Cunard cruise pricing

I am looking to go on two Cunard cruises.One in November and one in February next year.I have checked with two travel companies and in both cases their prices are cheaper than booking direct with Cunard.I presume these travel companies are making a profit on the prices they are charging and receiving a commision from Cunard so where is the logic in Cunard in Cunard being more expensive??.....am I missing something or do Cunard not want bookings direct with them.

I am looking to go on two Cunard cruises.One in November and one in February next year.I have checked with two travel companies and in both cases their prices are cheaper than booking direct with Cunard.I presume these travel companies are making a profit on the prices they are charging and receiving a commision from Cunard so where is the logic in Cunard in Cunard being more expensive??.....am I missing something or do Cunard not want bookings direct with them.

I only say this because when I've checked internet v "shop" prices (not just cruises, but several other major items), the deals haven't been quite the same.

Sometimes the internet has been better for what was included, sometimes the "shop" deal was, in fact, far superior.

I like dealing with "real" people who seem to have, quite often, more flexiblity with price and added "extras".

But just occasionally they simply can't beat the "standard" extras that come with dealing with a company direct by 'phone or internet (flights, parking, OBC, cabin upgrades, free travel to the terminal, that sort of thing).

(Not sure where you are based, but in the UK I'd want to be sure that the TA is fully covered in case they go bust for example ("bonded" with ABTA and ATOL I believe it is called). Some cut-price TAs are not I understand. Only this week a TA went bust in the UK and left people stranded having to pay their own hotel bills and pay for their own flights home. They were not "bonded" with ABTA and ATOL I understand, having dropped out three years ago to save money and offer even better deals... )

So, if it were me, and I am sure you have, I'd want to know exactly what was, and was not included in each deal, or make certain they are identical. Then make up my mind.

Whatever you do, have a great time :)

I recently purchased a Cunard cruise from an online agency and received a decent OBC which Cunard didn't offer. The prices Cunard had were identical to the online agency. I made my booking with the agency to get the OBC. The cabins in the category were all GUAR so it didn't really matter.

Sometimes online agencies will receive volume discounts from a particular line which they can pass along to their customers. If a particular cruise is not selling quickly a cruise line may provide incentives to the agencies.

I am looking to go on two Cunard cruises.One in November and one in February next year.I have checked with two travel companies and in both cases their prices are cheaper than booking direct with Cunard.I presume these travel companies are making a profit on the prices they are charging and receiving a commision from Cunard so where is the logic in Cunard in Cunard being more expensive??.....am I missing something or do Cunard not want bookings direct with them.

I've often wondered this as well. You can find some online agents with lower prices than Cunard on the Deals tab at the top of this page. ^^^

The saving is not particularly great. I think someone mentioned a few weeks ago it was 2% with one agent and 5% with another. They are well known agents with full ABTA cover.

Having said that, I booked both of my 2016 cruises directly on the Cunard webpage. But for 2017, I'll most likely be using one of those online agents which I have successfully used before.

"I've often wondered this as well. You can find some online agents with lower prices than Cunard on the Deals tab at the top of this page. ^^^

The saving is not particularly great. I think someone mentioned a few weeks ago it was 2% with one agent and 5% with another. They are well known agents with full ABTA cover."

Thanks for the reply.......my problem is that if you look on a review site such as Trip Advisor then reviews are not favourable for the two agents that appear to give the best discount. I know ABTA gives some guarantee but it appears the companies administration can cause problems.I suppose to offer the best prices they have to cut corners somewhere.

"I've often wondered this as well. You can find some online agents with lower prices than Cunard on the Deals tab at the top of this page. ^^^

The saving is not particularly great. I think someone mentioned a few weeks ago it was 2% with one agent and 5% with another. They are well known agents with full ABTA cover."

 

Thanks for the reply.......my problem is that if you look on a review site such as Trip Advisor then reviews are not favourable for the two agents that appear to give the best discount. I know ABTA gives some guarantee but it appears the companies administration can cause problems. I suppose to offer the best prices they have to cut corners somewhere.

Bingo. You're right in that sometimes the displayed price might not include some other charges in order to make it look more attractive. It's best to read the fine print whenever committing to spending a lot of money. Nothing in life is free - it's either paid for or it's not provided.

Once you see an agreeable price book it and don't look back. If you wait for a deal that never happens you could watch the fare go up or the ship sells out.

I am in the US and have watched fall Transatlantic fares for almost the last 10 years. A few observations:

1. In the US we can cancel up to 90 days in advance of a voyage without penalty of any kind. I seem to see a drop in prices in the few weeks both before and after that time. I assume that the algorithm that Cunard uses for pricing sees Americans cancel and lowers the price in response.

2. If blocks of cabins are held by outside tour / travel groups and they don't sell, those cabins are released usually 60 days in advance which is another chance for a lowering of prices.

3. At about 30 days out things seem to settle into a state of much higher or much lower prices simply because of the rate of occupancy on the ship.

A related topic: Booking price direct with Cunard / on line / or travel agent? Heaven only knows on this one. Example: In the last couple of weeks I have seen web sites and Cunard (which is higher) vary by 20%. A travel agent called Cunard and got the lower price plus $100 OBC.

To sum up:

I suggest booking anytime before the 90 day cutoff; knowing that you can jump out without any problems (US only?). Also, watch pricing from about 110 days out and follow them up to when you make a decision. Check the Cunard web site, other travel web sites, and call your travel agent if you want the best chance at a low price. Is it worth the effort? -- it's your call.

I book with a well known UK TA, and have a personal contact (ex Celebrity UK), who is also an experienced cruiser. She has always looked after me well. Although I could have booked our forthcoming cruise at at least one online TA for £100 less, I booked with her for peace of mind, and knowing she will look after my booking and sort any problems. I paid the Cunard price, got the full perks, no hidden extra's, that's it!

I am in the US and have watched fall Transatlantic fares for almost the last 10 years. A few observations:

 

1. In the US we can cancel up to 90 days in advance of a voyage without penalty of any kind. I seem to see a drop in prices in the few weeks both before and after that time. I assume that the algorithm that Cunard uses for pricing sees Americans cancel and lowers the price in response.

 

2. If blocks of cabins are held by outside tour / travel groups and they don't sell, those cabins are released usually 60 days in advance which is another chance for a lowering of prices.

 

3. At about 30 days out things seem to settle into a state of much higher or much lower prices simply because of the rate of occupancy on the ship.

 

A related topic: Booking price direct with Cunard / on line / or travel agent? Heaven only knows on this one. Example: In the last couple of weeks I have seen web sites and Cunard (which is higher) vary by 20%. A travel agent called Cunard and got the lower price plus $100 OBC.

 

To sum up:

 

I suggest booking anytime before the 90 day cutoff; knowing that you can jump out without any problems (US only?). Also, watch pricing from about 110 days out and follow them up to when you make a decision. Check the Cunard web site, other travel web sites, and call your travel agent if you want the best chance at a low price. Is it worth the effort? -- it's your call.

It is time that Cunard reviewed their booking terms for USA passengers. Your suggestion that people should just book a cruise and can cancel without penalty is selfish. It restricts availabilty for other people who genuinely want to book, and especially on a popular itinerary. It is one of the reasons that cruise lines are offering more and more cabins on a guarantee basis only, as they know that cancellations are likely, making cabin allocation more complicated. In the UK the deposit is never refundable and that is the way it should be for everyone to stop customers making multiple booking when an itinerary is released, with no intention of taking up every booking.

Bedruthen,

Considering the policy that Cunard uses for cancellation prior to final payment is the same as that of all the other lines I have used, it is possible that there is a a legal reason for this. I have tried searching for the explanation and cannot find one, but US consumer law is different to that of the UK.

I have a Guarantee A1 Balcony on QE for 2018 World cruise. I booked in June of this year. Although there was an A2 available I chose to wait until the bookings open up closer to the actual sailing to find out my cabin allocation.

It is time that Cunard reviewed their booking terms for USA passengers. Your suggestion that people should just book a cruise and can cancel without penalty is selfish. It restricts availabilty for other people who genuinely want to book, and especially on a popular itinerary. It is one of the reasons that cruise lines are offering more and more cabins on a guarantee basis only, as they know that cancellations are likely, making cabin allocation more complicated. In the UK the deposit is never refundable and that is the way it should be for everyone to stop customers making multiple booking when an itinerary is released, with no intention of taking up every booking.

Cunard should make a rule change because as it stands now it is unfair to UK and other countries. The airlines do not have a "no penalty" refund policy, why should booking a cruise be different?

That being said and until the rules are changed, I play the cards I am dealt