Stratagy for saving the most on upcoming cruise!

[CookiePie]

We are cruising on Carnival Sunshine in a month and also planning a July cruise on Carnival. For July we are really looking to get the best deal, we can book onboard the Sunshine in April and get $100 OBC/stateroom. But if we wait until right before the July cruise, maybe a month-two weeks before and miss out on the OBC I'm thinking we will get a much better deal. What are your thoughts? We already picked the cruise and 2 of us will be in FL at that time for an event and the rest of the family have flights booked just for this cruise! What strategies have you used to get the lowest price on a cruise? HELP!

[cb at sea]

I've yet to book a cruise that dropped in price....summer is a pricey time....

[4x4bob]

Since you are going to team up with Family on this cruise I would suggest that you pass on trying to game the system and reserve a cabin you want.

 

There are no set rules on when a ship will sell out or if it will sail half empty.

 

If you wait for a lower price you may be standing on the dock waving at the family at back rail as they sail away.

 

Bob

[paul929207]

No guarantee the price will go down. No even a sure thing that there will be any cabin for you.

 

If the price goes up and/or there are only poor cabins left will you be willing to pay up to get on board with family? Will you be comfortable with waving goodbye to family?

[Keith1010]

I believe in booking early because the lowest price, highest price and rooms with the optimal locations go first.

 

If the price goes down followup to get a lower price.

 

Keith

[MrsPete]

Whether your price drops or not, whether you need to book in summer/prime times -- you can't change those things, so focus on the items that are within your control:

 

- Book a cruise that sails from a port to which you can drive.

- Choose a night-before hotel that allows you to park your car for free during the cruise. If you live close enough that you're not arriving the night before, look around for alternate places to park -- maybe even put your car into the shop to have maintenance tasks done while you cruise.

- To get the best prices, avoid summer, spring break, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

- Book the day your cruise dates open, then keep an eye on the cruise. I've had a price drop on EVERY cruise I've ever taken ... except the one over Thanksgiving (and I'd never sail on a holiday again anyway). If you book early, you have the room you really wanted, and you can always make changes for the better. If you wait, fewer options are available every day.

- Book a cabin you can afford /are willing to pay for IF no price drops or sales come your way.

- When you check your prices, always check up and down a category; sometimes the prices don't change equally "across the board". For example, once we were booked in oceanviews ... but they offered a sale, and we moved to E1 balconies for LESS money. While this isn't typical, it does happen.

- If you're JUST booking this cruise and don't have other international travel plans in the near future, don't buy a $100+ passport. Your driver's license and birth certificate will be enough. You're not stupid enough to miss the boat anyway, are you?

- Buy your cruise insurance online. If you buy through the cruise line, you end up paying for full coverage, whereas the online companies allow you to pick and choose; for example, we purchase only trip interruption and medical evacuation coverage -- we don't pay for replacement of lost baggage, etc.

- Set a budget and stick to it. Remember that the cruise itself IS a splurge; you don't need the drink package, massages, or specialty restaurants to make it special.

- Don't buy a bunch of new clothes for your cruise, but do pack plenty of sunscreen, over-the-counter meds, and anything else you think you'll need. This'll keep you from buying a $15 disposable razor onboard.

- Bring your own bottled water and sodas. Big money saved? No, but also not big effort expended.

- Compare your credit card rewards points carefully; for example, I get a higher percentage from Discover than from my Royal Caribbean VISA. So I spend more on Discover, and I use those points for meals on the road and the night-before hotel room. That ends up being just as valuable as OBC.

- Look for private excursions instead of ship-run trips. Not only are they cheaper, they're smaller groups that give you more options.

Edited December 14, 2015 by MrsPete

[Californiacruizers]

I would book while onboard your first cruise and then watch Carnival's site to see if the price drops. I book on Princess several months ago for a cruise this coming March, every so many weeks I checked the site and noticed that the price dropped. I called the cruise line and was able to get a price adjustment AND OBC.

[Morgsmom]

 

 

- If you're JUST booking this cruise and don't have other international travel plans in the near future, don't buy a $100+ passport. Your driver's license and birth certificate will be enough. You're not stupid enough to miss the boat anyway, are you?

.

 

Most of these were very good but I respectfully disagree with this --- anyone who travels outside of the country SHOULD Have a passport, in my opinion. If you get ill or injured while ashore you will need a passport to fly back into the country. They are good for 10 years. For me that peace of mind is well worth it.

[chong67]

Thanksgiving week pricing is good. Price is cheap. I dont know why.

 

I dont go on excursion. I walk and walk. I might rent a bicycle.

[CLS/KAS]

just noticed Carnivals prices are all up by at least $100 going into next year...

now this info is more relevant..

[sfaaa]

New Year sale is coming Jan 4. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[MrsPete]

Most of these were very good but I respectfully disagree with this --- anyone who travels outside of the country SHOULD Have a passport, in my opinion. If you get ill or injured while ashore you will need a passport to fly back into the country. They are good for 10 years. For me that peace of mind is well worth it.

You're entitled to your opinion, but let me point out a few fallacies:

 

- Unless you're injured pretty badly, you'd likely be able to make it back to the ship, where you could receive medical treatment ... and could continue your cruise, even if you were limited in your activities. Unless your injury were quite severe, you'd probably choose that over leaving your vacation unfinished, abandoning your material goods, and paying for a last-minute plane ticket home.

 

- Even if you decided to fly home from the ship, your options to do so are very limited: You'd have to wait 'til you reach an island, and some of those islands are American, requiring no passport. If you were on a typical western Royal Caribbean cruise, you're probably going to stop at Labadee, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel ... a passport would allow you to fly home from 3 of these; the other four days of the cruise, you couldn't fly out regardless of your identification. It's worse on an eastern cruise, which stops at Cocoa Cay, St. Thomas and St. Martin ... a passport would allow you to fly home only from St. Martin. So this "insurance" doesn't really buy you all that many options.

 

- Finally, a passport may be good for 10 years (9 1/2 years in actual use), but realistically you have to pay for it all at once -- and not just for one person, but for all the members of your family. If you're going to travel to other spots in that 10 years, it's "a necessary spend"; however, if you're talking about buying passports for a family JUST for one cruise, where they are usually optional, it's an expensive proposition.

 

If you feel better for having a passport, by all means, buy one; but don't overestimate its actual usefulness in terms of cruising -- in other travel, absolutely yes -- cruising, its usefulness is negligible.

[Travel bug 2000]

Excellent explanation on saving money but always have a passport your $10 per year will save you much hassle if you are sick hurt left behind or any political turmoil happens as you can get consulate or embassy help faster too.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Travel bug 2000