Do you think the price will come down?

[catbaba20]

Hi Guys,

I am hoping to head on my second Royal Caribbean Cruise next Summer. I aws looking at the 9 night Bermuda/Caribbean cruise on Explorer of the Seas leaving New York on August 4th (2011). Its showing up as 999$ at the moment. Is this likely to come down?? There are 10 of us travelling and as we are coming from Ireland and paying large airfares also we were hoping to get it a bit cheaper. Anyone have any experience of this? We were hoping to book in Dec/Jan but are worried that it might even go up in price.

[youngestof9]

I'm absolutely no expert but from all I have read, the summer sailings from NY do not go down in price. They sail full and therefore do not need to discount. If you're happy with the price, I say book it.

[catbaba20]

I'm absolutely no expert but from all I have read, the summer sailings from NY do not go down in price. They sail full and therefore do not need to discount. If you're happy with the price, I say book it.

 

Thanks. Do you think that we would be eligible for a group discount if there are 11 or 12 of us. Also, some of those travellinga re based in USA and some in Ireland. There are 3 family groups. Will we all be able to put our cruise deposits on separate credit cards if we book via 1 agent?

[patseacruiser]

You are probably not eligible for a group discount but you could be eligible for some on board credit. If you book now you can get the price drop until final payment is due since you were going to book in January which is way before final anyway you'd be eligible. I think book now and watch prices and get the cabin you like. As said before, so far the NJ sailings are usually full and even sell out completely a little earlier than usual.

[DennisAndJudy]

If you book now, you lock in against price increases. But if you watch the price and it goes down, you can get the lower price. Best to book now.

[cruiseman40]

I agree with other posts as well. Book it now, price will most likely not go down. There's a lot of websites and so many people going to be booking.

[Hlitner]

If you book now, you lock in against price increases. But if you watch the price and it goes down, you can get the lower price. Best to book now.

 

This is no longer true. RCI (and just about all the other cruise lines) have recently changed their policies so that once you are booked you can no longer take advantage of later price decreases (some of the lines will allow adjustment for only the first 48 hours after you have booked). Because of this recent policy change (this is actually a step backwards since most lines had this policy years ago) it might actually make sense to grabl last minute bargains that are not availble to previous bookers. As an example, we just booked a 14 day Princess cruise (for October) because we were able to get a desirable balcony cabin for about 40% less then previous offerings. This was a so-called "flash" promotion which is specifically for "new bookings only" and those already booked cannot get this fare. We have also seen some new offerings by RCI that now offer pre-paid gratuities and some other breaks not previously available (and not applicable for those already booked). What is interesting is that some of these RCI deals are being offered on the "Blight of the Seas" ...ooops mean Oasis of the Seas where, we assume, bookings are a bit softer then publicity would have one believe. Getting back to the OPs question, since they are a group from the UK there are different rules and prices so we have no idea. We have previously seen rants by some from the UK because they often pay higher prices, but these Brits fail to mention that the UK has some tough laws that prevent non-refundable deposits not to mention the tax situation in the UK (we do not have a VAT in the USA).

 

Hank

[MardiGras316]

This is no longer true. RCI (and just about all the other cruise lines) have recently changed their policies so that once you are booked you can no longer take advantage of later price decreases (some of the lines will allow adjustment for only the first 48 hours after you have booked). Because of this recent policy change (this is actually a step backwards since most lines had this policy years ago) it might actually make sense to grabl last minute bargains that are not availble to previous bookers. As an example, we just booked a 14 day Princess cruise (for October) because we were able to get a desirable balcony cabin for about 40% less then previous offerings. This was a so-called "flash" promotion which is specifically for "new bookings only" and those already booked cannot get this fare. We have also seen some new offerings by RCI that now offer pre-paid gratuities and some other breaks not previously available (and not applicable for those already booked). What is interesting is that some of these RCI deals are being offered on the "Blight of the Seas" ...ooops mean Oasis of the Seas where, we assume, bookings are a bit softer then publicity would have one believe. Getting back to the OPs question, since they are a group from the UK there are different rules and prices so we have no idea. We have previously seen rants by some from the UK because they often pay higher prices, but these Brits fail to mention that the UK has some tough laws that prevent non-refundable deposits not to mention the tax situation in the UK (we do not have a VAT in the USA).

 

Hank

 

I just caught wind of a 3 day sale on HAL for their Carribean cruises and I called my guy at HAL and got my and my DH's fares cut by 33% for our week long Christmas cruise. It also dropped the cost of our travel insurance and we ended up saving $1,120. It just took a few minutes and a phone call. So HAL will change your price as long as it is before your final payment and you contact them. They aren't going to email or call you to mention the price has dropped for a few days.

[Hlitner]

I just caught wind of a 3 day sale on HAL for their Carribean cruises and I called my guy at HAL and got my and my DH's fares cut by 33% for our week long Christmas cruise. It also dropped the cost of our travel insurance and we ended up saving $1,120. It just took a few minutes and a phone call. So HAL will change your price as long as it is before your final payment and you contact them. They aren't going to email or call you to mention the price has dropped for a few days.

 

There seems to be lots of different stories about the new policy but our understanding is that folks who had booked prior to the policy change (not sure of the exact date but it is recent) were grandfathered-in if they sought price reductions. On the other hand, the cruise lines giveth and they taketh away and everything seems to change from day to day so who knows :)

 

Hank

[gr8times4us]

There seems to be lots of different stories about the new policy but our understanding is that folks who had booked prior to the policy change (not sure of the exact date but it is recent) were grandfathered-in if they sought price reductions. On the other hand, the cruise lines giveth and they taketh away and everything seems to change from day to day so who knows :)

 

Hank

Booked our RCI Jewel cruise in mid May. Price reduced in August - I called RCI - They said in order to get the reduced price our reservation had to be within 48 hours of the original booking date. It doesn't pay to book early, if they are going to lower the price to those who book late. I really don't like their new policy.

[lady_cruiser]

But (?) if you book at the last minute are you really going to get that great cabin for a cheaper price or the cabin no one else wanted because of its location? For example right under the whirl pool that will wake you up when the crew starts to drain it to clean. Or above the disco that will also keep you awake all night with the loud music, etc.

[paul929207]

But (?) if you book at the last minute are you really going to get that great cabin for a cheaper price or the cabin no one else wanted because of its location? For example right under the whirl pool that will wake you up when the crew starts to drain it to clean. Or above the disco that will also keep you awake all night with the loud music, etc.

No question, last minute bookings will get the cabins no one else wants. As long as you don't care about the cabin and are flexible about travel go for it.

[Hlitner]

No question, last minute bookings will get the cabins no one else wants. As long as you don't care about the cabin and are flexible about travel go for it.

 

Its true that there is a risk with the cabins on last minute bookings, but for us it is just not an issue. You see, we always have the ability to just not book. However, that being said we have done a lot of last minute bookings over the years (probably half of our 60+ cruises were last minute) and have often done very well. In fact, we generally get a better cabin for less money. Our latest example booked this week got us a perfect balcony cabin (on the deck of our choice) for less money then many will have paid for an inside cabin on that same ship. We would agree that if you simply must book a specific cruise and simply must have a specific cabin then you certainly should book early and not care if it costs you a lot more money. But if you have flexibility then it seems like we are again back in the era where waiting will generate the best rewards. Speaking of last minute deals, it was interesting to see the unreal bargains being offered on the new Celebrity Solstice for September cruises. In some cases you can get a Concierge Balcony room for about the same price as others were paying for inside or low-cat outsides. It was so tempting we almost jumped at the opportunity but decided not to give up anymore football weekends :)

 

Hank

[MrsPete]

I can't claim to have done an extensive search across cabin types and times of year, but in my limited experience EVERY Royal Caribbean cruise I've taken -- with one noteable exception -- has decreased in price at some point.

 

The one exception: When we sailed on Thanksgiving week. I think holiday weeks are just outside the normal pattern, and honestly -- price aside -- I wouldn't sail a holiday again anyway. I'm addressing non-holiday weeks in this post.

 

In my limited experience, if you book EARLY -- as in 18 months out, when the dates open up -- and watch your prices, you'll get a drop somewhere. On the other hand, if you wait 'til the very end and book last-minute, you're going to get a second-rate room AND you're going to pay more for it.

 

Case in point:

 

We just cruised on Liberty in July. I booked two connecting oceanview rooms 18 months out at $1111/person (3rd/4th were less). Later I found a price drop on balconies and moved us to two connecting balconies. Later still I found a major sale/price drop on a lower category balcony and switched us to three balconies at $799/person. That was LOWER than our original 3rd/4th person prices. By the time we sailed, oceanview rooms were going for more than our price of $799. That price was probably the best I've ever found, but I've seen this general process playout again and again. If you watch for a whole 18 months, you see it. If you don't come into the game 'til a few months before your sailing date, much of this eludes you.

 

Don't get too upset about the price drop match thing. They will match the new price IF you've not yet reached your final payment date. Think this through: If you've not yet reached your final payment date, you can cancel without penalty and re-book at the new lower rate. The only way you can "lose" is IF they drop the cost low-low-low in the last few weeks . . . and that's never happened to me. It's ALWAYS been higher by that point. I understand that this hasn't been the case for everyone every trip, but I think it's true the vast majority of the time.

[Arzeena]

There seems to be lots of different stories about the new policy but our understanding is that folks who had booked prior to the policy change (not sure of the exact date but it is recent) were grandfathered-in if they sought price reductions. On the other hand, the cruise lines giveth and they taketh away and everything seems to change from day to day so who knows :)

 

Hank

 

yes, my TA told me about this new policy and the grandfathering.

[4774Papa]

Hi Guys,

I am hoping to head on my second Royal Caribbean Cruise next Summer. I aws looking at the 9 night Bermuda/Caribbean cruise on Explorer of the Seas leaving New York on August 4th (2011). Its showing up as 999$ at the moment. Is this likely to come down?? There are 10 of us travelling and as we are coming from Ireland and paying large airfares also we were hoping to get it a bit cheaper. Anyone have any experience of this? We were hoping to book in Dec/Jan but are worried that it might even go up in price.

 

 

You may be right. However, it appers that European cruises are not affected as much as Caribbean cruises. Most of the deep discounts appear to be in the Caribbean. I was suprised recently by the discounts from Holland America, which is one of the more high prices lines.

[bmccarthy]

I have only cruised Royal Caribbean and would love to cruise them again, but not at an extra $500-$1000. That being said we are trying Princess for the first time next month and planning to book a 2nd cruise on them for February. We used to book balconies and are now booking inside cabins. We just booked our October cruise last week and found one in the location we were looking for. Maybe you should consider a different itinerary/cruiseline is the price concerns you.

 

Beth