Do transatlantic crossing book quickly? What's the deal?

[beg3yrs]

How did you get a senior discount on Princess?

 

There ain't none that I have heard of.

 

Tucker in Texas never said it was a Princess TA, I suppose they were just talking about TAs in general or, the travel agent threw in something extra for being a senior.

Edited March 25, 2014 by beg3yrs

[Kmkub]

Thanks for the help in this thread - we are also just thinking about next year doing one of the TA cruises. They aren't as expensive as I'd imagined.

 

(Does everyone else start planning the second they get home, too?)

 

I was going to start a generic "learn about TA cruises" thread - is it okay to hijack this one for general TA tips or should I start a new thread?

 

(Like will our FCC cover the deposit fully until final payment?)

[Merlinite]

(Like will our FCC cover the deposit fully until final payment?)

 

yes

[SPacificbound]

Thanks for the help in this thread - we are also just thinking about next year doing one of the TA cruises. They aren't as expensive as I'd imagined.

 

(Does everyone else start planning the second they get home, too?)

 

I was going to start a generic "learn about TA cruises" thread - is it okay to hijack this one for general TA tips or should I start a new thread?

 

(Like will our FCC cover the deposit fully until final payment?)

 

 

I do. :o

[Cruise Junky]

They actually did it a little better for 2015 than 2014. I wanted to book a TA for the fall of 2014 on Emerald and every single caribe balcony was reserved for the 18 day rather than the 15 day I wanted to book. It took months for them to release one and by that time we'd booked something else.

[pris993]

T/As used to be a bargain but not so much any more. It's not unusual to book a year or even two years in advance. I booked my Royal Princess Copenhagen to NY cruise in September over a year ago and since then, prices have gone up dramatically. There isn't a prayer for a fare reduction.

 

If one is trying to book the newest ship, prices tend to be higher. We did a TA on the Ruby a few years back, it actually was fairly new still got a good deal, 16 days... for $1800 in a mini. We are booked on a the Nieuw Amsterdam, leaving in 2 weeks, 14 day TA to Barcelona, paid only $1700 for a VB cabin like a mini suite.

 

We book TAs based on itinerary, i.e., ports on the other end when going to Europe. Even so have found some very good rates. But generally would not try to book either the Royal or Regal, or at least not book the Regal... i.e., the newest ship is always more popular and therefore more expensive.

 

We generally book at least a year in advance, because we like to select the cabin we like, then watch for price drops. We book directly with the cruise line, so we are in control of our booking and can easily get a price drop.

[Skai]

I have been looking at TA's both spring/fall for the last few years and there has always been availability right up to a couple of weeks before.q

Lots of cabins released after final payment. If one is flexible with cabin types/flights there are really good deals the closer you can wait to sailing.

 

As I've been also considering a TA in the near future, I've been doing the same and completely concur with what you're stating here.

 

TAs are typically among the cheapest (per night) sailings offered in the entire industry.

 

Azamara had an unbelievable deal a month or so back at an amazing $999 for an inside on their Mar. 27th Miami to Nice/Villefranche 15 NT. sailing --(which included port stops @ Ponta Delgada, Azores; Gibraltar, UK; Cartagena, Spain Port Mahon, Minorca and Cannes, France)....

 

Probably never see that deal again.....

[LewesBeach]

Many people (including us) are very picky about the category and location of our cabin on TAs, so tend to book as soon as they open up. We booked a month ago for a Sept 2015 London-NY, & our category is already waitlisted. In our experience, prices have generally gone up for popular (ie: mid-ship) rooms. But if you are flexible, you can usually get a deal. The other consideration is airfare. Booking early with Princess Air can often get you a direct flight, whereas booking at the last minute may get a less desirable flight with connections.

[Times Prince]

The 2015 cruise I'm looking at is similar. There is that option of starting in Houston instead of Ft. Lauderdale. I would much rather cruise out of Florida and not pay for the extra two/three days getting over to Ft. Lauderdale. But the cabin availability changes between the two options.

We took the Crown Princess transatlantic in 2013 that started in Galveston then picked up another 1280 passengers in FLL. Those three days sailing from Galveston to Florida were INCREDIBLE. It was like sailing on your own private yacht. Everyone was relaxed, including all the crew, waiters, etc., there were no lines for anything, service was fantastic and personal, theater seating was open whenever we arrived, and it was absolutely magical.

 

I'll have to look into that Emerald cruise from Houston. :)

Edited March 27, 2014 by Times Prince