Deals?

[suzies29]

Does anyone know of any good places to check for deals on RC? I have talked with our travel agent and I can find better deals online myself so far. Any suggestions? I am particularly looking for Serenade of the Seas in Jan.2009. I am looking mid-end of the month or beginning of Feb. We are pretty flexible. Please let me know!

 

THANK YOU!

[pcur]

Check these urls on a weekly basis:

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/sales/RCI_Sales_Event/rci_sales_event.pdf

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/sales/promowave/RCL.pdf

 

If you are a Crown and Anchor member, then check the online coupons in the Benefits section of Crown and Anchor on the RCCL web site.

 

Sign up for all the online travel web site email newsletters. There are many specials that come through on those email newsletters.

 

It's hit or miss for a specific ship and date, but keep an eye on things and see if something doesn't pop up. I've seen the Serenade on some of the items I mention above. We just got $300 off on our cabin last week for the Serenade; it was a senior special, and they credited the $300 to our credit card. So, after you book, you may also get a discount.

 

Read the fine print on the specials, because some of them are for new bookings only. If you have a cruise booked, you may have to cancel and rebook to get the discount.

[Host Karen]

Does anyone know of any good places to check for deals on RC? I have talked with our travel agent and I can find better deals online myself so far. Any suggestions? I am particularly looking for Serenade of the Seas in Jan.2009. I am looking mid-end of the month or beginning of Feb. We are pretty flexible. Please let me know!

 

THANK YOU!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. In case you haven't read all of the Community Guidelines, please be aware that it is a violation to discuss specific travel agents or agencies on this website. Therefore, the best advice you'll get is that posted by pcur above. Any posts that mention specific agents or agencies or suggest someone e-mail a member for a recommendation will be removed.

 

I agree with pcur to look for specials on the Royal Caribbean website. You never know when a coupon or senior/resident special might appear. The lowest rates are often in January. Good luck in your search.

 

Karen

HostKaren@CruiseCritic.com

[DonnaK]

Royal Caribbean does not allow TA's to discount their cruise fares. We've always found that it's best to book directly with them, by using the phone number on their website. Then, we look for discounts that RCI offers, such as resident specials, as described by pcur. If the cruise fare goes down, RCI will refund the difference, as long as it's not a special offer for new bookings only. So, after you book the cruise, it pays to monitor the website to see if the fare has gone down, or if a new discount has been applied for your sailing. You'd have to call RCI - they don't apply the lower price automatically.

 

Now, some TA's who are cruise specialists book group space, and then get you in on the group booking, so you'd get a bit of a discount there. As well, there are some TA's, particularly online TA's, who will give perks, such as on-board credit or prepaid gratuities or bottles of wine, if you book with them. We've never gone this route because I prefer having total control over my reservation. If I want to ask questions or make changes to my reservations, I'd rather call RCI directly and speak to them myself, rather than work through a middleman.

[egh170]

From RCCL Promowave Site:

 

Ship Date Product Interior Oceanview Balcony

 

Serenade of the Seas 1/24/09 Caribbean_7N_SJU $699 $799 $999

Serenade of the Seas 1/31/09 Caribbean_7N_SJU $699 $799 $999