any ideas on a cruise auction or name my price?

[happy cruzer]

I know the cruise, ship and date, that I would like to go on. Is there an easy way to get travel agents to bid on my cruise? Priceline does not seem to offer this for cruises. I would like to be sure that they are legit and that the price includes tax and all fees. Any recommendations gladly appreciated.

[DavidO]

Once you know the date and ship you want I would price around various online web sites for the best price. Once you have the best price go to http://www.*****.com and request quotes. In the comments section put the best price you have found. Very often someone will beat it or sweeten the deal such as by adding onboard credit. You still need to be a smart shopper and compare prices though, while cruise compete often ends up finding you the best deal I have seen it not be the best also.

 

You might hear about skyauction.com also for auction like prices for cruises but from what I have seen there and heard from others you should be wary. Be sure to look at the fine print there as their prices don't include taxes and port charges which make a big difference. The prices they have for their auctions can usually be matched or usually beaten by many other travel agents. I have not seen what I would consider deals there.

 

David

[serene56]

you can try *****. the agencies that send you mails are good. most do not charge for your business. most also will give you price reductions up til final payment. Find out what they charge per person if you need to cancel before final payment.

 

Do you homework and know what you are buying.

 

Something to consider-- some cruiselines do not allow discounting of any kind for their sailings...(royal caribbean is one) the price you see will be the same no matter what agency you use-- but some of the agencies will offer a different incentive.

 

Terms of service for cruise critic do not allow us to discuss travel agents of any kind...sorry.

[pootsien2]

I booked an RCCL cruise for july 2006 while onboard one in july 2005 to get $100 onboard credit. The agency I am using (I found thru using cruise compete for the '05 cruise) gave me a quote of $450 less than the RCCL price by final payment and if they can't meet that price, they are offering points which are worth excursions, wine, and more onboard credit. I am very pleased! So, it appears that some agencies still are offering a lower rate than the actual cruiselines!:)

[PTPD2312]

Just filled out the cruise compete form and within an hour I had 4 quotes. I got a 9A balcony on Carnival Glory for 1389pp including all port and government fees. Through the Carnival website it is 1529pp. Saved about $140pp and if the price goes down we get it lower as well! If you already booked through a Carnival PVP they can transfer all the information over to the TA that did the cheaper price quote and you still can book excursions through the Carnival website if you want to. All in all it is a good deal.

[dbh62ark]

I also like *****.com a lot (have booked rates that I found only through their service several times) but have also found lower rates by checking around. I also have found that some of the largest agencies are quoting through *****. As noted above, a few cruise linesa re not allowing discounting, but those extra perks can really add up. We just checked a 2007 cruise, and one of the quotes from a ***** agency had a shipboard credit for a low-level balcony category of $440 ($220 each). Unfortunately, we've not been able to find one single source to get the lowest rates each and every time, so we continue to shop around and are always looking for suggestions too.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[VampyBuff]

http://www.skyauction.com

 

they have EVERYTHING there and awsome prices

[serene56]

With skyauction please be careful - the price you are seeing does not include government taxes nor does it include Booking fees. This company also charges a fee to cancel.

[TXParrothead]

Not to be nit picky but by law the TAs and the cruise lines have to include port and taxes in pricing. At the bottom of the quote at skyauction it says includes taxes and port but NOT BOOKING FEE. Why pay someone to make money off of your booking?

[serene56]

When you go to any online agency web site--the majority of them will list in very smallprint on the bottom:

 

Prices are the lowest per person rates in U.S. Dollars based on double occupancy and include port charges. Government taxes and fees, cruise line surcharges, and booking fee are additional.

so the price you see do not include ALL fees. It cant be against the law if most agencies have this disclaimer on their pages.

 

But a lot of people think the price they are looking at is the bottom price where in fact they should ask.

 

Another thing about the skyauction-- if the price comes down they dont have to honor it either. Not all agencies are created equal. It costs me 700 to learn THAT very valuble lesson.

[VampyBuff]

This is what Skyauction charges for:

 

 

Price

Taxes/Service Charge

Processing Fee (note: only one, no matter how many people are booking)

[familyofd]

I used cruise complete for my cruise last March, we got a decent price

fromthe agency but the service was very poor, I also know someone else

on these boards who is using them and having the same trouble so it

wasnt just us, we were a big group of 15 or so it wasnt just 2 of us we all booked at different times.

[serene56]

I used cruise complete for my cruise last March, we got a decent price fromthe agency but the service was very poor, I also know someone else

on these boards who is using them and having the same trouble so it

wasnt just us, we were a big group of 15 or so it wasnt just 2 of us we all booked at different times.

 

***** is not an agency- it is a service that allows various travel agents to get you to book with them.

[Widespreadpanic]

Used *****.com for the first time this summer, received 5 bids, but only one matched all my specifications (completely spelled out in my request for bids). Some were for a different category cabin, some were for one week i/o two, etc. I did, however, get one that fit the bill and was $250 less than the previous price quoted to me.

[papadave]

*****, as others have said, is not an agency, but merely a portal for multiple agencies to reach you. I've had mixed experience with *****, but honestly believe they are working to solve certain problems.

 

By their terms, the only offers you should receive will match your request. Responses offering a different cruise or different cabin categories should be reported to *****. Eventually they will only deal with agencies who follow their rules.

 

Last summer I got a decent price through an agency which made an offer through *****. I would not use that agency again, but I might try ***** again.

 

If you don't mind sitting in front of your computer for a couple of hours, you can go through all of the steps for an on-line booking directly with a cruise line, short of paying money, to get the cruise line's true price. A number of on line agencies also allow you to price a cruise on line in the same manner. You may get your best price that way.

[muskie6]

Also with skyauction. You have to be extremely careful as they have done away with there reserve not met auctions but have dramatically increased their port taxes to unreasonable fees. You need to know in advance before you bid. I was not aware of this as I had booked with them in the past but recently won an auction on there for a 4 night cruise for $75 pp but when I went to pay for the cruise I was charged $598 ttl. When checking I found out the Port fees they were charging were exactly $100 higher per person then if I had booked thru the cruise lines. Port charges for that particular cruise only varied with Skyauction. Noone else. When I questioned Skyauction they told me, and they were right, the amount was at the bottom of the auction and told me they had the best price anywhere which was not true. Then they quit communicating with me. They were extremely unproffesional and have lost all future business with me.

[muskie6]

http://www.skyauction.com

 

they have EVERYTHING there and awsome prices

Be careful now on Skyauction as they have dramatically increased their port charges. Know what they should be before you book or win an auction. Looks like they are doing that to increase their profits. You feel that if you won an auction you have done well. In the past that was true but no more. Port charges should never very from travel agency to travel agency for the same ship and cruise and date.

[muskie6]

I just wanted everyone to be aware of the major rip off with Skyauction. They have now increased after auction to what I guess would be to cover their costs since they no longer have reserven not met cruise auctions. The good news is they still tell you the total cost of add ons before you bid so you are aware the additional costs but they have told me they are insisting the mega fee is port charges but I have gone back to the cruise line and the individual fee that Skyauction is calling port chrages really does not exist. Yes there are port charges but that is another fee that Skyauction has that does match the cruise line. I have gone back and forth with Skyauction concerning this with no luck. In any event knowing the fees in advance of winning any auctions will prevent you from getting caught up in this. Anyways in my case I found this out when Skyauction billed me $598 for an auction that had a winning bid of $75 per person. It was not fuel supplement if anyone is thinking that might be it as that was $11 per person per day and was a seperate cost included in the total. Skyauction told me port charges were $100 per person but the cruise line told me that was not true and did not exist. Yes there are port charges but not this $100 pp charge.

[muskie6]

I just wanted everyone to be aware of the major rip off with Skyauction. They have now increased after auction to what I guess would be to cover their costs since they no longer have reserven not met cruise auctions. The good news is they still tell you the total cost of add ons before you bid so you are aware the additional costs but they have told me they are insisting the mega fee is port charges but I have gone back to the cruise line and the individual fee that Skyauction is calling port chrages really does not exist. Yes there are port charges but that is another fee that Skyauction has that does match the cruise line. I have gone back and forth with Skyauction concerning this with no luck. In any event knowing the fees in advance of winning any auctions will prevent you from getting caught up in this. Anyways in my case I found this out when Skyauction billed me $598 for an auction that had a winning bid of $75 per person. It was not fuel supplement if anyone is thinking that might be it as that was $11 per person per day and was a seperate cost included in the total. Skyauction told me port charges were $100 per person but the cruise line told me that was not true and did not exist. Yes there are port charges but not this $100 pp charge.

[muskie6]

This is what Skyauction charges for:

 

 

Price

Taxes/Service Charge

Processing Fee (note: only one, no matter how many people are booking)

 

Skyauction now also charges what they are calling Non Comm fee ( that name came directly from Skyauction) which is over and above what is stated above and to give you an example--- On a 4 night cruise it was an extra $100 per person. They claim it is from the cruise line which is not true. I personally have checked with the cruise line and they say it is not true and if I book with the cruise line the fee is not there. Also I have contacted other travel agencies and there is no such fee. Just a hidden extra cost by Skyauction to pad their bottom line.