Cruisequick.com: Price of my cruise went down. Will I get ship credit or refund after final pmt?

[Florida Beach]

All positive experiences, I've got to try cruisequick soon. Just wonder, what is the best way to communicate with them? Phone calls or emails?

 

Thanks in advance

 

March 28, 2004 - Mariner of the Seas

July 4, 2004 - Sapphire Princess - Alaska

[jezzdogg]

They are and e-mail only operation. At first I was afraid to book with them, however their price was several hundred dollars lower that about 20 other agencies I called or e-mail..Even went on Cruise-compete and gave them a price to beat and no one did, that I booked the cruise. Found to respond very promptly, fast than my former TA would even return a phone call. So far very satisfied and have another booking with them for next Feb.

 

norm

[Sailfish]

winncove

 

I cannot speak for others, however here is what I do to monitor prices during the life of my booking.

 

First of all, I shop for the best price; I have a list of a couple cruise-only agencies I use. I am not particularly loyal to one agent or agency; I realize many people here are, but I am not. I know what I want and look for the best rates. This is my first cruise booked through CruiseQuick.com, and so far, I am happy with their service and prices, so they too will be added to my short list.

 

After that, I log on to Royal Caribbean's website. I check to see how prices are progressing, even though form the most part, they are always higher than what I paid. But if I see them go down, I immediately contact my agent. I do not waste my time with other agency's websites; this approach seems to work well for me. The trick is to get a hold of your agent before th prices shoot back up, and that, in my opinion, is the biggest challenge. Cruise line pricing is a lot like the airlines - up one hour, down the next.

 

To get an idea of how my sail date is selling, I occasionally call Royal Caribbean. If the ship is not selling well, I monitor prices more carefully, as I have noticed poor sales equals lower prices! Of course, this is just speculation; I'm sure other factors influence prices. Suffice it to say, this has worked well for me.

 

I continue monitoring prices until the ship sells out or until my sail date - which ever one comes first. As I more often than not travel on OFF-peak times, I tend to book cruises that afford me the best value. Our cruise this July aboard the Monarch is not typical - we generally do land based trips during the summer and holidays, as prices on cruises these months is at a premium.

 

I hope this information helps. I'm sure others out there have their own methods to monitor pricing. I don't devote a lot of time to this, as I am very busy. But it does pay off!

 

Suzi

 

 

05 July 2004 Monarch of the Seas

21 November 2004 Carnival Pride

20 February 2005 Mariner of the Seas CC Group Cruise

 

 

 

[Sailfish]

Kylie

 

I too used a Crown & Anchor coupon when I booked my cruise aboard the Monarch this July with CruiseQuick.com, but they would only honor $42 out of a $50 coupon. Actually, I was okay with it, as more and more agencies do the same. The only time I seem to get full value for my coupon was when I book our cruise directly with the cruise line, which is something I DO NOT recommend you do, as it could cost you more.

 

I know of agencies who will honor the coupon at face value, but their rates are higher to begin with. Even though the discount agencies I book with take off their "cut" I feel I am still getting the best deal.

 

The first time an agent at another agency didn't give me the full value of the coupon, I became a little annoyed. But it's actually becomming quite common. Also, agents have a lot of latitude; the policy isn't an industry standard. I personally look at the bottom line and so should you.

 

Suzi

 

 

05 July 2004 Monarch of the Seas

21 November 2004 Carnival Pride

20 February 2005 Mariner of the Seas CC Group Cruise

 

 

 

[cruzaddict]

I recieved my crown and anchor coupons about a week ago,but haven't booked my cruise yet,still searching for the best price.My coupons have an expiration date of July 31st,if I don't use them,will they send me more in the future?

 

Shelley

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I am about to book a family reunion cruise with Cruisequick, but am nervous about dealing with an e-mail only TA. Does their website list an address, etc so that if there is a problem we know where to look for them! Maybe I'm just paranoid, but you hear about problems with TAs taking your money and running all the time! Does anyone know what area of the country they are in so I can check with the BBB?

[winncove]

We used them because of all the positive notes here and they had [& still have] the best price. We also got a good location apparently without knowing what to ask for in PR category. Some place on their site is a Fla. address, I think. either "about us" or "Faqs". The money & ticketing works thru RCI.

 

8/29 Mariner

[Sailfish]

Sunny AZ Girl

 

If your are looking to book a group I would recommend you go through an agency where you can call and speak to your TA. There are too many issues that must be worked out and I can't imagine doing so without telephone contact.

 

Your family group might not be like our group that sailed aboard the Navigator in December 2003. However, I wrote an article about the "group" booking process that you might find helpful. Here is the link:

 

Booking a Group Cruise: Information for the Novice

Jan 28 '04

 

http://www.epinions.com/content_3727270020

 

I have been very happy with CruiseQuick.com; our e-documents were available a month before our sail date, our C&A coupon for $50 was honored for $42 (typical of other discount agencies as well) and when the price of our cruise dropped in May, we got refunded the difference and got a slight upgrade. I am happy with CruiseQuick.com, but I am NOT so sure they would be my first choice in booking a group.

 

Good luck!

 

Suzi

 

 

05 July 2004 Monarch of the Seas

21 November 2004 Carnival Pride

20 February 2005 Mariner of the Seas CC Group Cruise

 

 

 

[khank]

I just want to clarify monitoring for price drop once you book the cruise. Do I check the RC website for my cabin category and if there is a lower RC price contact my booking agent? And I guess that I should write down the RC category cost at the time I book with another agent? Since my cabin will be taken I wouldn't be able to compare cabin to cabin. Am I understanding this correctly? Thanks for the help!!!!!!

[Sailfish]

khank

 

When monitoring prices, I look at the price my specific category or lower categories are going for at Royal Caribbean's website or by calling the cruise line directly. So, if I notice that the price on my specific category has gone down or see that a higher or lower category is selling for less money (and often I am willing to downgrade my booking to save $$$) I contact my agency and let them know what I find.

 

But before doing so, I also call and confirm this with Royal Caribbean. I ask about how my particular sailing is doing as far as cabins sales are concerned, which will let me know if I would be better off remaining a guarantee or rebooking into a specific cabin to save money. I like to book guarantees and take my chances of getting an upgrade when I know there's a chance my category will sell out. Summer is a good time for this, as most ships sell out. Chances of prices going down isn't great, but it does on occasion happen, when sales are slow. That's what happened on my July 5th sailing on the Monarch. Prices for some reason dropped in late May, but today, the ship is nearly sold out. As I have NOT yet been assigned a cabin, and have a inside guarantee booked, I stand a good chance of getting an outside cabin. At least I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Getting back to price monitoring. I find it best to simply call the cruise line and get the scoop from them first hand. I am honest with the reservation agent, and let him or her know I already have a cruise booked - have your booking ID number handy. I ask them what my specific category is selling for and I make note of the date and price in a small notebook. If I notice that prices are going up, I don't call too often. If prices are going down, I call OFTEN - even daily. The agents at Royal Caribbean are usually helpful in recommending whether you should call your agent. They won't volunteer any information about your booking, but are usually helpful in giving you input on how many cabins are left in your category, how pricing is going, and whether they recommend you call your agent to insure you get the best price.

 

In my case, I noticed the prices going down for a month before they went below what I paid. When the lowest price on an inside cabin dropped over $50pp May, I immediately emailed CruiseQuick.com. They emailed me back to let me know I was rebooked into a higher inside guarantee category and would be getting back $134.

 

How often do I get upgraded? Well, that depends on your definition of an upgrade. (Keep in mind this only happens when you book a guarantee.) On off-season sail dates - where we pay the least - we find we almost always end up in a slightly upgraded cabin. Meaning, for example, if we booked a category Q inside guarantee, we will end up with a category N inside stateroom. I don't consider this an upgrade - it's the same room on a higher deck. On the other hand, if we book a cruise in the summer or around holidays - on ships that typically sell out - we stand a better chance of getting a "real" upgrade. Infact, the few times we have done so we have always gone from an inside to an outside cabin or better. With the exception of this July's cruise, prices always tended to go up rather than down. As of today, I still have no cabin assignment. That bids well for us!

 

One more thing to consider. I had the option to rebook into an outside cabin for the same price we originally paid for our inside guarantee. But as I had a hunch that all inside cabins would sell out when the prices went down in May (and they did, confirmed by a call to Royal Caribbean last week) I stand to be assigned an outside cabin or better if I remain a guarantee PLUS get $$$ back. But most of the time, when the opportunity to ugrade to a much better cabin comes along, I jump at the chance.

 

Gurantees are always a crap shoot; timing is everything. If you're smart, you'll monitor pricing.

 

Good luck.

 

Suzi

 

 

05 July 2004 Monarch of the Seas

21 November 2004 Carnival Pride

20 February 2005 Mariner of the Seas CC Group Cruise

 

 

 

[khank]

Sailfish - Thanks so much for your help! I'm learning so much. You will love the Mariner. Just returned this past Sunday and had a fabulous time. In fact, had such a great time that we booked the same cruise for next year while on the ship. Now I'm looking at trying to get it at a lower price from cruisequick. Thanks again for your help!