last minute cruises

[fredflint]

I know with all the new rules cruising at the lastminute is difficult but I do see some really nice deals, recently I came across a Mumbai to Athens cruise thru the Suez Canal Balcony cabin for 999.00

 

Azamara Journey leaving May 1st found the price on April 29th? Azamara includes gratuities and wine with their cabins. Looking around I did find some other deals.

 

So you find a cruise you want to take, book airfare to the starting point and a hotel for a couple of nights and see if the cruise price drops then book it and do priceline or the cruise ship return flight, if not just vacation in that city?

 

Anyone done any one week or less cruise booking, not counting US folks leaving from US ports?

 

Or was the price just a fluke?

 

just found this one

 

21 Night Iberian & Baltic Discovery Collector from $1,299

Brochure price $6,099. Save up to 79% off brochure price!

 

 

 

 

Ship Name:

Eurodam

 

Sailing Date(s): May 10, 2013

 

Ports of Call:

Departs From Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy visiting Cartagena, Spain >> Malaga, Spain >> Cadiz (Seville), Spain >> Lisbon, Portugal >> Vigo, Spain >> St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands >> Zeebrugge (Bruges), Belgium >> Copenhagen, Denmark >> Tallinn, Estonia >> St. Petersburg, Russian Federation >> Helsinki, Finland >> Cruise Stockholm Archipelago >> Stockholm, Sweden >> Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany >> Kiel, Germany

 

Staterooms: Interior Oceanview Balcony Suite

 

 

Prices From: $1,299 $1,399 Call Now! Call Now!

$62 Per Night! $67 Per Night!

[Nebr.cruiser]

I see these kinds of great prices often with cruises that leave within a week or two of the current date. For us, and I think most people, they don't work because of air fare costs--either not available at all or exorbitantly high for last minute flights. Plus, we usually fly with airline miles, so that takes some advance planning as well.

 

If I am understanding you, are you asking if it makes sense to just go ahead and book flights to a certain city and then hope that you find a great price on a last-minute cruise from there? And if it doesn't happen just spend your time in that city for a vacation rather than cruise?

 

I probably would never do that because of the uncertainty. Maybe if it was a city or country I really, really wanted to visit anyway, like Venice, say, but I still doubt if I'd take the chance.

 

I do like those last minute prices though! We do book fairly late (2-3 months out) for most of our cruises and get great prices, but again, we are flexible and if we can't find flights at a decent price, or using miles, we find a different cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We would never book fights to a city and hope for a last minute deal on a cruise.

And to book the cruise even 2 weeks from the sailing date, we would never be able to get any flights. Should we be lucky to get a flight by some miracle, the prices would be out of sight -- probably cost more than the cruise itself.

[navybankerteacher]

The reason those last minute deals are so cheap is usually because no one wants to book them. The same reason which applies to everyone else should apply to you. Even for a US resident sailing from a US port, if the cruise is cheap, getting to the port probably won't be. Essentially, the only people who can take advantage of really great deals are those with complete time flexibility who can get to the port cheaply -- meaning within driving range, most likely.

[Scrapnana]

There are some really good deals for last minute cruises. I just checked some last minute (like day after tomorrow) international flights and they weren't that much different from the regular prices. If I found a good cruise deal, I would call the company and see if they could hold the cabin for a half hour while I booked my air. It would be a shame to be able to get one and not the other.

[Krazy Kruizers]

There are some really good deals for last minute cruises. I just checked some last minute (like day after tomorrow) international flights and they weren't that much different from the regular prices. If I found a good cruise deal, I would call the company and see if they could hold the cabin for a half hour while I booked my air. It would be a shame to be able to get one and not the other.

 

You probably live near an airport that has tons of International flights.

We have just one International flight left -- a few days a week on Delta to Paris.

[paul929207]

You will never be guarenteed to get a cruise at what you consider and acceptable price. Sometimes, the cruise(s) will be sold out and you won't be able to get on at any price. As long as you accept that and are willing to just vacation then go for it.

[navybankerteacher]

There are some really good deals for last minute cruises. I just checked some last minute (like day after tomorrow) international flights and they weren't that much different from the regular prices. If I found a good cruise deal, I would call the company and see if they could hold the cabin for a half hour while I booked my air. It would be a shame to be able to get one and not the other.

 

You might want to do it the other way around -you can usually put a hold on a flight, and then check the cruise; I don't know if a cruise line would give you a "hold".

[travlnblueberries]

You might want to do it the other way around -you can usually put a hold on a flight, and then check the cruise; I don't know if a cruise line would give you a "hold".

 

We have in the past put a cruise on "hold" for a few hours.

[jocap]

We have met people who book the day before a cruise- but they had a Travel Agent working for them; bags were packed, and they waited for his call. In this way, they travelled round the Med all winter, on a number of ships, for very low prices. It seemed to be getting hold of the right TA with cruising knowledge that counted.