El Cheapo Cruises Thread

[MicCanberra]

19 hours ago, Australian family said:

*Tonga, Tahiti & Hawaii Cruise - 20 night Cruise, Stay & Fly Package - Carnival Spirit - 24 Mar 2020**  
Interior Twin Share Guarantee $2499pp 
Balcony Twin Share Guarantee $3149pp

Package inclusions:
> 18 night cruise visiting: Noumea, Nuku'alofa (Tonga), Papeete, Moorea, Bora Bora
> 1 nights post cruise accommodation in Honolulu
> All meals & entertainment onboard
> Port charges & government fees
> One Way Economy Class Airfare from Honolulu to Sydney

 

cheaper again, although those extras really add up (2 nights, transfers, tour package, etc) equivalent to around $800

[banzaii]

6 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

cheaper again, although those extras really add up (2 nights, transfers, tour package, etc) equivalent to around $800

Both great deals.

But you're right even just the accom & obc was well worth the extra $500 on a balcony.  Pearl harbour tour nice icing!

[MicCanberra]

10 hours ago, banzaii said:

Both great deals.

But you're right even just the accom & obc was well worth the extra $500 on a balcony.  Pearl harbour tour nice icing!

Especially as the OBC of $200 USD is worth $289 AUD on it's own.

[Port Power]

Ruby Princess 14 night “New Year’s Eve” cruise from Auckland to Sydney including flights (and that’s from Perth). 

$5395 for the cabin with two passengers. $193 pp/night. Plus $100 OBC.

 

Not quite the Carnival bargain, but pretty good for that time of year.

[icat2000]

7 hours ago, Port Power said:

Ruby Princess 14 night “New Year’s Eve” cruise from Auckland to Sydney including flights (and that’s from Perth). 

$5395 for the cabin with two passengers. $193 pp/night. Plus $100 OBC.

 

Not quite the Carnival bargain, but pretty good for that time of year.

My first ever cruise in 2012 was on the Ruby Princess. Nice ship. 

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, icat2000 said:

My first ever cruise in 2012 was on the Ruby Princess. Nice ship. 

I haven't been on the Ruby as yet, but have enjoyed a few of her sisters.

[lyndarra]

I saw a good deal for a trip last weekend.

Fly, tour & cruise package Japan & China $1999 (Inside) + $300 O/V, plus $300 V.

17 Days (late Feb 2020)

RCI Spectrum of the Seas. 6 nights, 3 ports, Japan. Kagoshima, Kobe, Osaka

Tour China, 9 nights. Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Zhengzhou,  Beijing, Great Wall etc.

Includes an internal flight and bullet train in China.

I'm having a think about this one and may do it if I can convince my (avoid) single supplement friend to come as well otherwise the price almost doubles.

[lyndarra]

2 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

I saw a good deal for a trip last weekend.

Fly, tour & cruise package Japan & China $1999 (Inside) + $300 O/V, plus $300 V.

17 Days (late Feb 2020)

RCI Spectrum of the Seas. 6 nights, 3 ports, Japan. Kagoshima, Kobe, Osaka

Tour China, 9 nights. Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Zhengzhou,  Beijing, Great Wall etc.

Includes an internal flight and bullet train in China.

I'm having a think about this one and may do it if I can convince my (avoid) single supplement friend to come as well otherwise the price almost doubles.

Forgot to mention. Grats are included.

[Kazzygirl]

28 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

Forgot to mention. Grats are included.

Wow that is good and not to far from Oz for less flight time than to Europe

I totally get the Single Sup thing as I travel solo too, I can never work out why it doubles when there is only 1 air fare , 1 train fare and 1 gratuities ...math does not make sense to me ???

I have seen this same thing on other packages too

Given the Australian society now consists of many divorced aka singles , there seems very few tours that cater for such

So hey you tourist operators out there, you are missing out on lots of single people who want to travel but are not prepared to be ripped off !

 

[MicCanberra]

We are on a Japan and Philippines fly /cruise /stay package, in December this year.  Great deal and it is most likely the same mob.

[windsor26]

58 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

Forgot to mention. Grats are included.

I am having trouble finding this  saw the cruise and the cruise and flights at some agents but this package sounds great  any hints please

 

[MicCanberra]

The trip is a deal for sure.

 

Just note that often it is a full payment up front for these packages, my package cruise and flights is with another company after all, although they had something similar.

[windsor26]

Thank you  They have a lot of good deals but it is pay up front

 

[MicCanberra]

50 minutes ago, windsor26 said:

Thank you  They have a lot of good deals but it is pay up front

 

I like some of their packages , some really good value but as they are wanting a full payment sometimes 20 months or more in advance, I am a bit hesitant locking that much money aside with so much time for an issue to arrive. I would rather the packages where you may have a large deposit due to flights being involved but it is still only 10-25% of the total cost.

[The_Big_M]

I actually don't think that is that great a deal, compared to what the components typically cost. I haven't checked this specific one but can't see why it would be different. Air carriers I'd avoid, those cruises aren't that expensive, and the only thing extra is local transport and a guide which isn't that much. Though if you would only go there with an escort/tour guide it's understandable. But these tours look like the standard basement ones which have superficial attraction visits and heavy 'shopping' stops thrown in. Plus there are some lies about the details e.g. it says the great wall visit is "You will visit the less-touristy and more original Juyong Pass, avoiding other sections which are the most accessible and consequently most crowded. " Except that is a reconstructed site, the closest to Beijing and as a result the second most visited section! As just one example...

 

If you're an independent traveller, you could definitely do better on your own. 

 

There were a number of pax on my last cruise out of China who'd gotten tour inclusions from another travel agency in a similar way, and were very unhappy with the experience. One guide hadn't shown up and the other had to fight for what was advertised as they got assigned bad flights and the tour didn't fit in. All the reports I heard were pretty ordinary on top of the above.

Edited May 27, 2019 by The_Big_M

[MicCanberra]

As with any package deal, it is best to weigh up what it is worth to you, cost the various elements and as mentioned see if it is value for you.

[The_Big_M]

Which is always the way, and nobody said otherwise.

 

In fact, the above was to point out the downsides as there had only been mentions of it being a good deal. And especially that it's not all about the dollar cost.

[MicCanberra]

Exactly, sometimes it is about convenience as well.

[lyndarra]

To me it looks a good deal as these days I like not having to worry about organising  itineraries, flights, accommodation, transfers, transport etc., been there, done that. Also I have been to China three times so far and this particular tour includes some cities and attractions I've not been. Great Wall doesn't interest me as I have also been there three times and climbed two different sections - I could use that day to explore Beijing. My "single supp" friend has not been to Japan (I have) and this could be a taste test for a future, in depth, tour she would like to do (she has also been to China a few times).

The price looked good considering flights are included. The airline is likely to be Southern China which I've flown on a few times and found it to be an excellent airline. I did a spot check of return flights (today's date) and found a return economy ex Sydney, to be almost $700. So, that leaves a 6 day cruise and 9 day tour for $1300. How much would a 6 day, RCI, cruise cost here in OZ? Take that off the $1300. Which leaves the China tour portion looking pretty cheap. The time of year suits too, off peak, less crowds.

 

[MicCanberra]

18 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

To me it looks a good deal as these days I like not having to worry about organising  itineraries, flights, accommodation, transfers, transport etc., been there, done that. Also I have been to China three times so far and this particular tour includes some cities and attractions I've not been. Great Wall doesn't interest me as I have also been there three times and climbed two different sections - I could use that day to explore Beijing. My "single supp" friend has not been to Japan (I have) and this could be a taste test for a future, in depth, tour she would like to do (she has also been to China a few times).

The price looked good considering flights are included. The airline is likely to be Southern China which I've flown on a few times and found it to be an excellent airline. I did a spot check of return flights (today's date) and found a return economy ex Sydney, to be almost $700. So, that leaves a 6 day cruise and 9 day tour for $1300. How much would a 6 day, RCI, cruise cost here in OZ? Take that off the $1300. Which leaves the China tour portion looking pretty cheap. The time of year suits too, off peak, less crowds.

 

Value to you and many others but perhaps not everyone, as they value things differently.

[lyndarra]

14 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Value to you and many others but perhaps not everyone, as they value things differently.

Yep.

[Aus Traveller]

I have found an interesting fly/cruise Trans-Atlantic package, leaving Australia on 5th August, 2020. It includes 3 nights in a hotel in New York, 16 night cruise on Island Princess from New York calling into Halifax (Canada) two ports in Greenland, two ports in Iceland, Edinburgh (while the Military Tattoo is on), Newcastle (why?) to Southampton. Also included are 2 nights in a hotel in London, and the flights. Prices start at AUD$5,899 for the fly/hotel/cruise package including a complementary up-grade to an obstructed view cabin.

[MicCanberra]

The package sounds okay at first glance but I would need more specifics.

And why not for Newcastle, it has some good things to see.

https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/newcastle-upon-tyne-eng-tw-nut.htm

[Aus Traveller]

14 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

The package sounds okay at first glance but I would need more specifics.

And why not for Newcastle, it has some good things to see.

https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/newcastle-upon-tyne-eng-tw-nut.htm

Which specifics? 🙂 I will have a look at the link to Newcastle attractions.

 

Newcastle sounds more interesting than I thought it would be. I am keen on Greenland and Iceland, two of the few places we haven't been to. 😊

Edited May 30, 2019 by Aus Traveller

[GCHAN]

21 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I have found an interesting fly/cruise Trans-Atlantic package, leaving Australia on 5th August, 2020. It includes 3 nights in a hotel in New York, 16 night cruise on Island Princess from New York calling into Halifax (Canada) two ports in Greenland, two ports in Iceland, Edinburgh (while the Military Tattoo is on), Newcastle (why?) to Southampton. Also included are 2 nights in a hotel in London, and the flights. Prices start at AUD$5,899 for the fly/hotel/cruise package including a complementary up-grade to an obstructed view cabin.

I hope this isn't too rambling but:

I have been watching this type of cruise very closely as I am hoping/planning to do an Iceland cruise in 2020. One thing I have been watching is how much this years cruises are reduced.

 

It seems like some are discounted up to about 65% for cruises in July this year at this stage. The cruises I have been watching are continuing to go down in price. The cruises I am watching are predominantly Holland America cruises and the main one is a 34 night cruise on the Zuiderdam from Rotterdam to Boston and return and is costing about $4765usd.

 

This can be broken up into 2 segments of 17 nights and the first segment to Boston is only about $1274usd. The second segment from Boston which again is 17nights is priced at $3695.

 

The first segment seems very cheap and is very similar to second cruise. There are a lot of interesting cruises available.

 

I have decided to wait to book in the year I am cruising which I know is risky but with this sort of saving is worth taking the chance as far as I am concerned.

 

I will take a chance and buy the airfares earlier on special if I definitely decide to go on this cruise.