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Cruise prices


Sailorsallie
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Hello,

 

 

My husband and I will be cruising for the first time in September with my sister and her husband. My sister won a cruise for two with RC and we wanted to join her and spend quality family time together. My question is will the price of the cruise decrease at all between now and September? Also, will the drink package prices go lower as the cruise approaches? When is the best time to book an excursion to get the best price. I don't like paying full price for something if I don't have to. Any information the community could provide would be appreciated.

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Hello,

 

 

My husband and I will be cruising for the first time in September with my sister and her husband. My sister won a cruise for two with RC and we wanted to join her and spend quality family time together. My question is will the price of the cruise decrease at all between now and September? Also, will the drink package prices go lower as the cruise approaches? When is the best time to book an excursion to get the best price. I don't like paying full price for something if I don't have to. Any information the community could provide would be appreciated.

Prices (both cruise and drink package) are unpredictable.

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Absolutely no one can predict what the cruise prices will do. However, most cruise lines will refare you to a lower fare if the price goes down prior to final booking.

 

Excursion and drink prices don't usually change. In fact, the only time I have heard those change is when the price goes up as they adjust pricing.

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Our cruise price dropped the other day by $160. Not huge money but better in my pocket than theirs'. We have not yet paid the final balance. Contacted our big box store travel agent who contacted the cruise line and they reduced it by $500!! Not sure why but I won't argue.Very easy process

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Most cruise lines will honor a price drop if it comes before final payment is due. You are better off booking now any watching for a drop. If it drops just call and say you want the better price.

 

If she has already paid-in-full, the cost difference will be granted as On Board Credit, which can be used to pay for drinks, specialty dining, or her daily gratuities (and more!). If she hasn't paid in full at that point, they will adjust the price.

 

I wouldn't risk waiting in case the price goes up or sells out. The best option for a much lower price is booking a "guarantee" room, but then she could get put anywhere on the ship, and you're probably prefer she be in a cabin near yours.

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I booked in January 2018 cruising as a single in an inside cabin leaving Venice in September 2018 and the price today is $1200 more than what I booked at!! I think you should book and continually check the prices as stated above.

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If she has already paid-in-full, the cost difference will be granted as On Board Credit, which can be used to pay for drinks, specialty dining, or her daily gratuities (and more!). If she hasn't paid in full at that point, they will adjust the price.

 

Royal Caribbean will typically do NOTHING if the price drops after final payment.

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you want to go on the cruise, book it. Now. If the price goes up, you are ahead. If the price goes down, ask Royal for a price adjustment. If the price goes down after Final Payment date, ho hum. You are on the cruise with your sister at a price you could afford.

On the other hand, if you want to get the best deal, wait until a week or two before embarkation. If there any cabins left, you might get a deal! If not, maybe you can arrange to wave goodby the your sister as they sail away...

So, is the Best Deal highest priority to you? Or a trip with Quality Time with your sister?

My own recent experience is that on one of my future cruises the price has come down about 40% since I booked a year ago. On another future cruise I booked about the same time, the price has gone up about 40%.

God luck and enjoy the family trip!

Stan

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Most cruise lines will honor a price drop if it comes before final payment is due. You are better off booking now any watching for a drop. If it drops just call and say you want the better price.

 

If she has already paid-in-full, the cost difference will be granted as On Board Credit, which can be used to pay for drinks, specialty dining, or her daily gratuities (and more!). If she hasn't paid in full at that point, they will adjust the price.

 

I wouldn't risk waiting in case the price goes up or sells out. The best option for a much lower price is booking a "guarantee" room, but then she could get put anywhere on the ship, and you're probably prefer she be in a cabin near yours.

 

Who is the 'she' you are referring to? The sister & husband have a free cruise. The OP & her husband want to PAY for the same cruise.

 

I (and I'm sure MANY on CC) do NOT recommend getting a guarantee cabin. There are some recent threads here about how unhappy people are with their assigned guarantee cabins. One poster has recently written that on their honeymoon cruise, they have been assigned a cabin with 2 FIXED twin beds. So, NO putting them together for a queen sized bed. And cruise line is doing NOTHING to help them with this. So be very wary of guarantee cabins.

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I (and I'm sure MANY on CC) do NOT recommend getting a guarantee cabin. There are some recent threads here about how unhappy people are with their assigned guarantee cabins.

As already stated, the longer you wait, the fewer cabins are left to choose from. The problem here is novice cruisers have no idea just by reading what is OK vs excellent. Cabin placement by 20 feet can mean $100 difference.

Anyone booking by guarantee has no footing to make a complaint. You pick the LOWEST possible category you would accept at a lower price GAMBLING you will get a free upgrade. Should you get NOTHING more than what you booked, to bad.

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Anyone booking by guarantee has no footing to make a complaint. You pick the LOWEST possible category you would accept at a lower price GAMBLING you will get a free upgrade. Should you get NOTHING more than what you booked, to bad.

 

This.

 

If you book a guarantee (sounds like an inside) for a honeymoon, REALLY?

 

With a guarantee, always assume you will get the worst cabin in the category. And if you will not be happy with this, then don't book the guarantee, or book a higher class guarantee.

 

How much you willing to bet that some "friend" of the honeymoon couple told them, "book the guarantee inside, you are SURE to get a suite."

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This.

 

If you book a guarantee (sounds like an inside) for a honeymoon, REALLY?

 

With a guarantee, always assume you will get the worst cabin in the category. And if you will not be happy with this, then don't book the guarantee, or book a higher class guarantee.

 

How much you willing to bet that some "friend" of the honeymoon couple told them, "book the guarantee inside, you are SURE to get a suite."

 

It's not me, I have NEVER opted for a guarantee cabin, so please don't yell at me. But the thread was by a first time cruiser. They used a TA and it was made clear that their balcony cabin MUST have a cabin with a queen. I and others feel the TA goofed BIG TIME for the couple. But their being newbies, they had NO idea that a guarantee balcony cabin would/could have 2 FIXED twins and NO way to make a queen bed.

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