When do you book a TA?

Some of the last minute fares on TAs are very appealing, and we can get a pretty good value for flights to Europe from JFK with about one month's notice, so we are thinking about taking advantage of one for fall 2019.

Do you book your TA way in advance and look for sales? Or have you been happy with your last minute cabin? If we do a last minute fare, what pitfalls should we avoid? I do understand we won't have much choice of cabin, if any.

The ones that have caught my eye are all over the board, from Pacific Princess (small) to QM2 (ocean liner) to Royal's NOS (big).

Some of the last minute fares on TAs are very appealing, and we can get a pretty good value for flights to Europe from JFK with about one month's notice, so we are thinking about taking advantage of one for fall 2019.

 

Do you book your TA way in advance and look for sales? Or have you been happy with your last minute cabin? If we do a last minute fare, what pitfalls should we avoid? I do understand we won't have much choice of cabin, if any.

 

The ones that have caught my eye are all over the board, from Pacific Princess (small) to QM2 (ocean liner) to Royal's NOS (big).

We book our cruises (TA or otherwise) when the price is right. Sometimes that means as soon as they open the bookings, sometimes later.

I always use a travel agent for any booking that I make. Pricing is good with additional perks offered by the agency, including their discount. Plus, the service they provide: I need help in printing the boarding pass and luggage tags? They can do that and send them to me. Do I need to add Shareholder Credit to my booking? Yes, they can do that when I send them the proper documentation. Do they have hard copies of a cruise line's brochure that I cannot obtain on-line without downloading and printing them? Yes, if such are available. If problems arise with my booking or I need further advice, I have an experienced agent that can assist me. Trying to make air reservations on my own, I am on hold often for who knows how long? My Agent can handle the situation better than I can. It's less stressful for me!

What does this help cost me? Zero $$. Why not take advantage of a travel agent's service?

Perhaps I should clarify that TA = transatlantic. I now realize that in context it could also mean TripAdvisor or travel agent.

We could save at least 65% by booking on a popular website vs. using our usual travel agent. For us that would mean a longer cruise in a better cabin class. None of the cabin classes I have my eye on are even shown as available on the cruiseline's websites at even close to the prices I'm seeing.

Some of the last minute fares on TAs are very appealing, and we can get a pretty good value for flights to Europe from JFK with about one month's notice, so we are thinking about taking advantage of one for fall 2019.

 

Do you book your TA way in advance and look for sales? Or have you been happy with your last minute cabin? If we do a last minute fare, what pitfalls should we avoid? I do understand we won't have much choice of cabin, if any.

 

The ones that have caught my eye are all over the board, from Pacific Princess (small) to QM2 (ocean liner) to Royal's NOS (big).

We book a suite and those go very fast, so we book as soon as the itinerary becomes available.

We usually book when released and then keep checking for price drops. Cabin location is a priority for us. Also check your cruise lines airfares. Lax to Barcelona or Southampton is usually under $300.00 pp. JFK should be in the under $225.00 range for economy.

I booked the RCI cruise in my signature in April 2017 -- when I found it, and I got the only Panoramic Ocean View left at that time! This cabin was appealing enough it got me to try a new cruiseline.

We booked the other-direction TA also in my signature in August or early September after returning from an Alaskan cruise (both HAL). I may have 'found' the sailing in the Future Cruises book picked up on the ship! The cabins were fairly picked over, but I was finally happy with a new location and type cabin to give a try!

Because our T/A’s are our ways of getting home after a few weeks in Europe, we book them in advance (when price seems right) as part of overall plan. We find that the cruise-air offered by most lines is the best way to get a reasonably priced flight over, we book that simultaneously with the T/A- and pick the flight/seats at that time. Sadly, the really great prices seem to be a thing of the past as more and more people have caught on.

Thank you everyone for your replies. We have always been very specific as to itinerary and cabin because we only get to take one big trip per year and we make it count. A year from now, however, we are going to have more flexible schedules and are looking forward to traveling more often. So, we are still hoping to do one big trip per year but hopefully add to that a couple more affordable options also, which means experimenting with different lines and the guaranteed cabin option for last minute bargains. Because we live in NY, anything less than $100pp/night is a bargain to us, and I think we could forego a balcony on a cool weather cruise very easily. We shall see!

We tend to book inside the final payment window. We did this while traveling in Europe and had not made any return plans. We we extended land trips and tend to be pragmatic travelers. Not unusual for us to book and be on a cruise within a month or even a week of booking.

But, we are not that particular about cruise line or cabin location as long as we can snag a verandah cabin. The particular ship is more important to us than the logo on the funnel.

We get pricing from TA's on both sides of the trip. Sometimes there can be a substantial price difference.

Since I prefer my cabins to be within certain areas of a cruise ship and I prefer to choose my specific cabin rather then letting the cruiseline assign it, I book as soon as I find a price I am willing to live with, in case the fares don't get reduced between then and the final payment date. Then I monitor the pricing several times a week, watching for promos and/or reductions. I do my own bookings directly with Princess, and if there are better fares found, all I have to do is pick up the phone and call them and request to be re-fared at the better pricing. As long as it is prior to final payment, Princess has never declined to do that for me.

There are a few different issues.  If you are going to be choosy about your particular cabin the book early and pay whatever it costs.  But, if you are not so picky about your particular cabin location (or category) then an entire world opens up to those who play :).   When it comes to booking any cruise there are some good strategies.  With most cruise lines, if you book early you do have the ability to "reprice" your booking at a lower price (if they offer a lower price) up until the point of the final payment.  So even if you book early, if you notice a major price drop you can simply ask your cruise agent (or the cruise line) to change your booking to the current price.  But once you get inside the final payment period all the rules change.  At that point, most folks are locked into what they have paid (they can try and fight for an upgrade or even an OBC if the price drops).  

So, when it comes to TAs it depends on whether you are flexible and a gambler.  If so, you can wait until about 3-4 weeks before the cruise and hope for some kind of last minute bargain.  At that point you book...but also have to deal with the airline situation.    For most TAs we prefer to book earlier and carefully monitor price changes.  This allows us to take advantage of better airline deals (sometimes through the cruise line).  

Last minute bookings can be a lot of fun for those of us who like to play the game.  Just today we booked a 10 day cruise that embarks on Nov 1!  Why?  Because we waited for the right price, which is probably about half what many others are paying who booked early.  This particular cruise is a repositioning cruise (not a TA) and we were also able to grab a good airline deal (which we had spotted just before we booked the cruise.  Not everyone can do what we did because they do not have the flexibility to get away when they please.  And in our case, we really did not care whether we did this cruise and only thought about booking the trip if the price dropped below a certain level.  But when you play the last minute game you must be willing to walk away, or perhaps snag another deal on a different cruise or trip.

Hank

I booked our TA cruise that we took last month in April. It was earlier than I had planned to book a September cruise, but Princess had a great deal on some cabin categories and included prepaid gratuities. The price did not go down after the final payment date, and the prepaid gratuities offer ended. We also got great airfare through Princess.

Hlitner/Hank's thinking is like mine, but a trip to Europe is really special to us and we go every other year and spend an additional two weeks. There is a lot of planning and research for a trip like this, so all of our trips have been booked within a month or two of their listing. I am extremely frugal and book inside or OV rooms because I like to use my $ for travel inside Europe. Our next European trip is to the Holy Land by cruise ship and that was booked about 16 months out! I wish I felt so well traveled that I could book within 30 days, but I am one who loves the research and anticipation.

Markanddonna, you are going to love Jerusalem. It's a very special place. If you are into history, Masada is also a great place to see.

We have historically been very picky as to itinerary, ship, and cabin; planned the heck of out everything; and focused on our bucket list of far flung places to go while we are still able to be very active travelers. Going forward, as Hank says we'd like to try the gamble and go for a last minute fare. We may like it, we may not, but if we don't spend a whole lot we're willing to experiment a little bit. I can't imagine much can go wrong with, say, a few days in London and a TA that takes us back to our doorstep. The only rule I have is no inside cabins.

I also have my eye on a dirt cheap repo cruise (for the same reasons) that I hope is a good bargain again next year when I'm semi-retired.

We are lucky as to airfare because we have several airports to choose from, and some routes (like JFK to London) are milk runs with lots of capacity.

On 10/7/2018 at 6:04 PM, MJC said:

Perhaps I should clarify that TA = transatlantic. I now realize that in context it could also mean TripAdvisor or travel agent.

Thanks for clarifying.  Many of us use TATL to abbreviate transatlantic, because it removes the ambiguity.

The per diem on most TA's is a pretty good deal, even when initially announced.  On all TA's or European cruises we've done the air offered by the cruise line has always been a better price than anything we could find on our own.  Because of our proximity to JFK we usually are on a non-stop to Europe but even if not....a savings of over $400 is worth a couple of hour layover somewhere. 

On 10/8/2018 at 4:23 PM, iancal said:

We tend to book inside the final payment window. We did this while traveling in Europe and had not made any return plans. We we extended land trips and tend to be pragmatic travelers. Not unusual for us to book and be on a cruise within a month or even a week of booking.

 

 

I've been watching the prices for this fall to get a handle on trends, and definitely see the lowest price is after final payment. I watched our Mexican Riviera cruise pricing for a year before we booked to get the best deal on the cabin we wanted.

I like the idea of Europe in the late fall when the high tourist season is over....

I only travel on repo cruises and all except the last one were booked inside final payment window.  Even got a private sale offer from HAL for a great cabin on a TATL 1/6th off the best price (+ OBC) for the cabin then.  I'd advise dong the same if you're not set on a particular sailing.

Last cruise was a TPAC on Celebrity that I booked 6-7 months ahead.  Price went up from there ($40 pp pd inc taxes/fees is hard to beat) and the cruise even sold out.   Celebrity priced the cruise higher this year and cabins were still available at the last minute.

There are some cruises on the small French luxury line that are being sold very cheap on that cruise clearance site.

On 10/7/2018 at 6:09 PM, MJC said:

Some of the last minute fares on TAs are very appealing, and we can get a pretty good value for flights to Europe from JFK with about one month's notice, so we are thinking about taking advantage of one for fall 2019.

 

Do you book your TA way in advance and look for sales? Or have you been happy with your last minute cabin? If we do a last minute fare, what pitfalls should we avoid? I do understand we won't have much choice of cabin, if any.

 

The ones that have caught my eye are all over the board, from Pacific Princess (small) to QM2 (ocean liner) to Royal's NOS (big).

It depends.

The things I consider when looking at transatlantics or other repositioning cruises:

1. What time of year? Early fall or late fall? Early spring or late spring? Weather conditions?

2. Start point. End point. Are these places I would like to spend extra time? Our first TA was from Southampton to San Juan. Great! Visited friends and relatives pre-cruise, spent some quality time in San Juan post-cruise. Our most recent was Civitavecchia to Lauderdale. Good time in Florence for a few days before heading to the port. Easy to get out of South Florida quickly post-cruise.

3. Cruise line. Available lectures, games, whatever, which will amuse us and keep us from boredom on multiple sea days? Not a big issue for us, we can find plenty to amuse ourselves, but some will go stir crazy.

4. Cabin availability? We like to pick our own. Particularly on longer trips. 

5. Price?

There is a site that keeps a list of Transatlantics. You could look there for possibilities. See how they might fit your priorities similar to above.

I have adopted the strategy of booking almost as soon as a desired itinerary is announced. I then watch the price, get my fare adjusted down if/when the price drops. If I had a bit more flexibility I wouldn’t mind a last minute booking either. Biggest downer might be the higher air fares with a late booking.

I sometimes read horror stories about cruises being ruined (and maybe lives being ruined forever!) because of a cabin issue. Too hot, too cold, too noisy, no good shows on TV, bed too hard, bed too soft, whatever. I like to choose, but I’ve booked “guarantees” as well. You are on a cruise. People waiting on you hand and foot. Plenty of good food, drinks. Interesting other people around you. The ever changing ocean as far as you can see. Brilliant stars at night. How can one not be happy no matter how bad the room is?

Stan

Thank you GottaKnowWhen for such a detailed response and giving me more to think about. After doing some reading, I think a fall cruise sounds best. 🙂   It would be preferable to end up in NY,  but that's not a deal breaker since flights to here from Florida are so reasonable.

Things we'd be looking for:

a good gym and/or fitness classes

interesting lectures/classes

a nightclub to go dancing after dinner

a loveseat or sofa in the cabin (would forego a balcony for another place to sit)

a good selection of movies

Bonus items we'd like but could live without:

covered pool

formal night(s)

balcony

We'd probably wear ourselves out sightseeing for a few days before the cruise, and then enjoy the downtime at sea.

12 hours ago, MJC said:

Thank you GottaKnowWhen for such a detailed response and giving me more to think about. After doing some reading, I think a fall cruise sounds best. 🙂   It would be preferable to end up in NY,  but that's not a deal breaker since flights to here from Florida are so reasonable.

 

Things we'd be looking for:

a good gym and/or fitness classes

interesting lectures/classes

a nightclub to go dancing after dinner

a loveseat or sofa in the cabin (would forego a balcony for another place to sit)

a good selection of movies

 

Bonus items we'd like but could live without:

covered pool

formal night(s)

balcony

 

We'd probably wear ourselves out sightseeing for a few days before the cruise, and then enjoy the downtime at sea.

You have described a crossing on the Queen Mary 2!   

Hank

Hank, you may be right! All I have to say is "planetarium" and DH will be there. :)

Sooo... a couple more questions.

In another post elsewhere on CC, a cruiser recommended against trying a new line for a TATL, as you cannot get off if it turns out to be a bad fit. Comments?

And related to the above, as a non-mega ship couple who are nevertheless keen on fun things like water slides, is this perhaps an opportunity to try a really big ship with those features? Can we expect fewer children and shorter lines for those things? If I won the mega lottery I would charter a ship like that so it would have half the people and no kids. I don't hate kids, I like them just fine, I'm around students all day. I just want the flowrider to myself. 🙂

2 hours ago, MJC said:

In another post elsewhere on CC, a cruiser recommended against trying a new line for a TATL, as you cannot get off if it turns out to be a bad fit. Comments?

 

And related to the above, as a non-mega ship couple who are nevertheless keen on fun things like water slides, is this perhaps an opportunity to try a really big ship with those features? Can we expect fewer children and shorter lines for those things? If I won the mega lottery I would charter a ship like that so it would have half the people and no kids. I don't hate kids, I like them just fine, I'm around students all day. I just want the flowrider to myself. 🙂

Well, what are you going to do?  Get off and buy a full-fare ticket to fly home? Suck it up.  Life onboard can't be that bad.  Not as if you're in steerage class on an immigrant ship of 70-150 years ago.

The longer cruises especially out of season tend to have much fewer children if any at all.  You just have to be aware of longer school vacations in the region at either end.