El Cheapo Cruises Thread

[gaechann]

241 Cruise certificates. One of the large Aussie on line TA's contacted me after I entered a contest and offered me a deal on a 241 (two for one) promo that they are running. The deal is you pay an upfront $1798 cost to join and for that you get four 241 certificates. Enough for 4 cruises.

 

 

 

From a (apparently) large list of cruises you pay the fare for the first person and only the port charges/taxes for the second person. You also get $600 worth of cash certificates that you can use towards any of the four cruises. You have to use all four certificates by booking in the next 12 months and cruising in the next two years. (not a problem for us). The problem is that you don't get to see what the cruises or their cost are until you join. They are for ocean and river and all they could tell me is that the price/discount is of the brochure price. I kept asking "is that the current advertised price" or the mythical brochure price that no one on the right mind ever pays but is used in advertising to make you feel like your getting a bargain.

 

 

 

Look this deal could be great for people like us who book a lot of cruises. If the price is off the advertised rates. BUT there is a lot of unknown (too much for me in fact) as well.

 

 

 

Anybody have any experience with this offer?

 

 

This is NOT a great deal as the price is based on the full brochure price which none of us who knows how to book cruises ever pay!

[woodyren]

I'd want to know a lot more, and if they would give the info walk away.

A quick few replies elsewhere and some Googling found enough evidence that the deal is dodgy.

 

This thread remains the undisputed king for the bargain hunters LOL.

[retyredgreynomad]

Royal Sale...

Guest 1 Guest 2

Cruise Fare: 498.00 498.00

Pre-paid Tips: 264.76 264.76

Taxes/Fees: 235.83 235.83

Per Person Total: 998.59 998.59

 

Stateroom Total 1,997.18 AUD 16 nights! Grats paid.

 

Fremantle/Sydney 13.11.15 inside GTY Explorer of the Seas Adelaide, Melbourne, The Sounds, Dunedin, Picton and Wellington.

 

We're already booked on Solstice 26th Nov. so no good for us....bugger.:eek:

[goodycruising]

Thanks for the heads up on the Royal Caribbean specials RKMW. When I looked yesterday evening the balcony gty on the cruise we were thinking of was not showing, and I thought we had missed out. But we had an email about it this morning, and we have gone for the balcony gty on Voyager. It says the specials started at 10am this morning, but anyhow, we have locked in a balcony gty so we shall see what our allocations will be. There are no E cats showing, but that doesn't mean they will not bump one of those up and we get an E. We are prepared for that, or obstructed.

:D:D:D:D

[goodycruising]

We're already booked on Solstice 26th Nov. so no good for us....bugger.:eek:

We are actually reviewing our Solstice bookings for next year and beyond. These balcony specials are so enticing on RCI. We have drink packages with Celebrity, but as a Diamond C&A member we don't need a lot of drinks outside happy hours.

[The_Big_M]

Celebrity Millennium 12th March 2016

Singapore to Sydney 17 nights

Package deal, includes flights, Melbourne to Singapore

2 nights in a Hotel

16 nights cruise

Flight Sydney to Melbourne

Free grats.

From $1599 pp.

 

Major Sunday newspaper, travel section.

 

I booked today.:D

Celebrity here I come.:D:D

 

Wow, what a deal. I can see the appeal!

[woodyren]

Royal Sale...

Guest 1 Guest 2

Cruise Fare: 498.00 498.00

Pre-paid Tips: 264.76 264.76

Taxes/Fees: 235.83 235.83

Per Person Total: 998.59 998.59

 

Stateroom Total 1,997.18 AUD 16 nights! Grats paid.

 

Fremantle/Sydney 13.11.15 inside GTY Explorer of the Seas Adelaide, Melbourne, The Sounds, Dunedin, Picton and Wellington.

 

We're already booked on Solstice 26th Nov. so no good for us....bugger.:eek:

I am in (on) exactly the same boat otherwise I would book one of these great deals.

 

Love the Solstice and our price of $1099 for the 8 nights in a balcony with the drinks package and grats paid is hard to beat anyway.

[goodycruising]

Love the Solstice and our price of $1099 for the 8 nights in a balcony with the drinks package and grats paid is hard to beat anyway.

 

That sounds like a bargain! Well done. We are eyeing off some of ours on Celebrity that are coming in at twice the similar itinerary of an E guarantee on RCI lately, and for some of the South Pacific ones, they are even cheaper.

 

We love Solstice, and are not big fans of the E category balcony compared to the usual Solstice balcony, but you just have to add it all up sometimes. We shall be looking out for some Solstice bargains like that though! ;)

[woodyren]

That sounds like a bargain! Well done. We are eyeing off some of ours on Celebrity that are coming in at twice the similar itinerary of an E guarantee on RCI lately, and for some of the South Pacific ones, they are even cheaper.

 

We love Solstice, and are not big fans of the E category balcony compared to the usual Solstice balcony, but you just have to add it all up sometimes. We shall be looking out for some Solstice bargains like that though! ;)

 

We booked that quite a while ago when Celebrity had the double upgrade from inside to balcony (which then came with the drinks package deal) offer. Cabins sold out very quickly and they have not discounted local cruises much since then.

 

Royal is where the deals are now but I will just lurk and pounce on Celebrity if they ever have similar offers again.

[gaechann]

 

Great deal on Voyager OTS from 3 December for 13 nights to South Pacific / NZ. Works out about $75 pp per night with no airfares to factor in.

Be quick though as specials end in just 2 days!

[lyndarra]

There are some good deals ATM. Saw thew Celebrity Singapore cruise for March which was very tempting.

Yesterday we booked the $1499 RCI Sydney to Perth via NZ on Nov 1 plus the $99 balcony (GTY) upgrade. Also we wanted 2 nights in Perth as wifes' brother lives there. As it turns out the return flight would have cost extra, as the package cheap seats were all booked. We settled for a final price of $1751 pp (total $3502). A short while later we got a call back from the TA, very apologetic, saying all the balcony rooms had been booked, would we consider an ocean view?

We were a little disappointed because we had never had a balcony before as we had always been happy with ocean view. But, yes, no problem, we'll take the ocean view (GTY). Came with a BIG price reduction. Total for two of us $3100 including extra for the return flight on 19/11 in lieu of 17/11. We can put the difference towards OBC.

[goodycruising]

A short while later we got a call back from the TA, very apologetic, saying all the balcony rooms had been booked, would we consider an ocean view?

We were a little disappointed because we had never had a balcony before as we had always been happy with ocean view. But, yes, no problem, we'll take the ocean view (GTY). Came with a BIG price reduction. Total for two of us $3100 including extra for the return flight on 19/11 in lieu of 17/11. We can put the difference towards OBC.

 

These specials go like wildfire sometimes, and I am disappointed for you that the TA couldn't nail that down quick enough. Does your TA book direct with the cruise line, or are they a third party operator that has to go through another booking agent? We have had a friend be told something by their TA regarding a Celebrity booking, and when we told them the facts, they got back onto the TA and it was "found" after all. Their Ta has to email the request to another major agent.

 

When it comes to a bargain, I barely even take the time to talk with the husband, unless it is time sensitive and within full payment window. For a cruise that I can easily get a refund in full of my deposit with Celebrity I would go direct to the website and press the bargain deal.

 

If a TA has to confirm the booking and get back to you, that is when deals slip through.

 

If you are thinking you need to be doing the whole package with the TA then that is certainly totally your choice. Some of these balcony specials are very good at the moment. Flights, now they can be a pest to get lined up for a good price, so it is good that it has worked out ok in the end anyhow.

[lyndarra]

These specials go like wildfire sometimes, and I am disappointed for you that the TA couldn't nail that down quick enough. Does your TA book direct with the cruise line, or are they a third party operator that has to go through another booking agent? We have had a friend be told something by their TA regarding a Celebrity booking, and when we told them the facts, they got back onto the TA and it was "found" after all. Their Ta has to email the request to another major agent.

 

When it comes to a bargain, I barely even take the time to talk with the husband, unless it is time sensitive and within full payment window. For a cruise that I can easily get a refund in full of my deposit with Celebrity I would go direct to the website and press the bargain deal.

 

If a TA has to confirm the booking and get back to you, that is when deals slip through.

 

If you are thinking you need to be doing the whole package with the TA then that is certainly totally your choice. Some of these balcony specials are very good at the moment. Flights, now they can be a pest to get lined up for a good price, so it is good that it has worked out ok in the end anyhow.

 

The TA is one of the cruise specialists that advertise regularly in the major daily newspapers. We also get email specials from them. The night before last I hit the please call back button on their email. The sale was due to start 10 am yesterday. By lunch time they had not called so we called them. We are still happy with our booking which, in effect, got us ocean view at only $50 each more than the special interior.

[goodycruising]

The TA is one of the cruise specialists that advertise regularly in the major daily newspapers. We also get email specials from them. The night before last I hit the please call back button on their email. The sale was due to start 10 am yesterday. By lunch time they had not called so we called them. We are still happy with our booking which, in effect, got us ocean view at only $50 each more than the special interior.

 

Thanks for the info, I am glad you locked in a bargain. I had a quick look just before, and unless I am looking at the wrong cruise, it appears that the price is much higher already for the gty levels. Then add in flights that was excellent. Love Radiance, and we did that cruise the other way - Perth to Syd via NZ a few years back. Loved it!

[Esilef]

Today's 1 Day Sale will see you flying from Sydney (call for regional's) to Perth to embark the Explorer of the Seas in Fremantle on the 13th November for your 4* full board cruise visiting Adelaide, Melbourne, Milford/Doubtful/Dusky Sound, Dunedin, Picton, Wellington and Sydney where you will stay overnight onboard before disembarking. Today's deal starts from an incredibly low price of just $1399 including all your port fees, taxes, food and entertainment

 

 

This is on the rci website as being $749 starting price for the 16 night but when you click through its the $1399.....

 

I have been watching this cruise. Seems like a great itinerary.

[Tara Jane]

Esilef,

 

I just now put a hold on it at 784pp just have to go through each step and eventually it gives the correct price, that is a price not including grats though.

I have checked flights to perth 155 with tiger on 12th november and back from sydney 115 plus we would need a night in perth prior to boarding in a hotel.

will have to think hard on this one, as it compares with golden princess in and back to melbourne which would make life easier re taking extra days off work for travelling to perth and home from sydney. golden princess around 13 /14 days at $100 pd. but no tips and any spending is aussie dollars. If you want to see perth and adelaide though its a great deal. might also be fun to spend a day back in melbourne. I could take bare essential luggage to perth and go home for more or to do some laundry on the day the ship is in melbourne. just kidding!!!1

Edited September 24, 2015 by Tara Jane

[goodycruising]

That 72 hour sale earlier this week was a winner for us! Thank you so much to everyone that keeps this thread running.

 

We booked a gty balcony on Voyager, 10 nights to Sth Pac, $2600 including grats. Got allocated a D2 on deck 10 under the windjammer, slightly concerned about the location, but happier with near the aft than a forward which was the other most likely result.

 

Looked at it on the WOW sale that just started. WOW alright. $1400 more expensive currently for a gty balcony, but we would have gotten $200 OBC.

 

Even people that have never cruised have been amazed at the price when we tell them.

 

So looking forward to our cruise. :) :D :eek:

[Aussieflyer]

An online TA has the 2 night Golden Princess SYD - MEL cruise leaving on 28 October 2015 for 196.00 pp/twin share interior guarantee. Other categories are cheap as well.

[goodycruising]

Not as amazing as the other deals in here but by far the cheapest over that hotly contested timeslot, I've been watching 4 or 5 sailings for a while.

To see any Christmas holiday specials is a great thing! I tend to have a ball park of under $150 pp/nt for a balcony, and with some OBC, that sounds like a good deal, and that itinerary to Northern Qld is not as common as the Sth Pac which normally draws the most specials (besides repositioning ones).

 

It will be interesting if any other specials like that come along over Christmas. :)

[goodycruising]

FNQ itineraries are usually more expensive than Pacific during the year, my theory is they are getting slammed with triples and quads due to no-passport family cruisers, and are struggling to fill the twins. More room on the Serenity deck for me!

 

Very good point about the triples and quads. I see triples are sold out. I will be interested to see what you get allocated, but I would be okay with an obstructed for that price if I was going Christmas (which we usually don't). I just really prefer a balcony, and it is great to see some great balcony gty deals around lately. :) I haven't done Carnival, but those class of ships (Legend and Spirit) look like they are a good size, fairly new and good size balcony cabins.

[datone]

12 nights to Pacific/Fiji HAL Noordam $931 inside, 5 December 2015.

[Esilef]

Esilef,

 

I just now put a hold on it at 784pp just have to go through each step and eventually it gives the correct price, that is a price not including grats though.

I have checked flights to perth 155 with tiger on 12th november and back from sydney 115 plus we would need a night in perth prior to boarding in a hotel.

will have to think hard on this one, as it compares with golden princess in and back to melbourne which would make life easier re taking extra days off work for travelling to perth and home from sydney. golden princess around 13 /14 days at $100 pd. but no tips and any spending is aussie dollars. If you want to see perth and adelaide though its a great deal. might also be fun to spend a day back in melbourne. I could take bare essential luggage to perth and go home for more or to do some laundry on the day the ship is in melbourne. just kidding!!!1

 

 

I'm still very tempted but my husband and I are getting divorced so I really can't travel with my son ATM as the ex husband could block us from travelling......

 

Like the idea of being able to stop home, pick up more clothes & of some washing.

[Tara Jane]

Sorry to hear that. Best to stay with local cruises where you can take him without issues.

All the very best to you and William.

Is it still showing at such a good price?.

We decided against going due to the extra time required.

Hubby looking forward to retirement when we will be free to jump on all the last minute deals.

[goodycruising]

12 nights to Pacific/Fiji HAL Noordam $931 inside, 5 December 2015.

I noticed last year a few good early Dec prices also. That trip looks to be the second leg of a 25 night NZ/Sth Pac where the 13 night NZ is coming up as the first leg. Interesting. Would like to see RCI do some offers where cruises are combined for a discount. It will be interesting to see how the prices track on that Sth Pac leg.

[Esilef]

Sorry to hear that. Best to stay with local cruises where you can take him without issues.

 

All the very best to you and William.

 

Is it still showing at such a good price?.

 

We decided against going due to the extra time required.

 

Hubby looking forward to retirement when we will be free to jump on all the last minute deals.

 

 

Thanks. I'm hoping William & I can do another cruise soon but hate the thought of booking, paying and then being stopped by customs as my ex husband doesn't want us to enjoy life.....

 

Really need a cruise