"last minute" deals?

[John73]

Does Princess offer certain deals like Celebrity and Royal Caribbean do on their Tuesday specials? I tried to search the forum for "specials" but didn't find anything. With me being in Seattle I'm interested in any last minute Alaska deals this summer on Princess if they come up. Thanks!

[Toto2Kansas]

Your best bet with Princess is to find a good discount TA and have them check for flash promotions that usually come out after final payment date. They have some drastically reduced rates on some cruises, and most of them are for new bookings only. If you are looking for a last minute deal, this would be your best choice to find those great deals.

[John73]

Thanks Toto2Kansas! I had one TA that I was pretty happy with but have now moved to a new one since my original one isn't providing quite the same service as before. I'll check with the new TA to ensure that they know I'm interested in any Princess Alaska deals that may come up this summer.

 

I had been hoping that Princess would be like Celebrity and have a website that calls out the deals so that I don't have to keep asking my TA, but it sounds like that is not the case.

[caribill]

I had been hoping that Princess would be like Celebrity and have a website that calls out the deals so that I don't have to keep asking my TA, but it sounds like that is not the case.

 

Can find some deals at http://www.princess.com/worldofsavings.page but as others have pointed out, you want to hear about "Flash" sales from a good travel agent.

[Essiesmom]

If you sign up for email notifications on the Princess website, they will send you 'deals'. I regularly get emails to 'be onboard in a week', with rates of $299 for seven days in an inside. EM

[kywildcatfanone]

I would agree with Toto, your best bet is a good discount TA. However, there are web sites that show the special pricing on cruises that sail within a month or so, and you can get a gauge of what discounts are available. We aren't allowed to mention specific sites on CC, but some advertise on here and they are fairly easy to find if you search the web.

 

We booked our first cruise only two weeks from sailing and got a good deal, but haven't booked that close out since.

 

Mike

[MCC retired]

Waiting for FLASH Rates is a good idea to save $$$ only if:

 

1)You are flexiable about ship ,sailing date, dining preference , and cabin categories .

2)You can accept booking a Guarantee category, 100% non refundable.

3)Most of all if you don't need airfare which can be pricy or not available by the time FLASH rates are posted (usually after Final Payment date)

 

If FLASh is not for you , remember;

Princess still allows TA discounting .

TA's may also have lower group pricing with amenities , in their Speculative Groups much farther out from sailing .

TA's may also have Princess Cruise Night Sales that earn you more goodies and reduced deposits.

[Iamcruzin]

Waiting for FLASH Rates is a good idea to save $$$ only if:

 

1)You are flexiable about ship ,sailing date, dining preference , and cabin categories .

2)You can accept booking a Guarantee category, 100% non refundable.

3)Most of all if you don't need airfare which can be pricy or not available by the time FLASH rates are posted (usually after Final Payment date)

I am good with numbers one and two but you are so right about number three. I have been getting some great email offers for Europe but what it would cost in airfare I could probably take six 7day cruises to the Caribbean.

 

 

If you sign up for email notifications on the Princess website, they will send you deal. I regularly get emails to 'be onboard in a week', with rates of $299 for seven days in an inside. EM

There are some great offers out there and the last two months I have been bombarded with emails. It's killing me that I can't cruise this year.

[willysgrandma]

TA's are receiving these specials for Alaska on an almost daily basis. Most of the specials are for cruises including cruise tours.

 

Thanks Toto2Kansas! I had one TA that I was pretty happy with but have now moved to a new one since my original one isn't providing quite the same service as before. I'll check with the new TA to ensure that they know I'm interested in any Princess Alaska deals that may come up this summer.

 

I had been hoping that Princess would be like Celebrity and have a website that calls out the deals so that I don't have to keep asking my TA, but it sounds like that is not the case.

[Astro Flyer]

If you sign up for email notifications on the Princess website, they will send you 'deals'. I regularly get emails to 'be onboard in a week', with rates of $299 for seven days in an inside. EM

 

As I recall you can also narrow the offers by selecting embarkation ports & length of time before sailing. I don't think it always filters the last minute deals but due to airfares we would only be able to sail from a port within driving distance.

[remydiva]

As I recall you can also narrow the offers by selecting embarkation ports & length of time before sailing. I don't think it always filters the last minute deals but due to airfares we would only be able to sail from a port within driving distance.

 

I too get weekly emails with 'you could be on holidays in less than 2 wks'. I have looked into one of these last minute deals before only to find that while the cruise was cheap, the airfare not.

 

However, my advice is to persevere because last Sat we booked a TA to Europe for 16 days at a GREAT price and miracle of miracles, the airfare was good too.... booked through Princess...good price, good times and only one stop with great connections. We leave in 2 days so it was 10 days notice.

 

Because we winter in the US, I checked off several ports as part of my notification 'wish list' as we could use some ports easier in the summer and different ones in the winter so we don't necessarily have to fly first.

[Pam in CA]

I had been hoping that Princess would be like Celebrity and have a website that calls out the deals so that I don't have to keep asking my TA, but it sounds like that is not the case.

Unlike Celebrity, Princess allows TAs to discount fares so you can often find a good price without waiting for specials or flash promotions. They reserve cabins at group rates when bookings first open, when prices are often better to start with, and they often have the better cabins. Plus, some that do a large volume of Princess bookings rebate part of their commission to their customers so you doubly save. If it's past final payment, though, they return these cabins to inventory so your chances of a good deal through a TA diminish.

 

Find a TA that books a lot of Princess cruises for the best deals; they'll also be knowledgeable about flash promotions.

[Astro Flyer]

Thanks 'remydiva' for sharing your experience particularly using the Princess eZAir option...great idea. I will watch for future offers just in case there's a 'godfather's' deal that we can't refuse :D. There sure are some great deals & it's nice that in recent months such offers have been sent more often after rarely receiving any in the past.

[G&G]

Beware of some of the last minute deals.

We booked our first last minute deal on the Star Princess one week prior to sailing out of Ft Lauderdale, 04/13/2011, 10 day Caribbean. We reserved the inside guarantee for $499/person plus fees.

We got assigned the worst cabin on the ship; P249; Plaza Level, next to the stage one level down. The sound transmission from the Princess Theater and stage above was incredible. Though the first night was a mixed show with limited singers and dancers, there was a rehersal at 11:45 PM that night. Princess should reserve the cabin for crew ONLY!

Next morning we reported our problems with the Front Desk and were upgraded to E223, outside cabin. Lucky for us that there were empty cabins on this cruise.

[Pam in CA]

Beware of some of the last minute deals.

 

We booked our first last minute deal on the Star Princess one week prior to sailing out of Ft Lauderdale, 04/13/2011, 10 day Caribbean. We reserved the inside guarantee for $499/person plus fees.

 

We got assigned the worst cabin on the ship; P249; Plaza Level, next to the stage one level down. The sound transmission from the Princess Theater and stage above was incredible. Though the first night was a mixed show with limited singers and dancers, there was a rehersal at 11:45 PM that night. Princess should reserve the cabin for crew ONLY!

 

Next morning we reported our problems with the Front Desk and were upgraded to E223, outside cabin. Lucky for us that there were empty cabins on this cruise.

You are lucky. A GTY is just that: you're guaranteed a cabin and it could be anywhere on the ship. Sometimes, it doesn't work out. Same thing for "upgrades." Even if you're upgraded to a full suite, it could be in a location with a lot of deck noise 24/7. Unless you have to book a GTY, IMHO, your best bet is to book a specific cabin.

[Astro Flyer]

Beware of some of the last minute deals.

We booked our first last minute deal on the Star Princess one week prior to sailing out of Ft Lauderdale, 04/13/2011, 10 day Caribbean. We reserved the inside guarantee for $499/person plus fees.

We got assigned the worst cabin on the ship; P249; Plaza Level, next to the stage one level down. The sound transmission from the Princess Theater and stage above was incredible. Though the first night was a mixed show with limited singers and dancers, there was a rehersal at 11:45 PM that night. Princess should reserve the cabin for crew ONLY!

Next morning we reported our problems with the Front Desk and were upgraded to E223, outside cabin. Lucky for us that there were empty cabins on this cruise.

For that price, I'd sleep with earplugs. :eek:

 

Such deals from LA requiring no flights would be very rare. We book early to select a cabin location & watch for reductions. However if a similar deal was offered from LA, we would consider it & bring earplugs. :D

[G&G]

For that price, I'd sleep with earplugs. :eek:

 

Such deals from LA requiring no flights would be very rare. We book early to select a cabin location & watch for reductions. However if a similar deal was offered from LA, we would consider it & bring earplugs. :D

 

We did have and use earplugs :eek: !!! But did not work !!!

And the vibration of the walls was extreme !!! Like a rock concert :cool:

[John73]

My main interest is finding some Alaska cruises out of Seattle or Vancouver so that I could do it without any airfare being involved. Pretty flexible on dates this June/July so just hoping to find something really tempting to take advantage of.