Final payment and price drop ?s

[fantavet]

I'm 99% sure that I'm doing the Boston to Bermuda cruise in July. I know what week I want. I'm not picky about where my room is.

 

But what is keeping me from booking is the price. Knowing that last year I followed this cruise online and saw the price fall as much as $400 for an inside cabin with 30 days before the cruise.

 

But on these boards I keep reading about how people book now and feel confident that their TA or the cruise line will give them the price discount automatically.

 

With the exeception of once final payment is made you are no longer entitled to the price reduction? If the sail date is July 15th when would you book this and feel comfortable you could still get the price like you were booking in June?

 

Thanks for any help!

[beachchick]

Up until final payment, many TAs do stay on top of fares and take care of any price decrease. NCL never adjusts your fare downward just because they posted a price drop; you have to call your TA or NCL (if you booked directly with them) to get that. (And remember that even before final payment, NCL often has specials with fares that are for new bookings only--and they won't let you cancel an existing booking and rebook during that time, and yes, they really do keep track of it.)

 

It sounds like you know that after final payment, NCL considers your booking "closed" to just about all changes. (Some cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, will adjust fares up to final payment as long as the fare listed is not "for new bookings only.")

 

Your real question cannot be answered because there is no time when you can book a July cruise and feel comfortable that you would be getting the lowest fare (if any) offered in June. Prices go all over the place with absolutely no guarantee. In fact, summer cruises are so popular that they often sell out or have price increases the closer you get to the cruise date.

 

You're asking when "bargain" last-minute fares would be available besides last minute, but we can't answer that. Best bet is to book now, watch fares before final payment, and get adjustments if fares drop (you need to stay on top of it yourself and not expect anyone else to do it). Right before final payment, you can decide if the fare you have paid is acceptable. If so, keep the booking and enjoy your cruise. (Occasionally, you can negotiate an upgrade in category if fares drop after final payment, but that is iffy at best and you are likely to be told, "You knew the policy when you booked: No adjustments after final payment." However, we were able to negotiate with a reservations supervisor to move from a balcony to a mini-suite when a senior discount was added to our cruise after final payment. That's not a given and is not typical.) If not, cancel and then see if any last-minute bargains come up (knowing that you could be SOL if the ship is sold out or fares increase).

 

beachchick