Are there price patterns as a cruise date approaches?

[vthokie86]

I've read where folks ask to reduce their already booked fares if the price drops below what they paid.

 

Is there any pattern to the pricing that anyone has noticed?

 

My IOS D1 superior balcony for 2/14/10 sailing went from $2100 about two weeks ago, to $2,000 a few days later, to $3,000 today.

 

I thought the prices would drop as the cruise date got closer, but perhaps not if it is filling up.

 

Cheers,

 

Tim who is already tired of winter in 33 degree Virginia...

[cruiseguy1016]

Tim - there are no patterns as to when or if a price drop will occur. I would expect your cruise to sell out due to the fact that it is near winter break for a lot of schools. If it's selling, the prices will only go up from here on out.

[Ashland]

Tim....Keep watching...You never know what can happen...A price drop, OBC or knowing you booked at the right time...Enjoy your cruise !!

[fridaythe13th]

My upcoming 2/7 has really bounced around. I check almost every day and have ended up with a $400 OBC. The balcony categories are still fluctuating. They went way down for a few days and I think the cabins started selling because the prices then went up in a couple of the categories. It really makes no sense to me. I was lucky to get a balcony guarantee for $599 and ended up in an E2 which was going for $892 but the D's were less.... :confused::confused:

[vthokie86]

If E's were less, why didn't you rebook to one of them? Is there a penalty to upgrade?

 

Tim

[fridaythe13th]

If E's were less, why didn't you rebook to one of them? Is there a penalty to upgrade?

 

Tim

 

No penalty to upgrade. Originally I booked a D1 for $999 and saw a price drop so I switched to an E1 for $759. The balcony guarantee was then posted for $599 so I switched once again. We were assigned an E2 and at the time the E2's were $892 if I had picked our cabin. So I got an E2 for $599. Who knows why the prices are the way they are, supply and demand I guess???:confused:

[tropicbird]

Cruise lines, like airlines, use fairly sophisticated software packages to predict demand and identify pricing in order to maximize revenue on each cruise. With so many inputs... date, holidays, season, presence or absence of group bookings, departure port, etc. it would be difficult to make a simple statement like: "prices drop as the cruise approaches" or "prices increases as the cruise approaches". It just depends on the bookings for that specific sailing. Prices can even go in opposite directions for various categories on the same sailing (i.e. balconies can go up and inside down at the same time) depending on the pattern of bookings. Probably the only thing that can be said with much confidence is "prices will change (maybe)" :-)

 

Keep checking... keep hoping... and be glad that RCCL honors price drops (call Delta to see if they will give you credit because the price dropped!)

 

Steve in Raleigh

[Knatz]

I've read where folks ask to reduce their already booked fares if the price drops below what they paid.

 

Is there any pattern to the pricing that anyone has noticed?

 

My IOS D1 superior balcony for 2/14/10 sailing went from $2100 about two weeks ago, to $2,000 a few days later, to $3,000 today.

 

I thought the prices would drop as the cruise date got closer, but perhaps not if it is filling up.

 

Cheers,

 

Tim who is already tired of winter in 33 degree Virginia...

 

I see you're sailing on the Indy. I was on it last year, best cruise ever. Sailing on the Freedom 2/7. Love the Freedom class ships. Enjoy.