Finding Price Drops

[EL Pitman]

We've decided to go with the FCC and just schedule for Sept/Oct of next year.  We've never scheduled that far ahead before and aren't certain how to watch for price drops  to know when its time to book.  We do work with a travel agent, so is this something they should do or is it something I should do, and what is the best way to go about it?  Thank you!

[firefly333]

If you work with a travel agent, some are slow to lower price drops you find. Remember it cuts into their commission and they make less. Hopefully you have a good TA who you can reach fast. Say you find a price drop Saturday morning and you TA might be off until monday. Price drop could be gone by then and much harder to get.

 

It's pretty much up to you to find price drops doing mock bookings, then you have to go thru your travel agent.

[bury me at sea]

First you should make sure your TA will submit price matching requests and/or change and cancellation requests without penalty or additional charges.

 

Second make sure you understand the rate code you are booking.  It will determine whether your deposit is refundable and whether you can make name changes if desirable, and whether you can price match after final payment date.  Any reputable TA can help with this process.

 

Then book as far in advance as possible assuming your rate is price protected -- one that keeps your price if it goes up, and allows you to price match if the price is lowered or if more OBC is offered with a different rate.

 

After booking you have to watch for price drops and notify your TA if you see any.

 

A good TA is worth having and I suggest you discuss your questions directly with him/her.

[Organized Chaos]

Like firefly said, since you're going through a TA, you'll have to route your price match submissions through them. You can still look for them yourself, and could easily come across some that they don't, but you still have to submit it through them. Then they'll make the request to Carnival. We've only ever used a TA once, on our first cruise. If I remember correctly, she got us one price drop, but we found two or three more that she didn't. How often they look is going to vary depending on the TA.

 

You can look for them by doing a mock booking for your cruise and searching for a cabin that's the exact same category as the one you booked. It has to be the same category. Once that category sells out, it no longer qualifies for a price match. However, if anyone within that category cancels, it'll open it up again for price matches (until it sells out again). When you do a mock booking, just look at your base rate, before all the taxes, fees, or anything else you added (ex. pre-paid gratuities & insurance).

 

Edited to add: Bury me as sea reminded me of something in regards to OBC. If you start with OBC and you match to a rate that doesn't include OBC, you'll lose yours. So you want to make sure the price difference makes up for it.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Organized Chaos

[aaconsumer55]

Setup email notification via cruiseline dot com of via the shipmate app - it will notify you when the price drops then you can call your TA.  It’s what I did on our last cruise and saved $600

[EllieinNJ]

If you rebook a cruise (not early saver but regular refundable price) with the $600 OBC they are giving you for their cancelled cruise and you see a price drop, will you lose the $600 if you ask for it?

[bury me at sea]

1 hour ago, EllieinNJ said:

If you rebook a cruise (not early saver but regular refundable price) with the $600 OBC they are giving you for their cancelled cruise and you see a price drop, will you lose the $600 if you ask for it?

No. That will stay with you, as will OBC for shareholders.

 

If the rate for that cruise is $1,500 including $50. OBC you would then have 650. OBC.  If later that price dropped to $1.475 but didn't include any OBC, while you could get the $25.00 decrease, you would lose the 50. OBC.