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Princess wave season cruise specials

Infi

By Infi,
in Princess Cruises

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Infi

Infi

Posted
Posted

Has anyone received any wave season cruise specials from Princess (not TAs!) so far this month? I'm talking about the kind that come either via email or paper mail and are usually tied to a Captain's Circle number. Last year, I received several (2-for-1 Alaska and cruisetours, 2-for-1 Europe that most talked about on these boards) but this year has been very quiet so far. I don't remember when they came out last year, but I definitely got them in January. I'm just wondering if I'm missing something or if nothing has been sent out yet!

 

If anyone has received a cruise specials flyer from Princess, please post it here. Hopefully, this can be a thread letting us see trends of what Princess is discounting for 2010 - we can keep each other updated.

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hightownCO

hightownCO

Posted
Posted

No 2fers that I've seen. I'm getting lots of e mails and flyers about balcony for the price of oceanviews for AK, Europe and Carib for summer; Specials on sections of World Cruise, etc.

 

Don't think prices are good enough for the summer to jump on anything yet.

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Thebox

Thebox

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Remember booking a 2-for-1 special last January that enabled us to cruise Europe for a price that I could not ignore. I just got lucky and called on the 'right' day for a price. Haven't received any sale notice for summer 2010 yet, but don't know if I would receive info since my "back up plan" is also a (local) cruise on Princess. Have plenty of time to switch to Europe if the opportunity presents itself. So please do post special wave season opportunities you receive on this board. Would be most appreciated

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Toto2Kansas

Toto2Kansas

Posted
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I am going to guess, that unless the economy takes another real nose dive, you won't be seeing many (if any) 2 for 1 offers this year. When the ships aren't selling well, or they have lots of staterooms to fill, you will see these great specials offered. But if they aren't having a problem filling the ships, which does seem to be the case, the specials won't be as great as they were last year.

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1 HappyCruiser

1 HappyCruiser

Posted
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My TA sent an email this morning & it read:

 

  • $250-$600pp deposits SLASHED to $100pp!
  • $240 value onboard coupons!
  • Most sailings April 2010 and later have shipboard credit of $50-$150/cabin!
  • Book 1/18 through 1/31 to qualify

but I checked out a trip that I've been following in May & the prices were the same as a month ago as well as the cabin credit. Same old information.

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kruisey

kruisey

Posted
Posted
My TA sent an email this morning & it read:

 

  • $250-$600pp deposits SLASHED to $100pp!
  • $240 value onboard coupons!
  • Most sailings April 2010 and later have shipboard credit of $50-$150/cabin!
  • Book 1/18 through 1/31 to qualify

but I checked out a trip that I've been following in May & the prices were the same as a month ago as well as the cabin credit. Same old information.

 

I got a lead in price of $899USD 16 day Ruby Princess April 19th inside each.

May 01 FL Rome $799USD 14 day.

Thats Captain Circle Elite rate.

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kruisey

kruisey

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Actually the Crown Princess May 1 sailing is a 14 day cruise & if you can get it for $799 it's a great deal even without port charges added in which are about $60.

Grab it.

I wish I could have offered to pass it to you sincerely.......Kruisey

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blondie1234

blondie1234

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It has been my experience that on the European cruises, the good deals don't come up until about 6 weeks before sail date. I have been observing these prices for about the last 5 years. I have generally done a European cruise every summer on Princess and usually book about a month/6 weeks in advance of the cruise date and get fares very cheap as I often book when there are very few cabins left. I really don't care where I am on the ship as to location and often get a guarantee outside cabin (obstructed but I often get upgraded).

 

The European Explorer, which is now close to 2000 I think, I got that one for 800 for inside, 1000 for outside. Same for Norway/Iceland. Over the last few years, European Explorer and the Baltics seems to sell less well than the Mediterrean (especially the 12 day one that includes Greece and Croatia with entry/exit ports being Rome and Venice). Generally in the past few years you could get a Baltics outside cabin for around 1000/1100. This is probably due to the fact that they have so many sailings so that would depend how choosey you were on the date. The ones in May are generally cheaper than the ones June/July.

 

The Mediterrean ones that I mention are more expensive and are more likely to sell out. Outsides are generally about 1500/1800, though the one that includes Florence and Monaco instead of Dubrovnik often is cheaper. Holy Land is also likely to sell out and is often more expensive, often over 2000,even close to 3000, though in the last few years, Princess has offered good deals for Holy Land for the fall and in the summertime they have advertised cheap fares for ships to the Holy Land in the fall. Also, Princess faces competition to the Holy Land in the fall as other cruises like Holland America and Celebrity I think go in the fall but not in the early summer where Princess has a monopoly at least as far as the major cruiselines. Mediterrenean cruises are also alot cheaper in the fall - sailings to Greece in October are much cheaper than the summer generally speaking (and the weather is nicer - Greece in August is terrible).

 

Princess has the prices high now (looks like most of the cruises are in the 1500-2200 range for an outside) and if the past is any guide, they will start lowering them in March with further lowering the last 2 months/6 weeks before if there is still space. I would note that Princess seems to have done some sort of price reduction since November for past passengers though it was only a small amount. Another thing: airlines generally don't start lowering their summer fares until at least March. they generally offer good deals if you fly before June 15. I have been able to get $700 airfare from NYC to Europe (London, Rome, Frankfurt) the past few years.

 

Alaska is cheap in early May/June and again in August. Last year (and the year before) there were more ships in Alaska so the prices got crazy cheap - Princess was offering Alaska cruises for $300 at some times! You can always find an Alaska cruise; they won't sell out generally until 2 weeks before. However, this summer may be different since both Princess and other cruise lines have started to pull some ships out of Alaska due to the $50 per person port fee. So it might not be as good this year. Saying that, I have observed that the Alaska fares for early May do seem pretty cheap so I still think you will be able to get an under $500 Alaska cruise this summer, particularly in early May.

 

The only other place I think Princess is in the summer is the Caribbean. The 9 day from NYC over the past few years has been pretty popular and that generally sells out at least 2 months before sailing. That cruise also seems to price out around $1000/1200 for an outside; it generally did not seem to get much cheaper. Overall, other Caribbean cruises like the ones from Florida are more expensive in the summer. Whereas now you can get a Caribbean cruise for $400 for an outside, in the summer, they are usually about $1000, due to much less competition as most of the Caribbean ships move to Alaska.

 

Also I have observed that oftentimes at this point, it seems like the ships are pretty well booked. However, in the past, alot of cabins seemed to become available later in the process. To be honest, I don't know if Princess "holds" cabins off the market or if people cancel or don't pay the full price when it is due or what. Inventory can also vary hour to hour; sometimes the cabins will be there, then they are gone for a few days then they come back and so on. Princess also has random "flash" sales with travel agents where they lower the prices.

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psyfi

psyfi

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Posted
They are offering the "Balcony Bonanza" & 25% off Alaska Cruises for the Summer Season. These are the only two I have received & the details are also posted on their web-site.

We got these also.

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Infi

Infi

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Thank you everyone for your feedback and info. A special thanks to blondie1234, your reply was very interesting to read.

 

I have also gotten the Balcony Bonanza promotions, and none of them are spectacular, to be honest. The better sales aren't the ones offered on the Princess site, but the ones offered via e-mail/mail and tied to a Captain's Circle number. I haven't seen any of those, and it looks like no one else has either. Then again, I haven't been impressed with any of the other lines' wave season specials either.

 

As the month ticks by, I'm realizing that the deals just aren't out there this year. No, I don't expect 2-for-1s like last year - that was a very rare occurrence and I'm glad I grabbed it - but some discounts would be nice. I find it hard to believe the cruises are selling so well this year compared to last year that they don't need to discount ANY of the itineraries. The Caribbean is overpriced and the Med is high, too. Maybe wave season just isn't what it used to be.

 

Let's keep this thread alive, hopefully someone is out there getting some deals. :)

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