Watch for cruise price reductions

[Hlitner]

We were just able to shave significant dollars off of our previously booked 3/22/08 Journey Cruise. This was actually the 2nd price reduction we have received on this cruise and the savings are in excess of $1000. This is not a surprise since rumors have been all over the internet that Azamara bookings are somewhat soft. I suggest that anyone who has booked a cruise with this line keep a close eye on cruise sales and do not hesitate to ask your TA to reprice.

 

Hank

[koolforkatz]

On our particular Quest sailing the price in our stateroom category has gone up steadily since we booked it. It now stands at $1,749 higher per PERSON than what we paid and I understand there are people who paid even less than us.

[greeneg]

For those of you who get a reduction, that's wonderful. Our Quest cruise in January is $1100pp over what we booked it at.

 

Doesn't sound that "soft" to me....

[Susan-M]

This was actually the 2nd price reduction we have received on this cruise and the savings are in excess of $1000. This is not a surprise since rumors have been all over the internet that Azamara bookings are somewhat soft.

 

Hank

 

Hi Hank,

The prices on your itinerary do seem quite reasonable, but our situation is the same as others who have posted above. Our June/08 Quest cruise has gone up in price since we booked in March. Inside cabins came down in price by $100. recently, but balcony cabins haven't been reduced. The cruise is still a ways off and I'll continue to keep a regular check on it.

[dabear]

as previously posted, prices for Nov, Dec, 07 and March 08 have dropped, but Jan and Feb 08 have either held or increased since we booked many months ago.

[crzfanatic]

Our Xmas and New Year cruise on Quest (Dec. 2008) in SE Asia has gone up $1,500 pp since we booked it. All suites and inside cabins are sold out too. I'm glad to see that some of their sailings are selling well.

 

Andy

[cruiseyguy]

Celebrity, like the airlines, uses a computerized dynamic pricing system, which adjusts prices on all cruises based a number of factors including, but not limited to, supply and demand. This is done on a regular, unpredictable basis and sometimes the computer will (briefly) throw out some amazing prices, which are quickly grabbed. The goal isn't simply to sell rooms but also to get bodies onboard to spend money on drinks, excursions, spa treatments, etc. The computer "knows" how to do its job and will eventually fill most of those cruises, one way or another. But as others have noted, this is a great moment to take advantage of Azamara's "introductory" prices.

[swigso]

Hi,

Just checking you are on the sailing 16th Feb 2009?

Just that your clock shows 15th???

Have you joined the roll call?

Take care.

[koolforkatz]

Hi,

Just checking you are on the sailing 16th Feb 2009?

Just that your clock shows 15th???

Have you joined the roll call?

Take care.

 

Oops! You're absolutely right. Thanks for pointing that out. No, I haven't had a chance to check the roll call yet. I'll do that now - there are six of us sailing on this voyage and we're all really looking forward to it!

[koolforkatz]

Hi,

Just checking you are on the sailing 16th Feb 2009?

Just that your clock shows 15th???

Have you joined the roll call?

Take care.

 

Swigso: Just realized you're from Liverpool - my husband's from Southport but has lived here for many years. One of the couples joining us is from Chester. The other couple are also ex-pats who have been living here for years now, too. As a matter of fact, I'm the only "true" Canadian.

[Hlitner]

Thought I better add a few words of encouragement. We do cruise a lot (about 5 or 6 cruises per year) and have learned to constantly monitor prices on our bookings. All the cruise lines use "yield managment" techniques to adjust prices and its smart to always keep alert. We have found that most price decreases happen in the period from about 2 months to 4 months before many cruises. In the case of our Azamara cruise (3/08) they started giving various promotions (on-board credits, pre-paid gratuities, etc) about 9 months prior to the cruise. We than saw some price cuts (we are talking approximately $1000 per couple). Will this happen on every cruise? Of course not. But, there can often be some major savings out there for those that keep alert for promotions and sales. Its a "buyer beware" thing since most TAs do not notify their clients of price changes. We currently have 4 cruises under booking (totally 73 days) with 3 different cruise lines (RCI, Princess and Azamara) and 3 of the 4 have had significant price reductions after our bookings.

 

Hank

[Susan-M]

In the case of our Azamara cruise (3/08) they started giving various promotions (on-board credits, pre-paid gratuities, etc) about 9 months prior to the cruise. We than saw some price cuts (we are talking approximately $1000 per couple). Will this happen on every cruise? Of course not.

Hank

 

Hi Hank,

 

The pricing for your cruise seems to be at about the same level as Trans Atlantic cruises. Perhaps with 8 sea days, and starting in Brazil/ending in Miami, it makes this itinerary more difficult to sell at the prices of other 18 day itineraries?

[MMastell]

It is common for cruise prices to drop just before final payment and "after" final payment. Our 11/29/07 Journey cruise dropped two times. The largest drop was after final payment. The two drops resulted in a $900 p.p. savings. It was a good thing that Azamara, like Celebrity, gave us the after final payment price reduction.

 

It is up to the passenger to monitor the pricing. TA's are often too busy to keep track of all bookings and the cruise line reservation people work for the cruise line.

 

Take care,

Mike

[Jancruz]

Mike,

You are absolutely correct with hundreds of cruise bookings it is impossible for any TA to keep track of all the price changes on all the cruise lines ..so I dont say buyer beware..I say buyer BE AWARE and monitor your cruise fares..

Jan

*****

[Hlitner]

Mike,

You are absolutely correct with hundreds of cruise bookings it is impossible for any TA to keep track of all the price changes on all the cruise lines ..so I dont say buyer beware..I say buyer BE AWARE and monitor your cruise fares..

Jan

*****

 

That is a great quote! As to the poster that compared our 3/22 itinerary to a transatlantic, I absoutely agree. Its why we booked that cruise...cause we love the sea days and all those Brazilian beach ports fit our lifestyle.

 

Hank

[npb]

Our balcony cabin has gone UP almost $2000 pp since we booked. Everytime I check prices, I get excited.:D

[SoBaycruiser]

Our Jan 2008 Journey cruise went up $650 pp since we booked it last January but recently fell $400pp. We are still ahead, but I'm keeping tabs to see if it drops further.

[Isaac]

We've been looking at Asia for March 2009 and prices are $50 higher than when we started looking at it a few months ago. Prices are too steep for us and when we inquired while on Journey a few weeks ago, they quoted us the price off the website (minus $100 shipboard credit). No incentives, no upgrades. I'm sure they aren't budging because it's so far out still, but we certainly didn't feel like bookings could be that slow based on what we saw...

[Bodger]

As a matter of fact, I'm the only "true" Canadian.

 

You will at least have Mrs. Bodger and myself as 'true' Canadians on board as well. We just came off the Journey and three of the five activities staff members including the CD were Canadian.

 

Bodger

[gdjg]

Just A Line To Say Thanks!! I Saved $2,400.:)

[Jancruz]

Just A Line To Say Thanks!! I Saved $2,400.:)

 

Good for you!

More money to shop with..LOL

Jan

*****

[ANGELOAPOL]

I just saved $1200 ($600 per person) on the 3/29/08 sailing on the Quest in a 1A veranda. This was a senior discount. (55+)

Could there be more? Just wishing.

Angelo

[Hlitner]

Just A Line To Say Thanks!! I Saved $2,400.:)

 

That makes me jealous? Of course you could mail me a check for half the savings and I would feel a lot better :)

 

Hank

[taveller]

Re price reductions..we're about to book Azamara March 10 South America..we're relatively new to cruising..if prices go down, will travel agents or cruise line itself refund the difference from what you paid? Any suggestions??

[Hlitner]

Re price reductions..we're about to book Azamara March 10 South America..we're relatively new to cruising..if prices go down, will travel agents or cruise line itself refund the difference from what you paid? Any suggestions??

 

Some travel agents will tell you that they will watch the pricing on your booked cruise and make adjustments, but after many years of experience we have learned that we must often depend on ourselves. Each of the cruise lines has their own policy regarding price changes but as a general rule you can get any price reduction up until the time when you make your final payment. After the final payment, most lines will not want to adjust although RCI and Celebrity have been known to make adjustments. Since Azamara is a new venture (although its an offshoot of Celebrity) nobody (including Azamara) seems to know its policies. We had originally booked an 18 day March 08 cruise. A few weeks after we booked we saw that our TA was offereing a promotion which would drop our price a few hundred dollars and give us an additional on-board credit of another $200. When we called our TA, they said that Azamara would not make the change unless we cancelled and re-booked. We did this, but our TA than charged us $50 (their policy on re-bookings). A few weeks ago, we saw that there was another price drop on our cruise (this would save us another $900). This time, our TA was able to get us the reduction with no problem (did not have to rebook). At any given time we normally have 4 or 5 cruises under booking, so it becomes a minor chore (guess its a labor of love) to watch for price changes (this saves us thousands of dollars per year). I normally do price checking on Tuesdays and Fridays which seems to catch all the time-limited sales. As to how they do refunds, assuming you have not maide your final payment they will just make the adjustment to your final payment. If its after your final payment, we have received refunds (credited to our credit card). There have also been cases with changes after final payments where passengers have managed to get upgrades or on-board credits in lieu of refunds. A lot can depend on your TA and their willingness to "push" the cruise lines to get you a better price (which can sometimes reduce their commission).

 

Also keep in mind that some TAs will charge extra fees to modify your booking (this should be disclosed before you book,,,but is often "overlooked"). You might want to make this a consideration when you choose TAs.

 

Hank