Tracking price changes?

[GottaKnowWhen]

I frequently see comments here about price changes. Sometimes it is people gleefully pointing out their good fortune in getting a deal before the price went up. Other times it is people bemoaning the limitations on switching a reservation to a new lower just announced price. There is often a recommendation offered by a grizzled sailor or two to "wait and see if the price drops."

 

So, what I don't know is how you know when there is a price increase or decrease on your cabin on your ship? Is it all just word-of-mouth here on CC? I have two reservations; one of those is with a TA. I asked him "do you track prices and then request a rate change from Celebrity?" Answer: "No. If you hear about a price change or change in amenities, let me know and I will try to get an adjustment for you."

 

The only way I have been able to figure out is to log onto Celebrity, go through the process as though I were booking another cabin on the same ship, same itinerary, and eventually I find what the current quoted price is. Is there a more straightforward way of tracking current pricing?

 

I get notices from Celebrity 3-4 times a week touting new special deals. It gets a bit tedious to go through the whole "booking" process every time in order to see if the new special super gee whiz offer relates to either of my future cruises. Thanks!

 

Stan

[LzyCruiser_NWA]

If you perhaps google "cruise" and "fish" together, you may perhaps stumble upon a page that will monitor and alert you on price drops for a nominal fee.

 

I use it for all my booked cruises.

[Azulann]

Antoher good source of any price reduction is on your roll call.

In the past, there was always a couple posters who did lots of tracking of prices and told the rest of us.

Other wise I just do what the OP does and check with a fake booking to see what the current price. I do this about once a month and also to see how many C1 are still available.

[GottaKnowWhen]

If you perhaps google "cruise" and "fish" together, you may perhaps stumble upon a page that will monitor and alert you on price drops for a nominal fee.

 

I use it for all my booked cruises.

 

Thanks! I knew there had to be a way.

In my search I also found a story about the CC tool that apparently does the same thing, or similar. I had briefly seen the CC popup but never really looked at it before closing the window, I always assumed it was a generic summary of cruise discounts. I checked, it looks like PriceDrop will also track specific sailings. The other tool apparently tracks the cruise lines whereas PriceDrop may be tracking prices as available through their sales partner(s).

 

Stan

[miched]

I had many TA's promise or told me how wonderful they are and that they constantly monitor prices and give the best service, blah, blah, blah.

 

I would call them and ask about a price cut that I seen and would get the surprised response of how did I find that.

 

I now have a TA that actually does monitor prices and does the adjustments. Wish I could pass along the name.

 

I still monitor my cruises on Celebrity's website and another that has a good search feature. I usually post the price drop on our roll call. Been promised a lot of drinks for the heads up but never collected and most times don't even meet them on the cruise. Thinking about that it may be better not to post those cuts as they may be avoiding me. :eek: :D

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

Edited April 3, 2015 by miched

[Jetswdo]

Last year we were going on a Princess caribean cruise--I constantly check for price drops once I book any cruise, and have used the fish. But I found that Cruise Critic did a really good job for free! I was notified that there was a major price drop on that cruise-- which saved us several hundred dolllars. I felt they did just as good a job as the other price drop site....

[CathyCruises]

If you bookmark the "search for your cruise" page, it just takes a couple of seconds to select the destination and ship and your cruise will pop up. You can see the prices, then put in over 55 (if you are) and select your state, and you can see if there are any offers. It honestly takes less than a minute. I check at least daily when I'm cruise shopping.

 

I do not rely on any outside services. I once had a balcony booked on a Med cruise, did my routine check about four months out, and saw that the FVs were being offered for booking by two people for less than $100 more than I was payingl. They were snapped up overnight, would never have shown up on a

price checking service. It's worth the minute or two per day to me. I also use another site to check available cabins if I am interested in switching cabins. I dont think I've ever ended up cruising in the cabin I booked originally!!

[RickT]

Everyone always forgets about the Price Drop check feature of this forum.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/price-drop/?et_cid=2107813&et_rid=85429289&et_referrer=Boards_Million_Member_Newsub

 

You can search and track cruises/regions. I get an e-mail every Friday with any price drops. Not perfect but it still works well.

[ptrpanpens]

Often price drops only last for an hour or two. By the time you get those notices the price has long since gone back up. That is why I always hold a cabin when I see a substantial price drop whether I want it or not. Then at least the price is locked in and it automatically cancels within 24 hours if you don't want it.

 

Many times I have looked at the fishy site and the prices do not reflect the most recent price drops. Especially exciting deals. So you have to monitor it yourself on a frequent and regular basis if you want to be sure. And even then you may miss one. Cant win em all!:D

 

When I see that a cruise I am booked on is not selling well close to and after final payment I monitor prices many times a day to catch price drops. Last year on the constellation Holy land cruise, for instance, my cost went from $3,800 (single occupancy) for an ocean view to the price I eventually paid, which was $2,300 single occupancy for Aqua. But each cruise is individual so you have to monitor it yourself. Transatlantic cruises are notorious for dropping way down after, and even before final payment, but don't wait for notices as you may miss a deal.

[wwcruisers]

Well, granted, I'm not lucky enough to have as many cruises booked at once as some on here. ;) But, I just do it the old fashioned way -- pull up my cruises on the X website, and if the initial prices shown are lower, I do the "dummy booking" thing -- to get the exact price on my cabin. Clearly, I refrain from doing this after the deadline for final payment. It distresses DH no end, to find me banging my head on the keyboard, moaning "Why, why, why, didn't I wait...." :eek:

 

BTW -- I'm also active on all of my roll-calls, and have gotten quite a few timely tips, from other cruisers! :cool: I also try to "pay it forward", to my fellow r/c'ers, when I stumble onto a good deal. The worst thing that can happen is the occasional reply of "Gee, thanks for the info, but that particular price drop/promo did not work for me :(".

[gimletgal]

I frequently see comments here about price changes. Sometimes it is people gleefully pointing out their good fortune in getting a deal before the price went up. Other times it is people bemoaning the limitations on switching a reservation to a new lower just announced price. There is often a recommendation offered by a grizzled sailor or two to "wait and see if the price drops."

 

So, what I don't know is how you know when there is a price increase or decrease on your cabin on your ship? Is it all just word-of-mouth here on CC? I have two reservations; one of those is with a TA. I asked him "do you track prices and then request a rate change from Celebrity?" Answer: "No. If you hear about a price change or change in amenities, let me know and I will try to get an adjustment for you." Most TA's operate this way. There are a few who will monitor for you as I read here. They are few and far between.

The only way I have been able to figure out is to log onto Celebrity, go through the process as though I were booking another cabin on the same ship, same itinerary, and eventually I find what the current quoted price is. Is there a more straightforward way of tracking current pricing? This is certainly one way to monitor pricing.

 

I get notices from Celebrity 3-4 times a week touting new special deals. It gets a bit tedious to go through the whole "booking" process every time in order to see if the new special super gee whiz offer relates to either of my future cruises. Thanks! Monitoring pricing takes effort and diligence no matter what site you use.

 

Stan

 

In the end, it is our own responsibility to know what is going on with pricing. As I mentioned above, it takes a certain amount of effort. Not all decreases will apply to everyone. And, the Exciting Deals have many caveats connected to them, so they also do not apply to everyone, especially if you already have that specific cruise booked. Always check with your TA or with your Celebrity CVP if you think you qualify for a decrease or perhaps even an upgrade to a better cabin, based on current pricing.

 

Happy monitoring! :)

[CathyCruises]

One other thought! If you happen to find an attractive price drop, put a 24 hour hold on it! They really do last only an hour or two sometimes.

 

Last year I booked an inside for our TA, thinking balconies would come down and I could upgrade since there were lots left. Well, they kept going up in price and down in number. I was resigning myself to the inside when a decently priced balcony popped up one day while I was checking my phone at a restaurant. I immediately put a hold on it and called X as soon as I got home. My CVP said there was no such price and I had him look at my 'hold'. He was very surprised and said it was a good thing I had saved the cabin since there was only one at that price.

 

So be diligent! It takes work but it's worth it!

[bryjohn]

Hi, can anyone tell me please, if a price drop happens and I have booked a cruise with celebrity direct, do I get the new price difference refunded from my cruise price.Thanks

Edited April 4, 2015 by bryjohn
spelling

[GottaKnowWhen]

One other thought! If you happen to find an attractive price drop, put a 24 hour hold on it! They really do last only an hour or two sometimes.

 

Last year I booked an inside for our TA, thinking balconies would come down and I could upgrade since there were lots left. Well, they kept going up in price and down in number. I was resigning myself to the inside when a decently priced balcony popped up one day while I was checking my phone at a restaurant. I immediately put a hold on it and called X as soon as I got home. My CVP said there was no such price and I had him look at my 'hold'. He was very surprised and said it was a good thing I had saved the cabin since there was only one at that price.

 

So be diligent! It takes work but it's worth it!

 

I was the OP on this thread and I appreciate the responses! I have now bought a few credits with the fishnet site and am tracking my currently booked cruises plus this year's sailing which parallels my 2016 Alaska plans. A couple of you have mentioned the RollCalls and I will pursue that angle as well. For one of my bookings I have joined the Rollcall but it has been very quiet. Too early I guess. For the other, there is no Rollcall yet. I tried to follow the directions and start one but it failed for some reason. I'll try again. But I know it is way way too early to be thinking about price adjustments there.

[lobster129]

Hi, can anyone tell me please, if a price drop happens and I have booked a cruise with celebrity direct, do I get the new price difference refunded from my cruise price.Thanks

 

You ONLY get a price adjustment if YOU notify Celebrity and ask them to adjust your price. Obviously it is better for their bottom line if we do not notice the change~

 

They then send a new invoice to you with the new "adjusted" price balance. Once you make "final payment"...no more $$ off your price.

[TMLAalum]

Hi, can anyone tell me please, if a price drop happens and I have booked a cruise with celebrity direct, do I get the new price difference refunded from my cruise price.Thanks

 

At least here in the USA price drops aren't automatic. If they were, Celebrity wouldn't be able to stay afloat:rolleyes:!

 

The policy is that if you find a price drop through your own due diligence, you need to call Celebrity direct if you booked thru them or your travel agent. It might be worth your while to go for a lower price provided that perks you already have with your booking remain the same. Otherwise, do the math to see what is best for you.

[lobster129]

I was the OP on this thread and I appreciate the responses! I have now bought a few credits with the fishnet site and am tracking my currently booked cruises plus this year's sailing which parallels my 2016 Alaska plans. A couple of you have mentioned the RollCalls and I will pursue that angle as well. For one of my bookings I have joined the Rollcall but it has been very quiet. Too early I guess. For the other, there is no Rollcall yet. I tried to follow the directions and start one but it failed for some reason. I'll try again. But I know it is way way too early to be thinking about price adjustments there.

 

Best wishes for price drops like rain on your future cruises. If Celebrity really (?) is not offering the beverage package perk in the future....they might need to make prices more enticing.:p

 

You are sailing Millie to AK about a month after we are in 2016. I did start a Roll Call at least a month ago. So far, I am the only member. LOTS of time to go!:)

[Yroze]

Hi,

I'm still in training, even after 4 cruises. I know even after final payment that Carnival will give you OBC if it drops. Will other lines do that? I booked Prince for Alaska next year.

[Yroze]

I was checking out the fish and can't make it work.

[bakersdozen12]

If you perhaps google "cruise" and "fish" together, you may perhaps stumble upon a page that will monitor and alert you on price drops for a nominal fee.

 

 

 

I use it for all my booked cruises.

 

 

Download the Ship Mate app. It will monitor prices for you for free. [emoji4]