Compare Cunard prices around the world

[Pushka]

I think that the same applies to everyone, unfortunately.

 

As in non USA people? Yes, probably true.

[Jimsgirl]

I have often written that "wonderful deals" seem to miss me, that I have had to pay full price and received almost nothing in OBC (especially true of July 27th , 19 days B2B2B, booked and paid full price (200%) on the 90th day prior to sailing and received only a measly $50 OBC with local TA).

 

Fortunately I met Lady Hudson on board , and over lunch at Todd English, she gave me an address. I contacted the address, and now realize that in the past I "did not do it right".

 

Wow, what a wonderful surprise, saved $$$, plus received extra OBC over and above that given on board for " for 2014 Future booking".

 

THANK YOU , Katherine, I am a very happy cruiser.

 

Lynn

[Whitemarsh]

I have often written that "wonderful deals" seem to miss me, that I have had to pay full price and received almost nothing in OBC (especially true of July 27th , 19 days B2B2B, booked and paid full price (200%) on the 90th day prior to sailing and received only a measly $50 OBC with local TA).

 

Fortunately I met Lady Hudson on board , and over lunch at Todd English, she gave me an address. I contacted the address, and now realize that in the past I "did not do it right".

 

Wow, what a wonderful surprise, saved $$$, plus received extra OBC over and above that given on board for " for 2014 Future booking".

 

THANK YOU , Katherine, I am a very happy cruiser.

 

Lynn

 

Welcome to the dark side Lynn. We will need to get you kitted out with the latest Cunard Cheerleader accessories. :)

[seasidegal]

I have often written that "wonderful deals" seem to miss me, that I have had to pay full price and received almost nothing in OBC (especially true of July 27th , 19 days B2B2B, booked and paid full price (200%) on the 90th day prior to sailing and received only a measly $50 OBC with local TA).

 

Fortunately I met Lady Hudson on board , and over lunch at Todd English, she gave me an address. I contacted the address, and now realize that in the past I "did not do it right".

 

Wow, what a wonderful surprise, saved $$$, plus received extra OBC over and above that given on board for " for 2014 Future booking".

 

THANK YOU , Katherine, I am a very happy cruiser. Lynn

 

Lynn:

 

So happy you are now 'doing it right' and Lady Hudson was such a great help to you. One meets the nicest people on Cunard, eh?

 

I was very fortunate when we started cruising to have a 'Katherine' to educate me on the do's and don'ts and to point me in the right direction for the best fares. Having this great start has saved us so much money and resulted in some amazing deals so we have always been 'happy cruisers'.:)

 

How did your hotel work out the night before you sailed? I hope it was very satisfactory and that you had your in room tea.

 

best regards,

seasidegal

[old fool]

Thank you for the USA and Australian prices. I have updated these.

 

One thing I find interesting is seeing WHEN it is best to book the cruise, depending on your country. So far it seems that in USA it might be best to look for special offers about 6 months before a cruise leaves. I'm sorry to say that there's no good time for Australians to book!

 

I can't for the life of me figure out Cunard's pricing scheme for TAs in the USA. Any advice on when to book would be most welcome.

 

Since the US can book anytime and cancel without penalty up to 90 days before departure, it seems to me we should go ahead and book and if something better (cheaper) comes along just swap into it?

[Salacia]

[/i]

 

I can't for the life of me figure out Cunard's pricing scheme for TAs in the USA. Any advice on when to book would be most welcome.

 

Since the US can book anytime and cancel without penalty up to 90 days before departure, it seems to me we should go ahead and book and if something better (cheaper) comes along just swap into it?

 

I've never booked directly through Cunard, but, as has been previously mentioned, not all US bookings are cancel without penalty up to final payment date: you need to look closely at the terms of your booking through a travel agent. Some agencies have a charge for cancelling a booking, and some fares are specified as non-refundable. Final payment date can be more than 90 days prior to sailing, so you need to be clear on the final payment date prior to booking (don't assume it is 90 days).

 

Lastly, my experience has been that when a voyage (or cruise) has drastically reduced fares in the weeks prior to cruising, the on-board experience is effected. (Which makes sense, right? Obviously, no cruise line can put on the Full Monty when a large percentage of passengers are paying for much less.)

 

In direct answer to your question, for the cheapest fare, wait until the last possible moment to book. Of course, the voyage may be sold out or the accomodations you want might not be available. Although, sometimes there can be a nice serendipity, and I'm happy for those that find those deals close to sailing date - as long as they don't complain that services were reduced.

 

But if you have a specific voyage and accomodations in mind, book when the price suits your wants and needs. (Just my personal opinion, obviously ;)) - S.

[Scrapnana]

Just received an e-mail with another sale (good for Canada, Mexico, US, and Bermuda) today through 3 September.

 

inside $999

oceanview $1099

balcony $1249

Club $3699

PG $3799 (why would you choose Club?)

QG $4499

 

all are plus $96.86 taxes and fees (wonder why the lower price has higher fees and taxes than 12 August :confused:) but you get free gratuities.

[fantasy51]

Thanks Scrapnana. I've checked and the UK prices have not changed. I find it interesting that the US sale price for inside is $999 and for the UK is £999! Of course, ours includes air fares and transfers so that must make some difference.

Cunard comparison6.xls

[fantasy51]

The UK prices have just come down and I've updated them. I think the UK is now lower than the USA if you take into account that our air fares are free. This sounds good but you have to take into account that it suits retired people but it is a problem for those who have to book their holidays well in advance. In that respect, the Americans are best off with the sales coming early.

 

I am off on the QV on 30 September :D so will not be able to update this for a while.

Cunard comparison7.xls

[Scrapnana]

Interesting. Everything but PG and QG sold out on US site.

 

Available...

PG $4899

QG $6499

 

both are +$51.27 taxes/fees

 

Have a great cruise, fanstasy51!

[fantasy51]

Thanks Scrapnana. You have been a real star at updating the prices regularly.

 

I know this is only one cruise, and therefore not statistically good, but perhaps we could do it again next year with a different cruise?

Cunard comparison8.xls

[Jimsgirl]

I know from my own experience that certain cabins are classed as "not available" when in fact they are still vacant.

 

I was trying to book a B2B2B being offered as a Grand Voyage, wanted a specific cabin number. Told by Cunard it was "not available as a Grand Voyage booking "but I could have it if I booked the trip as 3 separate cruises

 

Some are held back from being sold by agents, some are held for those doing B2B and some are not available for B2B only for the one time cruise.

 

Although it does not seem sensible to me to hold cabin "off the market" it must may sense to someone at Cunard

[Scrapnana]

Thanks Scrapnana. You have been a real star at updating the prices regularly.

 

I know this is only one cruise, and therefore not statistically good, but perhaps we could do it again next year with a different cruise?

 

Thanks, fantasy 51! I think it has been very interesting tracking the ups and downs, especially how what is being charged in one country at a given time may bear no relation to that in others. Sign me up for another round.:D

[fantasy51]

Well, on the theme of being sold out ... I looked on the Cunard site last night and could see a balcony for the cruise I want (leaving next Monday). I held off as prices here often go down on a Tuesday (sometimes Monday night but I wasn't sure). I looked Tuesday morning and there were no balconies available in the Getaway fares. I could see they were still there in the Vantage fares so I phoned Cunard and their system still had it. They did not understand why it was not on the internet. Anyway, it was the last balcony in the lowest grade (obstructed view, midships - the only one they were offering in Getaway). They sold it to me and then upgraded me to the middle category (NOT obstructed, back of ship). I'm pleased.

[david,Mississauga]

I know from my own experience that certain cabins are classed as "not available" when in fact they are still vacant.

 

I was trying to book a B2B2B being offered as a Grand Voyage, wanted a specific cabin number. Told by Cunard it was "not available as a Grand Voyage booking "but I could have it if I booked the trip as 3 separate cruises

 

Some are held back from being sold by agents, some are held for those doing B2B and some are not available for B2B only for the one time cruise.

 

Although it does not seem sensible to me to hold cabin "off the market" it must may sense to someone at Cunard

 

Also, Cunard does some strange things with fares for multiple segments. It has not affected me because I take only one voyage at a time, but I have experimented just for the fun of it a few times. There are times that a two or three-segment trip can cost considerably more than booking it as separate trips. For our crossing next spring NY-So'ton I noticed that if we wanted to extend our voyage to Hamburg it would cost about $1500 more each to book it as a single crossing as opposed to booking the So'ton - Hamburg segment separately. If we were to do that I wouldn't care if we had to switch accommodations between segments.

[Jimsgirl]

Also, Cunard does some strange things with fares for multiple segments. It has not affected me because I take only one voyage at a time, but I have experimented just for the fun of it a few times. There are times that a two or three-segment trip can cost considerably more than booking it as separate trips. For our crossing next spring NY-So'ton I noticed that if we wanted to extend our voyage to Hamburg it would cost about $1500 more each to book it as a single crossing as opposed to booking the So'ton - Hamburg segment separately. If we were to do that I wouldn't care if we had to switch accommodations between segments.

 

Thank you for posting, these convoluted fares, permutations of cabins, have me puzzled, and I have wondered if not really comprehending the logic, means a deterioration in the "little grey cells".

 

It is good to know that others have met with the same information even if you did not actually book

[imacruizer]

Well, on the theme of being sold out ... I looked on the Cunard site last night and could see a balcony for the cruise I want (leaving next Monday). I held off as prices here often go down on a Tuesday (sometimes Monday night but I wasn't sure). I looked Tuesday morning and there were no balconies available in the Getaway fares. I could see they were still there in the Vantage fares so I phoned Cunard and their system still had it. They did not understand why it was not on the internet. Anyway, it was the last balcony in the lowest grade (obstructed view, midships - the only one they were offering in Getaway). They sold it to me and then upgraded me to the middle category (NOT obstructed, back of ship). I'm pleased.

 

Well done. Congratulations on getting a great deal. Have a fabulous voyage!

[fantasy51]

The UK fares for this have dropped again. In fact, I would say they have dropped below anything the USA was offered, given that our flights are included.

 

I have been away for over 3 weeks, so I'm not sure at what date this fare drop came in. It is now around 2 weeks before the ship sails. In my experience, the UK price rarely gets lower after that date, though it has happened.

 

Scrapnana, would you like to choose a cruise for us to watch out for next? I would say to wait until you get a really good offer on a cruise in the UK and then to send me the normal price and the special offer price and we'll go from there. (It will be complicated by me being in Australia for 6 weeks over Christmas, so I won't be able to access UK fares, but someone else might supply those.)

Cunard comparison9.xls

[Scrapnana]

Hi, fantasy 51!

 

I find it interesting that the UK is showing all stateroom types still available (and at amazing prices!) while in the US we only see PG and QG available and at the very same price as on 24 September!

 

I would enjoy doing this again but I will be gone for 4 and a half months. Maybe with you being away as well, we could try again in late May or June.

 

BTW, I enjoyed your postings from your cruise and the dance videos (I thought you danced beautifully). So glad you survived your time in the laundrette!:D

 

Kathi

[fantasy51]

Thank you Kathi. My suspicion is that the US prices are discounted early so that you can get air fares at reasonable prices. The UK get their sale prices late because there are always retired people out there who can get to Southampton with very little notice if the price is right. However, that doesn't explain why you can't find an PG or QG staterooms.

 

Thank you for your kind words about my posting and dance videos. I wish I were back there now, preparing for an evening's dancing! (except that I'm so exhausted that I'm nauseous and weepy - always a bad sign. I have M.E. / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and I definitely overdid the exercise with all that dancing with Martin, but it was too good an opportunity to miss)

 

Diane