What's the Deal with Ebay?????

[kryos]

Anyone ever check out the cruise auctions on ebay?

 

What's the deal with them?

 

They seem to be very good deals, but as I have learned in the past ... when something seems too good of a deal, it usually is.

 

I see what appear to me to be awesome prices ... some for an owner's suite! Also, at first I thought they were high, but then I realized that the auction price was the total price for two in a cabin ... not one.

 

Also, at first I thought these cruises being auctioned off were "last minute" type deals ... like maybe someone had to cancel beyond the refund period and their travel agent was trying to get them whatever he/she could for a cruise that was only going to go to waste. But then, upon further reading, I see that many of these cruises are scheduled for late 2005, so that quickly blew a hole through that theory.

 

Is there something I'm not seeing here? Anyone have any experience with this?

 

Thanks ...

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[iluvcruzin]

I don't see good deals on e-bay. Most are home-based TA's trying to drum up business using this forum as advertisement.

[westwind6371]

Hi Kyros:

 

I just looked at all of the cruises offered on EBAY, and I did not see anything that a good cruise discounter could not match or beat. Some cruise dates are not as popular and sell at deeply discounted prices off listed rates. Pick one of their cruises and then compare the price of the same cruise with a major discounter and you will see that they are not that great of a deal.

 

On a side note, avoid the $59 "specials" to the Bahama's, there are many complaints about these ripoffs.

 

Fair winds

Dave

[Drink-in-Hand/Toes-in-Sand]

We booked a cruise on eBay a few months ago and had no problems whatsoever. It was a Celebrity Cruise that was sold 3 months in advance of sailing. I checked out the feedback on the seller and was even able to cross-check their travel website to see if they might be some type of scam.

 

I'd highly recommend using eBay--but only if you've done your homework. Several folks on the cruise we met up with also got their cruises on eBay. They were happy customers as well. Good luck! :)

[kryos]

Hi Kyros:

 

I just looked at all of the cruises offered on EBAY, and I did not see anything that a good cruise discounter could not match or beat. Some cruise dates are not as popular and sell at deeply discounted prices off listed rates. Pick one of their cruises and then compare the price of the same cruise with a major discounter and you will see that they are not that great of a deal.

 

On a side note, avoid the $59 "specials" to the Bahama's, there are many complaints about these ripoffs.

Thanks, Dave. I agree ... most of the deals are not all that great. But, many of these involve owners suites, which is something I would not normally even be interested in. However, I have a good friend who wants to try sailing someday. She does not have a lot of money and I was thinking of maybe treating her to a cruise later on this year. The owners suite would be something that would make a lifelong memory for her and that's the only reason I was checking ebay. I thought maybe I could get those type of accommodations for about the same price I normally pay with my single supplement in an inside cabin. I see that the prices on ebay aren't much more, and they are based on two people sailing. If those prices are legit, then this is highly doable.

 

And thanks for the warning about those Bahamas cruises. I saw them and made sure to read the fine print. What you are paying for with many of them is merely passage from Florida to the Bahamas. You don't stay on the ship, but rather in a hotel. I figured the ship must be nothing more than a tour boat ... i.e., no private cabins, etc. ... and the hotel they put you up in for that price must be a fleabag. Once I realized what the deal was with those cheap Bahamas cruises, I skipped right over all those listings and concentrated on the ones for traditional cruises with reputable lines.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita