Explorer prices out of NJ

[Dardreamer]

We just booked 9 night out of NJ, but the prices are outrageous thru RC - does anyone have a great booking agents who can get you deals? Thanks

[esbie11]

I don't know which specific sailing you are looking at, but we are going on April 17th. I know this isn't much help to you now, but 2 weeks ago they were the lowest they had been since they first started booking in April 2007, which started at $799. I just looked yesterday at the rooms that are still available and it looks like it is filling up (for our sailing), so I doubt they will go down again. Unfortunately it looks like you may have booked about 2 weeks too late:( It is all about timing...or booking really far in advance like we did.

[lissa42886]

We just booked 9 night out of NJ, but the prices are outrageous thru RC - does anyone have a great booking agents who can get you deals? Thanks

 

what do u consider outrageous?? i think the price i paid for my 9 day out of NJ was a good deal seeing the amount of time. the ports.. and the fact i dont have to fly to FL and back again.. and i am payin prob twice as much as my 1st cruise... maybe a tad more.. ( but we did book my 1st cruise very far in advance.... )

[aqhacruiser]

We just booked 9 night out of NJ, but the prices are outrageous thru RC - does anyone have a great booking agents who can get you deals? Thanks

 

RCCL does not discount to agents. They have the same price that's on website. You may find an agent that gives you free insurance or another perk but it is what it is. I book direct thru RCCL and transfer to a TA before final pmt. but I do not find the prices on the Ex. outrageous for the length of the cruises. If I did I'd sail another ship. :) Hope you have a good cruise whatever you decide to do.

[marci22]

When are you going? Prices out of NJ during school breaks and summer do tend to be outrageous, but I've seen some really good prices if you can go off-peak.

[01Sweetpea]

When are you looking to go?

 

For the 11/21 EOS there is an OBC offer due to the ASAP promotion that RCI is running. There is also a C&A certificate for the same sailing.

[DonnaK]

I agree, they are outrageous for the sailings I'[ve been looking at (August). The Caribbean Princess comes in almost $2000 cheaper for our family of four, so even though RCI is our preferred cruiseline, we'll have to jump ship again.

[whiteway906]

Explorer is a tough one. You really have to shop dates. The ship consistently sells out or close to. I'm sailing next week. The ship has been sold out for weeks.

[yogimax]

With RCCL, we stick with direct booking to give us more control over the reservation.

[Tim,n,Sue]

RCCL does not discount to agents. They have the same price that's on website. You may find an agent that gives you free insurance or another perk but it is what it is. I book direct thru RCCL and transfer to a TA before final pmt. but I do not find the prices on the Ex. outrageous for the length of the cruises. If I did I'd sail another ship. :) Hope you have a good cruise whatever you decide to do.

 

I do the same thing. I have found the prices on the RCCL website to be as good as a TA. Once I book the cruise and settle on a cabin I turn it over to a TA. I like to control my reservation until I have an aft cabin booked as I can check for ther availability and change quickly.

 

Aqhacruiser. Are you on the April 26th cruise? I am in 1394 and I thought I read somewhere that you were in the aft as well.

[morgan1312]

We live in Jersey but find the EOS prices out of NJ to be ridiculous, I know it's a bigger ship than Grandeur, but for a considerable amount less we can do almost the exact same itinerary on Grandeur out of Norfolk last year and out of Baltimore this year. just for an example of the price difference the EOS charges $1099 for 3rd & 4th pax, Grandeur charges $799. Since we normally travel with 4 in the room, that's already a $600.00 break for taking Grandeur and there is a similar difference in the 1st & 2nd pax prices.

[crisndeefromde]

Explorer is a tough one. You really have to shop dates. The ship consistently sells out or close to. I'm sailing next week. The ship has been sold out for weeks.

 

WE ARE on the ship with you!!!!

[whiteway906]

WE ARE on the ship with you!!!!

 

How exciting for us! Especially since it is 1 degree this morning not counting the windchill. You know this means we'll have to wear our winter coats to muster. No biggie because if I'm at muster then I'm ON A CRUISE! Wahoooo! We're going to have a good time.

 

I was just upstairs trying on all my clothes. Suitcases are out and I'm working on my "lists". You don't even want to know about my pre-cruise "to do" spreadsheet. Yes...I said it. Spreadsheet. Can you say "type A"? LOL!

 

Back to the original topic...I can't complain about the prices on EOS. When I booked in November, I got an insane resident discount. And then the upgrade fairy called.

[Demongear]

With the Explorer prices you really have to keep an eye out. We went on the Mariner in Sept. Returned home and RCL was offering a 5 night Bermuda cruise in a JS for 849pp. (2 cruise credits) in a sale. Our anniversary is in Oct. You can do the math. lol

[melsdt]

We just booked 9 night out of NJ, but the prices are outrageous thru RC - does anyone have a great booking agents who can get you deals? Thanks

 

The prices for the Explorer have gone up significantly since they first started sailing from up here. What I have found is that you really have to book early with this ship, because prices usually do not go down. I booked a JS in like March of 2008, for my May 2009 sailing, for $1500 pp. I looked the other day, and it is $1600 for an Oceanview now, $1900 for a balcony. I think, unfortunately, it may be getting to the point where it isn't a value anymore to cruise from up here. I hope I am wrong! But I still love the convenience of it.

[firefly333]

I'm thinking if they replace the Explorer with a newer Freedom class ship, prices are going to be even higher?

[lv2cruisgrl]

We booked a 13 night JS out of NJ over a year ago, prices now are about $900 pp more than when we booked. Pays to book early.:)

[KMagz]

We live in Jersey but find the EOS prices out of NJ to be ridiculous, ....

 

We're in the NJ as well and still find it CHEAPER to fly the 4 of us to Florida and sail from there even considering all the incidentals of flying (pre-hotel, rental car, etc...)

[Dardreamer]

We booked July 23rd Explorer - $2,100 each for balcony and $1500 each for inside - I call that high!!!

[psupa]

We booked July 23rd Explorer - $2,100 each for balcony and $1500 each for inside - I call that high!!!

 

To me that is high, but it is peak summer season so the rates are higher and depends on the location on the ship. We are going in March on the 12-night and got a great price for an inside guarantee. The price now is double what we paid.

[ma3]

I don't know if you are flying or driving to the port. But, if you are driving then you save on the airfare. We love the EX. We book onboard then turn it over to a TA that we found online and he give us $100 OBC for every thousand the cruise costs. So when I factor in the airfare and the OBC we are saving $.

[TSS Alex]

I could WALK to Bayonne from my house and yet I'm still flying to Miami for a cruise in August. Including airfare, the cost from Miami is about $1500 cheaper than leaving from Bayonne for my group of 5.

[crusinmama06]

Another cruiser here who could drive to the Bayonne port but chooses to fly to Florida and cruise.

 

There is no way that the Explorer cruises are cheaper than going out of Florida, even with airfare and hotel.

 

The Indy cruise dropped to $349 GTY Inside. Our airline tickets are usually $117 to $154 direct non-stop to Florida.

 

I wish that it was cheaper to cruise out of Bayonne...but it isn't. The amount of competing ships in Florida makes the prices better...even with airfare/hotel.

[Got2Cruise]

If your heart is set on the Explorer, and I agree, there is nothing better than homeport cruising, sometimes you can't put a monetary price on convenience and lack of stress.:) There are ways to lower your cabin cost. Several online agencies are offering prepaid gratutities, plus RCI

runs sales when if you book that particular week you get an OBC. Another way is to get the RCI VISA and earn points. All of this adds up.

[luv2cruz24]

When we booked our cruise for this April on the Explorer, we were trying to decide between this one, and a cruise on the Liberty out of Florida. They were about the same price, but the Liberty was a little more expensive...and I know it is the Liberty, but it was also 7 days vs. 9....plus we would have had to buy airfare, which would have cost us at least a thousand more. I say go Explorer, and no flying!!!!!