The cruise you booked, suddenly sold for less than half the price!

[OzKiwiJJ]

If I have booked a cruise early then, depending on the cruise line, I watch the fares until final payment is due. If the fares drop then I see if I can get my booking refared. After final payment then c'est la vie! I've seen prices drop and I 've also seen them go up significantly.

 

I am always happy with the fare I paid. If others can take advantage of a last minute bargain then lucky them - but they may not get a cabin that I would like.

 

I have been lucky once, getting a Vista Suite on a Carnival cruise at less than a balcony usually costs. We really enjoyed that little taste of the suite life.;p

[happy cruzer]

How many cabins are deeply discounted? The worst experience we had on a cruise ship was when about 1/2 of the cabins were deeply discounted i.e about 1/4 the original prices. The folks that booked the bargains were typically only on the ship to eat and party. Did not care about any of the traditional cruise experience or ports. That situation is pretty rare but we still monitor how a cruise is booking up to avoid that again.

 

If it's a small per cent of cabins discounted, then those are just the chances you take when you book early. As others have stated, you probably got perks, pick your cabin, pick lower air or travel to port costs, more choice on excursions, etc... Enjoy!

[drsel]

How many cabins are deeply discounted? The worst experience we had on a cruise ship was when about 1/2 of the cabins were deeply discounted i.e about 1/4 the original prices. !

Which was the Cruise ship, departure port and date when they crashed the price by 75% ?!?

[iancal]

We select our late booking cruises and vacations carefully. We only want a balcony/verandah cabin. Price is not a consideration to us if the value is not there. We travel quite a bit and we are very selective as to what offers we jump on. We select cruises based on ship and itinerary because cruise lines sometimes have a few 'has beens' in the fleet.

 

I think that if you shop on price and do not do any research you will have a much greater chance of being unhappy with your booking.

 

We are retired. When we do a land trip, or a cruise, we build in extra days, often a week or two, in order to pick up a last minute special. If nothing comes along we always have alternate plans.

 

Last time we visited our son in London we picked up a very good 7 day flight and hotel in Crete. Called Co-Op travel in the UK because we had a question. They called us back in Canada and we booked. It a few weeks in advance, the day prior to leaving Canada. They sent the tickets to our son's address. We booked last minute Spain and Portugal hotels (unsold inventory) for 2-4 nights on the Thomson site but regretfully they no longer do this.

 

We have done the same for Med Cruises-but you don't need to send tickets anywhere. Just pay and show up with your booking number and credit card.

 

The wonderful thing about the web is that it overcomes geography. We can sit at our terminal and book or buy just about anything. We don't have to go to the local store or local travel agent. We get far more choice in offers and in price.

Edited September 11, 2017 by iancal

[happy cruzer]

Which was the Cruise ship, departure port and date when they crashed the price by 75% ?!?

 

It was many years ago, San Juan thru the Panama Canal to Acapulco. Seems pretty upscale? It was discounted in San Juan to locals and in Mexico as a roundtrip - Acapulco to San Juan and back to Acapulco. The cruise had so many issues that they did end up providing a goodwill discount (so they remain nameless at this time) of 50% off of future cruise.

[iancal]

We are thinking of a Dec. Caribbean cruise. Starting to watch the pricing now. We suspect that prices will be down even more. Our dollar (CAD) is up a little as well. Airfare should not be difficult to get since we can fly out of several cities or use points.

 

We will start next month. Looking at itineries in light of Irma. Looking at ships and narrowing it down. Then we will watch pricing and decide what a good price for a balcony should be. When and if our price hits, assuming reasonable air, we will book. If not, a late booking Mexico or possibly Cuba AI will be in the cards. And if not, we stay home, keep our powder dry, and wait for something else to come along.

[navybankerteacher]

Just got an email offering an upgrade from ocean view to verandah on our 9/20 sailing. Our ocean view is now selling for about 60% of what we paid, but the total of what we paid for OV plus the cost of the upgrade is still less than what the veranda his now going for - and much less than what it was going for when we first booked.

 

You pay what you think is a fair price for a thing when you buy it - and don't sweat someone else maybe getting a better deal than you.

[Bikermouse72]

Hi everybody, having read some of the posts I think price changes are a real issue but knowing when to book can be an advantage and can save hundreds, but I've also booked a cruise only to discover the price has reduced days later. I thought I'd share with you a website that I've come across where you can place watches on cruises and monitor the price fluctuations, they even email you when the prices go up or down, identifying the best time to book. The website is cruiseville.co.uk and they are not a TA, but a website that finds cruise deals and allows you to watch cruises, and book through your normal channels but be warned, the site is quite addictive

[iancal]

We travel frequently and for extended periods. My best guess is that we shave about 30 percent off our travel by shopping wisely. We do not really save any monies per sae. We just travel for longer or go to farther destinations. We trade travel shopping ideas with another good friend who, like us, has been travelling for business and pleasure for years. Always something new to learn or a new angle to approach things from.

[geoherb]

I'm watching prices of a dozen different cruises in December. I keep a spreadsheet of prices. There hasn't been a lot of volatility yet. I expect to see more after the final payment dates start coming up in the next few weeks.

[marchie1053]

Great idea! As someone who has a spreadsheet for just about everything, I can't think why I haven't made one for cruise price tracking! It would help reduce the Anglo-Saxon vocabulary when I cannot find the scrap of paper with the myriad of calculations that must have meant something when I made them ... I struggle to recall what I ate at breakfast today, so why do I think that odd scribbled calculations will remind me what I was costing?

[Chairsin]

The any reason insurance that I've seen only gives you back 75% of your insured costs and cancellation must take place 48 hours before sailing so it isn't without it's drawbacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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