Best way of getting the best deals on cruises?

[chezzyr]

As a newbie cruiser I need some advice. We recently did our first cruise - I had done some initial research online but then got a local agent to book it etc. They were able to do us a reasonable deal as well as some onboard credit etc. Am not sure if I could have done better if Id had more time etc.

 

Thinking of future cruises...and not wanting to hijack the el cheapo cruises thread with my questions....what are the best ways of finding out about really good deals? Am I to look for last minute deals eg days/weeks before, or deals around 60 days prior to departures?

 

I am not keen to subscribe to emails from every cruise line...if there was a particular website that was reliable would that be the way to go? Or can a travel agent help ie do they have 'inside knowledge' on super deals? Thanks...

[MicCanberra]

The simple answer is research. Monitor a variety of online agencies and also the cruise line offers. Also monitor the newspaper and website deals. Patterns will occur but it can still be very chaotic. good luck.:D

[OzKiwiJJ]

I'm still trying to figure that one out myself ;)

 

One thing I have learnt is to make sure you're comparing apples with apples - some cruise lines have cheap fares but onboard costs in US dollars which can bump up the overall cost of a cruise, especially if you drink alcohol. Other cruise lines don't have super cheap fares but have onboard costs in Aussie dollars. You need to work out what your typical spending pattern is on the cruise, then research which cruise lines have the best combination of cheap fare and affordable onboard costs, and that suit your style of cruising.

[AzzaNJenny]

I'm far from experienced at this as i have only booked 1 cruise and haven't even cruised yet but my mother and her boyfriend are very frequent cruisers and had some great advice for me which was

 

1: pick where and when you want cruise before you start your research online so as was mentioned previously you compare apples with apples.

 

2: the best time to book a cruise price wise usually (not always) will be 9 to 6 months prior to cruise date, now in saying that I'm sure there are possibly some good last minute prices on cruises BUT i know i can't manage to organize time of work etc etc at last minute and you get left with the cabin choice of all the cabins no one else wanted and since booking my cruise at the start of July for sailing in January have watched the same cruise slowly rise in price from $700 for 7 nights to $1500 or more for the same cabin type

so i guess there is some truth to this tip.

 

3: you will with enough research and persistence always be able to find a cheaper deal online rather than going to a travel agent as they have to make money, this is something i have proved time and time again with regular holidays i booked myself after visiting a travel agent first.

 

Like i said I'm not that experienced with cruises but i always book my own regular holidays overseas online and the advice above i received seems to have helped me get a good deal, now I'm sure there may be exceptions and some people may find it easier to just have someone else to sort it out for you but i really enjoy the research and the feeling i get when i put a holiday together by myself for a cheap price.

 

Hope this helps somewhat.

 

Azza

[stingau]

Cruises out of Australia don't offer this yet but if your cruising from the states look for an offer called ...best price gaurantee... Usually offered not long after the cruise is available, what that does and the onus is on you to notify them is that if the price drops after you book and prior to final payment your price also drops, if it drops after final payment the difference is given to you as onboard credit. If cruising from an Australian port or any cruise for that matter their is a travel agency group which I can't name so go research that for 49 dollars per person offers this insurance deal as well as a few other benefits, but again the onus is on you to advise them.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

As said above , if you have a particular cruise , or a particular date in mind then it pays to book early. Generally speaking the price will increase as sail date gets closer. The deals you see at bargain prices are for the left overs that they have .

If you can cruise at any time and can go at fairly short notice, another way is to register with as many Travel Agents newsletters as possible....preferably those who specialise in cruises. By doing this , you will soon pick out the ones who are given the last minute bargains to sell. I had one that came in today for summer cruising at only $90 NZ per day. In order to get that though a decision has to me made now and full payment in 2 days.

[bazzaw]

The very best deals you will get involves the following words - going anywhere, at anytime, in any ship, to any destination, in any cabin, and booking late (sometimes VERY late) .

 

The very worst deal will involve you insisting on nominating something in place of "any" for ALL of the above .

 

- and then there is the in-between deals which will involve SOME insistence on your part regarding the above.

 

Barry

[Kiwi Kruzer]

There's an amazing community group on Facey for last minute deals, can't name it here due to forum regulations but it has very Hot Aussie Cruise Deals.

 

As long as you realise that the very hot deals are usually gone within the hour or even sooner.

[gaechann]

As long as you realise that the very hot deals are usually gone within the hour or even sooner.

 

 

It all boils down to SUPPLY & DEMAND as in all deals in general [emoji3]

Gae

[johnboi]

There's an amazing community group on Facey for last minute deals, can't name it here due to forum regulations but it has very Hot Aussie Cruise Deals.

 

I was going to post something similar, but add that you should join as many groups related to your preferred lines. We had an experience last week where we had booked a particular cruise and found out that the cruise line had a massive sale on, and through the the advice of others on that cruise, were able to go to our travel agent who rang the line direct and got us the sale price, a saving of nearly $1000 on a $5000 booking. Lots of others in that group had similar experiences, with the majority getting savings of around 20%.

[MicCanberra]

Note that as mentioned comparing apples to apples applies not just for cruise fares but also for deposits and condition's of sale such as the cancellation policy etc.

[Rencruzr]

I booked our travel insurance from a travel agent on the central coast, NSW, and was surprised when she said they had a price drop guarantee. This means if after you have booked and paid there is a price drop on your cabin then you are refunded the difference. I had already booked the cruise online but would seriously think of booking through this agency next time for their price drop policy.

[Kinkacruiser]

As a newbie cruiser I need some advice. We recently did our first cruise - I had done some initial research online but then got a local agent to book it etc. They were able to do us a reasonable deal as well as some onboard credit etc. Am not sure if I could have done better if Id had more time etc.

 

Thinking of future cruises...and not wanting to hijack the el cheapo cruises thread with my questions....what are the best ways of finding out about really good deals? Am I to look for last minute deals eg days/weeks before, or deals around 60 days prior to departures?

 

I am not keen to subscribe to emails from every cruise line...if there was a particular website that was reliable would that be the way to go? Or can a travel agent help ie do they have 'inside knowledge' on super deals? Thanks...

 

My TA sends me a copy of the Princess Flash Fares every month or so ( we only cruise with Princess, but I'm sure other lines do the same). These are rock bottom prices for Aus based cruises and hopefully fill the remaining cabins on the cruise ship. They are offered after everyone has made final payment. You have to pay in full at booking time, which can be 1-2 months from sailing. You can get a inside for $99 per day that way.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Kinkacruiser

[Aus Traveller]

I booked our travel insurance from a travel agent on the central coast, NSW, and was surprised when she said they had a price drop guarantee. This means if after you have booked and paid there is a price drop on your cabin then you are refunded the difference. I had already booked the cruise online but would seriously think of booking through this agency next time for their price drop policy.

Is this the policy from the TA (that they would refund the difference) or is it the policy of the cruiseline? I don't think the TA could afford to refund the difference. They would quickly go broke.:)

 

Note the earlier post where someone booked a cruise for $5,000, then got a price drop of $1,000. I am not sure what the commission would be on $5,000, but I suspect it would be around 7% or 8% (less than $400). The TA could not afford to pay $1,000 and do all the work for nothing. Sometimes price drops are more than the 20% in this case.

 

A few years ago Princess brought in the policy that if there is a price drop on your category of cabin then you can apply for the lower price. You can get that yourself, no matter how you book, you just have to watch the prices then apply for it. A good TA (probably like the one you mention) will monitor the prices and apply for this on your behalf. :)

[icat2000]

Sorry. but you have to subscribe to various agents to get an idea of the deals.

 

How about you set up an email account just for that purpose. Otherwise you just need to monitor stuff on here.

 

I check various sites daily, I subscribe to places, I read forums etc.

 

As others said there is a few good groups on facey too.

Edited November 25, 2015 by icat2000

[GUT2407]

Research.

 

Know what you want, including what you are prepared to pay, when you see something that fits in terms if timing, cabin, itinerary and pricing book it, then stop watching prices as it is almost certain that for at least a few hours a better deal will come along.

 

Remember some lines will even re fare you if the price drops.

[GUT2407]

Sorry. but you have to subscribe to various agents to get an idea of the deals.

 

How about you set up an email account just for that purpose. Otherwise you just need to monitor stuff on here.

 

I check various sites daily, I subscribe to places, I read forums etc.

 

As others said there is a few good groups on facey too.

 

I've done the same subscribed to a dis possible email account.