How to determine good price

[hamster0601]

Hi everybody!

We're finally biting the bullet and going on our first cruise. After a lot of thought and research, we've decided on a 7-day roundtrip out of Vancouver to Hubbard Glacier on Celebrity at the end of May. We're fairly private people, and given the scenery, we definitely want to have a balcony.

But how do you know what's a good price? Right now we're looking at $3,650 for my husband and I, which includes a drink package for each (a must for us) and free gratuities. Is that a good enough price to book now? How much risk do I run of a balcony selling out if I wait for a better price, or not being able to select a good room?

Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!


There is no way to predict what prices will do. However, most cruise lines will give you a new, reduced fare, if the fare changes prior to final payment.


So, I would book it, and monitor prices up to final payment.


The only real way to know if it is a good price is to monitor the prices over time. The end of May is the start of transition to higher rates, so not sure which side of that transition you are- I suspect you are still in the low season prices. Edited October 15, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[rjrpar]

You're at $500/night for a balcony. With grats and the drink package, it's not bad (but not great) for Alaska. Remember, if prices drop, you can also get the lower price.
I would price out other cruise lines to compare. The ship is not very important in Alaska, it's about sightseeing and touring so HAL, Princess, or RCCL are also great.

[Budget Queen]

If you book this with any agency that doesn't have any of their own fees, or direct with the cruiseline- then it's a good idea to book this now, so at least you have a reservation. Keep checking prices, do NOT leave this for someone else to do for you. :) If something better comes along- then you'll have to determine if you want to change.

The "good" prices are only known in hindsight.

[Keith1010]

I would work with an agency.

See if they will provide amenities such as ship board credit.

Cruising Alaska continues to be in demand. I would not wait.

Also, once you book the cruise then spend time on looking at flights.

Keith

[Putterdude]

[SIZE="3"]In most years there is usually a fare drop in early May for early summer dates and then again in early July for late summer dates. If you are comfortable with the cabin and price you have then I would be inclined to hold and if the price drops then have your TA or Celebrity re-price your booking.[/SIZE]

[Italy52]

Everyone has given you good advice to think about.

For me, I have cruised to Alaska multiple times with Celebrity. Your cruise price with perks is a good deal. To enhance my booking, I always reserve my cruise with a TA that gives me on-board credit. Perks from my cruise line and perks from my TA make me very happy:)

If you find a balcony cabin that you like, don't hesitate to book ASAP as the good balconies tend to go fast. Definitely monitor your cruise price often and have your TA (if booked with one) or Celebrity adjust your fare. We usually cruise in June and the majority of the time the price goes up on our cruise --- fares have only gone down AFTER we made final payment.

[zoncom]

Timing and a good large discount cruise agency will determine pricing. Its quite early for next year. Later the May ones really go down. Here are some very early discount prices. Those mentioned perks start with oceanview cabins. Pricing- Inside/oceanview/balcony=Infinity May 22 or 29-$759/1109/1449. Millie May 22-$649/849/1349.

[Budget Queen]

[quote name='Putterdude'][SIZE="3"]In most years there is usually a fare drop in early May for early summer dates and then again in early July for late summer dates. If you are comfortable with the cabin and price you have then I would be inclined to hold and if the price drops then have your TA or Celebrity re-price your booking.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]

After final payment, do not expect any price adjustments. Both these fare drop dates are after that date.

Also with SOME price dump sales- you also will loose the credits/perks you got with the current booking. So be sure to get ALL the information- if you change bookings.

[Budget Queen]

[quote name='Italy52'] We usually cruise in June and the majority of the time the price goes up on our cruise --- fares have only gone down AFTER we made final payment.[/QUOTE]

For those who are flexible- I expect this to continue, as it has for my bookings over many years. I never fail to pick up absolutely give away prices- late booking.

For, those who may want to take advantage of this- and aren't fixed on cruiseline, or cabin, I suggest using the blocked time strategy- with at least 2 weeks 3 better. :) Book your flights ahead when you see good rates. Pick your dates around several cruises- with Princess, HAL and NCL, being the most likely to price dump- although I've seen good rates with RCI and Celebrity- one way Friday sailings.

Keep an eye out end of April. When you see a cruise that works with your dates- you have to book immediately. These go very quickly, don't even expect them to last 24 hours. I added 3 cruises- booked the second week of May this year, for the end of May for 3 additional weeks. as example.

[Italy52]

[quote name='Budget Queen']For those who are flexible- I expect this to continue, as it has for my bookings over many years. I never fail to pick up absolutely give away prices- late booking.

For, those who may want to take advantage of this- and aren't fixed on cruiseline, or cabin, I suggest using the blocked time strategy- with at least 2 weeks 3 better. :) Book your flights ahead when you see good rates. Pick your dates around several cruises- with Princess, HAL and NCL, being the most likely to price dump- although I've seen good rates with RCI and Celebrity- one way Friday sailings.

Keep an eye out end of April. When you see a cruise that works with your dates- you have to book immediately. These go very quickly, don't even expect them to last 24 hours. I added 3 cruises- booked the second week of May this year, for the end of May for 3 additional weeks. as example.[/QUOTE]


Good advice for someone who can be flexible --- unfortunately, we can't. Because of my husband's work schedule we are locked into a particular time frame for cruising. We also use air miles and hotel points -- booking early has always given us an availability advantage. Because we often book B2B, we book early so we can get the same cabin for both cruises. And finally, we enjoying certain popular vendors so we book early to ensure availability.

I wish we had your flexibility ---for now, it's not a reality.

[hamster0601]

Thanks, all!

I haven't officially booked, but I've got a 24 hour hold on a sweet sixteen stateroom waiting for me! I checked with some TAs but ultimately wasn't finding a deal I felt was better than the perks Celebrity was offering.

Now to hand over the credit card and think about excursions!

[Putterdude]

[quote name='Budget Queen']After final payment, do not expect any price adjustments. Both these fare drop dates are after that date.

Also with SOME price dump sales- you also will loose the credits/perks you got with the current booking. So be sure to get ALL the information- if you change bookings.[/QUOTE]

[SIZE="3"]I would agree with your second paragraph, that can be an issue. However, our TA has always been very good with getting any price reduction after the date of final. I suspect it may have to do with the volume the TA does with the cruise line.[/SIZE]

[fleckle]

[quote name='hamster0601']Hi everybody!

We're finally biting the bullet and going on our first cruise. After a lot of thought and research, we've decided on a 7-day roundtrip out of Vancouver to Hubbard Glacier on Celebrity at the end of May. We're fairly private people, and given the scenery, we definitely want to have a balcony.

But how do you know what's a good price? Right now we're looking at $3,650 for my husband and I, which includes a drink package for each (a must for us) and free gratuities. Is that a good enough price to book now? How much risk do I run of a balcony selling out if I wait for a better price, or not being able to select a good room? [/quote]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]
If you book with Celebrity, you have nothing to lose by putting down a deposit now as you can change your mind if something else you like better comes along.

Celebrity allows you to cancel the reservation and get a full refund of your deposit up until the final payment date with no cancellation fee.
It is important to keep track of that final payment date.

They will also honor any price drops for which you are eligible before the final payment date, if you request them.

But they usually don't volunteer price drops if you don't ask for them, so it is a good idea to keep watching the prices after you book.


Do check the value of the perks you are requesting.
If you will have 2 people in the cabin, it looks like it would be better to take the $300 onboard credit ($150 per person) instead of the free gratuities.
That way you can use the onboard credit to pay the gratuities and still have some onboard credit left over to spend.


You have 60 days from the date you book a cruise with Celebrity to compare offers from different travel agencies to see what additional perks and/or lower prices they will offer you, and you can then transfer the booking to whichever TA offers you the best deal.

A TA should at least offer you additional onboard credit and/or prepaid gratuities (on top of what you get from Celebrity) to make it worthwhile to give them your booking. Often they will toss in a coupon for a free dinner in a specialty restaurant as well, and sometimes they can even get you a better price by including you in a group, if they have one.
(You don't need to know or have any contact with any of the other people in the group. You would not even know that you were being included in a group if the TA didn't mention it.)


However, if you decide to give your booking to a TA, be sure to check out their policies in advance because some of them will charge a fee to process a cancellation (or even a change), while others won't.

We know someone who had to cancel a cruise he had booked with a travel agency, and had an unpleasant unexpected surprise when the TA charged him a $100 cancellation fee.

[/SIZE][/FONT] Edited October 17, 2015 by fleckle

[hamster0601]

[quote name='fleckle'][FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]
You have 60 days from the date you book a cruise with Celebrity to compare offers from different travel agencies to see what additional perks and/or lower prices they will offer you, and you can then transfer the booking to whichever TA offers you the best deal.

A TA should at least offer you additional onboard credit and/or prepaid gratuities (on top of what you get from Celebrity) to make it worthwhile to give them your booking. Often they will toss in a coupon for a free dinner in a specialty restaurant as well, and sometimes they can even get you a better price by including you in a group, if they have one.

[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tip! If I go this route, do I just call the TA and say I've already booked with Celebrity and I want to switch my booking to under the agency?

I haven't used a TA in probably 15 years, and always in person, so this is a completely foreign concept to me!

[LEtue]

[quote name='Budget Queen']For those who are flexible- I expect this to continue, as it has for my bookings over many years. I never fail to pick up absolutely give away prices- late booking.

For, those who may want to take advantage of this- and aren't fixed on cruiseline, or cabin, I suggest using the blocked time strategy- with at least 2 weeks 3 better. :) Book your flights ahead when you see good rates. Pick your dates around several cruises- with Princess, HAL and NCL, being the most likely to price dump- although I've seen good rates with RCI and Celebrity- one way Friday sailings.

Keep an eye out end of April. When you see a cruise that works with your dates- you have to book immediately. These go very quickly, don't even expect them to last 24 hours. I added 3 cruises- booked the second week of May this year, for the end of May for 3 additional weeks. as example.[/QUOTE]

This worked well for me in 2015 and I won't ever book early again :)

I will start watching in April this year per your suggestion though so thanks! I didn't book airfare early since I only have one week vacation time to work with but I had no problem getting FF seats in mid May for late August. Not sure if that would work from year to year :confused:

[Budget Queen]

[quote name='LEtue']This worked well for me in 2015 and I won't ever book early again :)

I will start watching in April this year per your suggestion though so thanks! I didn't book airfare early since I only have one week vacation time to work with but I had no problem getting FF seats in mid May for late August. Not sure if that would work from year to year :confused:[/QUOTE]

Glad it worked out for you. I've been taking advantage of late bookings for at least 10 years. I am extremely flexible, and have the luxury of not purchasing air.

This year I only did 4 Alaska cruises, picked up 3 2 weeks before the first one, with HAL and Princess. I had booked Carnival in advance- I have never seen them price dump, with only one ship- they probably don't have to. :)

Some people have specific dates, ships and cabins. Booking ahead works well for them. :) Nice that there is variety for everyone.

[LEtue]

[quote name='Budget Queen']Glad it worked out for you. I've been taking advantage of late bookings for at least 10 years. I am extremely flexible, and have the luxury of not purchasing air.

This year I only did 4 Alaska cruises, picked up 3 2 weeks before the first one, with HAL and Princess. I had booked Carnival in advance- I have never seen them price dump, with only one ship- they probably don't have to. :)

Some people have specific dates, ships and cabins. Booking ahead works well for them. :) Nice that there is variety for everyone.[/QUOTE]

Yes, it worked out well last year :D

My challenge is working around important dates involving the grandkids so I don't have as much flexibility as I would like!

Fingers crossed for 2016 :D