Is 3rd not free sale really free?

[aflyingbuttress]

We're thinking of booking RCI with the current free every 3 sale they have right now. I'm wondering if the deal is really as good as it seems?

 

So for example, the room I selected, a superior ocean view with large balcony, is usually $3800 but drops to $2700 with this sale. Are the prices adjusted to make this deal look better than it is? For example, I was thinking of booking NCL and it said it comes with the free beverage package but then charges a $111 pp fee for selecting a promo. It's still better, but that's not really free.

 

If I wait to book until next week, is it really going to jump up to $3800? I know nobody can predict prices but I guess I am wondering if that really is the typical price for that cabin. Really just looking for some advice.

[Cigar King]

I'd suggest the weekly sales are nothing more than marketing. You might want to keep an eye on prices for a while, so you can get a better idea of what they are. That being said, if you book, and later the price falls AND you are before final payment you can usually get the difference back.

[aflyingbuttress]

I'd suggest the weekly sales are nothing more than marketing. You might want to keep an eye on prices for a while, so you can get a better idea of what they are. That being said, if you book, and later the price falls AND you are before final payment you can usually get the difference back.

 

Thanks for the reply. I think I will wait then. I'd rather wait until next month to do the $750 deposit. But I was really going to be mad at myself if the room was $1000 more.

[2ferfun]

If the price is showing 2700 now, I can tell you it will not jump up to 3800 after the sale. The "sales" are not really sales. They are just marketing gimmicks. I have been watching the same cruise for a year and it has been the same price before, during and after almost every "sale".

 

This practice is really very frustrating. It makes you wonder what data they are looking at that tells them this will get more people to purchase a cruise.

[nomadguy]

I had booked Adventure in June 2018 before this sale then recalculated it with the sale which was slight MORE with this sale!

 

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[luckyinpa]

most of the sales here are not really sales. book when you want and has good conditions and check daily for price drops.i'm new to royal and only been tracking prices since FEB.

 

however i have had the following history

 

booked at $2123 with 100 obc

week later cruise was 2043

then 1972 a day later

a week later 2057

then next day 2056 with 100 OBC

then week later 1990

then 2060 with 100 OBC for just one day

then 1972 after a few days

then 1894 and i locked in at that price and just that afternoon it shot up to 2012

 

i could go on but you get the idea. only daily checks will get you the max discount

[aflyingbuttress]

If the price is showing 2700 now, I can tell you it will not jump up to 3800 after the sale. The "sales" are not really sales. They are just marketing gimmicks. I have been watching the same cruise for a year and it has been the same price before, during and after almost every "sale".

 

This practice is really very frustrating. It makes you wonder what data they are looking at that tells them this will get more people to purchase a cruise.

 

That IS very frustrating. I think they are counting on people like me who don't watch the prices closely and don't look until they are ready to book a vacation. And then there is a sense of urgency to book it now!

 

I also happen to be one of those people who does my research and asks questions once I am ready to book so I usually find this stuff out. But since I don't look at prices all the time that part can easily be missed. And I know a lot of people who don't research at all.

[aflyingbuttress]

I had booked Adventure in June 2018 before this sale then recalculated it with the sale which was slight MORE with this sale!

 

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WOW! Ok, I don't feel so bad not doing it this second then.

[aflyingbuttress]

most of the sales here are not really sales. book when you want and has good conditions and check daily for price drops.i'm new to royal and only been tracking prices since FEB.

 

however i have had the following history

 

booked at $2123 with 100 obc

week later cruise was 2043

then 1972 a day later

a week later 2057

then next day 2056 with 100 OBC

then week later 1990

then 2060 with 100 OBC for just one day

then 1972 after a few days

then 1894 and i locked in at that price and just that afternoon it shot up to 2012

 

i could go on but you get the idea. only daily checks will get you the max discount

 

Oh, thats interesting to see the history like that. And it looks like the for the most part the higher prices all came with $100 OBC, which kind of evens it out with the other prices. Not exactly, but the difference is negligible, not $1000. So that makes me breathe a sigh of relief.

[js]

I booked four cabins last month and there have been 2-3 sales since then. As of yesterday when I checked prices, the newest sale would have me paying $500 more than last month :o

[Clarea]

I booked four cabins last month and there have been 2-3 sales since then. As of yesterday when I checked prices, the newest sale would have me paying $500 more than last month :o

Unfortunately, pretty typical.

[martyap]

The word sale is very arbitrary. I have a couple of cruises with 3+ cabins booked so if I see a deal of $50 or more either in cruise cost lowered or OBC I usually call them. It is a catch22 because if the next deal is a lower cruise price you lose the OBC deal. Once in a while you may catch a real sale. Last Black Friday they offered lower internet and drink promotions but it does not happen often.

 

 

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[aflyingbuttress]

It's all disappointing to hear but I feel a whole lot better about holding off on booking at the moment.

[vacationlover_mn]

I booked our 2018 Alaska, as soon as it opened (6 weeks ago maybe?). I've been monitoring the price of the exact same room across the ship from us (since it hasn't sold yet :)), and know that it was the same price as our room, the day we booked. The price first went up $300, and for the last few weeks it's been $450 more than we paid. Since this "sale" would also give onboard credit (in my case $200), it's the best price I've seen since after we booked. I will continue to check the price every day or so, in case it goes down :)

[luckyinpa]

Oh, thats interesting to see the history like that. And it looks like the for the most part the higher prices all came with $100 OBC, which kind of evens it out with the other prices. Not exactly, but the difference is negligible, not $1000. So that makes me breathe a sigh of relief.

 

i do have the daily history in a spreadsheet but only a numbers person would find that interesting :) but after it has 9 months of history i will post it.

 

even with all that data, every single cruise is different and past performance doesnt mean a thing. except to guarantee the price will change constantly

[aflyingbuttress]

i do have the daily history in a spreadsheet but only a numbers person would find that interesting :) but after it has 9 months of history i will post it.

 

even with all that data, every single cruise is different and past performance doesnt mean a thing. except to guarantee the price will change constantly

 

I find it interesting! I'm an analyst :)

 

I will look forward to seeing it when you post.

[cruzinlisa]

We booked during a Kids Sail Free promo. The price was good but the "taxes and fees" were significantly higher. After the sale, the price went up several hundred dollars. About 2-3 weeks later, the total price was a little lower. Base far was higher but taxes and fees went down a few hundred dollars, making the total price about $40 less. I have not seen it go lower, its either the same or higher. If you find a really good price, then go for it. Otherwise you can wait for the next sale.

 

I am still happy with what I paid. Its still about the same (maybe even a little less) than the one I was looking at one another line and this ship (Liberty) has more stuff on it.

[rukkian]

The big thing here is that you have "sales" which are just a different promotion each week. The big difference in pricing is not due to sales, it is due to supply and demand. Depending on how far out a cruise is, how many of a certain room are left, and general clicks (basically checking out a cruise on their website) among other factors determine the price it is currently going for.

 

Some promos are better for certain types - IE if you have 4 people in a room, then one where the extra passengers get more discount might be better.

 

I booked out allure cruise for spring break next year in late february, and have checked each week. So far, I have saved a total of 350 (between obc and price drops), on 3 separate changes, but any given week it may be more or less what we are currently at.

 

If you know you want to go, and can come up with the deposit, I would book earlier rather than waiting if you are in North America due to being able to get price drops and do changes up until final payment.

[luckyinpa]

I find it interesting! I'm an analyst :)

 

I will look forward to seeing it when you post.

 

oh boy. given that job you better not start researching prices daily then. you will wind up like me. heck i even research carnival and ncl since they are in my area to see their prices. NCL has a tax free sale which is truly a legit sale if you are interested.

[texasgirl73]

Definitely keep checking. I just booked 2 cabins on Anthem for next summer on Sunday. On Tuesday I checked this weeks sale and the price went up $100 but with $400 OBC so I'd be saving $300. I didn't get around to calling until yesterday and the price had actually gone down $450 and with the OBC I'm saving $850. If I had made the changes on Tuesday and didn't look again I'd be paying $550 more than I am now.

 

 

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[aflyingbuttress]

oh boy. given that job you better not start researching prices daily then. you will wind up like me. heck i even research carnival and ncl since they are in my area to see their prices. NCL has a tax free sale which is truly a legit sale if you are interested.

 

It's funny you say this because before you even posted about your spreadsheet I was looking on a site called ********** to check out historical prices. lol

 

We went to Disney last October and when I was booking the trip I made a spreadsheet with all the different totals of plane tickets and hotel room, etc. across various time frames during the period we could go and used a pivot table to figure out exactly what the best deal was and maximize how many days we spent there. Unfortunatly, I can't quite accomplish the same thing for cruises.

[aflyingbuttress]

The big thing here is that you have "sales" which are just a different promotion each week. The big difference in pricing is not due to sales, it is due to supply and demand. Depending on how far out a cruise is, how many of a certain room are left, and general clicks (basically checking out a cruise on their website) among other factors determine the price it is currently going for.

 

Some promos are better for certain types - IE if you have 4 people in a room, then one where the extra passengers get more discount might be better.

 

I booked out allure cruise for spring break next year in late february, and have checked each week. So far, I have saved a total of 350 (between obc and price drops), on 3 separate changes, but any given week it may be more or less what we are currently at.

 

If you know you want to go, and can come up with the deposit, I would book earlier rather than waiting if you are in North America due to being able to get price drops and do changes up until final payment.

 

Very informative and you raise a good point about booking early. I have the deposit, so I may do that. I wanted to hold off because my sister is getting married next month and I have a lot of expenses surrounding that.

[aflyingbuttress]

They extended the sale for another few days. Glad I didn't rush to put my deposit down. Thanks for all the tips!

[LuCruise]

Are you past final payment date? If not, no harm booking now. If price drops, then call in and get the lower price. If it goes up, then you are locked in at lower price. There seems to be a new 'sale' every 3 or 4 days but in our case it's never cheaper...Just a play with the numbers (cost or net cost with OBC).

 

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[aflyingbuttress]

Are you past final payment date? If not, no harm booking now. If price drops, then call in and get the lower price. If it goes up, then you are locked in at lower price. There seems to be a new 'sale' every 3 or 4 days but in our case it's never cheaper...Just a play with the numbers (cost or net cost with OBC).

 

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No, we're not past final payment. Looking at a cruise in January so

We have some time. I just wanted to hold off on the deposit a little while because my sister is getting married next month and want to keep the extra cash in my account in case of emergencies.