Price difference from brochure to actual

[Sailaway John]

Recently checked on a cruise on Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas doing Australia's Top End for 16 nights. The brochure price said that for a balcony cabin on deck 8, E2 category, midships, the price was "FROM" $3835.

When we consulted a travel agent the "FROM" price started at $3849 then it was plus gratuities of $201 each person plus taxes of over $700.

Has anyone else had this problem.

With P&O and Princess you have the base price and the "Saver" price and that's it - isn't it. No more to pay!!.

Please set me straight if I am wrong.

[Toto2Kansas]

Princess does not add gatuities when you book, they are added per day to your shipboard account onboard. If you are looking at the Princess website, they show the price plus taxes, those are the only differences. You pay now in the price on RCI, or you pay later with Princess with the gratuities. ;)

 

But keep in mind Princess still allows discounting by travel agents, so you can check around and find a good discount TA that will save you around 10% of the Princess price, and often offers an added bonus of shipboard credit on top of that. Good Luck!

[5326jan]

We saved a lot going with a travel agent on our upcoming cruise. We ALWAYS pay the gratuity as it stands, plus we give a little extra to our steward and waiters. BUT, that is offset by the fact that we can bring our own wine for the cabin and we can buy a bottle of liquor for our cabin to mix drinks for enjoying on our balcony. That alone can save $$$$!

 

Excursions are another cost, but those are completely optional. We usually do private tours with other passengers we meet on our roll call.

 

You can also shop around for cheaper travel insurance if you think you want that. We get that through a private insurer rather than Princess.

 

If you stayed in a nice hotel, ate all day, were entertained all day and night and were taken to beautiful destinations every day, a land tour would be much more expensive. We really feel that cruising is a bargain for what we get out of it!:)

[Coral]

What country do you live in? Pricing in UK and Australia is often different then pricing in Canada and US.

[jewopaho]

It appears as if your travel agent is charging you the "rack rate," i.e. the price quoted in the brochure. As others have mentioned, Princess is the only mass-market cruise line that still permits discounting, so it definitely pays to shop around. You'll also find better insurance prices outside the cruise line. Just go to ... http://www.insuremytrip.com ... and enter your requirements. You'll have your choice of several policies. We find it convenient to simply have the gratuities charged to our account daily, then tip additionally to those whose service has been extraordinary ... and there are always a couple on every cruise.

 

When figuring the cost of a cruise, begin with the fare, irrespective of the source. Port charges must be included when booking in the US. Then add the taxes, gratuities as noted above, and any other options (shore excursions, spa services, etc.). There shouldn't be any major surprises. Have a great cruise.

 

Al

[Toto2Kansas]

What country do you live in? Pricing in UK and Australia is often different then pricing in Canada and US.

 

Very good point Coral. I just googled the OP's city and it does seem they are in Australia, so many of our comments will not apply. :) Good catch!

[Nanatravel]

A wise travel agent will break out the cruise cost as Cruise; Port Taxes & fees, Pre-paid gratuities (optional) and insurance with the cruise line (optional). This way you can compare with other agencies and web sites. Do compare the same category, ship and sailing date. As others have said, TA's can still discount Princess but not on RCI. Travel Agencies may have group space on either ship/line you are considering and thus a different price. Look at all your options and buy one you can live with.

 

Also, rules of pricing are different in the UK, Canada etc. Not sure where you are from.