Deals within the 60 days before departure ?

[iancal]

If we were loyal to any specific cruise line we would have taken far less last minute cruises.

 

We have a few preferred lines but I cannot imagine being loyal to any one.  Why...the ships in the same cruise line can be so different.  The service, the food, etc. can vary between cruises.

 

We are not the last bit nostalgic when it comes to a purchase that involves our money and our time.   We do not see much difference between our preferred cruise lines....other than the ships themselves and perhaps the loyalty perks.   Nor do we live in the past.  We judge the cruise line and the ship by one yardstick-our last cruise.

 

List price, percentage discount, free this or that are meaningless terms to us.  We have one yardstick.  What we pay per diem for the cruise net of all OBC's.  That is our basis for comparison.  We start our shopping  by determining  what is a good price to us, a strike price.  When it hits, we book.  Immediately, unless our TA tells us otherwise.

Edited June 13, 2019 by iancal

[FaithPlus1]

I always book last minute cruises tbh because that's when the rates typically drop for solo cruisers (there's no way in Hell that I'm paying double). 

 

That said, if you are very specific about your room location I wouldn't do it. I don't really care as it's worth saving the extra $$$. 

[iancal]

We select two or three ships that we would be happy to sail on.  After that it comes down to an unobstructed balcony cabin.  We are not too fussy on location but certainly prefer a cabin that is not above or below a public area.  So far we have been so very fortunate.  Lots of great ships, lots of very good cabin locations.  It van be more difficult though, to get a price on a balcony cabin than it is on an inside or outside.  In the past we have had some very attractive rates on Med cruises, Alaska cruise, and several Caribbean cruises during the Christmastime break.  At times we have been quiet surprised at the price and availability during peak vacation periods.  Air can be an issue however more often than not we are doing flexible land trips at the time so air is not such a big challenge.

[Hlitner]

Iancal and I both have posted, many times, about "loyalty" being the enemy of many last minute deals (or even other longer term great deals).  The cruise industry is large (several hundred ships) and every brand does their best to "encourage" loyalty through their various loyalty programs, marketing, etc.  It is amazing how simply inviting a cruiser to a party for 1000 and giving them a lousy free drink can inspire "loyalty."  We have met many cruisers who have only ever cruised on 1 or 2 lines and cite their loyalty.

 

But the big secret is that many lines (within a similar class) are more alike than not and there is more variance between the ships within a line then similar ships of different lines.  So folks, if you are truly in the market for a last minute deal...expand your horizons to many cruise lines.  The more lines,  ships and itineraries you consider the better the chance of snagging an amazing deal.  And yes, the deals are still out there for those willing to jump at a good thing when they see it!  Folks that like a line such as Carnival should also consider RCI, NCL, and MSC.  Those into the slightly classier lines such as Celebrity should also be looking at Princess, HAL, Cunard and MSC's Yacht Club.  Oceania and Azamara seem to be in an almost unique class which we cannot define :).  And then there  are what I call the ultra luxury lines such as Seabourn, Silverseas, Sea Dream, Regent, Crystal, and some would say Windstar (I might put this into that unnamed class with Oceania and Azamara).

 

Viking is a very interesting newcomer that might be in a class of its own.  This line has quickly built lots of loyalty among our friends who have cruised this line (we have yet to take the plunge).  Disney is another line that also has its own unique niche.

 

It is also a lot of fun (at least for us) to step out of your normal class of cruise lines and try something different.  So, although the bulk of our cruises are with the mass market lines such as Celebrity, Princess, and HAL...we have recently cruised in MSC's Yacht Club (loved it and booked two more similar cruises) and have an upcoming Seabourn cruise.  All this variety makes every cruise exciting...even after more then 40 years of extensive cruising.

 

Hank

[FaithPlus1]

36 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Iancal and I both have posted, many times, about "loyalty" being the enemy of many last minute deals (or even other longer term great deals).  The cruise industry is large (several hundred ships) and every brand does their best to "encourage" loyalty through their various loyalty programs, marketing, etc.  It is amazing how simply inviting a cruiser to a party for 1000 and giving them a lousy free drink can inspire "loyalty."  We have met many cruisers who have only ever cruised on 1 or 2 lines and cite their loyalty.

 

But the big secret is that many lines (within a similar class) are more alike than not and there is more variance between the ships within a line then similar ships of different lines.  So folks, if you are truly in the market for a last minute deal...expand your horizons to many cruise lines.  The more lines,  ships and itineraries you consider the better the chance of snagging an amazing deal.  And yes, the deals are still out there for those willing to jump at a good thing when they see it!  Folks that like a line such as Carnival should also consider RCI, NCL, and MSC.  Those into the slightly classier lines such as Celebrity should also be looking at Princess, HAL, Cunard and MSC's Yacht Club.  Oceania and Azamara seem to be in an almost unique class which we cannot define :).  And then there  are what I call the ultra luxury lines such as Seabourn, Silverseas, Sea Dream, Regent, Crystal, and some would say Windstar (I might put this into that unnamed class with Oceania and Azamara).

 

Viking is a very interesting newcomer that might be in a class of its own.  This line has quickly built lots of loyalty among our friends who have cruised this line (we have yet to take the plunge).  Disney is another line that also has its own unique niche.

 

It is also a lot of fun (at least for us) to step out of your normal class of cruise lines and try something different.  So, although the bulk of our cruises are with the mass market lines such as Celebrity, Princess, and HAL...we have recently cruised in MSC's Yacht Club (loved it and booked two more similar cruises) and have an upcoming Seabourn cruise.  All this variety makes every cruise exciting...even after more then 40 years of extensive cruising.

 

Hank

Yeah I agree with this. I think cruise loyalty is dying out with younger generations. I have no loyalty to any cruise line, hotel chain, or airline. I go for what's the best for me at the time based on different criteria. 

[Hlitner]

Just now, FaithPlus1 said:

Yeah I agree with this. I think cruise loyalty is dying out with younger generations. I have no loyalty to any cruise line, hotel chain, or airline. I go for what's the best for me at the time based on different criteria. 

When it comes to the airlines we dislike them all :).  Dealing with any airline is akin to going to the dentist in that it is a necessary evil.

 

Hank

[FaithPlus1]

19 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

When it comes to the airlines we dislike them all :).  Dealing with any airline is akin to going to the dentist in that it is a necessary evil.

 

Hank

That's how I see it too. I actually have a ton of miles saved due to never finding a decent flight. From Los Angeles, international flights books with miles often suck with a number of transfers and crappy dates. Domestic routes are better but not significantly. I'm thinking about just spending it a couple first class flights (never flown first) just to get my balance to close to 0. At this point for me I just pick flights based on the $ and convenience (times and dates). 

[geoherb]

5 hours ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

What’s the best site to get last minute cruise deals ?

 

We're not allowed to name specific travel agencies. Your best bet is to search on Google for low single supplement cruises to get a lot of links to different agencies.

 

Our favorite cruise line is Princess, but unfortunately it's not easy to search on the Princess website for low single supplement cruises. Everything is priced per person based on double occupancy. To get the single price, you have to go through a few steps. When I booked my upcoming Island Princess cruise, I found it on a travel agency's website that has a page devoted to cruises with low single supplements. I then logged into the Princess website to see how it was priced there. The agency had a better price plus was offering $125 onboard credit.

[FaithPlus1]

6 hours ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

What’s the best site to get last minute cruise deals ?

All my cruises are last minute deals. I just go on individual cruiseline websites. Sometimes Expedia beats them, but it's not by much. There's Cruise Complete as well, but the prices I've gotten quoted have quite a range. I'm interested in knowing too since I don't have a TA. I wish you could actually bid on a cruise itself. I know Priceline used to let you bid on flights, but they stopped doing that. A cruise bidding site would be great. 

[Hlitner]

49 minutes ago, FaithPlus1 said:

All my cruises are last minute deals. I just go on individual cruiseline websites. Sometimes Expedia beats them, but it's not by much. There's Cruise Complete as well, but the prices I've gotten quoted have quite a range. I'm interested in knowing too since I don't have a TA. I wish you could actually bid on a cruise itself. I know Priceline used to let you bid on flights, but they stopped doing that. A cruise bidding site would be great. 

Let me tell you why it pays to shop around.  We recently (this week) did a last minute booking on a 16 day Princess cruise (mini suite).  If we booked the cruise on the Princess web site (after signing in) we would have paid $5693.70.  That same exact cruise and cabin category with the cruise agency who we used was $5035.50 with Princess kicking in an additional $250 OBC.   This means we saved $908 or 14% by simply shopping around.  Does this work all the time?  Absolutely although the savings do vary.  But as our own general rule we expect to save 7-10% from the cruise line's own web site (this works for nearly all mass market lines) by shopping around among reputable high volume cruise agencies and then comparing the best offer (adjusted for OBCs) to the cruise line's own web site..  In this case the 14% savings exceeded expectations and this does happen quite often.

 

We are not "loyal" to any one cruise agency although over the years there have been 3 agencies where we booked most of our cruises because they had the best deals.  But our latest booking was via a new agency (for us) and we were impressed with the price and service.   We are not permitted to mention specific agencies here on CC and respect that policy.  So how do we know where to shop?  Many ideas come from other cruisers we meet on our trips.  Since we enjoy sharing large tables in open (Select) dining we meet lots of new folks and get new recommendations.  We also watch on the Internet, lurk in some social media groups, etc.  If one is determined to learn about good agencies there are always ways.  

 

Hank

[FaithPlus1]

40 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Let me tell you why it pays to shop around.  We recently (this week) did a last minute booking on a 16 day Princess cruise (mini suite).  If we booked the cruise on the Princess web site (after signing in) we would have paid $5693.70.  That same exact cruise and cabin category with the cruise agency who we used was $5035.50 with Princess kicking in an additional $250 OBC.   This means we saved $908 or 14% by simply shopping around.  Does this work all the time?  Absolutely although the savings do vary.  But as our own general rule we expect to save 7-10% from the cruise line's own web site (this works for nearly all mass market lines) by shopping around among reputable high volume cruise agencies and then comparing the best offer (adjusted for OBCs) to the cruise line's own web site..  In this case the 14% savings exceeded expectations and this does happen quite often.

 

We are not "loyal" to any one cruise agency although over the years there have been 3 agencies where we booked most of our cruises because they had the best deals.  But our latest booking was via a new agency (for us) and we were impressed with the price and service.   We are not permitted to mention specific agencies here on CC and respect that policy.  So how do we know where to shop?  Many ideas come from other cruisers we meet on our trips.  Since we enjoy sharing large tables in open (Select) dining we meet lots of new folks and get new recommendations.  We also watch on the Internet, lurk in some social media groups, etc.  If one is determined to learn about good agencies there are always ways.  

 

Hank

I don't know any reputable cruise online tbh since people on here won't share. 

[Hlitner]

23 minutes ago, FaithPlus1 said:

I don't know any reputable cruise online tbh since people on here won't share. 

It is not that we "won't" share but it is simply the rules of Cruise Critic.  It is not too difficult to conduct your own due diligence for many of the online cruise agencies by simply doing a couple of searches to find out if anyone has posted info (pro or con).  You can also check out most agencies on the national Better Business Bureau web site, although some would argue that the BBB system leaves much to be desired.  Once I find an agency of interest I will go to that agencies web site and read about them, read through their FAQs, and also read their online policies.  If I have further questions I will telephone the agency.  At some point you do have to go with your instincts.  The new agency (for me) I used this week was a simple online booking because they had the best deal and I knew of their reputation.  Since it was a Princess booking and we had an existing Future Cruise Credit I needed to get this applied to my reservation (this is best done quickly) so I called and left a message with the agency.  Within an hour I received a call from my assigned agent who quickly impressed me with her knowledge and said she would immediately get our future cruise credit applied (it was done within minutes).  She also answered a few questions I had about her agency and her own background.

 

We also avoid booking direct with cruise lines for some other reasons.  A high volume cruise agency has more clout with the cruise line then a single cruiser and this can come in handy if there are any issues.  And since DW and I cruise many different lines (15 to date) we prefer to deal with folks that represent all the cruise lines as opposed to a single company.  We often pick-up new ideas and hints about other cruise lines from the agents which helps us make future booking decisions.

 

And here is a very important tip for folks in the USA (we cannot comment on the laws of other countries).  We have a lot of protection here when we use major credit cards (this does not apply to Debit Cards) per Federal Law and the policies of the major credit card companies (i.e.  Visa, MC., AMEX).  Also, only deal with agencies that have your cards processed by the cruise lines....not the agency!   If an agency tells you that will process your charge card and later submit payment to the cruise line, run away FAST!  Your credit card should show the charge from the cruise line...not the agency.   Most high volume agencies are now directly connected to the cruise line reservation systems so when you do an online transaction it immediately flows to the cruise line.  So, for example, when we booked that Princess cruise the other day we immediately got a cruise line Booking Number and could log on to our Princess Cruises account and see the reservation.

 

Hank

[iancal]

To take this even one step further we did a late booking shop for an  RCI Austalia/NZ  21 day cruise from Sydney three years ago.

 

 We priced at home with our NA on line TA.  We priced in Australia.   The North American price was good....but the price we got direct by calling RCI Australia (could not get a prompt response from an OZ TA)  was even better.  By a margin of about 30 percent!

 

We are planning a Europe land trip in Sept/Oct.  I have already started to look at ships, itineraries, and pricing in order get a bead on the market and what might interest us.   If we do not see anything or the prices don't hit our buy price it will be a non issue for us.

Edited June 13, 2019 by iancal

[Corby114]

Cruise Critic prohibits the recommendation of any travel agencies, online cruise sites, etc. Ask friends and relatives how and where they book cruises from. Google is also your friend in this situation.

[travelnap]

18 hours ago, FaithPlus1 said:

I don't know any reputable cruise online tbh since people on here won't share. 

As others have mentioned, due to CC rules we can not list travel agencies or give them referrals but there is one tool that may help you find which cruises to check out here on CC.  On the solo forum there is a thread that shows solo bargains.  Whether or not you are booking for 1, 2, or more, I think that you will probably find that those cruise lines that are offering lower supplement solo sailings will also have some discounted cabins for couples as well.  They are trying to fill the ships as most of the dates you see on that forum are fairly short date cruises.  Most cruise lines prefer to have two people in each cabin for sailings as they think they will spend more aboard the ship.  If that doesn't work for you, remember that Google can be your friend sometimes.  Just type in last minute cruises and check out some of the web sites that pop up.  you can then do your research and maybe find a travel agent you are comfortable with to book the cruise.  

 

I agree with Hitner and Iancal, don't confine yourself to just one cruise line and you will have more options for finding deals on cruises.   Good Luck in your search.