Upcoming sale

[Sweetrosie]

Hello.  I have reread rules re naming agencies so I will tread lightly..  I have been invited to a "3 day sale" presentation.  I'm curious if i should cancel my Hawaii Cruise and rebook with this sale.    It's already booked with this company, but saying that I am free to cancel right?  The sale may be better pricing with some perks.  But then again I find cruise pricing is a big shell game.  Has anyone experienced this?   Thanks

[Steelers36]

2 minutes ago, Sweetrosie said:

Hello.  I have reread rules re naming agencies so I will tread lightly..  I have been invited to a "3 day sale" presentation.  I'm curious if i should cancel my Hawaii Cruise and rebook with this sale.    It's already booked with this company, but saying that I am free to cancel right?  The sale may be better pricing with some perks.  But then again I find cruise pricing is a big shell game.  Has anyone experienced this?   Thanks

Why not refare if savings are significant?  I have refared when having an agency booking - several tines.  I don't use your agency, but as long as no penalty to you and the amount you save is worth the change, why not?  

 

[PacnGoNow]

6 hours ago, Sweetrosie said:

Hello.  I have reread rules re naming agencies so I will tread lightly..  I have been invited to a "3 day sale" presentation.  I'm curious if i should cancel my Hawaii Cruise and rebook with this sale.    It's already booked with this company, but saying that I am free to cancel right?  The sale may be better pricing with some perks.  But then again I find cruise pricing is a big shell game.  Has anyone experienced this?   Thanks

We have refared many times, if the fare is lower, and no penalty, why not?

 

Watch your promos, OBC, deposit, or anything else you have on the original booking.  Ask your TA if you will lose or gain any promos?  Compare them.

 

[mtnesterz]

I too have found Princess cruise pricing a big shell game. Get some perk like free specialty dining, but price is higher...

Regarding Hawaii Cruises out of Vancouver, which I presume you are booked for. Have you noticed that starting Sept. 21, '24, It will no longer be a 16 night RT, but a one way,13 night coastal that makes its way, to/from Hawaii? This might be what you want, but if you're more a fan of the RT, only 2 more sailings. Don't miss them.

Edited May 16, 2023 by mtnesterz

[lx200gps]

11 hours ago, Sweetrosie said:

Hello.  I have reread rules re naming agencies so I will tread lightly..  I have been invited to a "3 day sale" presentation.  I'm curious if i should cancel my Hawaii Cruise and rebook with this sale.    It's already booked with this company, but saying that I am free to cancel right?  The sale may be better pricing with some perks.  But then again I find cruise pricing is a big shell game.  Has anyone experienced this?   Thanks

We have taken advantage of their "3 Day Sale" every year for a number of years. Pre-pandemic, there were some very good deals to be had, but in the last few years, the value of their sale has dropped quite a bit.  We tend to find that it works out to paying about what Princess would charge, with a few hundred in OBC thrown in by the TA.  As the others have said, if there is a trip you are interested in, book it now then wait and see if the 3 Day Sale can beat the price. If so, then re-book

[Cruise till you drop]

We’ve always found these sales to be smoke and mirrors and ultimately it’s a shell game of discounts offset by added fees somewhere.

 

Just make sure you look at the total costs before deciding 

[Sweetrosie]

4 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

I too have found Princess cruise pricing a big shell game. Get some perk like free specialty dining, but price is higher...

Regarding Hawaii Cruises out of Vancouver, which I presume you are booked for. Have you noticed that starting Sept. 21, '24, It will no longer be a 16 night RT, but a one way,13 night coastal that makes its way, to/from Hawaii? This might be what you want, but if you're more a fan of the RT, only 2 more sailings. Don't miss them.

Sept 30 out of sea...  thanks for info, I did not see that..

[cruisingrob21]

The 3 day sales can be agency specific - and sometimes are only just for the coupon book and reduced deposits.

 

To be fair, all lines play this game according to their own rules.  Princess adds perks, and then inflates the price.  NCL says all their perks come free, but you have to pay gratuities on those perks (like $250+ and $40+ per person for the drinks and dining respectively, don't get me started on their air promotions).

 

By and large the best deal you will get are bulk/group rates that TA's can offer but not really advertise.  And since there is a limited number of voyages that agencies can get those group rates on each year, it may not be on the voyage of your choice.  But RCL plays games here too and doesn't offer their bulk rates for 3rd/4th - which they kind of market to families.

 

Unfortunately, this is the market we find ourselves in.  Think back...

• 30 years ago, cruises were for the most part very expensive, much more expensive than currently priced when factoring in inflation, for even the smallest rooms on a majority of old, converted ocean liners
• 20 years ago balconies and new big ships were all the rage, but the cruise lines were still trying to adapt cruising from the 1970s and 1980s to new builds.  While the ships got nicer, they were a lot more to maintain and with a lot more crowds than 10 years before.
• 10 years ago cruise lines focused in on "onboard spending" - get em on and nickel and dime them.  Some did this much more than others but how many art auctions, staff with cameras, and gimmicky onboard spending opportunities would we be subjected to?  And then the ships started changing with smaller or reduced promenades, pools, hottubs, quiet areas
• Nowadays the cruise lines are all trying to restore the faith of their shareholders (full disclosure, I am one) without totally distancing their loyal past travelers, and with plenty of competition to boot.  So rhetorically, how do you sell lemonade when there are 20 other lemonade stands on your street?  Better lemons?  BOGO lemonade? Iced lemonade? All-you-can-drink-lemonade-on-Mondays-between-the-hours-of-10-and-11-when-its-cloudy?  Oh you can sell all of that and with a wink and a smile to your neighbor stands as you all sell a slightly different lemonade at slightly higher prices than you sold last summer, pouring slightly less (shrinkflation) and carve out a seemingly loyal following.  I'm getting away from myself but it sure seems like we are entering that phase where the mass market lines are all more alike than dissimilar, selling similar experiences and taking advantage of a travel demand beyond road trips, but not necessarily to far flung locales.