rodndonna

Google flights will indicate whether the fare is high or low based on averages for those dates. Keep in mind though, averages from the last couple of years are not really reliable anymore. https://www.google.com/travel/flights

I just got off the phone with Celebrity to request they add on the extra $50 OBC on the current promo (we just booked last week). While waiting on hold, the recording suggests that you can use Cruisingpower,com to do things like requesting refares and such. I've been to site but from what I can tell, it is purely for TA's and not individuals. Am I missing something or is the recording a little misleading?

Sounds to me like they just put it on hold for you in case you decided you wanted it in the next few days.

They have both (at least for our cruise Sept 2024)... with the "all inclusive" pricing and without. When you select a room and rates, you get a slew of rate options I just checked for our sailing with them again ... and I see XXX Special Rate with All Included..option - which has no OBC at a rate of $273 Canadian pp cheaper than the rate offering the OBC. The OBC is $200 pp US (effectively that $273 pp) We won't have any problem spending that OBC on our cruise (13 day Hawaii) so we just booked Celebrity directly this time but we considered it.

We can't name TA's, but here in Canada (since you are Canadian) we have an airline based TA (remaining nameless) that appears (at least for our cruise) to have a fare option where the price is reduced by the OBC, and then no OBC is given.

It's also why we like the Celebrity options - ours (Sept 2024) has overnights on Kona, Hilo and Maui. We end in Oahu and will spend a couple of nights there before heading back. The overnights make quite a difference allowing one day on each island for that extra time for a long day excursions and/or evening out. It was another reason we chose the one way with Celebrity over POA.

I'd be curious to read your comments or comparisons after your return. We bobbled on the fence between POA or doing a one way cruise .. we are booked on Celebrities 13 day in Sept 2024. Looking forward to sea days as it is a newer ship (Edge) and we could use those days to adjust to the time change before arriving I hope. We'll make the best of it either way though!

This is a big advantage for me, and being a poor sleeper where each new bed/location takes a couple of nights for me to adjust makes the inter island hoping thing unappealing. It is the big thing that draws me to cruising in general - it limits time spent with transiting from place to place and allows me to sleep in the same room every night. We do land holidays as well, but when we do, it's generally a single location holiday. Maybe someday if the 4 or more weeks holidays become a thing for us and our Canadian dollar rebounds to par removing that 35% currency gap (uggh), land based island land hoping would become more appealing.

Location/residence of the person taking the trip to Hawaii will have a big influence for Hawaii - all of which are not in our favour of "Eastern" Canadians 😥 Exchange rates, flight times, time zone adjustment If I was a US resident of California - I would have likely have been to Hawaii before now and multiple times. As a Canadians in the Eastern time zone, like you UK folks there is always that pull to southern Caribbean, Central America, South America , Europe .......All of which are more affordable and more accessible. I am very much looking forward to our cruise to Hawaii, but the competition for future return visits will be fierce (unless we move or the Canadian dollar comes closer to par with US)

Thanks for kicking my butt everyone ... we were looking at this cruise last week and very interested but still pondering -I just checked back in and almost all the Sunset verandahs are gone (I think there was only 1 booked first time I looked) - so yikes - We booked! We were back and forth with POA and this one, but price wise they are similar (actually I think this was less), gives us a good first crack at Hawaii, first time for multiple sea days and what I believe is a much nicer ship than POA.

We did the Alaska on the Kongingsdam in mid-June last year - was a great trip. Weather was mixed, but never really bad, and was perfect the day of Glacier Bay.

I didn't realize that so just checked a recent receipt - and indeed you are right. The gratuities were calculated AFTER the tax was added in. Not sure if that is universal or it is set by the restaurants individually , but we'll be looking a little more closely. Not a huge deal, but feels kinda misleading.... I think we can drop our 20 down to 18 where it is... which is then 20% on the dining bill.

I didn't realize that so just checked a recent receipt - and indeed you are right. The gratuities were calculated AFTER the tax was added in. Not sure if that is universal or it is set by the restaurants individually , but we'll be looking a little more closely. Not a huge deal, but feels kinda misleading.... I think we can drop our 20 down to 18 where it is... which is then 20% on the dining bill.

HAL runs promotions with "reductions" on some cruises, never at par though. Would be quite a deal if Princess had any at par.... Exclusive Canadian Rates Enjoy reduced fares up to 20% off during the Canada Super Sale. Book select cruises to Alaska, Mexico, Europe and beyond with convenient Canada and Untited States departures today.

As others have said, just cruise on the lines that implement your preferred policy, rather than shortchange the staff in an attempt to change a cruise lines policy.

Thank you all for your replies. I called into HAL this morning and was told this would not be a problem but we would need to fill out a "special deviation" form. I guess if we went to guest services at the start of the cruise (where I guess they would do that form), but we would definitely do it ahead of the cruise as well. Have not made a decision yet or booked our flights yet, but it is good to know the option is there depending on where we end up with flights.

Thanks! Really hoping to avoid it, but nice to know it's an option.

We have a cruise next fall that ends in Athens with an overnight stop in Athens. Our "preferred" flight option leaves very early (7:00) on the day we are scheduled to disembark (showing as 6:00 am disembarkation) but am wondering if we can disembark the evening prior, stay in an airport hotel and catch that flight?

Just returned Monday from a holiday - both in and out were with connections through Pearson - no issues either way. 😄

Just wanted to add that in the future when you look at bookings, you willn(may) not see that 'discount' displayed in the price shown, and have to continue through a booking and into room category to see what your casino discounted rate is (if there is one). That is the case for myself and others have mentioned that being the case also. Also will add, knowing which cruises you have a discount on and what those are, is not easily visible even to your PCC (again, at least in my case). Brut force through the booking seems to be the only method to know what my Casino discount rate is.

Bummer - thought we had a chance when I read your first reponse. On the phone on hold right now - MAYBE her supervisor can give us the extra $50 OBC - better than nothing if we get that. The price you pay planning and booking ahead I guess ... sigh .....

Worth trying. Our April cruise is down by about $800 (Canadian) - I may call and see if we can get something.....

I guess our inflation has not been as bad here, we're a looonnngg way from $7US for a dozen cheap eggs.

You could also just go through your Credit Card as a dispute against the charge. You should be able to do a simple on-line "dispute a charge" against that 6th charge, with an explanation you have 5 tickets and 6 charges. The CC company then will contact AC to validate that charge (they would then have to show 6 tickets purchased).

Similarly, I created a twitter account during Covid as a way to message Transat and Sunwing as we had holidays with each when the Covid hit. It was the easiest (only) way to communicate at that time and with very good response times.