{"id":3045,"date":"2017-03-12T10:00:22","date_gmt":"2017-03-11T23:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.stillaslife.com\/?p=3045"},"modified":"2017-03-07T16:54:34","modified_gmt":"2017-03-07T05:54:34","slug":"9-reasons-to-book-your-next-cruise-onboard-with-royal-caribbean-from-an-australian-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stillaslife.com\/9-reasons-to-book-your-next-cruise-onboard-with-royal-caribbean-from-an-australian-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Reasons to Book Your Next Cruise Onboard with Royal Caribbean – From an Australian Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Just before I start this post, I want to make it clear this is not a paid post. I get absolutely nothing from Royal Caribbean<\/a> whatsoever. The opinions in this blog are my\u00a0own,\u00a0from my experience, and the reasons I’ve listed are current as at the time of writing. I can’t guarantee they will always stay the same so you should always do your research. If you find this helpful, though, I’d appreciate it if you share it with anyone else you know who is thinking about booking their next cruise onboard a Royal Caribbean<\/a> ship.<\/p>\n

I know a lot of people are sceptical about booking another cruise on board a cruise ship, and rightly so. We were sceptical as well, even after deciding to give it a try, the first cruise we booked on board seemed like it was more expensive than the deal that was running when we got off the ship. After some further research and calls with Royal Caribbean<\/a>, I finally figured it out. The deal you get by booking on board is always better UNLESS<\/em> you can get a deal on a last-minute sailing, but even then if you book a last-minute sailing on board, it will still be a better deal than booking it off the ship. Sometimes there won’t be much in the price, but the deal will still be better value. Here’s why:<\/p>\n

\"Voyager<\/a>
Voyager of the Seas<\/a> at Sydney<\/a>’s Circular Quay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. The best price guaranteed<\/h3>\n

The price is guaranteed to be the best and at least 30% off per person compared to full brochure rates. It’s true that there are sales that work out this good all the time off the ship, but that’s where the other aspects of the onboard deal come in to make it the best value. The regular Best Price Guarantee also applies. As per\u00a0Royal Caribbean’s FAQ<\/a>,\u00a0if you find a cheaper rate within 48 hours after your booking you can get 110% of the difference in onboard credit.<\/p>\n

2. Price match guarantee<\/h3>\n

The price match guarantee is confusing because it overlaps with the best price guarantee. What it means, though, is that if you do see your cruise come up cheaper, Royal Caribbean<\/a> will discount your booking to match it until the final payment date or give you a cabin upgrade if that works out to be a similar price to what you booked. This policy is not NextCruise exclusive. It does apply to your bookings in general. You can use it with NextCruise as well, though, so it is a benefit. I’ve never actually encountered a lower price come up, so I don’t know if they honour this or not. I’ve read conflicting reports on the internet, but many of the issues seem to be related to different terms in different promotions. I can only assume they do honour this. \u00a0For more information on price adjustments, Royal Caribbean’s blog<\/a> does a good job of explaining it.<\/p>\n

3. Reduced deposits<\/h3>\n
\"Radiance<\/a>
Radiance of the Seas<\/a> in Juneau, Alaska<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reduced deposits make it easier to lock in a cruise while you plan everything else out. Normally, when booking on the Australian Royal Caribbean<\/a> website, cruise deposits are $400pp, but when you book your next cruise onboard, they reduce your deposit. Onboard, deposits start as low as USD$50 per stateroom (for a 5-7 night cruise in an interior room) and go up to USD$500 per stateroom (for a 15+ night cruise in a Grand Suite and above). Now that is per stateroom, not per person. So that significantly reduces the upfront cost to you, letting you keep that extra money in your savings account earning interest for longer. As per the current NextCruise pricing, the reduced deposits you can expect to pay (in USD) are:<\/p>\n