Last Minute Cruises

[newmexicoNita]

Depends on what category guarantee they paid for.. It's possible they booked and paid for a suite guarantee and got the owners suite. Im guessing they didn't upgrade them from an inside cabin..

 

My thoughts as well. The did not pay for a standard gty cabin and get the owners suite. The biggest upgrade with a gty I have ever heard of was an inside on HAL a few years ago and the little old lady (yes, she was 90 plus) a balcony, I was in the travel industry for 12 years, the chance of something like an inside to a suite happening is almost unheard of. Of course people can tell us anything and some will believe it. I am a skeptic. BTW, I do believe the poster who posted the other day about her experience. I am simply saying it is very rare and as she said, once in a lifetime.

Edited January 30, 2014 by newmexicoNita

[biker@sea]

I just looked at my eDocs and it says I got a midship balcony from my inside GTY. I'm happy with that. :D

 

You do have lady luck on your side . Inside Gty price just went UP by $180 from last night .:)

[RVachon]

You do have lady luck on your side . Inside Gty price just went UP by $180 from last night .:)

Yes I saw that. :D

[antsnanny]

Call your travel agent and mention that you've seen the price drop and is there anything they can do? If you are polite and persistent, they might give you some OBC for the same cabin. Or offer an upgrade but you have to decide if you want it.

 

 

My Travel Agent got us upgraded even without me asking...

[coka]

We have always planed out a a cruise vacation a year plus in advance. I would like to know more information on last minute cruising. And I do mean last minute. Only a day or two before the cruise is set to leave. I know we will be giving up choices as to where our cabin would be and we are ok with that if we can get a great deal. I have checked the last few weeks for last minute cruises and the best I can find is booking two weeks out. Can anyone give me some help regarding booking last minute. Thank you in advance.

 

Jo Anne

 

 

My personal experience varies when I book last minute. I am a price watcher and I find the better bargains are in the lowest category cabins for last minute cruises because there are more of them. Keep an eye on availability in each category. Check prices before final payment due date. Check prices soon after final payment due date. If they go down, keep checking availability using ncl.com and other online agencies. As the cabins fill, the prices will go back up again or stay where they are. If price does not move, sometimes agencies offer OBC or other perks increase to entice people to book. For me, I find the best time is around four weeks prior to sailing.

 

It also depends on time of year and the week the sailing occurs. Popular sailing weeks (such as presidents week, christmas, new years) and seasonal sailings (such as Alaska or bermuda once school is out for summer), the prices rarely drop. They are more likely to drop with less demand sailings.

 

All of the above applies when I do not care what I get for a cabin. When I want a particular sailing and a a particular category/cabin, then I book in advance.

 

Thus far, my closest last minute cruise was booking Saturday at 10:00am for a sailing that left Sunday at 4pm.

 

Oh...I also have my own idea of what I think each category on each ship is "worth." I use that as my guide too.

 

Lastly, practice, practice, practice! LOL

 

Coka

[30038599]

I booked a cruise at 2pm this afternoon and we sail at 4pm tomorrow. I can't get home to pack till toorrow morning. Have roughly two hours to pack for husband and myself.

[e2011]

I've met people who called the cruise line directly the day before embarkation and simply asked "What have you got?". They got an amazing rate and didn't know what cabin until they arrived at the pier. Key here is they spoke directly with the cruise line. Also, they were a 2 hour bus ride to the pier.... no airfare issues.

 

This is true! My TA does it all the time for my brother and he gets some great deals!

[biker@sea]

I booked a cruise at 2pm this afternoon and we sail at 4pm tomorrow. I can't get home to pack till toorrow morning. Have roughly two hours to pack for husband and myself.

 

Good for you !!

Wishing warm breezes and smooth seas to ya.:D