Alaska and Early Saver rate.....

[wasiii]

.....so, all of you that are traveling to Alaska this year and booked the Early Saver rate, how did you do?

 

What was your Category, what were you able to do (get price reductions, OBC, upgrades, etc.), when did you book and when was your last adjustment? If there is any other pertinent information please feel free to share.

 

Past and Future Alaska travelers want to know.

 

;)

 

wasiii

[coachw]

I booked an 8B room for $1249 back in September. Now I am booked in an 8D for $1199 and that was in January that i got that rate and that was my last update and my cruise is June 15.

[firefly333]

Early Saver didnt start until almost the end of January 2009 and dissapears 5 months out ...so most of the ES folks last year couldnt have booked ES if they wanted to. So, there are probably few who have already cruised and used ES rates.

[im4golf]

Booked early saver rate for Alaska Cruisetour July 5, 2010. It is now $200.00 more. However now you get an on board credit for $200.00. We received an on board credit of $100.00. So we still saved. Waiting to see if we get any discounts--senior citizen, etc. Still haven't received any reductions yet. Still room on cruiseship, but balconies have almost sold out. We just have inside--all we could afford. But just glad to be going!!

Anyone know what chance we have of getting reduction? THere are about 30 inside available and 25 ocean. Think they are getting a little low of cruisetours that are available though. Still have openings now.

[firefly333]

Booked early saver rate for Alaska Cruisetour July 5, 2010. It is now $200.00 more. However now you get an on board credit for $200.00. We received an on board credit of $100.00. So we still saved. Waiting to see if we get any discounts--senior citizen, etc. Still haven't received any reductions yet. Still room on cruiseship, but balconies have almost sold out. We just have inside--all we could afford. But just glad to be going!!

Anyone know what chance we have of getting reduction? THere are about 30 inside available and 25 ocean. Think they are getting a little low of cruisetours that are available though. Still have openings now.

 

If you got a $100 OBC early booking OBC bonus ... dont forget you have to subtract that from your rate when you compare to see if the rates came down.

 

If its $100 from another source like a FCC or stock ... then you dont need to subtract it to figure our your base rate to compare.

 

Like I said above ES is so new and Alaska season is so short, I dont think there are all that many people who have ES experience with cruises to Alaska ... always a chance but with summer rates going up 3/22 ..your odds are going down down down.

[wasiii]

Early Saver didnt start until almost the end of January 2009 and dissapears 5 months out ...so most of the ES folks last year couldnt have booked ES if they wanted to. So, there are probably few who have already cruised and used ES rates.

 

.....since it started end of January 2009, the people who booked last year for this coming season (May - September) could very well have booked under ES. Just wondering how they are doing up to this point (it's still almost 2 months before the first sailing).

 

:confused:

 

wasiii

[aljo66]

We booked early saver for 8N extended aft balcony The price we paid is at least $500 less than the current price - although the 8N for 3 people is no longer available. Have not seen the price go any lower and only seems to be going higher.

 

Very glad that we booked it early.

[wasiii]

.....now that it's another month closer to sail date.

 

Have any Alaska cruisers gotten any more price reductions or OBC?

 

:confused:

 

wasiii

[chrislynnet]

Yep! My son and I booked an 8K for $866 p/p or so for May 5 2010. It's now down to $659 p/p after we took 2 price reductions. Both reductions were based on Past Guest. We now have nearly $400 in our OBC, yea! I'm still checking for lower rates for the heck of it.

[tiggerman101]

I am pretty sure some people on my roll call got some OBC. I am on the May 18th sailing. I was in an 8N but took an upsell to a Grand Suite. Ironically, someone on my Roll Call just took an upsell from an inside to my old cabin. I will say there are a lot of cabins open for our cruise and it is less then 40 days away.

 

Actually, something really weird happened. There were a lot of cabins open right after final payment. A couple days later they all just disappeared. the Carnival people told me it was sold out, but I knew there was no way that many cabins got booked in a day. Last week I got the upsell call and the lady on the phone told me something had happened with cabins being accidentally "blocked". Suddenly our cruise showed back up online with a ton of open cabins. It had been missing for well over a month. Weird.

[pokergirl34]

 

Actually, something really weird happened. There were a lot of cabins open right after final payment. A couple days later they all just disappeared. the Carnival people told me it was sold out, but I knew there was no way that many cabins got booked in a day. Last week I got the upsell call and the lady on the phone told me something had happened with cabins being accidentally "blocked". Suddenly our cruise showed back up online with a ton of open cabins. It had been missing for well over a month. Weird.

 

The "block" could have been a travel agent blocking off rooms for volume sales or for a potential large group booking....or else maybe they assigned some guarantee rooms ...?

[wasiii]

Yep! My son and I booked an 8K for $866 p/p or so for May 5 2010. It's now down to $659 p/p after we took 2 price reductions. Both reductions were based on Past Guest. We now have nearly $400 in our OBC, yea! I'm still checking for lower rates for the heck of it.

 

.....out of curiosity, when did you originally book your cruise?

 

I'm looking to go to Alaska next year. An 8K on the 8.30.11 cruise is priced at $1199 per person right now. I would have thought it would have been closer to your original price paid since the prices are also lower at the end of the season, not nearly double like it is.

 

:confused:

 

wasiii

[wasiii]

I am pretty sure some people on my roll call got some OBC. I am on the May 18th sailing. I was in an 8N but took an upsell to a Grand Suite. Ironically, someone on my Roll Call just took an upsell from an inside to my old cabin. I will say there are a lot of cabins open for our cruise and it is less then 40 days away.

 

Actually, something really weird happened. There were a lot of cabins open right after final payment. A couple days later they all just disappeared. the Carnival people told me it was sold out, but I knew there was no way that many cabins got booked in a day. Last week I got the upsell call and the lady on the phone told me something had happened with cabins being accidentally "blocked". Suddenly our cruise showed back up online with a ton of open cabins. It had been missing for well over a month. Weird.

 

.....what did you book your 8N for and how much was the upgrade. I ask because that's the category I'm looking at for next year.

 

wasiii

[Oscar_the_Grouch's_Sis]

Yep! My son and I booked an 8K for $866 p/p or so for May 5 2010. It's now down to $659 p/p after we took 2 price reductions. Both reductions were based on Past Guest. We now have nearly $400 in our OBC, yea! I'm still checking for lower rates for the heck of it.

 

:confused:

 

I thought I was on the first sailing to Alaska on May 11. (You mean I could have gone a week earlier??!! :eek: )

 

I don't think I knew what ES was all about. I didn't realize we had to keep track of the rates ourselves - but I do know my class 8K is sold out (extended balcony)

 

I am traveling solo and had to pay 200% - so it would have been nice to get some money back ... but I will know more next time I guess. Cruising is still fairly new to me (and I have never been on Carnival)

[MikeNKim]

Mine didn't go down a nickle, but I think that is probably because all the balconies sold out so quickly. I booked about 14 months out.

 

Kim

[Kissyfur19]

We are booked on the CC Group cruise for this Sept. We booked our cabin back in October and the early saver or any other rate hasn't even come close to what we paid with the group. Plus we get $100 OBC and a few other goodies.

[royd1968]

:confused:

 

I thought I was on the first sailing to Alaska on May 11. (You mean I could have gone a week earlier??!! :eek: )

 

I don't think I knew what ES was all about. I didn't realize we had to keep track of the rates ourselves - but I do know my class 8K is sold out (extended balcony)

 

I am traveling solo and had to pay 200% - so it would have been nice to get some money back ... but I will know more next time I guess. Cruising is still fairly new to me (and I have never been on Carnival)

self edit...oops