How many price adjustments have you gotten on a cruise?

[tammymacb]

I've booked the Valor for next year. So far there are no discounts out- ( we're past guests and my husband is also military ). I know that there are also other offers like free room upgrades, etc. So, I've booked the cheapest room on the ship at this point and plan on working my way up! ;) Carnival said to start looking in earnest the end of this summer.

 

How many discounts have you gotten on a booked cruise?

[bubbles1209]

On our 1st cruise, we booked a 6a guar and were upgraded 3 decks to the Empress deck, then received a $195 obc because of a price drop in the 3rd passenger rate. On our 2nd cruise, we received an obc of $100 due to a price reduction. We're still hoping for our upcoming cruise in 19 days, so far nothing yet..........but keeping our fingers crossed:)

[ballarinamom]

Our last cruise 7/23/06 we got $200 pp adjustment by calling periodically to check the prices. It turned out to be an $800 savings!

[Ashleezmom]

On our upcoming Destiny cruise we have gotten 3 price adjustments...2 prior to Carnival's final payment and 1 after. We received credit back on our credit card for the first 2 and now have an OBC for 88. for our last. We saved about $280 per cabin thanks to my BFF who checks periodically for lower rates. Thanks again Sherrie!!!!! :p

[TanIslandGirl]

Keep checking your prices on Carnival.com. Last summer I checked almost everyother day and as a result had 4 price drops. Also, each time you get one of those emails for the one day sales use that promo code to see if it works for your cruise. :)

[firefly333]

We got one for this fall before I had to cancel durn. Now the price is up $130 per person. That's the only reduction and I missed out.

 

All my other cruises look like they are going to go up not down from what I see.

[caribbean dreams]

Our last Valor cruise we received 3 discounts from price drops, we took them in OBC, they totaled $650 for just our cabin, then the Military F&F special came along and we got $250 each, off our other 2 cabins booked.

The total discount for that cruise was $1150 in OBC.

[UpstateCruizer]

We got on excellent rate by using cruise compete for the cruise we are going on this Saturday. The rates on Carnival's site have always been higher than what we paid so no reductions for us.

[janetz]

Booked a BL guarantee. Price went down and grabbed a extended aft balcony. Went down again and had a 500.00 obc. :) Totally awesome!

[tammymacb]

I'd love to book a balcony GTY. Unfortunately, I need to make sure the kids are close ( across the hall ) so I don't have that option. :(

[Bruin Steve]

It all depends on current market conditions...

Supply and demand, etc.

 

My record was a Mediterranean cruise I booked for back in 2003...

I think I took advantage of 3 or 4 price drops totalling somewhere around $2000 in savings...

 

Of course, here was the scenario with that:

 

I booked early...

The cruise lines figured 9/11's effect was passing and they were optomistic...

Then the war started up and started escalating in Afghanistan and then Iraq...

 

People were getting nervous about traveling...escpecially overseas to places like the Med...

 

The ship wasn't filling as fast as they'd like, so they kept running specials and dropping prices and offering incentives...

 

Every time they did, I called my TA and she called the cruise line and my fares dropped another few hundred dollars...

 

That's obviously the prime scenario--for cruise prices for the customer--not "prime" for world peace, foreign affairs or the cruise lines' finances...But, of course, we took advantage...

 

But, of course, you can't always count on things working out like that...sometimes, the cruise lines aim low and then the cruises sell BETTER than expected...then the rates go up...

 

Just after 9/11, RCCL made the decision to pull the Grandeur from its Med routes and redeploy it to SoCal and the Mexican Riviera...Since it was too late to include it in printed brochures, they were afraid it wouldn't fill up, so they initially offered some tremendous deals (We snagged a prime balcony cabin for July Fourth week for $800 pp and the inside across the way for the kids for $650 pp...unheard of prices for this itinerary during school summer vacation in SoCal...)...Anyway, as time went on, the word got out and this ship started filling fast...and the prices kept going up with the demand...By 2 months before sailing, one would have to pay about 2.5 times what we paid...

 

This is why I always try to book early...then watch the prices...You can't lose...It's like buying "futures" contracts on the commodities market...except that the price of the "future" is incredibly low--interest on a small refundable deposit...

 

For the record, on my upcoming pair of cruises, I booked way back last May and have already received a $100 decrease in my Carnival fare and $200 from Royal Caribbean...even though ny RCCL cruise has actually gone UP in price over the long haul...

[Sandi149]

I received 2. We are leaving on Monday aboard the Miracle. We booked the cruise last Oct and about 2 weeks after that I checked the Carnival site and the price went down $100 so I called my TA and we got the reduction. Then about a month or two after that there was another reduction for past guests, also with an upgrade. We were originally booked in an 8A balcony (deck 4) cabin category and we could have upgraded up to deck 7. I chose only to go up one deck to 5. We also got another $100 off.

 

Keep checking the Carnival site. I was checking it every day at one point.

[zebra36]

Only 1 discount, military, but have gotten 1 or 2 price reductions subsequent.

As long as you are on the internet just check the websites for any discounts or price reductions.