Price Drops on Med Cruises

[lx200gps]

Hi all...

 

SWMBO and I are planning our first ever Med cruise in Sept 2015, for our 25th anniversary. We've only ever cruised Princess in the Caribbean, so the prices I'm seeing on the Princess website for 7-14 day Med cruises are pretty scary. My question: if I book something now, about a year in advance, what are people's experience with what I could expect in the way of price fluctuations between now and final payment time next year? On our next trip (the Regal in November), I managed to scoff a $180 PP reduction which was quite helpful, would we generally expect to see price drops going forward for a Med sailing? I know nobody has a crystal ball, nothing in life is a sure thing, and the price could even rise, but would I really expect to pay the quoted $2500 Canadian for a Mini for a 7 day Med sailing?

 

Also, could someone remind when a final payment is typically due, could it be 90 days prior?

 

Thanks in advance..

[HRPro]

Final payment is 75 days out.

[shepp]

One thing is certain: the price will go up, the price will go down, or it will stay the same. It all has to do with capacity control and the vagaries of fate. I was booked in an inside on the Star out of Tokyo next July, I rebooked a week ago when a sale started and the price headed downward, and now the insides have sold out. So if I hadn't caught the sale, I'd probably be out of luck. If I waited till now to book, even more out of luck. Of course, final payment is far off, and there may be enough cancellations to bring the price down further.

 

Or not.

[FawnRiver]

final payment is 75 days out. The price for our Med cruise next September just dropped $900 p.p., I don't expect it to drop again. Mediterranean cruises are very popular, so they won't have too much trouble filling the ship.

 

Have you considered dropping from a mini to a regular balcony? In a port intensive short cruise, you're not likely to spend a lot of time in your stateroom, so it could save you a bit. We've been in every level of stateroom except for an interior room and found that the lowest level we're comfortable with is a balcony. I didn't mind the oceanview too much, but DH decide it wasn't for him.

 

If there is a price drop, you can always call Princess (or your TA if that's how you booked it) to see if you can get the price drop applied to your booking, sometimes you can, sometimes you can't.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[paul929207]

We book with a discount TA and get 10 to 15% off the Princess fare. Plus we get some extra OBC. We rarely see the price drop below what we have paid. Sometimes it goes up from the original Princess price

[flamomo]

I always book expecting that I will have to pay the full amount of the fare I booked at, but always hold out hope that there will be at least one reduction between the time of booking and final payment. I monitor the fares closely (every 2-3 days to start out, and daily for the final couple of months) and hope for the best. Any time I see a decrease in fare, I get on the phone with Princess to get my booking refared at the lower rate.

 

More often than not, I end up paying the full amount, but occasionally I get lucky and find one or more reductions. There were a couple of cruises where I got a reduction, and then at some later point there was another one and I was able to take advantage of it too.

[cdngrl]

I feel your pain. I'm looking at next October and the prices are higher than I remember seeing before. I thought to wait for a last minute deal but there weren't any this year so I doubt there will be any next year. i'll have to come up with a plan B.

[geoherb]

When I'm watching prices, I'm looking at all acceptable cabin categories. But we're not picky about where we end up on the ship, especially for port-intensive cruises.

[Anniesails]

I just booked the last MINI suite on the Emerald next Sept to the Mediterranean, the trips are filling up quick. not sure they will drop in price given the interest. its all in supply and demand.