Best Deals for Cruises?

[widallas]

I know we cannot talk about specific TAs, but I was wondering how people find their "best" cruise deals? Do you use the same contact to book each time, stick with direct from the cruise line, use a price comparison tools like the have here on CC, find special last minute specials....where have you gotten your "best deal?"

[Clarea]

Lately, the best deals we have gotten is to book as soon as the new itineraries have been released. We have seen very few price drops before final payment date.

[Dori Saltzman]

I know we cannot talk about specific TAs, but I was wondering how people find their "best" cruise deals? Do you use the same contact to book each time, stick with direct from the cruise line, use a price comparison tools like the have here on CC, find special last minute specials....where have you gotten your "best deal?"

 

Check out our article on finding cheap cruises!! -- http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1096

[impatientlywaiting]

I know we cannot talk about specific TAs, but I was wondering how people find their "best" cruise deals? Do you use the same contact to book each time, stick with direct from the cruise line, use a price comparison tools like the have here on CC, find special last minute specials....where have you gotten your "best deal?"

 

Booking the cruise the very first day it opens is when you get best price. I've done that for our last 4 cruises and the price has only gone down one time on one cruise and that was within the first two weeks.

[Royal Addiction]

Yes, book the cruise as soon as the itinerary comes out. For our January 2016 cruise, I booked it 18 months earlier. (The Caribbean itinerary comes out the furthest in advance.) I called and booked with the cruise line. I chose my cabin by looking at the layout online (8110 was FABULOUS on Jewel. Do NOT get anything above or below the Schooner Lounge or the bass sound will keep you awake until midnight!! You have to look at what's above and below you before selecting a cabin if you are a light sleeper or early to bed person), and it originally booked for around $1900 total. I got an early bird discount. They then had a price drop shortly after for $1500, which I found and called right away. And later, I cashed in my points for the trip via the credit card, and it brought the price down to only $1000!! This is for a BALCONY on the 8th floor! Pretty damn good price. The airfare cost us MORE than the cabin for 8 days. Sad actually.

[John&LaLa]

Book early, book often. Join a roll call. People often share. Sometimes I even locate the roll call before I book

[Wilson]

We try to book as early as possible. We always book with an online agency that often advertises on this site. They typically double the onboard credit offered by the cruise line.

[John&LaLa]

We try to book as early as possible. We always book with an online agency that often advertises on this site. They typically double the onboard credit offered by the cruise line.

 

Do you book onboard and still get that big OBC? Hoping to book a lot of fall 2017 cruises when onboard this spring. Would prefer to do it on Freedom, but the schedule of releases may dictate we do it on Enchantment

[Camlott]

Just to echo what everyone else is saying... We book as early as possible for the lowest rates. We have booked direct with cruise line, local TA, and online TA.

 

My new preferred method is to use a website that has several agents bidding for your business and have found some outstanding incentives that way (usually 10-15% of the fare). We have been using that method for the last four years or so. I typically end up booking from the same 2-3 agents, but when I have tried to go direct to those agents, incentives have been much lower than what they will offer on that site. Makes no sense to me, but that's how they play the game.

[UCF_Knight]

We book straight through Royal Caribbean using multiple $500 certificates we get from our credit card company for $450 + 50 reward points (which on that card are given out 1 per every dollar charged and aren't good for too much else). So essentially we get 10% off the cruise in addition to either being able to use our C&A discount or getting whatever OBC is being offered at the time (if better than C&A discount).

Edited January 27, 2016 by UCF_Knight

[Sky616]

We booked our April cruise on Adventure in May 2014. Yes almost two years in advance. The price has doubled since. I think booking the time the itineraries are released is the best way to go.

[Wilson]

Do you book onboard and still get that big OBC? Hoping to book a lot of fall 2017 cruises when onboard this spring. Would prefer to do it on Freedom, but the schedule of releases may dictate we do it on Enchantment

 

We have never booked onboard. For our fall enchantment cruise I booked directly with the cruise line because it was a Sunday and I was afraid the last JS would be sold before Monday. I transferred the booking to our TA and received the additional obc.

[John&LaLa]

We have never booked onboard. For our fall enchantment cruise I booked directly with the cruise line because it was a Sunday and I was afraid the last JS would be sold before Monday. I transferred the booking to our TA and received the additional obc.

 

We always try and book onboard. The TA of record automatically gets credit. When you get back the invoice is ready and any benefits from the TA are usually noted. We generally get a small discount and free tips

[akl432]

How do you know when the itineraries will be released so you can book on the first day? I'm waiting for May 2017 Caribbean itineraries to be released and am so afraid I will miss the date they are released!

[Clarea]

How do you know when the itineraries will be released so you can book on the first day? I'm waiting for May 2017 Caribbean itineraries to be released and am so afraid I will miss the date they are released!

Keep watching this forum and Royal's website. You can search for cruises by month on Royal's website.

[John&LaLa]

How do you know when the itineraries will be released so you can book on the first day? I'm waiting for May 2017 Caribbean itineraries to be released and am so afraid I will miss the date they are released!

 

Target is week of March 7 for Caribbean releases

[micmacmissy]

Go online...google is your friend! You might try searching for a website where cruise agents compete for your business!

 

;)

[monctonguy]

Book as early as possible, and keep checking back for price drops.

 

I have been able to save some $$ and get a couple cheap cruises that way. But takes time but worth it.

 

There are some tools and sites out there you can google, but for me I just take the couple mins it takes each day to double check each cruise I currently have booked for lower prices and/or OBC etc.