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Last minute booking questions!


micmacmissy
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Suddenly finding ourselves looking at a cruise for spring break - found one that has a pretty low price point ($750 pp/balcony) and still seems to have several dozen cabins still available.

 

Cruise is 6 weeks away. Will it drop further? We've never booked a cruise less than a full year out...this is new to us. Would it make sense to wait another week or two (or more?) and watch the available cabins?

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Suddenly finding ourselves looking at a cruise for spring break - found one that has a pretty low price point ($750 pp/balcony) and still seems to have several dozen cabins still available.

 

Cruise is 6 weeks away. Will it drop further? We've never booked a cruise less than a full year out...this is new to us. Would it make sense to wait another week or two (or more?) and watch the available cabins?

 

 

How much more can it drop? How much more could be saved? Is it really going to make a difference?

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How much more can it drop? How much more could be saved? Is it really going to make a difference?

 

Well, gee, I don't know how much more it can drop...that is why I posted! I have no idea how low cruises go at the last minute, since I usually book 12-18 months in advance.

 

And sure it can make a difference - not sure about you, but I'd happily wait another week to save another hundred bucks. Since the current plan is no vacation at all, I really have nothing to lose, right?

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Rather than giving you an answer, let me ask a couple of questions.

 

1/ How will you feel if you wake up tomorrow morning and your $750 balcony cabin is no longer available - it's now $999?

2/ How will you feel if you wait a week or 10 days to book and the only cabins remaining are in undesirable (or noisy) locations and you have to spend a week there?

 

None of us has a crystal ball and we often have to make decisions based on the info we have.

If this cruise has an itinerary you'll enjoy and you are comfortable with the current price, then go for it. If not, wait and keep your fingers crossed for a better price point.

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There is really no way to know which way prices may move.

 

Ask yourself:

Are you pleased with the current fare?

Which of the following would most disappoint you?

- You waited and the price increased by $100 pp.

- You booked at the current price and prices decreased by $100 pp.

 

Let your answers guide you.

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I typically book all my cruises 6 weeks out or less. Just be sure to check everyday or even twice a day on the rates. If there are a lot of cabins left, you might see a quick one day deal on a guaranteed cabin a t a really good price. I usually book that and you will probably get your cabin assignment right away and then if you don't like the location, you can call and switch rooms within the same category. Good luck!!

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Rather than giving you an answer, let me ask a couple of questions.

 

1/ How will you feel if you wake up tomorrow morning and your $750 balcony cabin is no longer available - it's now $999?

2/ How will you feel if you wait a week or 10 days to book and the only cabins remaining are in undesirable (or noisy) locations and you have to spend a week there?:)

 

None of us has a crystal ball and we often have to make decisions based on the info we have.

If this cruise has an itinerary you'll enjoy and you are comfortable with the current price, then go for it. If not, wait and keep your fingers crossed for a better price point.

 

:D

1/ How will you feel if you wake up tomorrow morning and your $750 balcony cabin is no longer available - it's now $999? it would be a minor bummer, but i wasn't planning on a trip anyway- so no real loss.

2/ How will you feel if you wait a week or 10 days to book and the only cabins remaining are in undesirable (or noisy) locations and you have to spend a week there? I'm not cabin picky when the price is this cheap. I've sailed on S-class in an "undesirable" deck 6 partially obstructed balcony and it was just FINE!

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I typically book all my cruises 6 weeks out or less. Just be sure to check everyday or even twice a day on the rates. If there are a lot of cabins left, you might see a quick one day deal on a guaranteed cabin a t a really good price. I usually book that and you will probably get your cabin assignment right away and then if you don't like the location, you can call and switch rooms within the same category. Good luck!!

 

Thanks - I've been checking several times a day, and it's gone down over the last three days. The flip side is that airfare is crazy expensive.

 

I'm not tempted to book at $750/pp, but if that sucker goes down to $599 i'm IN! ;)

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Suddenly finding ourselves looking at a cruise for spring break - found one that has a pretty low price point ($750 pp/balcony) and still seems to have several dozen cabins still available.

 

Cruise is 6 weeks away. Will it drop further? We've never booked a cruise less than a full year out...this is new to us. Would it make sense to wait another week or two (or more?) and watch the available cabins?

 

Look at Eclipse March 18, bargain prices for XC, 1B and 1C the ship filling quickly.

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Oh man...14 days and $1,200/pp for a balcony? I hope someone gets to snap that up!!! [emoji7]

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

It helps a lot when you are more specific and complete about info relating to your cruise. What ship are you looking at, what date, what type of cabin? Would you take an OV or inside, or do you "need" a balcony. I got the impression you were talking about a 7 night itinerary in the $700pp price range, but here you are quoting a 14 night itinerary on Eclipse.

 

On line agencies quite often have prices that are lower than what Celebrity offers, as well as offering added perks and/or extra OBC beyond that offered by X. You really need to look into those sites to save significant sums. There is also a well know site in Germany that shows total inventory remaining by cabin type, which can help you determine if prices will rise, fall, or remain steady by looking at inventory vs. number of days to departure.

 

A 13 night T/A on Silhouette was available last week (after final payment) for only $599pp... until enough cabins sold and now the price is $830pp. Last minute airfare CAN be a deal breaker... consider alternate/nearby airports. Good luck!

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I think you said 3/31. Are you looking at Equinox? I booked a balcony guarantee at a resident rate the other day for $709 and two days later the same guarantee went down to $659. Luckily it was within their 48 hour price guarantee window so they gave me the difference in OBC. I ended up with a balcony on deck 6, but I’m fine with that for the price I paid. I don’t think the pricing will go much lower than that.

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It helps a lot when you are more specific and complete about info relating to your cruise. What ship are you looking at, what date, what type of cabin? Would you take an OV or inside, or do you "need" a balcony. I got the impression you were talking about a 7 night itinerary in the $700pp price range, but here you are quoting a 14-day....

 

 

You’ve got to read the whole thread. I was responding to another poster.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Micmac... keep an eye on airfare. If you live in the NE (Micmac... Maine?), you know what I'm talking about. Doesn't matter if the cruise is <$500 if the airfare is $1000+! You're talking about traveling Easter weekend!!

 

I'm so impressed you figured that out! No one ever knows what the Micmac part means...let alone where i'm from! (I'll really be impressed if you know where St. Francis is without googling it - that is where my family is originally from!)

 

Right now the airfare is a killer - $2K for 4 of us. That might indeed be the dealbreaker...unless hubby is up for a lonnnng road trip! :D

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Prepare to be impressed then. We just sold our camp on 2nd Wallagrass lake. That's in St. John. :)

 

My husband is actually headed to Fort Kent this afternoon to go snowmobiling. We might have crossed paths at John's Store at some point! Patty is his wife, right? I was sorry when they sold and weren't there anymore. I broke my back (4 years TOMORROW) and haven't been able to ride since. I miss it. A lot. I miss the County!

 

And a friend of mine is Micmac... plus a student I used to tutor. I knew right away what your screen name meant!

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