Tryin to Plan a Cruise. Need Help

[WaterCrazzy]

two friends and myself are trying to plan a cruise. We are all college students with those lovely college bills. lol We would like to do a 5 day/4 night aboard the enchantment of the seas (absolutly loved the ship last time but if you've seen my other thread half the cruise was kind of ruined and i missed alot i would have liked to do while aboard)

 

anybody have any tips regarding finding cheap airfare (because that's the killer) lol we'd be flying out of ohio and we were looking to cruise sometime during the fall/early winter. Also maybe tips on finding a better cruise rate (the low season? booking earlier better? promotions?)

 

thanks ahead,

~Ryan~

[cmich068]

Airfare - Try for Lauderdale Airport, Miami Airport, and even West Palm Beach Airport.

 

Try every airline you can. Book airfare from the airline directly. You can get the best prices by booking early online.

[*erika*]

What year in college are you? At least one person in the room has to be 21, and if your under 21, you need to have a guardian sign for you to drink beer and wine.

[Guest cruzr44]

Usually the earlier you book the better the rates. Although sometimes you do have price reductions and if you keep track of the rates and yours goes down you can call and have it adjusted. I believe the least expensive time to cruise is Nov/Dec (up until Christmas). If you can afford a deposit now I personally would do that. I like to plan ahead. Then there are those who book last minute and get a great deal. Look under "bargains" on this board and you may find something.

 

mx55mom@yahoo.com

[ORANGEinINDY]

Three college kids? heck, DRIVE there. We just did a mapquest for in case our northwest flights get "x'd" and it's 15+ hours Indy to Tampa. Were 25 years off of being college kids so we'd rather not... but the three of you should be able to go straight thru.... then spend $$ on excursions

[RN7997]

I'm not sure if Southwest Air is an option in OH, but my husband and I can get flights to FLL(Fort Lauderdale) from Philadelphia for a TOTAL of 315.00 round for both not per person. Then its only a 20 minute car ride to Miami from there. If you three go in on renting a car you could then drive to Miami. (I'm assuming thats where you need to get to??) We rented a mini van for 6 of us for 60.00 and split the cost. Saved $$$$$> To fly to Miami would have been about 200.00 more pp at the time. Check http://www.southwest.com They only show flights about 6 months ahead. Good luck!!!!

[Guest cruzr44]

Ryan ---- just found this group cruise http://www.cruisecritic.com/bargains/news.cfm?NewsID=4628

[Andros]

The link to my homepage is in my signature. I have a section/link devoted to those interested in cruising. I explain how I go about choosing and planning for my cruises and how to find the best prices. Hope this helps and have a great time! Andros/Tony:cool:

[WaterCrazzy]

19, 21, 24 those are our ages (i'm 21 :) )

i think driving is out of the question because we will have to miss classes just to go in the first place, and then we'll end up missing more if we drive down...time is an issue i guess (hoping to leave on a thursday and get back monday) leaving us only to miss two or three class days.

 

do you save alot of money if you seperate cruise and airline, or is it not worth the hassle?

i know if you book as a package you get all transportation included and dont' have to worry about all that.

thanks for the responses so far

[momofslg]

I too live in Ohio and I found airfare from Columbus(cmh) to West Palm Beach (pbi) October 7 returning October 15 for $169pp round trip(Kayak.com) Great times for cruising. For that price you could rent a car and drive to/from the port , get a hotel the night before and still save $$$

[Merion_Mom]

19, 21, 24 those are our ages (i'm 21 :) )

i think driving is out of the question because we will have to miss classes just to go in the first place, and then we'll end up missing more if we drive down...time is an issue i guess (hoping to leave on a thursday and get back monday) leaving us only to miss two or three class days.

 

do you save alot of money if you seperate cruise and airline, or is it not worth the hassle?

i know if you book as a package you get all transportation included and dont' have to worry about all that.

thanks for the responses so far

Every car rental agency I know will only rent to someone 25 or older. (or if they rent to younger people, there is an ENORMOUS surcharge).

 

Gee, I wish that *I* could have afforded a cruise while I was a college student!! Heck, I wish that I could have afforded a cruise before I turned 46!!!

[OceanCruise]

Rates will be cheaper in the fall. Do a search on this board for "happy hour specials" to find the link for special cruise prices that RCC offers weekly. The specials will only be several months prior to the cruises but you can get good deals.

[starq1]

I have found that airfare.com has some of the cheapest flights. My cousin just booked a flight to Korea for $200 less then what the airline was charging. And this past week we flew to San Antonio for about $30 less pp then what Southwest was charging.

[grangermom]

I just cruised on Sovereign this past December. I believe we sailed out on December 9th. It was a 4-night cruise that I booked with my mom. We didn't even book until November. The only reason we even went was because it was soooo cheap. The cruise was only $229 for an interior cabin. The ship sailed out of Port Canaveral, which means we flew into Orlando. We flew out of Indianapolis, with a direct flight on Airtran, for $139. December is definitely a good time to go, as long as it's before Christmas. You will always save money if you book the flight separately from the cruise. I surfed the net to find transportation from Orlando to the port. I believe it was only $25. Good luck, and I hope you have a great time.

[Dockman123]

Gee, I wish that *I* could have afforded a cruise while I was a college student!! Heck, I wish that I could have afforded a cruise before I turned 46!!!

 

Carol, I guess I was a little better then you my first was on my 45th birthday. :D

[cmich068]

Try Southwest, AirTran, US Airways, JetBlue when they have sales.

[WaterCrazzy]

Gee, I wish that *I* could have afforded a cruise while I was a college student!! Heck, I wish that I could have afforded a cruise before I turned 46!!!

 

lol oh trust me the funds are definitly going to be streched and there may be need for alittle help from the parents. hey that's what early christmas presents are for right? :cool:

 

what does it mean when they say to keep checking for rate changes... if you've booked already and the rate drops aren't you locked into the price you booked at?

[Guest cruzr44]

lol oh trust me the funds are definitly going to be streched and there may be need for alittle help from the parents. hey that's what early christmas presents are for right? :cool:

 

what does it mean when they say to keep checking for rate changes... if you've booked already and the rate drops aren't you locked into the price you booked at?

 

No, you would get the price difference in most cases. We just saved $610 on two balcony cabins because they are having a balcony sale. I booked through RC and just called them as another thread alerted me to the price drop. RC adjusted our "balance due". Now if the price goes up your price will not change.

[WaterCrazzy]

No, you would get the price difference in most cases. We just saved $610 on two balcony cabins because they are having a balcony sale. I booked through RC and just called them as another thread alerted me to the price drop. RC adjusted our "balance due". Now if the price goes up your price will not change.

 

ok so say i'm looking at $400 for a room, if that was to drop before we leave, as long as i catch the price change i can call up royal and get them to adjust my room rate?

 

Is semptember in the middle of hurricane season? would the vacation insurance be a good thing to get? has anyone had to use this insurance before for any reason? what was the result in using it (full refund? another date?)

thanks everyone, too many questions i know ;)

[Merion_Mom]

ok so say i'm looking at $400 for a room, if that was to drop before we leave, as long as i catch the price change i can call up royal and get them to adjust my room rate?

Yes.

 

Is semptember in the middle of hurricane season?

Yes

would the vacation insurance be a good thing to get?

Yes

has anyone had to use this insurance before for any reason?

Yes

what was the result in using it (full refund? another date?)

Click on the link in my signature next to the aborted Jewel cruise.

[WaterCrazzy]

thanks everyone for the information, i did find out that booking airfare seperate saved us money (almost $300) now i have another question

 

yes i just got off this ship last week and am planning to do the same thing in september with my friends. Is everything going to be the same or do they change it up a bit? i mean in regards to shows, food, and other entertainments...

[Merion_Mom]

Yes, it will be identical, as long as it's the same cruise. (Enchantment has 4 and 5 day itineraries). Except for the "headliner" entertainment, two or three nights of the cruise, EVERYTHING will be exactly the same in September as this one.

[WaterCrazzy]

Hey merion_mom,

which policy did you go with through CSA travel protection (Freestyle or the Freestyle Luxe) and how well do you think you were covered? I read your other posts but i was wondering what your final opinion is...

thanks :)

[momofslg]

For travel insurance check out STA travel. They are a student travel organization that sells travel insurance to anyone (you don't have to be a student). The policy is comparable to most others but the price is much better. Our 8 day trip cost us only $48. pp. while others I checked out were twice that.

http://www.statravel.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-0A536D8D-78E2DC52/us_division_web_live/hs.xsl/travelinsurance.htm

[momofslg]

For travel insurance check out STA travel. They are a student travel organization that sells travel insurance to anyone (you don't have to be a student). The policy is comparable to most others but the price is much better. Our 8 day trip cost us only $48. pp. while others I checked out were twice that.

http://www.statravel.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-0A536D8D-78E2DC52/us_division_web_live/hs.xsl/travelinsurance.htm