El Cheapo Cruises Thread

[gogo65]

Australians are not as competitive as others. If one of own fellow cc members grab a great deal we are happy for them and if we are on the same cruise as them and have paid more we hope that they will take pity on us at the meet and mingle and shout us a drink with some of their savings.

 

Agreed ;)

[JessicaB]

Hi All, just wondering which Aussie & US cruise sites others have booked with. Wendy from Melbourne..

[GUT2407]

Hi All, just wondering which Aussie & US cruise sites others have booked with. Wendy from Melbourne..

 

G'day Hessica

 

You're not allowed to name sites and TAs on CC I'm sorry.

[madfisher]

Jasmith that is why I prefaced my post with my intention that it was not to upset anyone.

I felt safe writing this post on the Aussie board because generally it's not an issue. Considering there is a long thread on cheap cruises, I think one can say we like to help others and generally are happy when someone gets a good deal.

I did also mention that at the end of the day my deal was not much better than if I booked it 3 months ago prior to final payment.

My intention was to show what I had to go through and the reasons behind my booking.

If I upset anyone that potentially read this post that is on the same cruise and is unhappy because I got a perceived better deal, then I'd be happy to shout them a beer on board as an apology :D

 

you gogo girl

everyone wishes you well and are genuinely happy for your great deal

[GUT2407]

you gogo girl

everyone wishes you well and are genuinely happy for your great deal

 

It seems typical of the Aussie sub forum that people who get good deal are congratulated rather than people being jealous of them.

[GUT2407]

Sure, as long as I have the drink package:D

 

Doesn't matter because I'll have the soft drink package anyway.

[rugbypopsie]

Discussing agents will get you a big smack from admin..:)

 

As our dollar sinks it takes real effort to chase deals. Subscribe to cruise line newsletters, talk to your cruisie mates, take note of when sales are on, they are around the same time each year.

 

Sue

[jasmith52]

Australians are not as competitive as others. If one of own fellow cc members grab a great deal we are happy for them and if we are on the same cruise as them and have paid more we hope that they will take pity on us at the meet and mingle and shout us a drink with some of their savings.

 

This has nothing to do with being competitive and certainly didn't mean to be an international comparison.

 

It has everything to do with needlessly upsetting someone else.

 

How would you feel if you chat with someone only to discover they got the same cruise for half ? How would they feel if the reverse were true ?

 

Personally I have been on both sides of this situation.

Edited August 13, 2015 by jasmith52

[GUT2407]

This has nothing to do with being competitive and certainly didn't mean to be an international comparison.

 

It has everything to do with needlessly upsetting someone else.

 

How would you feel if you chat with someone only to discover they got the same cruise for half ? How would they feel if the reverse were true ?

 

Personally I have been on both sides of this situation.

 

It wouldn't bother me at all.

 

I only book when there is an offer I am happy with, if someone else waits till the last minute (or books early) and gets a great deal, I say Good luck to them.

[icat2000]

It wouldn't bother me at all.

 

I only book when there is an offer I am happy with, if someone else waits till the last minute (or books early) and gets a great deal, I say Good luck to them.

 

I feel the same. And the purpose of the thread is for people to share cheap deals etc so as many people can have the opportunity to take advantage of them as possible. Its all about choice. You win some, you lose some.

[GUT2407]

I feel the same. And the purpose of the thread is for people to share cheap deals etc so as many people can have the opportunity to take advantage of them as possible. Its all about choice. You win some, you lose some.

 

I probably lose moe than most, but consider if I'm cruising I'm a winner.

[pomgo]

so say us!!

[woodyren]

This has nothing to do with being competitive and certainly didn't mean to be an international comparison.

 

It has everything to do with needlessly upsetting someone else.

 

How would you feel if you chat with someone only to discover they got the same cruise for half ? How would they feel if the reverse were true ?

 

Personally I have been on both sides of this situation.

 

I would feel like asking them for more information so that it may assist me to get a better deal next time.

 

It make zero difference to what I paid whether I know or don't know what some one else paid. But the benefit of knowing what others have paid and how they got the deal will and indeed has received payback down the road on many occasions.

 

I would also let as many people as I could know what I had learned. Probably the reason this is my all time favourite CC thread.

 

Honestly I have no idea why anyone would feel even slightly upset by finding out that someone else got a good deal when they were OK to pay the price they paid when they booked. My head just does not work that way.

Edited August 13, 2015 by woodyren

[spudstrawb]

How does one book in Euros or pounds? Do you need to use a VPN to get access to the Euro site?

 

...The price monitoring website I use only gives me updates in USD, CAD Pounds but this cruise is not giving me pounds or Euros) and a search Euros shows zilch for this. I have only ever booked in the US or Australia.

 

woodyren

I had assumed that you would just book through a European or UK travel agent. We've effectively purchased the $US deal when we booked through a US travel agent. The same situation must occur when you book in the other countries.

 

If you just want to check prices, I can do that for you. Because of our particular internet situation, I use a service called speedify to bond our various internet services together. Our internet then goes through one of the speedify servers. There are speedify servers all over the world, so the unexpected advantage of this is that I can pretend that I'm in another country by simply going through a speedify server that is located in that country. It's very useful. In your situation though, do a search for "geo-block" plus "virtual nationality". You should be able to find a VPN that will do what you want.

 

It's definitely worth comparing the different prices for different currencies. I've been keeping an eye on the prices for our next cruise and the Canadian price is significantly better than the other currencies in almost all categories. We weren't organised enough to take advantage of that situation this time around but I'll certainly be looking into it next time.

[lagoon380]

When I booked our first cruise in 2013, we just paid whatever the price was at the time of booking not knowing about the price fluctuations of the cruise industry.

 

With our second cruise we waited for a last minute deal on a specific cruise but it didn't go down in price but we booked it as we liked that cruise.

 

With our 3rd and 4th cruise we picked a 2 month window of various cruises we were interested in then kept an eye on prices and when a good deal appeared we booked.

[ladybird1292]

Lagoon380, I was just saying to my DH that we should wait and book two months prior for a cruise I would love to do.

 

Our first cruise we just booked through a TA. Our next I will likely book early. But since I have discovered CC I will continue learning as much as I can. I can't wait to go again. I also appreciate this thread discussing cheap cruise options. But I agree that when you book you have to be satisfied with your choice and stop looking to see if some else got it cheaper.

 

I know my wait and see strategy may mean we miss out if that cruise on that date becomes popular. So it is a gamble either way. Which is why I'll book early on our second cruise.

 

Still you are winning to be cruising and if someone gets a better deal congrats to them.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rugbypopsie]

Book early if it's a popular cruise..book late if you can bear to wait or if you can go at last minute, don't forget repositioning cruises. You can often get a cruise on a really $$$ line if they are repositioning,

 

Sue.

[woodyren]

But I agree that when you book you have to be satisfied with your choice and stop looking to see if some else got it cheaper.

 

 

I never stop checking. Of course when I book I am satisfied with my choice...BUT.

 

1) If it is not yet final payment I may be able to cancel and rebook. My current Radiance booking with an Aussie TA has a no penalty cancellation until a certain date. If I see a better deal (doubt that I will) either here or in the USA I will cancel and rebook if the conditions allow.

 

2) I have another booking with a US TA on the second leg of our Radiance B2B. That cruise was a little bit more expensive than I would normally pay for a balcony both here and in USD. Because the first leg ends in Auckland we would still have to fork out for an air ticket home so I booked an inside in USD as it was the cheapest option even with the low AUD. I also received a total of $360 USD in perks and when taking off the $250pp or more that air would cost it was a good choice for us. I will continue to watch prices though because I think there is a good chance of a better deal before finals or an upgrade for a small price after finals.

 

3)Even if I can't change my cost because of conditions I learn a little more each time about trends and potential price fluctuations.

 

4)Even though I don't feel BAD or upset if some one else has got a better deal I sure feel :D:D:D if I picked the sweet spot lol.

[icat2000]

I never stop looking until I have paid for the cruise in full. I check often for pricing changes, I monitor threads, sites etc to see if there has been a change in price.

 

Sometimes, I find some other cruise that I like. So I cancel and book new one.

 

To me, nothing is set in stone until paid in full.

[woodyren]

Explorer of the Seas 11 days Dubai Singapore Inside gty.

 

$540 USD pp including all taxes and port charges through US TA's That's $732 AUD at current forex rates.

 

$697pp in Australia so a slightly better deal but my guess is that I would expect to get at least $100 USD OBC booking in the USA making it abetter option.

 

Both good deals though.

 

Previous leg 14 days Barcelona - Dubai had an inside gty a few days ago for around $700 USD ($940 AuD)

 

So you could get say 25 days for less than $1600 and if booked both through a US TA probably PP grats.

 

Just an example of repo bargains. Of course air fares add a lot but if you want to see the Suez, Petra etc you need to fly anyway.

Edited August 14, 2015 by woodyren

[Esilef]

This has nothing to do with being competitive and certainly didn't mean to be an international comparison.

 

 

 

It has everything to do with needlessly upsetting someone else.

 

 

 

How would you feel if you chat with someone only to discover they got the same cruise for half ? How would they feel if the reverse were true ?

 

 

 

Personally I have been on both sides of this situation.

 

 

If people are going to be upset about what others have paid for the same cruise then it is best not to discuss.

 

I find when booking a cruise you book when the price is right for you knowing it may increase or may decrease.

 

If I was to ask and someone got a better deal than me then I would be happy for them and ask about how they were so lucky and keep my eyes open in future for a similar deal.

 

There are a variety of factors to consider why someone books a cruise at what time and what price point.

 

There is a range of different traveler personality types whom will book at different time during the cruise sale time.

 

I'm sure the cruise lines have full information on how to catch their target markets at which point.

[spudstrawb]

If people are going to be upset about what others have paid for the same cruise then it is best not to discuss.

 

I disagree. As others have mentioned in previous posts, this thread is about cheap cruise deals. People are here because they want to grab a good deal for themselves and learn how others have managed to get a good deal. As long as people don't come in here gloating about the deal that they got then I see no problem with them outlining what worked for them. Keep it as an information sharing exercise and all should be fine. If others have an issue with that then I think they are being a bit precious (just my opinion).

[Esilef]

I disagree. As others have mentioned in previous posts, this thread is about cheap cruise deals. People are here because they want to grab a good deal for themselves and learn how others have managed to get a good deal. As long as people don't come in here gloating about the deal that they got then I see no problem with them outlining what worked for them. Keep it as an information sharing exercise and all should be fine. If others have an issue with that then I think they are being a bit precious (just my opinion).

 

 

Totally agree. Comment was more to do with another comment to do with when chatting to others only to discover they got the same cruise for half price.

[B'Elanna]

Part of it may be jealousy that someone got a better deal then you did. I know when I hear that someone got more then me, a small part of me is jealous of them, cause I didn't get what they did.

 

Ultimately, when I pay for something, no matter it it's a cruise, airfare, cocktail or a dress, then I have to be happy in paying that price. :)

[spudstrawb]

Totally agree. Comment was more to do with another comment to do with when chatting to others only to discover they got the same cruise for half price.

 

Okay. Sorry, I misinterpreted your comment.

Edited August 14, 2015 by spudstrawb