

 

[fitzie39]

Seems to me that the best way to get best pricing is to continue to check prices long after you book your cruise...I check every week both by phone and all the internet postings...last time, by phone, I found a special fare that reduced our original booking fare by $500 each! I just took the name of the agent at the cruise line, had her insert the new fare in their records, advised my travel agency, and the price was reduced immediately.

 

[Barry]

Hi Paul-Here it is in plain language form rccl 's website.

"No agencies can advertise, market or sell below our published or contracted pricing programs. Any rebating or incentive programs that can be converted to cash or currency, (e.g., a $50 credit card certificate), are not permitted. Any incentives that are used to promote either of our brands, such as a department store or Home Depot gift card, must be pre-approved by either a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Sales Director."

TA's that have preferred pricing:Key accounts , National accounts,and those that hold group space will have lower fares. The days of reduced are still here...

 

[ROSS]

Thank you Barry.

Sounds to me that the smaller TAs are going to take this on the chin.

ROSS

 

[BSeabob]

on RAW pricing I think they were taking it on the chin already from big/internet/call centre types. and maybe this will help them. Maybe.

 

[Topman]

If there were truly "no more discounting" I suspect there would also be "no more cruising" for a lot of folks.

The industry has been "overbuilt" for several years and continues the trend. Discounting is the only way that some of these cabins will ever get sold. Volume sales means survival..one of those capitalistic supply and demand and "who does it the best" things. Just be glad the consumer, for once, is getting something decent out of it.

 

[ROSS]

This will be interesting to watch. I think that RCI and Carnival have created an Oligopoly. I believe that their tonnage constitutes a majority of the tonnage in American waters. Their policy is really a new form of price fixing. Many people are arguing that it is not price fixing. My arguement is that RCI and Carnivore are eliminating competition (competitive pricing) in the market place. We shall see.

ROSS

 

[dreamer]

Well I have priced a specific cruise this past week.....and I don't see a difference in price at all.
Hopefully our TA can get us a few freebies at least.
It has started folks!!!
dreamer
:wave

 

[pbk917]

I Just booked my cruise for July of 2005 earlier this morning. Yes, it was discounted quite a bit less than Celebrities site. You really have to shop around, I did for several weeks. As stated in some of the previous replies, the policy does not prevent discounting, it prevents the advertising of these discounts.

 

[Henry009]

Aren't "contracted pricing programs" the discounted cabins purchased/on consignment with the TAs?

 

[ROSS]

I believe that the "Contracted Pricing" refers to TAs that buy up blocks of cabins and then resell them. Doesn't sound like the type of thing that smaller TAs can support.

I have already heard of pricing for 2006 with 30% increases...interesting.

ROSS

 

[Brad1185]

Unfortunately the policy is very clear that there are to not be discounting off their price. The only discounting allowed is from group cruises.

We booked next year before the end of discounting went into effect. We will have to wait to see the bottom line pricing before we book with RCI again. We have booked two Princess cruises as disounting is still allowed for now. The way we look at it, no discounting no cruises. Hopefully others will follow and the cruise lines will be forced to start treating their customers with some respect. Now we are treated like dirt and are taken for granted.

 

[msteimel]

I have heard on other boards that people that were given some type of discount rate when they got to the pier they were charged for the difference or else they were not allowed to board the ship?

Is this true?