Posting Cruise Deal Pricing

[FuelScience]

I was just thinking today that I never see people posting and telling about the "deal" they got on their cruise. Is this a CC policy, or do we just consider it to be in bad taste to talk about the cost of our cruise package?

[Host Jazzbeau]

There is no CC policy regarding this (other than the strict ban on naming TAs). I have seen many threads talking about single supplement deals.

[Toofarfromthesea]

I was just thinking today that I never see people posting and telling about the "deal" they got on their cruise. Is this a CC policy, or do we just consider it to be in bad taste to talk about the cost of our cruise package?

 

I wonder if deals just are not common on river cruises? I certainly couldn't find any likely source of a 'deal' on a recent US river cruise I booked. Although that is really a different market.

[KathyK13]

I was just thinking today that I never see people posting and telling about the "deal" they got on their cruise. Is this a CC policy, or do we just consider it to be in bad taste to talk about the cost of our cruise package?

I've seen some posts about cruise deals; in fact one CC member posted a comment about a great deal on a Seine cruise that we followed up on and ended up getting the same deal.

[ural guy]

I think it would be nice if people would do this more. Vantage for a short time in November was including the post-extension to Brugge on a Rhine cruise. I booked our cruise for the last sailing of the year (extra $1100 off the sailing just 2 weeks earlier), and then posted the offer here.

 

I do notice that Vantage has more last minute deals than other lines, I think due to not using travel agents. If they have unsold cabins, their options are limited in who they work with.

 

Sign up for their mailings, and if they come on colored 8.5x11 stock paper in a business envelope, they tend to be the 'real deal' discount, and not the type that Vantage and Viking flood your e-mail with.

 

If you can be flexible in both dates and routes, there are deals.

[TravelerThom]

Grand Circle Travel (operated very similarly to Vantage and owned by a feuding brother) almost always has true last minute deals (often 30 - 50% off prices that people have actually paid). GCT.com click on Ways to Save then click on Last Minute Deals - I do not work for them but if you ask me for a referral we both come out ahead.

 

In 2015 we did 3 weeks with Vantage on good deal combo cruises on the Seine and Rhône, came home and I saw a GREAT deal on GCT cruising Bordeaux and 3 weeks later were back in France. The joys of retirement!

 

NOTE that sometimes these great deals are on trips that have been selling so poorly that they are about to be discontinued (but the trip you are buying will still run). I learned the hard way not to grab something I wanted to do when offered.

 

Thom

[FuelScience]

Grand Circle Travel (operated very similarly to Vantage and owned by a feuding brother) almost always has true last minute deals (often 30 - 50% off prices that people have actually paid). GCT.com click on Ways to Save then click on Last Minute Deals - I do not work for them but if you ask me for a referral we both come out ahead.

 

In 2015 we did 3 weeks with Vantage on good deal combo cruises on the Seine and Rhône, came home and I saw a GREAT deal on GCT cruising Bordeaux and 3 weeks later were back in France. The joys of retirement!

 

NOTE that sometimes these great deals are on trips that have been selling so poorly that they are about to be discontinued (but the trip you are buying will still run). I learned the hard way not to grab something I wanted to do when offered.

 

Thom

Good point, but it can also go the other way. We reserved our upcoming Vantage Douro cruise last July, and it sold out in early October. By then, the price had gone up by over $1,000 per person. So for very popular cruises, reserving early sometimes has advantages.

[TravelerThom]

Good point, but it can also go the other way. We reserved our upcoming Vantage Douro cruise last July, and it sold out in early October. By then, the price had gone up by over $1,000 per person. So for very popular cruises, reserving early sometimes has advantages.

I absolutely agree. If it is a must have, book early. We have done a number of 2 week last minute TransAtlantic cruises for under $1k per person INCLUDING port charages, all tips (those guys work hard and deserve it) AND Air. But if it was “have to do” no way would I count on it remaining available.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Remember the Cruise Critic rule: no naming [or even hinting at] Travel Agent names. [sorry for the redundancy, haven't had my coffee yet]

[CPT Trips]

Guidelines

 

There shall be no third-party recommendation (whether positive or negative in tone) of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.

 

 

The site that was removed is NOT a travel agency. It does NOT sell cruises. It merely allows people to easily find out what "deals" are available on a specific cruise. It's just a buying service.

[dalgirl]

We got a great deal on gate 1 monarch empress, thousands of dollars cheaper than the other lines. Since this is our first river cruise I hope we made a good choice. But for the price I'll take my chances.

 

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[winegirl]

"Deals"

 

I've seen deals offered by cruise lines (both river and ocean) when they are trying to sell the remaining cabins at the last minute. I've even had offers from the cruise line of thousands of dollars back if we switched to a less expensive cabin (which we did not do, since the cabin we chose was the one we wanted.)

 

The longer you wait, the more likely you might see a price break. However, you must be willing to travel on a moment's notice, and booking last minute airfare at higher prices might offset your "deal." For example, I needed one way air from Bordeaux to Paris early in the AM for 5 of us. I found a great price on a major airline, for about $100 per person. I bought all those seats and the next time I checked, only seats available were well over $ 400 per person.

 

There are lots of "deals" on European travel in August since that's a "down" time in Europe-Europeans by the millions vacation for the full month of August and a lot of businesses, such as restaurants and shops, close that month. There are also "deals" on lower priced tour or cruise operators. I've seen cruises for several hundred dollars per head, but I know I would not be happy on such a cruise: we value quality, great food, service and a small group experience over price any day.

 

So, in my opinion, buy travel at a price point you think is fair (and don't keep second guessing your choice) to assure your trip--or if you can go at the last minute and are not concerned if your trip doesn't work out, then you can afford to wait.

[Got2Cruise]

It’s easy to find the deals. Simply sign up on each cruiseline email alert list.

 

 

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[RadioPeri]

I think it would be nice if people would do this more. (snip)

 

Yes!!!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Guidelines

 

 

 

 

The site that was removed is NOT a travel agency. It does NOT sell cruises. It merely allows people to easily find out what "deals" are available on a specific cruise. It's just a buying service.

 

Nevertheless, Cruise Critic treats buying services and price finders the same as travel agencies [since it started its own price finder feature]. It doesn't matter whether you think that other price finders work better than Cruise Critic's – it's their website and they make the rules.