Why it pays to look at the cruise websites

[nenasmum]

I am booked with my family of 3 on Celebrity Silhouette in September, Originally we were booked in a balcony cabin. By keeping an eye on the cruise websites we got 2 price drops of almost $1000 in total. I then noticed by doing a dummy booking that the wonderful family suite which is usually only available for families of 5 had been released for families of 3- as it is the second largest suites on the ship- 2 bedrooms and a large living area- I snapped it up for only $140 more in total.

We are also going on Navigator of the Seas after that. We got one price drop of a few hundred dollars on that.We were originally booked on the bottem corner aft - the one with the enormous balcony. Then I noticed that the JS suites had become available on a seniors discount for only $150 more. Wanting the almost doubled living space we upgraded to that even though it meant giving up the big Aft balcony. Then last night the top JS suite aft balcony- also with a substantially bigger balcony space- like 3 banana lounges, 2 chairs and 2 tables- became available and I swapped to that.

Thank goodness for accomodating US travel agents. I don't know if I could have done it allif I booked from Oz.

I can't believe this holiday now. We will be sailing in spacious luxury for significantly less than we had originally intended to pay. Fantastic! Jennie

[Cassicruiser]

That is awesome! You have done amazingly well, hope you have a fantastic cruise(s). Its wonderful to hear that some travel agents are so amenable to changes.

 

I highly doubt you could have done it if you booked in Oz. We have just upgraded from an outside cabin to a balcony (and paid in the difference) but because we booked with an Oz TA (who price matched originally from an overseas TA) we had to cancel our entire booking and rebook and lose all the onboard credit that we were originally given in the price match. Luckily we were just inside the cut off date for losing our entire deposit, (which I had to point out to the TA) or we would have lost that too by having to rebook, in which case we would not have been able to upgrade.

 

I checked with the overseas online TA and they said no problems to upgrade at any time - we just keep the same booking and pay the extra. I explain what I had to go through here in Oz and they thought that was just crazy.

 

I for one will not be booking with an Oz TA again (or at least not that one), price match or not. The only positive is that I am now wiser and if I did book in Oz for any reason I now know all the questions to ask beforehand, and would also get everything in writing.

[nenasmum]

That is awesome! You have done amazingly well, hope you have a fantastic cruise(s). Its wonderful to hear that some travel agents are so amenable to changes.

 

I highly doubt you could have done it if you booked in Oz. We have just upgraded from an outside cabin to a balcony (and paid in the difference) but because we booked with an Oz TA (who price matched originally from an overseas TA) we had to cancel our entire booking and rebook and lose all the onboard credit that we were originally given in the price match. Luckily we were just inside the cut off date for losing our entire deposit, (which I had to point out to the TA) or we would have lost that too by having to rebook, in which case we would not have been able to upgrade.

 

I checked with the overseas online TA and they said no problems to upgrade at any time - we just keep the same booking and pay the extra. I explain what I had to go through here in Oz and they thought that was just crazy.

 

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I had no problems at all upgrading even though it was after the payment in full date. A phone call and it was done in minutes! Jennie

[Cassicruiser]

I wish I had had the same good experience. Yours validates my view all the more. I know we aren't allowed to share TA details on this site, but was yours one of the big online TAs in the US or a bricks and mortar agent?

[Cassicruiser]

I just realised I kind of hijacked your thread and turned it into my griping and grumbling, but I was just so annoyed at my situation. Its nice to hear your story and know that you can get great deals and there are travel agents out there that will do their best for you, even if you do have to look overseas.

[erewhon]

I am booked with my family of 3 on Celebrity Silhouette in September, Originally we were booked in a balcony cabin. By keeping an eye on the cruise websites we got 2 price drops of almost $1000 in total. I then noticed by doing a dummy booking that the wonderful family suite which is usually only available for families of 5 had been released for families of 3- as it is the second largest suites on the ship- 2 bedrooms and a large living area- I snapped it up for only $140 more in total.

We are also going on Navigator of the Seas after that. We got one price drop of a few hundred dollars on that.We were originally booked on the bottem corner aft - the one with the enormous balcony. Then I noticed that the JS suites had become available on a seniors discount for only $150 more. Wanting the almost doubled living space we upgraded to that even though it meant giving up the big Aft balcony. Then last night the top JS suite aft balcony- also with a substantially bigger balcony space- like 3 banana lounges, 2 chairs and 2 tables- became available and I swapped to that.

Thank goodness for accomodating US travel agents. I don't know if I could have done it allif I booked from Oz.

I can't believe this holiday now. We will be sailing in spacious luxury for significantly less than we had originally intended to pay. Fantastic! Jennie

 

Congratulations on the upgraded staterooms.

Have a fabulous cruising holiday.

[musicorn]

I wish I had had the same good experience. Yours validates my view all the more. I know we aren't allowed to share TA details on this site, but was yours one of the big online TAs in the US or a bricks and mortar agent?

 

It is a shame we can not share these details. I too use a US Agent for many of my cruises. I use an online agent like any smart cruiser would do I guess. ;) I have given up booking with Aussie agents as they can not offer me any where near the same service and flexibility.

[Cassicruiser]

It is a shame we can not share these details. I too use a US Agent for many of my cruises. I use an online agent like any smart cruiser would do I guess. ;) I have given up booking with Aussie agents as they can not offer me any where near the same service and flexibility.

I thought I was clever this time finding an Aussie TA that would happily price match from an online site that was quite a bit lower, but it came back to bite me when I wanted to upgrade to a better cabin and just pay in the difference. All because I wanted to give my business to an Aussie agency. Lesson learned. But I am still mad :confused:. I need to build a bridge and get over it, and enjoy my cruise (in my cost more than it should have balcony cabin :rolleyes:) and know that next time I will be booking elsewhere and doing my homework first.

[jota]

I am using a large aussie agency for my upcoming Voyager cruise.

Since booking during a wow sale sometime ago ($200 OBC), I have found two price drops on the RCCL site which I have had the TA sort out.

The first one cost me my $200 OBC and a $100 amendment fee and the second one cost me $110 amendment fee, and after having a look at a US TA site last night for the same cruise I am still paying about $300 more pp.

Oh, and each time I communicate with the TA they take the best part of a week to get back to me. I made an enquiry about another cruise recently (ie potentially a new booking) and they emailed me back a week later saying the category I was enquiring about was booked out, no options suggested.

I guess this is why I like cruising, it is the only time I experience great service.

[Feen Machine]

I am booked with my family of 3 on Celebrity Silhouette in September, Originally we were booked in a balcony cabin. By keeping an eye on the cruise websites we got 2 price drops of almost $1000 in total. I then noticed by doing a dummy booking that the wonderful family suite which is usually only available for families of 5 had been released for families of 3- as it is the second largest suites on the ship- 2 bedrooms and a large living area- I snapped it up for only $140 more in total.

We are also going on Navigator of the Seas after that. We got one price drop of a few hundred dollars on that.We were originally booked on the bottem corner aft - the one with the enormous balcony. Then I noticed that the JS suites had become available on a seniors discount for only $150 more. Wanting the almost doubled living space we upgraded to that even though it meant giving up the big Aft balcony. Then last night the top JS suite aft balcony- also with a substantially bigger balcony space- like 3 banana lounges, 2 chairs and 2 tables- became available and I swapped to that.

Thank goodness for accomodating US travel agents. I don't know if I could have done it allif I booked from Oz.

I can't believe this holiday now. We will be sailing in spacious luxury for significantly less than we had originally intended to pay. Fantastic! Jennie

 

Hi

Don`t know if they let you know,but my message was removed ,as I put my email address I did not know you can`t do that .:p:)

[Aussieflyer]

Hi

Don`t know if they let you know,but my message was removed ,as I put my email address I did not know you can`t do that .:p:)

 

I don't think it was that you included your email, more that you asked for the actual TA's name I would say.There is a Tripadvisor cruise forum where you may find the information you are after.

[Aussieflyer]

Oh, the other thing, often if people post their email address, they will change it so that a 'bot' can't pick it up, so it will be XXX at XXXX dot com dot etc. Other people have their email in their signature.

[Cassicruiser]

Jota - that is so frustrating! I wouldnt even mind paying $50 admin fee to upgrade but that is excessive, and why oh why do we have to rebook and lose our onboard credit just to upgrade cabins!! I'm sure though that there are some lovely TA's in Australia whose hands are tied by the unfair rules of the Aus based cruise lines, but these admin fees would be their store policies. The Aus cruise industry needs a real shake up though to offer the same rules as their overseas counterparts if they want to keep the business of Aus cruisers. At least mine was good with getting back to me, but so they should be!!

 

Musicorn - I did reply to you, saying I totally get what you were sayin ;) but both our posts were removed which is fair enough. :rolleyes:

 

Hey at the end of the day - I'm just excited to be going on a cruise!! In a balcony cabin!

[Feen Machine]

I don't think it was that you included your email, more that you asked for the actual TA's name I would say.There is a Tripadvisor cruise forum where you may find the information you are after.

 

Hi Aussieflyer

They told me by email ,you are not allowed to put your email address on cruise critic cause you then can email privately.I did not mention a TA name at all. that was what I done wrong .:o:o Yes I wanted the information through my email .

[Aussieflyer]

Thanks for the information Feen Machine. It is funny as I have seen people's email addresses before and nothing seems to have been done. Interesting that they emailed you to tell you why your post was deleted. Hope you got the information you needed. Otherwise have at look at Tripadvisor cruises forum as there is a lot of information there.

[spiritreturn]

I am really interested how you book with a US travel Agent, I booked our first three cruises through *************, got really good bargains too, just after I had booked the 3rd cruise I got an email from ************* telling me that they would no longer be able to book any cruises in to or out of Australia, they said that the Australian cruise agents had made such a fuss that they were no longer allowed to book cruises for us, this was about 18 months ago.

I must add, we have booked a cruise on Carnival Spirit for this Christmas from Sydney, I booked through the Carnival site, recently I saw that the price had dropped, as you did I did a mock booking, found a better cabin, then rang them, the result was, I got the better cabin, also got a reduction in price and an extra $100 OBC added to the OBC we already had, so I was very happy.

[Cassicruiser]

I am really interested how you book with a US travel Agent, I booked our first three cruises through *************, got really good bargains too, just after I had booked the 3rd cruise I got an email from ************* telling me that they would no longer be able to book any cruises in to or out of Australia, they said that the Australian cruise agents had made such a fuss that they were no longer allowed to book cruises for us, this was about 18 months ago.

I must add, we have booked a cruise on Carnival Spirit for this Christmas from Sydney, I booked through the Carnival site, recently I saw that the price had dropped, as you did I did a mock booking, found a better cabin, then rang them, the result was, I got the better cabin, also got a reduction in price and an extra $100 OBC added to the OBC we already had, so I was very happy.

Before I made my booking with the Aus agent, I checked a few sites on the web and spoke to and emailed a couple of US sites, as well as the UK site we price matched with. All were fine to book Australian passengers on Australian cruises. I guess a few won't but many will. I also think it depends more on the cruise line - I'm pretty sure you can book an RCI cruise through a US online agent but possibly not one of the other lines.

That's fantastic service from Carnival - What made them give you OBC as well when you changed your cabin?

[Pushka]

I've just booked a European cruise with an online website from Europe and the price is much cheaper by about $1000 for exactly the same cabin. The cruise website already sees my booking but I haven't paid the deposit yet. Are there any risks on proceeding? The online site states it can book from most countries.

 

 

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[spiritreturn]

Before I made my booking with the Aus agent, I checked a few sites on the web and spoke to and emailed a couple of US sites, as well as the UK site we price matched with. All were fine to book Australian passengers on Australian cruises. I guess a few won't but many will. I also think it depends more on the cruise line - I'm pretty sure you can book an RCI cruise through a US online agent but possibly not one of the other lines.

That's fantastic service from Carnival - What made them give you OBC as well when you changed your cabin?

 

I really dont know and i wasn't about to query it!!! I just said oh thank you so much, lol, our daughter and family are going on the same cruise with us and she booked hers through a different TA, she rang them to see if she could get a better deal too and believe it or not got upgraded from an inside cabin to a Balcony AND another $100 OBC aswell, we are both amazed at the wonderful service we recieved.

[Aussieflyer]

I've just booked a European cruise with an online website from Europe and the price is much cheaper by about $1000 for exactly the same cabin. The cruise website already sees my booking but I haven't paid the deposit yet. Are there any risks on proceeding? The online site states it can book from most countries.

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Hi Pushka, my understanding is that we are fine to book using overseas agents as long as it is not one of the lines which do not allow the practice. One site has a list of lines which it cannot book - Holland America, MSC Cruises, Princess, P & O. If you have booked HAL or Princess through this TA prior to January 1, 2011, you are still able to book those lines but not if you are a new customer. I just looked at the site and am surprise as the list used to be much longer (e.g. Cunard and Oceania used to be on the list too), so am not sure if there has been a change. We have successfully used both US and UK agents for Celebrity.

How was your European cruise?

Jenny

[Cassicruiser]

I really dont know and i wasn't about to query it!!! I just said oh thank you so much, lol, our daughter and family are going on the same cruise with us and she booked hers through a different TA, she rang them to see if she could get a better deal too and believe it or not got upgraded from an inside cabin to a Balcony AND another $100 OBC aswell, we are both amazed at the wonderful service we recieved.

That really is fabulous service. Shows it pays to keep checking prices. Very impressive service from Carnival, and finding an agent that will do this as well is gold. I was thinking this might all be because this sailing is not selling well, but as it's a Christmas cruise that can't possibly be the case.

 

I don't get why I had such a bad experience, as the agent I used is not a small mom and pop operation, far from it. You'd think they would be able to do better for their clients.

[Cassicruiser]

I've just booked a European cruise with an online website from Europe and the price is much cheaper by about $1000 for exactly the same cabin. The cruise website already sees my booking but I haven't paid the deposit yet. Are there any risks on proceeding? The online site states it can book from most countries.

 

 

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If your booking is appearing on the cruise line's website, with your Australian details registered I would say you're absolutely fine. But it might be worth a call to the cruiseline's European office to let them know you're booking from Australia and check if all is ok.

 

We booked a couple of years ago through a UK online cruise agent (for a Royal Caribbean cruise) and had no problems at all.

[Pushka]

If your booking is appearing on the cruise line's website, with your Australian details registered I would say you're absolutely fine. But it might be worth a call to the cruiseline's European office to let them know you're booking from Australia and check if all is ok.

 

We booked a couple of years ago through a UK online cruise agent (for a Royal Caribbean cruise) and had no problems at all.

 

It is Princess line which makes me a bit wary. I'll enter all my details tomorrow and see if they 'stick'. And just email princess to see if all is in order.

Europe was fabulous Jenny, and Hubby is converted to port intensive cruises. Which is why we are booking an Eastern med cruise for next year. I never thought it possible! :)

 

 

 

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[Pushka]

Well, I've given my deposit details to the booking site and the reservation still appears in the Princess site and all my passport and address details are entered and remain in the system. The booking site even contacted Princess to determine the cancellation policies given I am in Australia and they are not. So as long as I am happy with those policies, it seems like it's a go'er.

 

Planning at full speed now....the only way to survive post cruise blues.

[Cassicruiser]

Sounds like you can rest assured all is fine. Once the cruiseline has your booking its all good.

An Eastern Med cruise sounds fabulous!!! On my bucket list for the not too distant future (I hope). Together with Alaska and the Caribbean, not sure what order though.

For anyone doing a med cruise I have been reading a report on cruise critic by Kanscocoa - absolutely fabulous, lots of photos and tips about tours etc, and she is such an entertaining writer. Definitely worth a read (but its pages and pages long). You can find it on the Royal Caribbean Board and its called Middle aged Drama Queen's Easter Med review