Equinox - The bargain basement ship of the Caribbean

[Mynki]

There's some very cheap, late deal sailings on Equinox this august for those daring enough to brave the weather. It's interesting to see that lines such as MSC, NCL, Carnival and RCL are more expensive than X. All cruises listed are for 7 days leaving from ports in FL. People are obviously note rushing to sail on the newly updated ship. 

Prices are for the cheapest balcony room onboard the ship. £1 currently equals approx $1.25. 

Edited June 20, 2019 by Mynki

[kearney]

I noticed that too. We are actually on a September sailing (longer cruise). Found it interesting that Equinox was so much cheaper than Oasis Class ships during this same period (ocean view balcony not boardwalk or Central Park).... don't think it is weather related exactly... since peak hurricane season is in the Sept-Oct time frame.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I snatched one of these already.

[The Fun Researcher]

Great prices especially considering the quality of the Equinox.  It's an absolutely beautiful ship with a great crew (at least that was our experience in early August 2017)

 

Dan

[Sugarmag13]

Has anyone used that site to book?

 

[Mynki]

1 minute ago, Sugarmag13 said:

Has anyone used that site to book?

 

Me. Several times. 

[The Fun Researcher]

7 minutes ago, Sugarmag13 said:

Has anyone used that site to book?

 

Yes, our very first cruise but not since.  No problems, but I just like to be in control if it all.

 

Dan

[Denny01]

8 minutes ago, Sugarmag13 said:

Has anyone used that site to book?

 

Me too. But be aware a few times I’ve found what looks great on that site and drilled down to book it, and it ended with saying the deal wasn’t available anymore. 

 

What Ive done is check the pricing and then gone to the cruise line website or my TA to work the same deal. 

 

Den 

Edited June 20, 2019 by Denny01

[jj6961]

I just called the agency advertising  these rates...lower than anywhere else I've checked.  I've used them several times as well.  

Just put a few cruises on hold.

[Mynki]

When onboard Silhouette last month I got a quote direct from X. It was around £130 more per person than this agency. 

 

When I told the future cruise rep this he rather sheepishly explained that they are sometimes beaten by the big agencies who block buy cabins and then need to sell them off as final payment date approaches. 

 

I I can't help thinking that when Edge and Apex are in the Caribbean we will see S and certainly M class pricing fall. 

[Sugarmag13]

Thanks 

 

I've seen them but always weary about it because it seems too good to be true.

 

JJ? refundable?

 

Anyone have a link?

Edited June 20, 2019 by Sugarmag13

[goofysmom99]

Cruises in August are in final payment window.

[CruisingWalter]

There's nothing really 'daring' about the weather.  We sailed Equinox two years ago just 3 days before Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean.  Equinox altered her 11 day course and we actually had the smoothest sail we've ever had in the Caribbean.  Essentially went straight south and then came in behind the hurricane on the way back.  We always sail in August / September and haven't had an issue with hurricanes yet.  Ships just make adjustments.  

[grandgeezer]

The price you see doesn't include taxes, fees, or any perks. According to the U.S. website for that company, the price is for an obstructed view guarantee. You take the guarantee, add the taxes and fees, and the normal two "free" perks, and the price comes to just short of $1175 p.p. That doesn't seem like bargain basement to me. If it is, now we know what Celebrity's target demographic is.

[LuAnn]

2 hours ago, jj6961 said:

I just called the agency advertising  these rates...lower than anywhere else I've checked.  I've used them several times as well.  

Just put a few cruises on hold.

 

Lucky you Jennifer...living right there so easy to jump on board with no flying!!! "Color me green"!!! ;)  LuAnn

[Loucat]

We have used that agency and had a fine experience. Living in Florida and being "storm shy" after 2004-2005 hurricane season, we had to evacuate for the first time in 2018 due to Irma. I will not bore you with the years in between.

We will not sail in August- September so they could price cruises as low as they could go, and we will not leave for vacation purposes.

We have animals, a house to care for and decisions to make depending on the strength and path of any storm system.

Glad for those who can take advantage of good pricing! Enjoy!

[hiccups]

This is when I wish we could share the name of travel agencies because I don't know which one this is and I love to scope out the deals.  I thought we got a good one this week for Summit in November, so now I'm curious!

[wrk2cruise]

I think if you look for agencies specializing in last minute cruises this one will be near the top of the list.  The format of the display in the OP's post will let you know you have the right one.

[CPCruiser4Life]

58 minutes ago, hiccups said:

This is when I wish we could share the name of travel agencies because I don't know which one this is and I love to scope out the deals.  I thought we got a good one this week for Summit in November, so now I'm curious!

Hiccups......

 

I've used this site so many times for our Vacations. The site is easy to find. Go try searching Google.com , I would think it would come up pretty easily. Between my parents and I, we have booked over two dozen cruises with this agency. Sometimes YOU have to read between the lines to find THAT great deal!

Edited June 21, 2019 by CPCruiser4Life

[Mynki]

8 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

The price you see doesn't include taxes, fees, or any perks. According to the U.S. website for that company, the price is for an obstructed view guarantee. You take the guarantee, add the taxes and fees, and the normal two "free" perks, and the price comes to just short of $1175 p.p. That doesn't seem like bargain basement to me. If it is, now we know what Celebrity's target demographic is.

You need to think with a more analytical mind young man. 

The list is there to compare base cruise fares between various lines and their cheapest balcony fares. It doesn't include optional extras like beverage packages, specialty dining or a new piece of jewellery bought onboard for the wife! You can purchase just the cruise fare without perks so your point is moot. 

P.S I've never seen a US travel agent include taxes and port fees in their advertised rates. It's one thing I always bear in mind because all UK travel agents include these charges so we compare rates on both sides of the pond regularly to ensure we get the best possible deals. 

[Mynki]

9 hours ago, creativegenius said:

There's nothing really 'daring' about the weather.  We sailed Equinox two years ago just 3 days before Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean.  Equinox altered her 11 day course and we actually had the smoothest sail we've ever had in the Caribbean.  Essentially went straight south and then came in behind the hurricane on the way back.  We always sail in August / September and haven't had an issue with hurricanes yet.  Ships just make adjustments.  

I was actually thinking about the heat and humidity. The Caribbean and South Florida can be unbearable for some people who dislike hot weather at that time of year. Like you say, ships can divert their course if a hurricane appears. 

[chemmo]

23 minutes ago, Mynki said:

I was actually thinking about the heat and humidity. The Caribbean and South Florida can be unbearable for some people who dislike hot weather at that time of year. Like you say, ships can divert their course if a hurricane appears. 

 

Shame the bargains don’t stretch to the higher suites. The one remaining RS on our September cruise is £1,000 more than we paid when the Revolution dates were first announced.

 

We usually add a Florida break to a cruise at this time of year and enjoy quiet theme parks. We also enjoy the afternoon downpours....Much more exciting than English drizzle!

 

We have had itinerary changes owing to weather but as we see this break as R and R rather than port focused not a big deal. We do fly in well before cruise date...just in case.

[cruzeluver]

"When I told the future cruise rep this he rather sheepishly explained that they are sometimes beaten by the big agencies who block buy cabins and then need to sell them off as final payment date approaches."

 

That was our recent experience. Due to a block of rooms being held, my TA got us a 2C balcony on Summit next Spring with a refundable deposit for less than the cheapest ocean view selling with a non-refundable deposit. Crazy.

[CikraB]

18 hours ago, Sugarmag13 said:

Has anyone used that site to book?

 

Yes on Vacations to Go, several times. My agent is Foster Arndt and he is great. Booked for the EQ Oct 14. You can select specific cabins, classes and packages, etc..... Also received extra OBC through the agency.

[Mynki]

6 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

Shame the bargains don’t stretch to the higher suites. The one remaining RS on our September cruise is £1,000 more than we paid when the Revolution dates were first announced.

 

We usually add a Florida break to a cruise at this time of year and enjoy quiet theme parks. We also enjoy the afternoon downpours....Much more exciting than English drizzle!

 

We have had itinerary changes owing to weather but as we see this break as R and R rather than port focused not a big deal. We do fly in well before cruise date...just in case.

We like a combination of cruise and land tour too. I like / need the r&r of the cruise but always think you don't see enough land whilst onboard so it's a pretty good compromise as far as I'm concerned. 

It's become progressively harder to find suite bargains over the last couple of years. I used to find what I considered great value close to sail date but it's much rarer now. I did post a couple of fantastic prices on higher suites on here historically. Interestingly enough as I commented at the time, the prices increased significantly within 24 hours on both occasions.. I'm sure that was just sheer coincidence.

That said I'm currently seeing penthouse suites at around £500 pppn in the UK (quite a bit more in the US) though which seems a good deal. Especially when I've seen Edge aqua class rooms at up to £700 pppn also in the med with similar itineraries! 

The Equinox basic balcony prices have all increased since yesterday too. Every single sailing. I think I'll invoice the agent for my sales commission eh? 

We're in Florida for most of august. I had a halfhearted look at last minute sailings but we've done the majority of the ports available recently so lacked enthusiasm. Then I found what I consider to be a cracking deal in the Med in October. The AQ room was less than 50% of it's opening price, Celebrity UK included perks and a UK TA offered discount too so booked there instead. I'll just spend more on boat hire and charter trips in FL instead now.