Pricing tips for new to Celebrity cruiser?

[knbcruisers]

Hi, 

i am an experienced cruiser on Princess so I know how the various sales and promotions work.  However I have some deposits on Mediterranean cruises for June 2020, taking advantage of the recent $20 deposit special.  Any tips on what I should be looking for sales between now and final payment ? This asssumes that If a sale comes along I can re-fare at the new price or get the additional perks?  Any advice is appreciated.   We’d only be doing one of the cruises booked so watching the pricing/ perks  for now.

[justcrusn]

As you seem to be located in the U.S., you should be able to get any discount or additional perks that are offered. Keep an eye out for deals!

There is a website that supposedly tracks price changes, but its not so reliable these days.

If not, you can cancel and you’re only out the $20 deposit anyway in the worst case.

Keep in mind that the very best prices often come after final payment in the 30-60 days before your cruise but these will not have any perks.

[paulh84]

Find a TA with a decent group rate is your best bet. You'll have to look elsewhere for referrals but the savings can be substantial.

[Jim_Iain]

My recommendation would be to find a good travel agent that offers perks and ask what they would offer you to transfer your booking to them.    You must do this before final payment and no more than 60 days after booking.   

 

After you transfer it keep and eye on pricing and if you see the price drop call the agent and have them adjust your fare.  (assuming you are a U.S. Booking).

[ipeeinthepool]

12 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

My recommendation would be to find a good travel agent that offers perks and ask what they would offer you to transfer your booking to them.    You must do this before final payment and no more than 60 days after booking.   

 

After you transfer it keep and eye on pricing and if you see the price drop call the agent and have them adjust your fare.  (assuming you are a U.S. Booking).

 

You seem to have cruised a lot, do you use the same TA or do you shop around?  Do you have a target amount that you would like to see offered from the TA for your booking?  Do you expect 5%, 8%, 12%, etc in OBC, gift cards, etc from your TA?

[DrBunsenHoneydew]

Most of the promotions X releases now are little more than creative marketing.  Their revenue department seems to keep a pretty good pulse on past promotions and make sure that they don't undercut themselves on future promotions.  You'll see bigger extra perks deals, but then the base price is increased such that the total is the same or just slightly higher.  But occasionally there's a promo that's actually a better deal and it's usually trivial to reprice if they have it. 

It didn't used to feel this way, but really it's now become that you'll get the best deal the earlier you book.  Or you can wait until after final payment when they chop prices on the remaining cabins, which is fine if you're flexible on timing (<3 months to sail) and the less desirable stateroom locations.   

[Tourist1292]

We booked 1A balcony room without perks 5 months before the cruise. Then monitor the price for the same class of cabin through final payment. We called our TA 3 times within one month after booking to adjust price. After final payment, you can look for potential upgrades. If the ship is not full, you can wait a little bit longer as the price may go further down. We upgraded our rooms a month after final payment. You may get the upgrade with almost no cost or with additional benefit like OBC. We paid a little bit for the upgrade to Concierge C2 rooms but received $350 OBC and two classic beverage packages per room. Basically the upgrade is like a new booking of a higher level cabin with the current promotions and you pay the difference in price.

[knbcruisers]

Thanks for all the good tips. I do have a good TA but I always monitor promotions my self.  It seems pretty similar to Princess with variations on the terms of sales but the end price is often the same.  I always calculate cost per day in order to make comparisons, and factor in whether we get tips, obs, drinks etc.  we always travel in a standard balcony, and for the cruises on deposit it’s very port intensive so having the drinks package  is not a big deal.

[wrk2cruise]

46 minutes ago, knbcruisers said:

Thanks for all the good tips. I do have a good TA but I always monitor promotions my self.  It seems pretty similar to Princess with variations on the terms of sales but the end price is often the same.  I always calculate cost per day in order to make comparisons, and factor in whether we get tips, obs, drinks etc.  we always travel in a standard balcony, and for the cruises on deposit it’s very port intensive so having the drinks package  is not a big deal.

 

If you're not that interested in the drink package you can also watch for fares which don't include any perks like Senior or Resident discounts.  I usually find that these unbundled rates work out better for me as I don't value the perks as much.  I don't spend much on drinks and get free internet minutes from my Captains Club status.

[Tourist1292]

I was not really interested in the drinking package either, but don't mind getting it for free with the upgrade. I may either upgrade for free or get 2 perks with a small fee.

[mac66]

We use an online cruise contractor for most of our bookings. They generally have good deals and added perks.

Edited March 16, 2019 by mac66

[wrk2cruise]

It's against Cruise Critic policy to post travel agency names.  Your post will probably be removed.