Stupid(?) pricing question time...

[waylandertoo]

We've been looking around at possible cruises for both (possibly) this year for a short and (relatively!!) cheap cruise and one next year for a longer one with all that that entails. I've been puzzled to see that there seems to be quite a disparity in pricing between USD and GBP - I appreciate that the US pricing doesn't include port fares etc but even allowing for this there's still a 10% differential, which grates.

 

Are allowed to use that US site to book? Is it worth it (in other words what intangibles have I missed)? Any thoughts?

[Harters]

Could this be a matter of how tax is calculated in the two countries. Here, VAT is always incorporated into an advertised price but, in the States, sales tax is always added to a bill at the end.

 

That said, why not try and use the differential as a negotiating point. Contact the cruise line's UK sales office and ask them to explain why the difference. Nothing lost.

[Aulanis]

Or it could be  Regional Pricing Initiative   which covers  a multitude of better offers available

if you  live in and are booking in the  US.  Some lines dont allow US TAs  to book for non

US citizens.  There are ways round this but its at your own risk.

They also throw in the ABTA / ATOL thing  - if a US TA goes bust I think you  would lose out, but

perhaps you are looking only at booking direct with the line, in which case it would depend on the line's

policy whether you could book or not. You also have to factor in currency rates and  costs.