What is your "best deal" strategy?

I don't know if we are allowed to say on this forum, but I'd appreciate someone pointing me to some of those trustworthy "big cruise discounters."

Google is your friend.

That said: if you find a "total deal" you like from some web-based "discounter," do a bit more research to find one (or more) of the "top 20" sellers of cruises for the line in which you are interested.

One call from that TA to the regional sales manager for that cruise line should be able to get you a cabin price/perks match to which the TA can then add commission sharing.

It is very much a gamble. If your schedule is fixed it is difficult to do. You also helps if you are a flexible, spontaneous traveler, and retired. Air is a challenge. Plus, it requires work. You need to be willing to work and shop the internet and this takes time.

We expect to be in the Toronto area in Sept/Oct and plan to do a vacation from there prior to returning home. Not certain at this point what we will do. We could get a great offer on a flight to Greece or Portugal, as we have done before, or cruise, or an AI. No idea. It will depend on what pops up. So when we go we will pack for a vacation TBD!

There is only rule. Demand determines price. No different than the airlines. The inventory has a predetermined shelf life. Once the ship sails the cabin inventory has zero value.

Exactly. Same with your hotel, flight, all of it. Last minute deals shine when you live by the port and/or can drive to the boat.

Of course the OTHER side of the coin with booking last minute is airfare. You may save $500.00 an a couple cruise tickets, but find that last minute airfares are $700.00 higher.

Most people's idea of "savings" really is nothing more than a point to brag about. Paying $500 for cruise, and $700 for airfare is the same in the end as $700 cruise and $500 airfare. They will tell you otherwise though.

Everyone seems to have their tried and true tricks. Some are better at it. Some lie. Some don't even really know what is going on. I'll tell you what tried and true method has worked for me. The #1 thing is being flexible with dates and going in the off-season. The thing that made me cringe the most in the OP was the June date. If that's when you want to go, then by all means. However, it is not your best deal. I can afford a spring and fall cruise for the price of a summer cruise.

I think it can be mentioned as it's not a travel agency.

I use Cruise Compete. You identify the ship and sailing date and several agencies respond with quotes. Some may have a lower price (if the line allows) some may offer onboard credit. Choose the offer that interests you the most, or none at all.

If you don’t mind last minute wait until final payment is due. Some back out then because they don’t lose money. Plus the cruiselines don’t adjust your price after final payment made. Often the price drops then just so they are sure all cabins are sold.

I know the sailing I want. It is in June 2019. But I don't know how/when to snag the best deal. What is your strategy?

Is this a "Trip of a Lifetime" cruise that you have to go on before you die or a "Trip of a Lifetime" cruise that you can't afford unless the price comes down or just one that you would like to go on but it isn't any big deal if you miss it. The answer to this question would affect your strategy.

As an example. I have always wanted to go to South Georgia. Not South Georgia and Antarctica (I have already been to Antarctica on a deal that you would not believe) but just South Georgia. Very few cruises go to just South Georgia. For anyone who has done expedition trips to this part of the world, you know that most of them cost $15,000 - $20,000 each and I just could not justify it. Also, most people book these trips a year or more in advance.

I just found and booked a 20 day trip to South Georgia leaving in November 2019 for 40% off the rack rate. I do have to share a cabin with a stranger but who cares.

There is no single strategy for all scenarios. And sometime you just get lucky.

DON

We get an understanding of what a good price is and what a very good price is. We set a target price. Could be that we set a target price on a cruise or an AI. The target price for each will be different. When our price hits on a balcony cabin or perhaps an AI we book immediately.

Last Dec I had to call DW at her coffee morning to find out if she had any plans for the following week. The following week we were at an AI sitting on the beach watching the world go by.

We never discuss what we paid to any fellow guests. There is no point in doing so.

I'm generally a last-minute booker. We've had some great deals by waiting. The problem, though, has been that sometimes we ended up staying at home when prices all went up instead of down during DH's vacation break from the college where he taught. He retired two years ago and I retired 18 months ago, which gave us more flexibility last year to fit in three great cruises--Panama Canal, British isles, and 10-day Caribbean. He's gone back to work, though, and we may only get two cruises in this year--a spring cruise to the Caribbean and next month's trans-Atlantic. For that cruise, I booked before the final payment date when Princess had a terrific offer available. The prices have gone up since I booked and since the final payment date (thankfully).

The trick, in our opinion, to scoring a last minute deals or late booking offers is that you need to be quick off the mark. You need to be in a position to book immediately. If you do not grab it someone else will. Sleeping on it until the next day seldom works. And once you have hit the buy button stop pricing. There will usually be someone who has paid more than you and someone who has paid less. You need to get over that and accept it. For cruises, our on line TA will contact the cruise line and hold the cabin/price for 4-8 hours while we finalize on air (if required). If good air has suddenly vanished in 24 hours we bail and try again.

Okay, I decided to book...9 months early. Not the "trip of a lifetime"...but with health concerns perhaps "the last" trip. So I don't want to miss the opportunity if it pans our, healthwise. Thanks for many great perspectives.

If you think you might need to cancel (or worse), now buy some trip insurance with a pre-existing conditions waiver. For most policies you have a week or two after down payment. A few will cover at final payment.

If you think you might need to cancel (or worse), now buy some trip insurance with a pre-existing conditions waiver. For most policies you have a week or two after down payment. A few will cover at final payment.

Thanks for the tip (also mentioned by someone else). The cruise insurance is pricey. I'll look around.

Getting back to last minute deals, I will admit that it is just so much fun to book those great deals. Many of our trips are planned long in advance and are also fun, but finding a last minute spectacular deal is a real "high" even at my advanced (senior) age. With a lifetime of extensive travel the last minute trips are always very special. We are now on the lookout for something in late Oct to early Nov for 1-2 weeks. Perhaps we will be on a cruise but at this time we have no clue as to which line or ship, itinerary, continent, etc. Then again, perhaps we will snag a great deal at a top all inclusive. or perhaps we will stumble on a terrific Business Class air fare to someplace in the world and just go :). I will start looking for something in late September and perhaps we find something or perhaps we stay home. That is all part of the fun. DW tells her friends about an afternoon when she was in the kitchen cooking dinner and I walked in and told her we were going on a 2 week cruise next week! Her quick response was "what kind of clothes,,,,warm weather or cold." This stuff keeps us young.

Hank

We are experiencing cabin fever. We expect to be in a position to book something after Oct. 3.

What will it be? Don't know. Looking a cruises with a land option, perhaps Europe, or an AI. It will depend on what pops up.

We will do some on line shopping prior to that date and be in a position to book something within a few days. Not certain what it will be but it will be at the intersection of our bucket list and a great last minute travel offer. No pets or plants. Just lock and go.

Getting back to last minute deals, I will admit that it is just so much fun to book those great deals. Many of our trips are planned long in advance and are also fun, but finding a last minute spectacular deal is a real "high" even at my advanced (senior) age. With a lifetime of extensive travel the last minute trips are always very special. We are now on the lookout for something in late Oct to early Nov for 1-2 weeks. Perhaps we will be on a cruise but at this time we have no clue as to which line or ship, itinerary, continent, etc. Then again, perhaps we will snag a great deal at a top all inclusive. or perhaps we will stumble on a terrific Business Class air fare to someplace in the world and just go :). I will start looking for something in late September and perhaps we find something or perhaps we stay home. That is all part of the fun. DW tells her friends about an afternoon when she was in the kitchen cooking dinner and I walked in and told her we were going on a 2 week cruise next week! Her quick response was "what kind of clothes,,,,warm weather or cold." This stuff keeps us young.

 

Hank

I love this! This is my kind of traveling, although I am a tad younger and still working. My thrill comes from planning and grabbing a deal. I have to fly to a departing port, no problem. I do all the work myself. I might consult a TA on a more unique sailing, but, man I can score a deal myself. I travel solo a lot also. So, that is factored into cabin selection. I am flexible usually which helps. Planning is as fun for me as traveling, so I definitely watch for price drops. Right now I am watching a Med cruise for this fall shoulder season that has dropped in price $1,000 no joke. It is post final payment for those already booked. I will continue to watch it. Airfare is fine. So, that doesnt worry me. I watch the airfare and cruise fare together. If I notice that the air is getting close to or going above my limit to jeopardize me getting a "great deal", I will then book the cruise. Easy peasy. Its so much fun! All cruises I booked far in advance (in the past), had price drops later. I just dalled the cruise line and we wiorked out an option for the drop. I love it!

Okay, I decided to book...9 months early. Not the "trip of a lifetime"...but with health concerns perhaps "the last" trip. So I don't want to miss the opportunity if it pans our, healthwise. Thanks for many great perspectives.

Continue to watch for price drops until final payment. Bon Voyage!

I love this! This is my kind of traveling, although I am a tad younger and still working. My thrill comes from planning and grabbing a deal. I have to fly to a departing port, no problem. I do all the work myself. I might consult a TA on a more unique sailing, but, man I can score a deal myself. I travel solo a lot also. So, that is factored into cabin selection. I am flexible usually which helps. Planning is as fun for me as traveling, so I definitely watch for price drops. Right now I am watching a Med cruise for this fall shoulder season that has dropped in price $1,000 no joke. It is post final payment for those already booked. I will continue to watch it. Airfare is fine. So, that doesnt worry me. I watch the airfare and cruise fare together. If I notice that the air is getting close to or going above my limit to jeopardize me getting a "great deal", I will then book the cruise. Easy peasy. Its so much fun! All cruises I booked far in advance (in the past), had price drops later. I just dalled the cruise line and we wiorked out an option for the drop. I love it!

You're missing a key element of saving even more money on the cruise portion of your travel: Once you've identified the best deal possible directly from the cruise line itself, "shop it around" to TAs your research has shown to be top sellers for that line who are willing to share commissions and/or are privy to rotating unpublished preferred partner (TA/cruise line) sales that both move unsold cabins and provide additional overall cabin discounts. And hopefully you are using a cross reference of ITA Matrix and an airfare "deal" service like Scott's Cheap Flights to find airfares that don't kill the ship savings.

We use ita matrix extensively. We also use google to identify discount regional carriers that sometimes do not show up on the site.

Had success doing this in Europe, Asia, and South America. We have occasionally found that booking on a domestic site in the country we are travelling to has resulted in lower costs-sometimes significantly lower. We have had this experience in Turkey, Chile, Australia, and Argentina.

You're missing a key element of saving even more money on the cruise portion of your travel: Once you've identified the best deal possible directly from the cruise line itself, "shop it around" to TAs your research has shown to be top sellers for that line who are willing to share commissions and/or are privy to rotating unpublished preferred partner (TA/cruise line) sales that both move unsold cabins and provide additional overall cabin discounts. And hopefully you are using a cross reference of ITA Matrix and an airfare "deal" service like Scott's Cheap Flights to find airfares that don't kill the ship savings.

Yes, TAs are in the equation I posted. Thx.

OP: waiting until after the "final payment due date" to look for bargains doesn't work for all cruise lines/itineraries.

For example, I recently booked a Spring 2020 multi-segment Oceania cruise in Asia and got the last balcony cabin only two weeks after the cruise was published.

All the cabins being booked shortly after cruise publication doesn't mean that cabins won't be available later because there are people who book early and then cancel before final payment dates (or before cancellation penalty dates). I've also heard that there are cases where cabins are held by a an agency for their bookings and then released if they aren't selling.

When I was monitoring my last cruise so I could get an adjustment if the price dropped, I noticed that cabin categories went in and out of call for availability status.

All the cabins being booked shortly after cruise publication doesn't mean that cabins won't be available later because there are people who book early and then cancel before final payment dates (or before cancellation penalty dates). I've also heard that there are cases where cabins are held by a an agency for their bookings and then released if they aren't selling.

 

 

 

When I was monitoring my last cruise so I could get an adjustment if the price dropped, I noticed that cabin categories went in and out of call for availability status.

Really depends on the cruise line and the itinerary. Remember that, for a longer multi-segment cruise, you're basically looking for the same cabin across multiple shorter trips. In that situation, the cabin availability after final payment date(s) on a premium/luxury line would be a rare thing.

After reading some of the posts I am not sure everyone "gets it" when it comes to finding these deals. While there are times when you might get really lucky and find exactly what you want on the cruise of your choice....the best strategy (and attitude) is to be very flexible when it comes to the cruise line, ship, cabin category/location and even itinerary. We know of a small group of cruises that traditionally have had great last minute pricing...but the past is not a guarantee of the future. Finding and booking these deals are certainly not for everyone....which is why they even have the great deals :).

Hank

One of the great things about last minute travel, including cruises, it that it can take you to places that you might not have seriously considered. One cold winter day, shortly after retiring, I was on the web and hit on an incredibly attractive flight price to Thailand. We booked, and prepared to leave in 9 days. The upshot of that is we have spent four entire winters in Thailand and SE Asia. Anywhere from 8-14 weeks at a time.

On one of those trips we got off a Sun Princess cruise from Sydney to Fijii and picked up a last minute 21 day RCI cruise to ports in Australia and NZ. Had not planned it. The price was too good to ignore. With the ten days in between we rented a car and drove through Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road.

That is why we like last minute travel offers. They take you places you might not have otherwise visited. Cruises are part of it.

I am sorry but what you say is absolutely not true! We do use your early bird strategy on some cruises (especially longerr cruises with very popular itineraries) but the last minute deals we get (almost annually) are simply amazing. I am talking about high category balcony cabins for under $60 per passenger/day! The folks that never get those deals are simply not looking in the right places or are simple inflexible about their cruise line, ship or itinerary. To prove a point we are going on a "last minute cruise" in 3 weeks that is a 14 day Repo itinerary (Europe to the USA). Not only did we get a terrific price (far cheaper then anyone who booked prior to the final payment date) but we also were able to take advantage of a fantastic deal on Business Class air to Europe. We are currently watching another cruise (10 days) that is is early November and expect to get that cruise for less then $70 per passenger day (balcony). Right now its selling for about $85 per passenger day (the price is falling like a rock) and a few weeks ago it was selling for over $120 per passenger day. But the fun of looking for last minute great deals is it might not work out. But if it doesn't come to pass there are plenty of other cruise possibilities or perhaps an All Inclusive deal...or maybe a great last minute airline deal to Europe, etc. etc. It is there for those who look. And while booking long range cruises (we have bookings out to about 2 years) is fun, the last minute deals are always a hoot.

 

On a recent HAL cruise this topic came up during an enjoyable dinner while sharing a large table. Several at the table wanted to know how to get the great deals and we mentioned the names of several high volume cruise agencies that were a great source. One of the couples immediately told us that they "did not trust" any agency and would only deal with their "PCC." They also explained that they would not cruise on any other line (other than HAL) and they were even particular as to the ship. Bottom line was that those folks will never get a good last minute deal because they are too inflexible and the best deals are never sold directly by the cruise lines. They are generally made available to a small group of higher volume agencies who quietly market the deals to those on their private e-mail lists. In many cases they are prohibited (by the cruise line) from advertising the deals on the web.

 

Hank

I have some questions about your strategy. Can I contact you directly?

I have some questions about your strategy. Can I contact you directly?

That would defeat the purpose of CC (we are big supporters) which is to discuss these issues on a public forum. This keeps most of us honest and allows others to correct our mistakes, flame if they feel its warranted, and express contrary opinions. The only reason to deal "off the boards" would be to recommend specific travel/cruise agencies and we prefer not to go down that road. But if that is your issue I will offer our usual CC comment which is to "shop around among reputable high volume cruise agencies." There are plenty of these decent agencies and shopping around will eventually help you form your own "short list" of favored agencies.

I would add that most of these agencies maintain their own private e-mail lists to which they send numerous e-mails marketing their best deals....many of which are not permitted (by the cruise lines) to be advertised on the web. We suggest registering your e-mail with at least half a dozen decent agencies which will get you access to lower cost options. If you do not want your e-mail address inundated with lots of e-mails (much of which you will ignore) you can simply establish another e-mail address for just this one purpose.

And finally I would mention my personal philosophy which is to forget the word "loyal." Don't apply it to cruise lines, cruise agencies, travel agents, etc. I once told my favorite cruise agent that my loyalty to her only extends to the last deal! If she continues to want our bookings she (and her agency) must continue to offer the best deals when compared to their competition. And as to cruise lines, some of the lines which we used to enjoy (such as RCI) are no longer on our radar. Why? Because they change and we change. What we used to love about RCI (then RCCL) no longer exists with that company. On the other hand, other lines (such as HAL) have grown in our favor because they have changed and so have we (its called aging). As long time (more then 40 years) cruisers, DW and I manage to still keep a high level of excitement for every cruise...even if we book over 100 days in a year. How? By trying new things and new lines. We will soon be taking our first MSC Cruise (in their Yacht Club) which has us both excited because it will be a completely new experience :). When Virgin Cruises gets cruising we will likely give them a try. My point is keep it new and its always an adventure.

And finally one piece of advice which does get us flamed. We see absolutely no reason to book directly with cruise lines. One should be able to save 7-10% (or more) by simply shopping around among reputable cruise agencies. We have never heard of a single argument that justifies booking direct...although we are open to the strategy of booking direct and quickly transferring the booking to a cruise agency (to get their additional amenities). But even that transfer strategy takes away some of your bargaining power with cruise agencies who really want your business.

Hank