Just a Reminder to Keep Track of Your Fares

[donaldsc]

I just saved $9000 by rebooking 2 cruises (Azamara and Hurtigrutin) that I had reservations for - that is assuming that they actually go.  BTW - because I use a TA, I also got to keep all my perks.

 

DON

[clo]

Before our last cruise a year ago, like maybe three weeks out,  WAY after final payment was made the fare dropped $400pp IIRC. I called our rep and was given the choice of either OBC on the about to happen cruise or a reduction in fare for our next one which we chose..

[iancal]

23 hours ago, donaldsc said:

I just saved $9000 by rebooking 2 cruises (Azamara and Hurtigrutin) that I had reservations for - that is assuming that they actually go.  BTW - because I use a TA, I also got to keep all my perks.

 

DON

Very good advice.   And when you do see a decrease act on it without delay.  Fares can change within hours or overnight as we have learned the hard way.

[Hlitner]

Great advice.  We only book through favored discount cruise agencies and monitor prices at least twice a week.  When there is a decent price drop or good promotion we quickly send an e-mail to our cruise agent and ask them to "reprice" the cruise.  The savings can be huge.  Also beware of booking with "no refund deposits."  With some cruise lines you will save money with the non refundable deposits but it often means giving up the ability to later "reprice" at an even lower price.  Sometimes it makes more sense to book at a slightly higher refundable deposit price and then keep an eye on the pricing.  In some cases, if the price does not go down, you can later rebook that same cruise at the lower non-refundable price.  Of course you do run a risk that the price will not drop and the lower priced nonrefundable rate disappears.  Life is a gamble :).

 

Hank

[babs135]

All very nice unless you live in the UK where once you've paid the deposit that is it.  It would only be worth it if the drop was substantial and you could afford to lose your original deposit and still come out smiling.

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, babs135 said:

All very nice unless you live in the UK where once you've paid the deposit that is it.  It would only be worth it if the drop was substantial and you could afford to lose your original deposit and still come out smiling.

Yeah we have heard some horror stories about booking in the UK and the EU.  But there are some alternatives..depending on the cruise line.  In some cases you can book through a North American cruise agency (online).  With lines like HAL that prevent you from booking here, we have a good Aussie friend who simply uses a Canadian address (it belongs to a friend) so he can book with North American deals.  Where there is a will there is a way 🙂 

 

Hank

[iancal]

It would be very naive to believe that simply because a cruise line attempts to price to the market and prohibit prospective cruisers from buying the identical product for substantially less in another country does not mean that it does not happen.  It does.

 

We have met a  number of well travelled Australians (and Brits)  who do exactly that.  Why wouldn't they?  It is not just the price.  It is also the T's and C's....the lower deposits, the ability to reprice, the ability to cancel with no penalty prior to final payment.    They all seem to do it the same way-through a NA TA that does not ask too many questions and/or an accommodation address of a friend or relative.

 

Think about what you are asked for when you board a cruise ship.   Passport, credit card.  Passports are no indication of residency.   There are lots of expats, lots of people with passports from several countries.

 

Savvy travelers find a way.   It is not only cruises that are priced that way.  Our experience is that air, hotels, AI's, and packages can be shopped in the same way.  The internet is your friend when it comes to buying travel products.   The ONLY time we have ever needed an accommodation address was a few years ago when a UK supplier had to send vouchers to us (we used our son's UK address).  Everything else has been strictly web and email based.

Edited December 17, 2020 by iancal

[babs135]

Our daughter and cousin used an American TA to book a cruise at a substantially cheaper price than if they had booked here in the UK.  It does seem crazy that people have to resort to doing this, but I believe that we have some advantages that you Americans don't.

 

Is it best to book with a UK cruise co or USA - First Time Cruisers - Cruise Critic Community

[iancal]

When speaking with  Australians or  Brits we always know when the topic of buying cruises in NA is about come up in conversation.

 

It generally starts with one of two questions.   It is usually ' can Canadians buy cruises from US TAs' or  'are cruise prices the same in Canada as they are in the US'.    Code for we save a great deal of money by buying cruises in the US...do you also do this? 

[ighten]

Just as a rare addum where it can work the other way we had a saving on NCL by using a US TA site (usually use UK direct)  but the free perks were no longer what is technically free as grats were added every time they were used which wiped out the saving and more .. oops. Plus the saving wasnt quite what I thought in the first place due to the taxes  being kept out until the last moment.

 

My mistake but you have to remember there are swings and roundabouts - someone once put a calculator up to show what you would have to save for it to work (based on the perks etc)  but I cant find a link.

[Roger88]

There are so many third party sellers on the internet. I dont remember booking a cruise directly from the a cruise company. If the agents are looking for cheaper deals on the internet. Its funny how we are offered "best" prices which are not the best really.. if you can look for it properly 

[iancal]

It can work both ways.  My sister saved 15 percent by buying her Baltic cruise through a UK agency instead of buying in NA.  We saved 30 plus percent by buying an Aus/NZ cruise in Aus. instead of buying it from our usual on line NA agency.

 

It is very easy to check pricing in various countries.  All it takes is a little practice and a few keystrokes. 

Edited January 4, 2021 by iancal

[Hlitner]

We have long advised folks to simply "shop around" among reputable agencies for the best deals and compare the offerings to what you get by booking direct with any cruise line.  This thread simply demonstrates that there are multiple ways to find savings by spending a few minutes shopping.  In our case we probably average 10% savings (it generally varies between 7-15% and sometimes more).  Those that insist that booking direct with a cruise line is competitive have simply not done a good job shopping around.  

s

We do agree that it does sometimes make sense to book travel in a different country then your own.  The savings can actually be quite spectacular when you stumble on the right deal.  There are also times when booking travel (not cruises) by using a VPN and shifting your IP location to a different country can generate big savings.  For example, the popular Transalpine Railroad (South Island, New Zealand) has much lower pricing for those who book from NZ or Australia.  Using a VPN to switch your server to a server location in one of those country will get you the lower prices.  There are many other times when this little trick pays big dividends.

 

Another example of little tricks is for Aussies who want to book on certain cruise lines such as HAL.  That cruise line (and some others) will not let somebody from outside of North America book at the much lower North America prices.  We have an Aussie friend who cruises about 200 days a year on HAL and he books all his cruises using a Canadian address (it belongs to a friend) which saves him 10s of thousands every year.   This can also work well for Europeans who cannot get North American pricing on certain cruise lines.

 

Hank

[iancal]

We do this exactly this on a regular basis when we shop for any travel product.  
 

Just as you claim, we have found some of the price differences to be surprising.  Cruise, air, hotel, AI, tours, etc.   
 

It would be extremely naive to assume that just because a cruise line says one cannot buy a cruise outside of their country of residence that it does not happen on an increasingly regular basis.  It pays to shop.  
 

Why pay more for what is essentially a commodity product when a few keystrokes can substantially reduce the cost?
 

 

Edited January 6, 2021 by iancal