Regional Discounts??

[GottoCruise]

Can anyone explain the logic of "Regional" Discounts ---surfing around and pricing a possible cruise - and find that mini-suite catagory is $2,043 w/ availability if airport is PHOENIX - but $5,070 w/No availability if airport is West Palm Beach (or other).....
We live in Florida - but will do our own air anyway......is there a way around this???

Until PACIFIC PRINCESS Islands of the Pacific Theater
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[bostongal]

Usually regional discounts are based on being a resident of a certain state. I am not sure where the airport factors into that.

Meg

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do then by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

[srphnx]

I will reply to the question but am not saying I hold the "logic" to be logical.

Cruise lines offer discounts to various groups for various reasons, age, location, previous cruiser status, new cruiser status etc.

These are clearly marketing concepts and who knows for sure what some pointy headed marketing guy/gal thinks or why.

I have often wondered at airlines spending millions of dollars advertising promotional fares that upon investigation are limited to 4 seats per plane. Maybe other people say "oh well" and pay a higher rate to fly with them, I don't I get mad and shop with a competitor.

So.. a regional discount aka state resident specials are targeted at a market that the cruise line feels it needs. I got an Arizona discount once based on Zip code that saved me a big chunk on a cruise, evidently RCI wanted to penetrate my market, perhaps to take the business from some other line.

The airport question probably has to do with the pre-bought air the line has, your post doesn't say where your port of departure was but lets assume it was West coast, the typical Florida consumer has lots more options than I do in AZ. Many is the time I have wished I was a few hours from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami for the deals you guys have. Perhaps the line didn't book any air from that far away because so few people fly to the West Coast from FL. to sail.

Is there a way around it?.. Call a competent TA, make a friend in the region that gets the discount... Go to the Carribean for the 36th time.. hope this takes some of the sting out.

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