Only Buying Excursions Through Your Cruise Line
Booking a shore excursion directly through your cruise line is easy. You just check a box on an online form before sailing or while on board, and poof its all arranged. But booking tours through your line isnt the only option, and its not always the best option. In many cases, you can save a lot of money and get a better touring experience by booking shore excursions through independent tour operators in ports or a tour booking service such as Viator or ToursByLocals.
Often, independent tours will be much more intimate than the tours offered directly through cruise lines. They might go to the same site but in a small van instead of a big motorcoach. You might have just six or eight other people on a tour with you instead of nearly 40. If your group is big enough, you might be able to book a private tour with an independent tour operator, which can be heavenly.
Pro tip: Use the excursion list from your cruise line as a guide to the possible tours and top attractions in each port. But dont book one of the official cruise line excursions until youve researched whether its just as easy to do the top attractions on your own or through an independent tour company.
Do You Have A Special Need Or Request
Staying on the topic of contacting Royal Caribbean. I want to quickly share a tip I learned from listening to Matt on the RoyalCaribbeanblog podcast. Thanks, Matt!
If you have a special need during your cruise. If you have a health issue or severe allergy, send a note to Royal Caribbean. For example, if you utilize a breathing machine and let Royal Caribbean know, they will provide you with an extension cord and distilled water at no charge.
Email [email protected] include your reservation number, cabin number, ship name sailing dates and, of course, your need. You will receive an automated response and then a complete response within 2 days . If your special need is in regards to a food allergy be sure and discuss it with the dining staff as well.
Some Ships Have Option To Pre
In the last week or so, many Royal Caribbean cruisers have reported being able to pre-book shows when visiting the Cruise Planner website.
Thus far, the option to pre-book as not appeared in the Royal Caribbean app.
RoyalCaribbeanBlog readers started to share the change on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog forums that the option has re-appeared once more.
Based on reader reports, the option is available on the Oasis Class cruise ships beginning for sailings in December 2022.
A notice on the Cruise Planner indicates the option is available for:
Wonder of the Seas isn’t on the list, but plenty of cruisers have reported being able to book shows for December sailings.
Thus far, it appears to be primarily December 2022 cruises that have the option, but it’s possible more sailings could be added later.
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A Look At The Royal Caribbean Discounts
When logging into your cruise planner, you should now see a banner that says Black Friday Up to 55% Off with a countdown timer set to expire at the end of the day on Friday. However, the banner also says Preview!, so its not clear if these deals will go away after Friday or continue through the weekend.
Having looked at the prices, wed suggest jumping on the offer in case the sale ends soon. Just some of the deals were seeing right now include
- Deluxe Beverage Package: $60.99 per day
- VOOM Surf + Stream: $13.99 per day
- Classic Soda Package: $5.99 per day
- Thrill Waterpark : $53.99
- Coco Beach Club : $98.99
- Up, Up & Away : $36.99
While there are normally discounts for booking items early, these prices are sharply lower than what we saw for the same cruise even a couple of days ago. For instance, the normal $199 entrance fee to the Coco Beach Club was discounted just 10% to $178.99 before this sale. Now it is just $98.99.
Not everything is discounted, however. For instance, it looks like spa treatments, cabanas on CocoCay and a few other things are still regularly priced. Even so, there are lots of discounts to choose from, including on those popular drink and Internet packages.
Note:Royal Caribbean sometimes has different pricing depending on your specific cruise. Your pricing may not match whats shown above.
Im Ready To Start Planning My Cruise How Can I Score The Best Deals
Whether youre looking to book a short getaway or a longer adventure to far-flung destinations, Royal Caribbean makes it easy to save big on everything from your cruise fare to special experiences onboard and onshore. The first step to making sure you get the best deals is to join the cruise lines email list. Once youve signed up, youll receive regular updates on all the latest offers, like deals by destination, kids sail free promotions and flash sales. The savings dont end when you book your cruise, though. Once youve made a reservation, youll also receive notifications about special offers for onboard experiences like discounts on beverage and specialty dining packages, shore excursions, spa services, and more via Cruise Planner.
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Have A Question About The Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner
If something is unclear you can always call or email Royal Caribbean to get clarification. Im not a phone fan but over the years Ive submitted several emails looking for clarification. In fact, I just emailed them this week looking for clarification on a particular internet package.
Here is an example question that is a bit of a hot topic. Recently, Royal Caribbean changed its policy on the alcohol package. They now specify that if one adult in a stateroom purchase the alcohol drink packages all adults over 21 in the same stateroom must also purchase the package. .
So, if your spouse drinks but you dont, contact Royal Caribbean and ask them if there are exceptions to this new rule. By the way, yes, there are many. Dont be afraid to ask a question.
Research Credit Card Perks
If you travel and cruise often, its worthwhile to have a credit card that rewards you for traveling. Some high-end credit cards have great perks and benefits that can help you accrue points.
I always book my Royal Caribbean cruises on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, for a few key reasons.
First, this card is a premium travel credit card and we receive 3x points on all travel purchases with the card. Therefore, a $1,000 purchase will earn 3,000 Ultimate Rewards. These points can be redeemed for 1.5 cents per point on the Chase website, which is worth $45. When spending thousands of dollars on cruising and airfare, this adds up quickly.
Second, the Chase Sapphire Reserve has incredible travel insurance provided for common carriers, including cruise lines. This includes travel interruptions, cancellations and delays most importantly, it covers emergency medical coverage and emergency medical evacuation coverage.
The American Express Platinum card also includes travel insurance and coverages, including emergency medical evacuation coverage. They also offer a “Cruise Privileges Program,” where you can receive certain benefits if you book a cruise that is five nights or longer through them, such as $100-$300 of onboard credit and one bottle of champagne per stateroom.
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Do You Have Onboard Credit
If you receive onboard credit from Royal Caribbean as part of your cruise purchase, it will be in your Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner almost immediately. However, we also utilize the Royal Caribbean Visa and redeem points before each cruise for the onboard credit. This credit now appears in the cruise planner but only about 14-30 days out from your sail date. As you can see in the image below, your onboard credit shows at the top of the page near the cart. If you have credit, it will ask you if you would like to utilize it towards any item you add to your cart.
Because Im so eager to plan, by the time this credit hits our planner, I have already booked our entertainment and purchased our drink packages. I use this Visa credit to book a specialty dining package and our internet package. My husband needs to be accessible because hes a business owner, and I need to keep all of you updated!
You can also pre-book excursions, purchase photo packages, trips to the spa, etc. You can plan almost anything in Royal Caribbean Cruise Plannerexcept reserve pool deck chairs. Darn it!
Heads Up You will need to check-out and pay for these purchases. Making purchases in the Cruise Planner does not go onto your onboard account for you to pay at the end of your cruise. You will get an email confirmation of your purchase. You can print that email and take it with you or print out your purchase history and take it with youjust in case.
Cruise Planners’ Michael Consoli Surpassed $20m In Sales In 2021
Anne Kalosh | Feb 07, 2022
This is especially noteworthy considering it was achieved at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, Consoli’s 2021 sales eclipsed his pre-pandemic sales.
‘If Michael Consoli can increase his sales during a global pandemic, I cant wait to see what he does when were fully out of it,’ said Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners. ‘We are constantly in awe of Michaels hard work and he consistently delivers year after year.’
Transition from live events to webinars, chasing unredeemed FCCs
Pre-pandemic, Consoli whose agency is based in Roswell, Georgia relied heavily on live events to network. But when everything shut down, he switched to webinars with vendors to keep clients engaged and abreast of the latest news. In addition, Consoli went the extra step and made a tremendous number of phone calls to clients who had credit vouchers but hadnt booked in over a year. He said he focused on products that provided safe travels and saw an uptick in river cruises, US departures and increased travel to Canada and the Caribbean.
‘Very available’ to clients
‘When people ask me what the secret sauce is, its this: I make myself very available to my clients but that means I work long hours,’ Consoli said. ‘Although demanding, I felt that during this challenging time my clients needed to know that I was there for them, no matter what.
Resumed traveling
Hand-holding on protocols
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Royal Caribbean Cruise Prices Vary Wildly
The cruise line has a variety of sales on cruise fares. They include:
- Instant Savings: This offers up to $600 off, depending upon the length of your cruise and the cabin you book .
- 30% Off Every Guest: A fairly simple offer, the savings get applied at checkout.
- Kids Sail Free: Kids means 12 and under, and the children in question must be staying in the same room as two qualifying adults.
All of those seem nice, but to know what you’re actually saving you would have had to be tracking the price for that cruise before these sales. Cruise prices vary wildly based on demand/sales for each cruise.
Any of these promotions might be a good deal, but in some cases, you’re not really saving any money. “Kids Sail Free” usually offers the best deal because in a normal case you pay the same for the third or fourth person being in a room as you did for the first two.
For an in-depth breakdown of these deals .
Available Now: Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner Sale
Royal Caribbeans newest Cruise Planner sale has begun.
Agents and customers can look forward to huge savings on a wide range of pre-cruise purchases including shore excursions, drinks packages, dining packages & internet packages.
The sale begins today, July 29, 2022 to August 3, 2022 and is valid on sailings departing from August 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023.
Discounts available are as follows:
- Beverages up to 40% off onboard prices, including drinks packages, bottled water and canned drinks
- Shore excursions up to 25% off, depending on ship
- Internet packages up to 50% off depending on ship
- Dining up to 50% off depending on ship
- Gifts, gear and decorations up to 20% off
- Casitas up to 20% off
- Spa packages up to 30% off, depending on ship
Cruise Planner lets travellers secure reservations and purchase packages in advance before setting sail to score the best savings.
For more information on the offer, simply log on to the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbeans website.
Travel Agents Click the banner below to visit My Club Royal to book the offer for your customers or to find out more!
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Royal Caribbean’s Black Friday Sale: A Cruise Pro Shares 3 Tips
The cruise line offers deals on cruises and a separate ‘cruise planner’ sale for purchases for your cruise like beverage packages and internet.
Cruise lines make getting the best price on your cruise a challenge. Prices vary and while booking early often brings you the best deal, that’s not always true. Sales can offer better prices and promotions like “kids sail free” or “half-off the second passenger” can make a big difference .
To further confuse things, Royal Caribbean – Get Free Report offers what it calls the “Best Price Guarantee.” That gives you some protection, but you won’t get a refund. The cruise line shared the details on its website.
Our Best Price Guarantee lets you take advantage of a better price within 48 hours from the time you booked just give us a call or online form. Youll receive the difference as a non-refundable onboard credit inside final payment or rate adjustment outside final payment.
So, if prices drop, you won’t exactly lose the money and onboard credit can be used for drink packages, specialty dining, internet, onboard purchases, and more, but you won’t get your cash back. And, the cruise line won’t automatically give you the lower price. You need to track it and ask for it .
Royal Caribbean further complicates things by also using variable pricing for “Cruise Planner,” purchases. That’s things like drink packages, specialty dining, internet, and excursions that you generally book before you cruise.
If only it was that simple.
Black Friday Sales Across Cruise Lines
This sale on onboard items from Royal Caribbean comes as all cruise lines roll out special Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. For instance, Royal is offering a Thanksgiving Sale with up to $550 off cruises and 30% off all guests.
Other lines are offering similar discounts, onboard credit, and perks like drink package, wi-fi, and tips included. As cruise lines look to make 2022 the year that the industry returns to normal, starting off with strong holiday deals is one way to entice passengers to book now in preparation.
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Not Using Points To Get To Your Cruise
Using points and miles to pay for a cruise doesnt always make sense, as it often requires a huge number of them to secure a cabin. But that doesnt mean you cant save big time by booking your flights to and from a ship using points and miles.
Youll find plenty of stories here at The Points Guy about how to, say, pay the equivalent of $1,330 in points for a flight that cost $16,000, or book a $27,000 around-the-world trip for just $168 in out-of-pocket costs. Scroll around a little, and you may never pay cash for a flight to a cruise ship again.
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Your Friend The Cruise Compass
A Cruise Compass is a schedule of whats happening on each day of the sailing- activities, shows and special events. As per my understanding, physical Cruise Compasses are no longer left in staterooms every night, but you can still request them from guest services. Do it it makes planning that much easier.
Heres a copy of my Cruise Compass from a March 2021 sailing.
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Not Buying A Drinks Package
If youre a big drinker, by contrast, a drinks package can be a money-saver again, depending on what type of drink you prefer. Drinks packages can make sense for wine drinkers, in particular, as the cost of wine by the glass on cruise ships often is high. To continue with the Carnival comparison: Wines by the glass on the lines ships range from around $8 to $14. At the higher end of that spectrum, youd have to order just five glasses a day for the package to start paying off.
Note that, in addition to alcoholic drinks, passengers purchasing a drinks package typically also have access to an unlimited number of nonalcoholic beverages such as specialty coffees and sodas that normally come with an extra charge. The packages thus can be a good value to vacationers who are fond of ordering a high number of lattes, Cokes and other nonalcoholic beverages during the day in addition to alcoholic drinks.
To use the Carnival example again, someone who orders two or three lattes in the morning, several sodas during the day and three or four glasses of premium wine in the evening would come out ahead by buying a drinks package.
Pro tip: Some lines will offer discounts on their drinks packages in advance of sailing. Royal Caribbean, for instance, is known for doing this. At Royal Caribbean, the deals will appear in the My Cruises section of the lines website .
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