Booking strategy for 2 adults 4 kids??

[sadiea]

After sailing 7 times with Princess and RC, I am jumping on board Carnival so that I can bring my 4 kids with me on a spring break cruise March 2011. I know all the ins and outs of getting discount bookings with Princess, but I am feeling overwhelmed trying to figure out how to get the cheapest price for 2 adults and 4 kids on Carnival. Can any of you Carnival experts help me, please? We are booking Carnival based on price and itinerary only...we're looking at the Carnival Glory Mar 27-Apr 3, 2011 and the "early saver" price is $499. What exactly does this "early saver" price mean? Should I wait to book in hopes that the price will go lower? We are perfectly content with 2 inside cabins--one adult and 2 kids in each cabin...however, it would be great if they were connected. Does Carnival even offer this? Are some inside cabins better than others? Are there any particular ways to get "new Carnival passenger" discounts? Budget is a big concern here because we're bringing the kids for the first time. ANY help, advice, suggestions you can give will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[newt98]

After sailing 7 times with Princess and RC, I am jumping on board Carnival so that I can bring my 4 kids with me on a spring break cruise March 2011. I know all the ins and outs of getting discount bookings with Princess, but I am feeling overwhelmed trying to figure out how to get the cheapest price for 2 adults and 4 kids on Carnival. Can any of you Carnival experts help me, please? We are booking Carnival based on price and itinerary only...we're looking at the Carnival Glory Mar 27-Apr 3, 2011 and the "early saver" price is $499. What exactly does this "early saver" price mean? Should I wait to book in hopes that the price will go lower? We are perfectly content with 2 inside cabins--one adult and 2 kids in each cabin...however, it would be great if they were connected. Does Carnival even offer this? Are some inside cabins better than others? Are there any particular ways to get "new Carnival passenger" discounts? Budget is a big concern here because we're bringing the kids for the first time. ANY help, advice, suggestions you can give will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

i was able to get past guest discount going from princess to carnival because carnival owns princess. i use a pvp, and he was able to do it for me. deck 6 does have some connecting interior cabins. and deck 1 has numerous exterior connecting cabins. early saver has a non-refundable deposit, but it usually has a pretty decent price.

[luvtovaca]

We did 2 connecting rooms on Inspiration. They were ocean view. The kids rooms was a triple, ours a double. You may be able to get a quad and a double, but I don't know if you can get connecting that way. Carnival allow (or did) kids to be next to our across from parents in terms of room location. So, if it is cheaper to book a quad and double, you may be able to do that. The 3rd/4th passenger savings may make it worth it. 2 interiors would be the cheapest. We knew dh and I wanted at least a window, so for us, the option of putting the kids only in an interior didn't lower the cost that much, so we went with 2 ocean views. You can see on the deck plans of each ship which rooms connect and what the bed configurations are. I would advise you to have the deck plans up on your computer and call Carnival. They can go over the most economical options with you. Can't comment on early saver, haven't used it. We did get a price drop on 2 past cruises, but those were prior to final paymen.

[John&John]

After sailing 7 times with Princess and RC, I am jumping on board Carnival so that I can bring my 4 kids with me on a spring break cruise March 2011. I know all the ins and outs of getting discount bookings with Princess, but I am feeling overwhelmed trying to figure out how to get the cheapest price for 2 adults and 4 kids on Carnival. Can any of you Carnival experts help me, please? We are booking Carnival based on price and itinerary only...we're looking at the Carnival Glory Mar 27-Apr 3, 2011 and the "early saver" price is $499. What exactly does this "early saver" price mean? Should I wait to book in hopes that the price will go lower? We are perfectly content with 2 inside cabins--one adult and 2 kids in each cabin...however, it would be great if they were connected. Does Carnival even offer this? Are some inside cabins better than others? Are there any particular ways to get "new Carnival passenger" discounts? Budget is a big concern here because we're bringing the kids for the first time. ANY help, advice, suggestions you can give will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

I don't believe that the Glory has any interior cabins that are connecting that will accommodate 3 or 4 people.

 

The least expensive rate will probably be early saver since if the price drops you can get a reduction (if prior to final payment) or on board credit within 2 days of sailing. You just have to monitor it closely.

 

Some people in your situation book one cabin with one adult and one child and another cabin with one adult and three children. This way you get the lower rate for the third and fourth person in a cabin. Booking 3 & 3 you will pay about $250 more.

 

I'm not sure if you can book a cabin that accommodates 3 or 4 with 2 people and I believe that if you do and Carnival needs that cabin for a group of 3 or 4 they will move you to a cabin for 2. I know that you can't do this online but you would need to call to see if they will do it.

 

Check to see if you can get the past cruiser discount since if that rate drops below the rate you book you would be eligible for that rate. You need to check out all the terms and conditions of the early saver and the FAQ's on Carnival's site prior to booking.

 

When checking prices and you have a 3rd or 4th in the cabin you need to mimic the online booking process to see the price for the 3rd/4th passenger. On our upcoming cruise the price dropped by $20 pp and the third person by $50. After another price drop we had a combined reduction of $330 for 5 p in 2 cabins. I will say that you have to monitor the prices closely as they go down for a short time and usually then back up.

[firefly333]

Early Saver will be your cheapest option. That way if the prices fall you can put in for OBC or a rate decrease.

 

Those prices sound pretty good for spring break 2011, and will probably go up if its about the 3rd week of March, when most are on spring break.