Skyauction??? Anyone used them???

[Cindy G]

With the price of cruises going up and up, I am tempted to try an online discount booking. What are the pros and cons of Skyauction, or other discounters? We do not need our hands held, we know ecactly what we want. Will we get the docs as usual, or something else? It is always a happy day when the docs arrive and I get to see the luggage tags, etc. It seems "official" then. Will all docs be a thing of the past, just like airline tickets? Also, does anyone know about upgrades on Skyauction....how does it work, do you get to choose the cabin/suite? I am hesitant to leave our TA but $500.00 buys a lot onboard fun.

[rhoeffner]

Cindy - I have only been on one cruise that was NOT purchased through SkyAuction.

 

Feel free to email me for specifics or to answer any questions.

rhoeffner@spicadesigns.com

[sdcruiser]

Hi Cindy,

 

My wife purchased a 3 night cruise on Skyauction last year. We got a good deal on the price for an inside cabin. However, you cannot choose your cabin number. They assign it a few weeks before the cruise. It's kind of like booking a guarantee cabin, either inside or outside or balcony. I've never seen suites advertised on their website, so I think a chance of upgrade is only limited to inside to inside or outside to outside cabin categories. We would use them again if the price were right...

 

Good Luck...

 

SDCruiser

[tuggers]

Cindy, I think PollyO and her husband booked our last Zenith through skyauction. Do you have her email? I'll look for it if you need it. Earl has been looking at a buy it now through them for the 1/10 Horizon. I have my cabin but he's still looking and it's a good deal.

 

Going on CENTURY! Third X Cruise In Four Months!

 

 

 

[morriscats]

Cindy,

We bid on and got an 11 day cruise on Mercury - good deal. They said the documents would be emailed??? I guess they email something and we pick up the luggage tags, etc. at the pier. I understand our room is a guarantee. That's OK - we get to cruise again!!! If you use SkyAuction be sure to scroll down and get the extra fees. Then have fun. I have to stay off that site for a while - haha

 

8/29/04 Carnival Pride

10/13/04 Celebrity Mercury

Nordic Prince 1993

Disney Wonder 1999

Celebrity Mercury 2002

Carnival Pride 8/29/04

Celebrity Mercury 10/13/04

[deb18]

Cindy, it is good to see you cruising for a bruising again. have a blast and go for it girl. deb. (and thanks for the offer, long cruises are a no go for me these days.)

[marvholly]

As I have posted numerous times on this board:

I have used skyauction 4x now and been ok with everything. Just be REAL careful re: true bottom line cost(s) and compare to other discount/on-line TAs. Auction is always for a minimum inside, 2 lower bed cabin. Upgrades generally cost more than booking with Cruiseone, Orbitz, ect Many dates have "surcharges". Port charges are extra. There is also a $15 per booking fee. There is also for all practical purposes no service. If you have any questions like what is a GTY/TBA cabin, when is my dinner seating, what do I need to pack or what can I do in ports you are on your own (with the help of these boards). I would say that they are good for experienced cruisers with decent internet skills.

 

Holly

 

M/S Boheme 11/69

Rhapsody 2/77?

Azure Sea 3/89

Panama Canal 11/90

Mexican Riviera 3/98

Carnival Triumph 12/99

Carnival Spirit 12/01

NCL Dream 11/17/02

Celebrity Mercury 6/1/03

carnival Victory 3/28/04

 

[carsiebee]

Used Sky Auction for the first time on our last cruise in May. Found them to be reliable but you have to "shop" before you bid to be sure you are getting a "good deal". Not all cabins are inside. . .ours was outside with no extra fees for the outside . . .but be careful as they usually tack on extra fees in addtion to your bid. Docs arrive via email 2 weeks prior to sailing . . .no problem at the port. . you just don't have the nice booklet form docs that others may have. . .No luggage tags until you get to the port. As for dinner seating arrangements, I requested and received early seating at a table for 6. It was a decent table and our dinner mates were also all sky auction customers.

 

We did not have a choice of cabins. .just knew it was outside. . .I even requested a change in the same catagory but unsuccessfully. We were on the lowest deck, not far from the elevators but it was very quiet. I heard complaints about noise from the disco from those paying much more in the upper decks. Nice and quiet down below where the sky auction folks were.

 

I would certainly use sky auction again. We saved a couple of hundred dollars. . .some saved even more. The closer to the sail date, the better the savings.

 

Just do your homework. You are your own agent with sky auction.

[Joe_Antonelli]

I have to agree with the other posters. When I first started reading and posting on this board a few years ago, I thought I was "missing" something by not using SkyAuction.com or any of these other so-called discounters. Like everyone else advises, PRICE SHOP BEFORE BIDDING! More often than not, you'll find a travel agency that can match or even beat the "bargin" on SkyAuction.com. Sky Auction has a lot of hidden stuff as one poster has already pointed out - you're bidding on the lowest available category, the bid does not include port charges, taxes, insurance or air...it all adds up. I'm sure there are true bargins to be found on Sky Auction but, for me, personally, it isn't a service I would ever use. If you bid, please let us know what you think of the experience.

 

Best of Luck and Happy Cruising!

 

Joe

[TEXASMUNK]

6 OF US ALL BOUGHT VIA SKYAUCTION INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER. gOT GUARANTEES..ALL FOUND OURSELVES ON THE nORWAY dECK OF THE ncl seA..RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER!

sATISFIED?

absolutely!

PRICE WAS GREAT"

All experienced cruisers so did not need any hand holding.

They actually beat the travel indsutry rates we had been quoted (we are all airline and SABRE employees and NCL had just stopped offering discoutns to SABRE employees)

 

Next....San Juan

[morriscats]

I know we got a good deal - we took the same cruise with the exception of an oceanview this time instead of a balcony and 11 days instead of 10 last year - and it was 1/2 price this time. Yes you have to shop around but the deals are there. Also we didn't need air, just drive to S.F. and hop on board. Just make sure to scroll down to the "hidden costs". I would do it again - in fact I check there regularly and not just for cruises. Hotels can be had cheap too.

 

8/29/04 Carnival Pride

10/13/04 Celebrity Mercury

Carnivale 1980

Nordic Prince 1993

Disney Wonder 1999

Celebrity Mercury 10/26/03

Carnival Pride 8/29/04

Celebrity Mercury 10/13/04

[Cindy G]

We are not bidding but using the "Buy It Now" price. The price, including all taxes, port charges, etc. is $400.00 less than our TA will give us. This will be our sixth Celebrity Cruise and at this point I am considering booking the cruise on Skyauction, or finding a new TA. Ours will not budge on the price and I a little more than upset. Our last two cruises were suites and longer than 7 days.

I really wonder how much "play" there is in pricing? Another interesting point is grouping the Skyauction customers together at dinner. On our last cruise in April, we sat at a table for 8, the three other couples booked with Skyauction. That's odd.

We all know if one books with Celebrity, Celebrity would get 100% of the money, what does Celebrity get if you book with a discounter? Are these cruisers treated as second class citizens? What would be the point of keeping them together at dinner, unless Celebrity doesn't want them to talk and mingle with the folks paying a premium price. Now I am feeling even more confused. Does anyone have a TA that will match the Skyauction price?

[katiel53]

Hi Everyone,

I have cruised on over 40 cruises, so I am not one that needs hand holding at all. I have looked at Sky Auction many many times and I have gotten better prices for my cruises from my online agent. I do shop around for prices on various sites, but she has given me better prices every time. (I have only used her for 2 years as I lived upstate NY before moving to Fl.) She also gives us a bottle of wine on our cruises and notifies us of specialties. If there is a price reduction, I have always gotten that too. Last September on the Century, we booked a cruise and told them no travel agent. The cruise is going to be on the Constellation in December.(Originally booked the Millenium. ) I waited a couple of months to see how prices were going, looking on the Celebrity site and others, and then I called her. She got us a CC cabin for over $400 less than the Celebrity site and less than other sites too. Plus, we got to choose our own cabin.I don't like a guarantee in that the front of the ship makes me seasick and there is also too much noise from the anchor etc for me. I wouldn't do my cruise any other way than I do now. I also have no hesitation if I see a lower price somewhere to ask her to match it or go lower. She has done a great job for us. We get all our doc's in the mail. Even though she is a net agent, she can still be contacted by phone. That is very important to me. In case anyone is interested, her name is Jackie McDonnell and her phone number if 1-866-846-9119 and her email addy is www.cruiseone.com/jmcdonnell. If you should have any questions, please email me at katiel53@cfl.rr.com.

 

Katie

[carsiebee]

I agree that your agent has terrific prices. . .she quoted me the lowest price on my recent cruise but was delayed a day or two in responding to me. By the time we connected, all outside cabins were "sold out". Low and behold, a nephew suggested I try SkyAuction and they had outside cabins! In fact, many of them as they put them up for bid at least weekly until a week or so before sailing. SkyAuction must have bought out the remaining cabins. My bid came in a couple of hundred below the lowest price of an online agent but I did not have cabin choice or a bottle of wine!

[rhoeffner]

I have just today returned from another SkyAuction cruise - this time on Celebrity. From past experience, I think it depends on the cruise line as to whether you will get docs and such. I have always gotten full docs from Carnival and RCCL, but did not get anything from Celebrity despite the promise of emailing docs - then it was pier pick-up. No real problems, but I do prefer to get something that says I am really sailing! ;-) Just adds to the excitement!

 

I think SkyAuction does such a volume of business the lines give them blocks of cabins - my cabins have always been in the same basic area - could be coincidence - but nonetheless, always a decent location as far as we are concerned, especially for what we save. I always check around for prices and call for quotes prior to bidding so I don't bid more than I could buy it elsewhere. I never do Buy It Now, as they will eventually place these for bid and they have historically always gone for far less than Buy It Now.

 

I used to think it odd that my table mates were all SkyAuction as well, until one incidence on RCCL. 4 non SkyAuction guests had requested a table change and as a result were placed at our table of 5 SkyAuction guests. I personally would never discuss price, but the other SkyAuction guests brought it up. When actual amounts were thrown out for public consumption - I literally thought one gentleman was going to pass-out (all the color drained from his face), and I was afraid the other was going to have a heart-attack - he immediately excused himself from the table for the evening. I would think the cruise lines would prefer regular paying guests not know how little others paid for the same cruise.

 

Once you pay for the cruise, you get an 800 number in case you need to contact SkyAuction - it is also listed within their site on the FAQ page. I have always been able to speak with someone who could help me, or had a return call the very next morning when leaving a message. Once you buy several times, you will make connections with certain people there (I know who to speak with for certain issues) - I think they do business as Magic Tours or something similar (can't remember exactly).

 

Anyway - I wouldn't sail any other way. It's the only way I can support my habit! LOL

[Jeffr]

I have purchased cruises all ways possible(Ithink) through aTA directly through the cruiseline and SkyAuction. If you do not want to be in control of everything SkyAuction is alright. I did a bid last year on a Carnival 5 night for 250!! A TA said he couldn't have gotten that price. The problem(s) with SA is that you cant talk to anyone, everything is email and it takes days. My docs didnt get there until the week of the sail. It was delievered UPS and wasn't home when they were delivered. Results were going acros town to get them. SA doesn't let you select your cabin but you can upgrade. Personally on longer trips (and more expensive trips) I like to select the cabin number so I know whats below and above the cabin. If you book SA dont attempt to get information from the cruiseline as they consider you nonexistant and refer you to SA.

A lot of people dont believe it but you can get good deals from the cruiseline. Most lines will honor lower prices and credit your account if the rates drop or you can find a better deal. RCL actually gave my creditcard a 500 credit because the price drop.

Shop around and remember that the SA bidding price IS NOT the sailing price.

 

NCL Sea 09/00-Western Carib

NCL Sky 04-05/01 Alaksa

Celebration 11-12/01& 10/02

RCCL Rhapsody of the Sea 05/03

Celebration (post renovation) Dec 03

Celebrity Galaxy-San Juan reposistiong 10/25/04

[katiel53]

I have looked at prices on Sky Auction, but still feel I am getting a better deal from my agent. On any cruises I have chosen, if the price has gone down, even after full payment, she has gotten me the lower price. The only cruise line that won't do that is Carnival. If the price goes down after you pay in full, tough luck. I have gotten refunds many times when I have paid in full. I think Sky Auction is good for people who don't care where the cabin is. I like choosing, even if it's a year in advance, but I do watch the prices after I have booked so if there is a reduction in price, I get it. I guess that's why there are so many choices for us.

 

Katie

[Cindy G]

Katie, I made a connection with your agent and she is now our agent. She saved us several hundreds of dollars. Thank you for the recommendation. This is a little untimely as I have been without a PC for 11 days...spyware, parasites and things.

[tuggers]

Katie and CindyG,

I'm giving her a try. Just sent an email for a price on a Jan Horizon for a friend.

Thanks for the tip!

Gail

 

Going on CENTURY! Third X Cruise In Four Months!

 

 

 

[katiel53]

Hi

Cindy I am glad that you were able to use her and take advantage of the lower price. Tuggers, I hope she is able to get you a good price too. I learned about her agency from somone on Cruise Critic a couple of years ago. I am looking for something good to come up for fall. Last spring she got a suite on HAL for a super low price. I am hoping for something like that again. It might have been a once in a lifetime deal, but I will continue to have her look for me.

 

Katie

[Cindy G]

Katie...why don't you join us on the Horizon departing Tampa on Nov.29?

Tuggers....you will love Jackie. She was able to match the Skyauction price for us....and will be sending a bottle of wine. I am pleased with her service.

[katiel53]

Hi Cindy,

I wish I could join you on the Horizon, but I am going on the Constellation on Dec.4. Every year in Dec or Jan we have a family cruise. (My sister and her husband, my husband and my dad and a few others who are not family.) This year we are doing the Constellation again. I have been on the Horizon many times and have enjoyed it. Thanks for inviting us.

 

Katie