Regal Princess, 1/3/16, Should I wait for the prices to drop?

[CineGraphic]

In the past we've sailed a few weeks before xmas, always good fares available. I'm told this is true for the 1st week in January too. Anyone have an educated guess as to when the prices will drop?

[Hlitner]

Waiting is always a risk. But given the amazing deal we got (last week) for this Saturday's Regal cruise there is sometimes a God for those who wait. If we were taking the Jan 3 cruise, we would probably wait until late November (watching prices every week) before we made any decision. On the other hand, we have no strong loyalty to any specific ship or cruise line so would also be looking closely at last minute prices for the Celebrity Silhouette (a gorgeous vessel) which leaves on the same day. And there are also other options such as HAL, Costa and even the Caribbean Princess. As frequent cruisers who sometimes do last minute bookings (we just booked the Regal only 10 days prior to departure) we have learned the wisdom of being flexible with this kind of booking.

 

Hank

[Working 2 Cruise]

Policies have changed. Princess is no longer offering the flash fares it used to. Instead, they are letting ships sail with empty cabins. The time to book is when Princess is offering a promotion such as the Sip and Sail or the 3 for Free, with prepaid gratuities.

 

In short, if you don't book now, you could be missing out.

[cruiseintoheaven]

As we have to fly to ports, the gamble is greater than those who have the admirable ability to take advantage of last minute fares and drive to port. Since there are so many ships sailing these days, I think our strategy in the future will be to book flights with insurance - resting on the knowledge that there are many bidding/online TA's that can get us on any specific cruise we want to take.

[CineGraphic]

We will be driving, so I'm not too worried. Also look at HAL, as we've always wanted to give them a try.

[ar1950]

We will be driving, so I'm not too worried. Also look at HAL, as we've always wanted to give them a try.

 

Let us know what you find out. It would be interesting to know. Thanks.

[eandj]

In the past we've sailed a few weeks before xmas, always good fares available. I'm told this is true for the 1st week in January too. Anyone have an educated guess as to when the prices will drop?

 

Before Xmas is always bargain price time. But if you aren't particular about room choice sure you can wait. But if it proves to be a popular choice, rates can actually go up.

[Putterdude]

I am thinking that final has just past or is just about to occur for this cruise so there could be some good pricing in the next few weeks....but that is always a gamble.

[antsp]

Policies have changed. Princess is no longer offering the flash fares it used to. Instead, they are letting ships sail with empty cabins. The time to book is when Princess is offering a promotion such as the Sip and Sail or the 3 for Free, with prepaid gratuities.

 

In short, if you don't book now, you could be missing out.

 

This information isn't quite correct, Princess are still slashing prices after final payment still goes on to sell off empty cabins.

[Working 2 Cruise]

This information isn't quite correct, Princess are still slashing prices after final payment still goes on to sell off empty cabins.

 

So, which one is correct, according to you... because it's one or the other..

[caribill]

This information isn't quite correct, Princess are still slashing prices after final payment still goes on to sell off empty cabins.

 

Not always.

 

I have been watching pricing for a cruise in early November. They have actually gone up recently even though there are a good number of cabins available.

[Grego]

"A bird in the hand". My procedure is to book the cruise and then monitor the pricing and work for the fare change. Our best practice is to book with our Princess travel coordinator.

[JF - retired RRT]

This information isn't quite correct, Princess are still slashing prices after final payment still goes on to sell off empty cabins.

Take a look at the fares for the Regal this Saturday (10/24).

Insides = $549

Balcony = $749

for 10 days

seems pretty reasonable to me.

Just sayin'

[WISH84]

This information isn't quite correct, Princess are still slashing prices after final payment still goes on to sell off empty cabins.

 

Bingo.

 

I've been watching the prices on cabins for our Dec 6th sailing. Up until just a week or so ago, the price of an interior cabin was still pretty high, that price just dropped significantly and when I went in to see how many cabins are available, there are quite a few. So your statement is dead on.

[Hlitner]

Policies have changed. Princess is no longer offering the flash fares it used to. Instead, they are letting ships sail with empty cabins. The time to book is when Princess is offering a promotion such as the Sip and Sail or the 3 for Free, with prepaid gratuities.

 

In short, if you don't book now, you could be missing out.

 

You think? As we posted, we just booked (last week) a cabin on the 10/24 sailing of the Regal Princess which is the most amazing price we have ever seen for any cruise (and we have been on about 100 cruises with 14 lines). You can call the fare we obtained "flash," "regional," "group," or whatever you please but the numbers speak for themselves. The reality is that if you shop around for a last minute deal on a ship with empty cabins you might snag an amazing deal.....or you might get squat! It is all a gamble. But despite Princess's comments to the contrary, there are still some amazing discounted last minute fares on at least some cruises which have available cabins.

 

I would also add that the deal we obtained (via a major cruise agency) was, to the best of our knowledge, not advertised anywhere including on the agency's own web site or on their targeted e-mails (to registered customers). Apparently the only way to find these fares are to talk directly with an agency that is authorized to sell at those prices.

 

Hank

Edited October 22, 2015 by Hlitner

[MCC retired]

Rates for OP's sailing have already dropped .

Inside from $549

Balcony from $649

OBC also :-)

Rate code ULY

[antsp]

So, which one is correct, according to you... because it's one or the other..

 

Princess reduce prices to fill ships, thats a fact.

Emerald Princess Med cruise sept 26 2015, in March this cruise was $1099, i booked in early August paid $489

 

i could go on and on, as i have said in the past if your booking a run of the mill cruise on a non specific date you can save big by booking late.

[antsp]

Bingo.

 

I've been watching the prices on cabins for our Dec 6th sailing. Up until just a week or so ago, the price of an interior cabin was still pretty high, that price just dropped significantly and when I went in to see how many cabins are available, there are quite a few. So your statement is dead on.

 

Princess would rather slash prices than have empty cabins, by all means book super early and hunt a around ta for a %10 discount but usually a week or so after final payment date the prices drop, not always but more often than not. how does 10 nights on the royal princess oct 31 sound for $699, sounds good to me

[Yurita]

Take a look at the fares for the Regal this Saturday (10/24).

Insides = $549

Balcony = $749

for 10 days

seems pretty reasonable to me.

Just sayin'

 

That is correct. I've been watching those prices come down for the same date. Cheapest I saw it was actually yesterday for $499 interior.

 

OP: Check how many available cabins your cruise has. If you see many cabins available, most likely prices will come down after final payment.

 

We just came back from the Royal Princess. We booked before final payment. We kept "a log" of pricing since we are planning the opposite 10 day itinerary for next year, and we found that 58 days prior to sailing balconies went down to $899pp and 38 days prior to sailing, interiors went down to $549.

 

This might not be the same for every single cruise, but we will keep it in mind for next time we book.

[Hlitner]

Cruise lines are businesses that have a fiduciary responsibility to their investors (stockholders) to maximize profits! An empty cabin represents "Opportunity Lost Revenue" (this is an economic term) which means the revenue related to that empty cabin is lost forever once the ship sails. Filling that cabin at a bargain basement price (as long as it covers fixed costs) is a no-brainer from a business point of view. The trick for cruise lines is how to fill those empty cabins without alienating all the others who have paid top dollar for their cabin. This is done by marketing some of those cabins quietly through various agencies. They also make them available to certain groups such as through "interline" rates (for airline employees).

 

Hank

[Nezmo]

Not to mention an empty cabin is one that is not going to generate any onboard spending. As you say, as long as you cover your costs you're golden from the the cruise line's standpoint.

[ar1950]

Its always interesting to read these "when should I book" to get the best fare threads. We always seem to see something different with every cruise. I'm guessing the answer has a lot to do with the sailing dates, itinerary, and where the sailing is starting from. Just as an example my wife noticed a 5 day Baja with an overnight in Cabo a while back for a pretty nice price. Because it fit our time schedule for a change we went ahead and booked with FCCs and were able to get an aft area (not the very back, btw) Caribe balcony for the same price as any other balcony cabin in the aft portion of the ship (Aloha, Baja). Fast forward a few weeks later and those cabins are all selling for more than twice the price that we got. Fast forward again to this week, and now there is a sale. Our area is all sold out, but Baja and Aloha decks are still right at twice the price that we got. Cabins are still selling so I guess that Princess must see some sort of order in what looks like(to me anyway) pricing madness. Good luck with your bookings everyone and have a great cruise whatever you end up doing. :cool:

[CineGraphic]

There's a flash sale of $549 for a balcony today, but no OBC, but I'm going to hold out for an even better deal.

[Putterdude]

There's a flash sale of $549 for a balcony today, but no OBC, but I'm going to hold out for an even better deal.

 

I got an email yesterday re some cabin dumps, didn't notice if your cruise was included but at the rate you have.....well I think you re gambling. I took your position for a 9/14 Alaskan cruise and ended up staying on the beach. Good luck.

[sunsetbeachgal]

I just went onto Princess.com and signed in and prices for this January 3 voyage are quite low...insides from $399 and balconies from $549.