Advise regarding booking far out....

[Jetswdo]

Dh and I want to book the 9 night ultimate Alaska May - 2017 cruise on the Solstice. The prices right now, are rather high, I think. This is the only 9 night cruise-- (We have been to Alaska before on Princess) We like this itinerary because it includes Sitka and Victoria (full day) and ends in Seattle- (never been and would like to see---

 

Anyway- the one time that I booked very far before a cruise sailing was when the Reflection first came out. I was new to Celebrity at the time. I paid the deposit to hold the cabin. A few weeks later, the cruise price dropped about $200 per person. I called back and asked for a price reduction, was told no, this is for new bookings only. (Very few cabins were already booked) So I said then cancel and rebook. Celebrity refused. I was furious. A few months later there were other promotions and somehow with creativity, I ended up with the total fare only about $20 more per person than the fare I was trying to change to. I should mention that when I was on the Summit- I booked 6 months ahead, and was able to have pricing adjusted wihout any problems at all.

 

My point is that I don't want to make the same mistake as I did with the Reflection. Do any of you who are Celebrity "experts" have any suggestion in regards to booking this particular cruise? Thanks in advance. Anita

[alcpa1]

I understand your conundrum.

There are deals and then they change and it takes a lot of work to get a price you are comfortable with along with the amenities.

The only thing that you might want to take into consideration is your cabin location. If you can swing an aft then book now. Your best Alaskan views are from the aft and that definitely makes a difference when cruising Hubbard Glacier and/or Icy Straits.

I am not wild about the Seattle sailings. You will get a 7 day cruise but have two sea days to place the ship. A full day in Victoria is wonderful however. Trade offs.....

Good luck!

[az_tchr]

It all depends on where you reside. If in the USA then you risk nothing except the use of your deposit money until a couple months out. Price goes down you get the price reduction. The scenario in you post is correct, but as you could have simply cancelled your booking and turned around a couple days later and booked you could have gotten the reduction. Celebrity cannot refuse you cancelling. think your error was in even mentioning the price reduction. Certainly could have cancelled and then put DW name first of=n a new booking. The specific cruise you are looking at is likely to have higher demand because it is a one off.

 

Can anyone predict the future price on a cruise? No. I do know that there are often cabins available at excellent prices right after final payment date and also if world tensions effect the cruising area.

 

If not in the USA then the booking rules are all different as to cancellation charges and everything else.

[jelayne]

First off my suggestion would be to book the cruise and then transfer it to a TA to get additional OBC. Be sure to ask what, if any they charge for a cancellation.

 

It sounds like in your previous experience you may have gotten some bad info when the price dropped. Unfortunately the folks at the Celebrity call center don't always have the correct info. Sometimes you have to call a time or 2 or 3 to get the correct answer. If you book and there is a price drop before final payment you should be able to take advantage of the lower price. We have done that many times. The "fly in the ointment" so to speak is if you booked with perks (drink pkg, OBC, or prepaid gratuities) that are not included in the lower price offer. In that case you need to decide which is best for you.

[chemmo]

If you are from the UK they have a 'price promise' at the moment on most 2017 cruises. If the price drops, or perks are added between now and December 2016 I can make one change...So if they offer 300obc I could swap to that but then if a better offer still came on I could not swap again without cancelling and rebooking.

 

I think you have to decide how room picky you are...There was one room I really wanted on my cruise October 2017 cruise so I have booked, if there are still lots of rooms in the category you are looking for then you can wait...

[Giorgi-one]

For me it's not just the price but also the promotion. I agree an aft balcony in Alaska is the best and these go quickly so you have to balance price with cabin location. But for most other cruises a balcony is a balcony. If you follow Celebrity, you know the type of promotions they run. I know they now have Good, Better, Best but when they run a promotion they sometimes bundle Beverage Package, Prepaid Gratuities and OBC at a price not too far above the Good Price. Also, if you book with the right cruise agency, the will throw in additional OBC. Not sure how it works outside the U.S.

[K.T.B.]

For an Alaskan cruise, that price is in line with the daily price of other Alaskan cruises offered by Celebrity. The price of the cruise you're looking at is comparable to other sailings up there. Port fees and sailing permits in that area tend to be a bit pricier than in the Caribbean, so the prices reflect that.

 

I booked my upcoming cruise in November of 2014 and the price for it has gone up since then. Based on everything I've read, Celebrity offers a better product in Alaska. BUT if all you want to do is Alaska and the cruise line doesn't matter, you may wish to look at other lines if the issue is price. Otherwise, I say book it now if you really want to go on this particular cruise.

[Cruise Raider]

I would say to go ahead and book it with a travel agent that has no cancellation or change fees....and one that will go to bat for you and call Celebrity until they find an agent that has correct information. I have found some amazing TAs and reps down at Celebrity, but also had some give me the wrong answers, flat out!! Yes, it is frustrating.

 

From past experience, the sailings that are not roundtrip (inconvenient for some pax) do not sell out quite as quickly and the roundtrip ones definitely seem to only go up in price. The one you are on sounds like a fabulous sailing, though. I did this itinerary once a couple of years ago but it was 11 nights, also on the Solstice. It actually came down in price and was able to get my price lowered as it was way before final payment date.

Now, I do not have a crystal ball by any means, but would go ahead and book and cancel if before final payment and rebook elsewhere if they stick to that new bookings only nonsense. I get it, I get it ... but it does cause a lot of frustration for those that pay a lot more only because they were ON it with their bookings.

[ROYALBOY]

We booked the Millie southbound June 2017 when they first listed in December, and yesterday the Cabin price was raised 300PP.

[April29]

I just read that Alaska is now considered a 'safe' destination & more people are booking Alaska instead of Europe.

So demand is high & prices will increase because people are willing to pay for it.

[Jetswdo]

I should have mentioned a couple of things. First of all, what a couple of posters didn't understand (I probably didn't explain well) I called several times and was told that even if I cancel and rebook- "your name is in the computer and you would be rebooked at the same fare that was origionally booked! Yes that sounded nuts to me- I should add that I have been on several cruislines and never experienced that. So, NO, it wasn't a matter of cancelling and rebooking which I do plenty of times and have done that on Celebrity for the Summit cruise, with no problems whatsoever. But that did happen for the Reflection when I booked very far out. So as I said, I am hesitant to do that again. This particular Alaska sailing starts in Vancouver and ends in Seattle. From what I looked at, just 1 day is a regular sea day- the rest of the days is inside passage and has the itinerary I want. Again, I have been to Alaska before on Princess, inside passage- Vancouver to Anchorage- So for this trip, I just wanted to see Sitka, Victoria (full day) and spend a couple of days in Seattle. I would have liked to do Glacier Bay again, but Hubbard is supposed to be pretty nice, so I am ok with that.

 

A poster said that prices seemed reasonable--I really thought they seemed a bit high at this point from what I had researched- From what I can see, no one has yet purchased any cabins-- but I am definately thinking about what every one has said, so thanks! Anita

[az_tchr]

Anita - Yes, we were once told the same thing. Reservation was in my name. simply had DW book it ONLINE in her name. No problem.

[ROYALBOY]

I just read that Alaska is now considered a 'safe' destination & more people are booking Alaska instead of Europe.

 

So demand is high & prices will increase because people are willing to pay for it.

 

 

I am glad I got in at the beginning... It's worth the wait.

[Scozzy mcginty]

We booked a cruise for this March with cc solstice , at the time we just wanted a cheap cruise ( I know no such thing) . We went for cheapest option of inside room, within 48 hrs we decided we should just have booked a balcony room like we had had previous solstice cruise, on asking to upgrade we got new price but no free perks drinks package etc that was available for these room grades, as we had a booking with no perks at all we are not allowed to upgrade and receive perk, seems like celebrity don't want to look after you once you've booked ,I tried contacting cc through email got no reply travel agent can't do anything either and as we've booked late can't cancel rebook under partners name. We have decided to stay in inside room as we're not going to pay more and not get perks so in the long run celebrity loses out too as we won't be paying the upgrade fare. So buyer beware once you have booked you will receive no perk if you decide to upgrade:(

[denatravels]

So buyer beware once you have booked you will receive no perk if you decide to upgrade:(

 

 

That's only true if you book AFTER final payment. If you book through USA rules and before final payment, you can make these changes. Booking after final payment really requires you to be sure about what you want (not good for me as I seem to ALWAYS make multiple changes once I book!)

[4774Papa]

I tend to book early, sometimes as soon as the cruise is announced.

 

I have found that about half of the cruises that I book, the prices never drop below what I book. In about one-quarter, the prices drip, prior to final payment and I am able to take advantage of those lower prices. For two cruises that I booked the prices after final payment were lower than what I booked, but I called and got an upgrade (example, veranda to Aqua),

 

We don't cruise the Caribbean since our one cruise in 2012 and most of our cruises depart from Europe, Asia, SA, etc. Being able to book the airfare early helps keep costs down.

 

Also, I get to pick our cabin of choice.

 

So, my rule is book early and often.

[angelhelly]

We booked our Alaskan cruise in January 2015 for May 2016. The Aqua we booked would now be over 600pp more, with 1 less perk (since it's pick 2 right now, and we got 3).

 

So yes, I'm real glad we booked ahead...

[Jetswdo]

I just read your post and felt like a total idiot-- Canceling the cruise under one name (I think it was mine) and just using my husbands name. DUH! That NEVER would have occurred to me. But I am glad to hear that this did happen to someone else, as I think people on the Celebrity board thought I was nuts (which I may be, but this really did happen)-

 

I just booked the cruise and have until Feb. 5 to put down a $900 deposit. So I will hold off until the day before. So if the price does hopefully drop, then I will do what you did if Celebrity gives me trouble. By the way I am a retired CA TEACHER! Anita

[K.T.B.]

Jets, I seriously doubt the price drops. I am taking my third Alaskan cruise this year and with every single cruise the price tended to go up.

[Jetswdo]

It will be interesting to see how well this particular cruise sells--

there is only one 9 night night itnerary and the only one on Celebrity that has a full day in Victoria. With the exception of (to me) one wasted regular sea day, this itinerary is perfect for us. But I still maintain, I think it is a little bit pricier than it should be- but I guess Celebrity can get away with it due to one sailing date for this.