Are price drops only in "off season"?

[sharona211]

We'll be cruising mid April during a popular school vacation week (primary school not college spring breaks). I keep seeing posts about price drops for sailings through November. I realize that these cruises are quickly approaching and prices are starting to fall but I wonder if the price drops can also be attributed to it being hurricane season or off-season?

 

For those who cruise more frequently than we do, are price drops also typical during "prime" season? Am I correct that prime season is roughly Feb - early May? We'll be booking balcony cabins on the Liberty out of San Juan if those details make a difference in your responses.

 

 

TIA

[jcearth]

It really depends on how well the cruises are selling at the price point that Carnival chooses. This summer, a lot of cruises had BIG price drops that were atypical for a high season, so it can happen.

[Cuizer2]

We'll be cruising mid April during a popular school vacation week (primary school not college spring breaks). I keep seeing posts about price drops for sailings through November. I realize that these cruises are quickly approaching and prices are starting to fall but I wonder if the price drops can also be attributed to it being hurricane season or off-season?

 

For those who cruise more frequently than we do, are price drops also typical during "prime" season? Am I correct that prime season is roughly Feb - early May? We'll be booking balcony cabins on the Liberty out of San Juan if those details make a difference in your responses.

 

TIA

 

Price drops are a simple supply and demand issue. If the ship is selling well, the prices go up. If the ship is not selling well, the prices go down.

[Qchell]

The last few sales that have been going on have appeared to be very much focused on the rest of the sailings for 2014. "Wave Season" will begin in January and you may find price drops then, and of course in the weeks immediately preceding your cruise depending upon how booked your cruise is.

 

I cruised in May last year and the price dropped so much a few weeks before the cruise that I was able to upgrade our Interior room to a balcony for $20. But you have to watch every day - our friends that were on the same cruise waited until the next morning to upgrade and the sale was already over.

 

The first thing I do most every morning is check the fare viewer for my cruise - and then every time I see an ad for a Carnival sale.

 

It helps too if there is a roll call for your cruise - lots of folks check constantly and will immediately post to the roll call if there is a price drop in their category.

[Uncle Deane]

The short answer is yes, I've had price drops on 'peak season' cruises.

The biggest one yet was $690 total for 2 people on an ocean view cabin for an 8 day Southern cruise (Aruba, Curacao, DR and Grand Turk) in March a few years back. That itinerary is always the highest price to start so it has the biggest potential for drops.

There are many factors involved. If you book a cabin in a popular category or a cabin type in a category that has a limited # of that type of cabin, for instance, you will be less likely to see much reduction.

I think you'll have better luck with getting reductions for Spring Break cruise from San Juan then you would on one from FL, so that might help you.

 

All that being said, better to book a cruise with no expectation of getting reductions and just let it be an extra bonus! Enjoy your cruise!

[sharona211]

No expectations, just trying to decide which fare to book, Early Saver or something more flexible for $30 more.

[audcc77]

We sailed on the Valor out of San Juan this past mid-March, so it was spring break.

 

We usually buy ES but did not buy ES that time b/c it was not available when we booked.

 

By the time we left, balcony cabins were going for $419 pp. If I'd have bought under ES, I would have received quite a bit of OBC. In other words, prices were dropping pretty low right before we left. I almost hated to look at it but did so out of curiosity.

 

We then sailed on Liberty last month. To sail the Liberty out of San Juan will be the best of both worlds.

[sharona211]

Thanks for the feedback. Glad to know you enjoyed the route and the Liberty, even if it was separately!