Another thought-provoking debate: When is a deal a deal?

[Neil in Vancouver]

Another common theme that appears on these boards is from people who book a cruise months ahead of time and then complain that the same cruise is offered at some later time or by some other agency for a cheaper price.

I own a business that opens over 4000 files a year. We regard each and every transaction with each and every client as a separate business deal. We often adjust our fees taking into account a number of different factors, including the amount of unsold time we expect to have on our hands.

It seems to me that if one happens to own a cruise ship, airline, hotel, resort, car rental agency, etc. one should have the same liberty to do business. Isn't that what our free enterprise system is all about?

If one books a cruise early, one has the priviledge of getting first pick at the ship, itinerary, and cabin you want. You also get the certainty of knowing that you have got what you want. It doesn't seem fair to me to take advantage of these early booking priviledges (often with an early booking discount), and then compalin that others got a better deal much later on when the line is trying to fill up the ship.

Comments?

[jhannah]

A deal is a deal when I believe it's worth the money to me. Some cruises are more expensive than others, and some have brought me lower prices than I initially expected. But in all cases I believe I got a fair, if not more, deal for what I spent. Someone else may think I got snookered, and yet another may think I got the deal of a lifetime. Doesn't matter to me. I'm satisfied. So I never ask anyone what they spent for their cruise because I don't care.

[serendipity1499]

Another common theme that appears on these boards is from people who book a cruise months ahead of time and then complain that the same cruise is offered at some later time or by some other agency for a cheaper price.

I own a business that opens over 4000 files a year. We regard each and every transaction with each and every client as a separate business deal. We often adjust our fees taking into account a number of different factors, including the amount of unsold time we expect to have on our hands.

It seems to me that if one happens to own a cruise ship, airline, hotel, resort, car rental agency, etc. one should have the same liberty to do business. Isn't that what our free enterprise system is all about?

If one books a cruise early, one has the priviledge of getting first pick at the ship, itinerary, and cabin you want. You also get the certainty of knowing that you have got what you want. It doesn't seem fair to me to take advantage of these early booking priviledges (often with an early booking discount), and then compalin that others got a better deal much later on when the line is trying to fill up the ship.

Comments?

I can't debate with you as agree 100%..Happy Cruising..:)Betty

[Charliesmom]

Cruise pricing and airline pricing are extremely dynamic. I generally find the best deals on cruises about 11-12 months out, although I have had last minute bargains, too.

We are very particular about our cabin. My husband spends a lot of time in the cabin and therefore it has to be pleasant for us. Once we find what we believe is a fair price, we book it. I generally monitor prices as we go along. I have never, except at the last minute fire sales, found better pricing. I also find that better pricing is generally for a category below that we had originally chosen.

A few years ago, I booked with X and found better pricing close to the time of sailing. I spoke with my TA who spoke with X and I ended up paying $500.00 per person LESS than I had originally contracted for. This was after final payment. They reduced the price by $250.00 per person and offered a $250.00 per person senior discount. They credited my credit card. Note that this was a TA who had been my advisor for 25 years. We started off with a non-discounted price. Still and all, it was a bargain.

Book at what you think is a fair price. Monitor prices to see if they go down. Enjoy your cruise. Who cares if someone else paid $299 for an inside stateroom at the last minute?

Roberta

[Charliesmom]

Cruise pricing and airline pricing are extremely dynamic. I generally find the best deals on cruises about 11-12 months out, although I have had last minute bargains, too.

We are very particular about our cabin. My husband spends a lot of time in the cabin and therefore it has to be pleasant for us. Once we find what we believe is a fair price, we book it. I generally monitor prices as we go along. I have never, on Princess, except at the last minute fire sales, found better pricing. I also find that better pricing is generally for a category below that we had originally chosen.

A few years ago, I booked with X and found better pricing close to the time of sailing. I spoke with my TA who spoke with X and I ended up paying $500.00 per person LESS than I had originally contracted for. This was after final payment. They reduced the price by $250.00 per person and offered a $250.00 per person senior discount. They credited my credit card. Note that this was a TA who had been my advisor for 25 years. We started off with a non-discounted price. Still and all, it was a bargain.

Book at what you think is a fair price. Monitor prices to see if they go down. Enjoy your cruise. Who cares if someone else paid $299 for an inside stateroom at the last minute?

Roberta

[lougee1043]

i book early and i see nothing wrong in checking prices in case the cabin cost goes down -- i feel i am entitled to a lower price the same as the person booking today even though i booked a year ago -- the cruiseline has my money to work with and i shouldnt be penalized for booking early

here are the numbers for my next cruise
hal retail 2171.82
mariner 2073.82
my online ta 2004.91-- booked at that price

found a cheaper price of 1939.14 about 10 days ago and told my on line t/a and he came back with 1920.12

and im happy with the additional discount and i dont feel that i took advantage of anyone -----you can do that in any reputable department store- you buy something and a few days later the price goes down -- yo go back with your sales receipt and they give you a refund ---thats called customer service

[hammybee]

Neil, I am with you.

Those who have specific wants/needs in terms of intinerary, ship and cabin are better to lock -in early ( and hope there is no subsequent charter) than to play the odds, when and if the ship is going to be at capasity, or not. An extended family or group can, in an instant, make a huge difference in fares and certain categories being sold out.

I am not interested in what someone else paid. I always figure some paid more and others less. It's life.

[serendipity1499]

Lou..We use the same on-line agent you do..We normally book 9 mos to a year out but this time we booked about two weeks ago for our Nov. 10 Ryndam Cruise & got a much better rate by a few hundred dollars, which came out to be a 11.5% savings over the Mariner fare.....Final payment is due Aug. 26..

My question is how do you get these better rates..Do you keep going on-line & ask for quotes from other agents, & compare prices every so often.. Do you then go back to the original booking agent & say that "so & so" gave you a better rate? If so do you e-mail, Ray the MGR (the original agent) & ask them to meet the price for the same exact cabin? Or do you have to cancel your cabin, rebook & get a different cabin at the lower rate?.. Remember in this case we've only had our cabin for two weeks..

On the agents WEB site it mentions a $25.00 Cancellation fee which might be waived one time only..Do they charge you this cancellation fee if you have to cancel & re-book at the lower rate...At the time we booked HAL was offering $100.00 ship-board credit per cabin, but the agent explained that the HAL Mariner fare was much higher than the agent quoted..So they would not give the Shipboard credit, which is fine with us as we still save a great deal more!

Most of the time the HAL sales are only for NEW Bookings because they want to fill those cabins that are left over...We also prefer choosing our cabin..And when we do book a year out, have never looked for a better price because I feel that we've had the benefit of choosing our cabin early...Our agent has offered cabins which we've said were un-acceptable & then they've worked with us to get a cabin we like......Hope I've explained myself clearly enough..

Also have another question re Insurance: We normally never purchase Insurance through an agent or Cruise Line..I've already booked our insurance with Travelex for this trip but noticed that the On-line Agents insurance was $72.00 less for both of us..However I've never heard of the Insurance Company they use & wonder what your thoughts are..

Would really appreciate it if you could give me your take on this..Thanks again..Betty.

[twinkletoes4445]

If one books a cruise early, one has the priviledge of getting first pick at the ship, itinerary, and cabin you want. You also get the certainty of knowing that you have got what you want. It doesn't seem fair to me to take advantage of these early booking priviledges (often with an early booking discount), and then compalin that others got a better deal much later on when the line is trying to fill up the ship.Comments?

I agree.

I look at it this way...

I can walk into a dress store early in the season and get what I want, in the color I want, and the size I want. If I waited a month or two, the dress may be marked down, but I have much more limited options...The size I want may be gone, or the color...and I really just have to pick from what's leftover...but I may be lucky and find exactly what I want...but chances are, I may not.

Once I book something, I never look back. I don't care what other people have paid for their cruise because I have booked exactly what I wanted. I don't ask for refunds (I wouldn't haul the dress back to the store 3 months after I purchased it and ask for price difference) because I can understand why these things now marked down...they are trying to get rid of them. But if someone can work out a deal and get a refund, or ship credit...good for them. I just don't want to hassle with it.

Now, I just wish airlines worked like this...just a couple of weeks ago, we needed to go to Florida on business...and I had to buy three tickets three days prior to the flight. It wasn't pretty, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. :)

[lougee1043]

[quote=serendipity1499]Lou..We use the same on-line agent you do..
<<<My question is how do you get these better rates..Do you keep going on-line & ask for quotes from other agents, & compare prices every so often.>>.

actually i saw the cruise agencies tab at the top of the cc home page and i checked a few of them out and when i happened to find one that was lower i cut and pasted the quote and sent it to ray and asked if he could do better ---i do not speak to any ta directly when checking -- if i can get a compartive price from their search engine then fine

Do you then go back to the original booking agent & say that "so & so" gave you a better rate? If so do you e-mail, Ray the MGR (the original agent) & ask them to meet the price for the same exact cabin? Or do you have to cancel your cabin, rebook & get a different cabin at the lower rate?.. Remember in this case we've only had our cabin for two weeks..>>


i dont think the length of time you have held the cabin is an issue in asking them for a lower price
yes i emailed ray with the info -- do not have to cancel and rebook -he checks with hal and if the quote i submitted is real he goes ahead and lowers my price -- i keep the same cabin and he sends me new papers showing the lower price--- the truth be known i found a still lower price and when i sent it to ray he told me that he couldnt match it and i told him that i would stay with his booking even though there was one out there that was still a few bucks lower-- have booked with ray for our last 4 cruises for around 10 cabins and i appreciate his service etc etc so i wont bail out on him for a few bucks

On the agents WEB site it mentions a $25.00 Cancellation fee which might be waived one time only..Do they charge you this cancellation fee if you have to cancel & re-book at the lower rate

there is no cancel fee involved because i didnt cancel the orig reservation -- he didnt rebook my res-- he just adjusted the price downward

...At the time we booked HAL was offering $100.00 ship-board credit per cabin, but the agent explained that the HAL Mariner fare was much higher than the agent quoted..So they would not give the Shipboard credit, which is fine with us as we still save a great deal more!

agree with your thinking -- its the bottom line that im concerned with

Most of the time the HAL sales are only for NEW Bookings because they want to fill those cabins that are left over...We also prefer choosing our cabin..And when we do book a year out, have never looked for a better price because I feel that we've had the benefit of choosing our cabin early

i chose my cabin early the same as you do but i dont feel that choosing early should disallow me from looking for a lower price

Also have another question re Insurance: We normally never purchase Insurance through an agent or Cruise Line..I've already booked our insurance with Travelex for this trip but noticed that the On-line Agents insurance was $72.00 less for both of us..However I've never heard of the Insurance Company they use & wonder what your thoughts are..

i personally dont book insur or air directly with the cruise lline and i always get my insur thru www.insuremytrip.com (http://www.insuremytrip.com)

quote]

[kryos]

If one books a cruise early, one has the priviledge of getting first pick at the ship, itinerary, and cabin you want. You also get the certainty of knowing that you have got what you want. It doesn't seem fair to me to take advantage of these early booking priviledges (often with an early booking discount), and then compalin that others got a better deal much later on when the line is trying to fill up the ship.

A deal is never a completed deal until final payment has been made. It is at that point generally that you can't cancel a cruise without penalty. Up until that point, however, if you find a better deal, your travel agent can always cancel and rebook for you at the lower price. But, once final payment is made, generally the deal is sealed and even if the prices drop, you're stuck. You can't cancel and rebook at the lower price because you would then lose money in cancellation penalties. You can only take heart in the fact that people booking late and getting the "killer" deal will have to take pot luck on cabins. Most of the better ones will already be sold out and it is highly unlikely late bookers will get any kind of a choice.

It's a fact of life that cruise lines adjust prices based on how a cruise is selling. If a cruise is popular, the prices ain't gonna drop ... and the people booking way in advance will actually get the better deals. But, if a cruise just doesn't sell, then the prices will drop over time, and a good travel agent will keep her eye on this for her clients ... making sure that they get the best deal possible up until final payment is made. Once that date has passed, however, if a cruise still has loads of empty cabins, late bookers will definitely get some great deals and there will be nothing your travel agent can do other than request an upgrade as compensation for the higher price you paid. And even that, she cannot guarantee.

I recently made final payment on a cruise which dropped in price after that payment was made. I brought that fact to my TA's attention, but there was nothing we could do. My TA requested an upgrade, and HAL said they would consider it. Yeah, right ... for me and everyone else aboard the ship. Basically, my cabin mate and I are probably just SOL in that we will have paid about $300 each more for our cabin than the folks next door paid for an identical one.

On the other hand, a cruise I have booked for next April has come down a couple of times since we first booked. We've gotten every single reduction. The TA just keeps cancelling and rebooking and will continue doing that until final payments are due.

Prices go up and down, and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

Once I book something, I never look back. I don't care what other people have paid for their cruise because I have booked exactly what I wanted.
You know what I tend to find?

Other than last minute deals on a cruise that didn't sell very well ... I find that pretty much everyone pays the same general amount. For example, I talked with people on my Hawaii/South Pacific cruise who paid more than me for the cruise because perhaps they booked through a different agent than me ... or they booked directly with HAL while I went with an agent and maybe someone else went with an online discount agent. But then ... I got a bunch of "gifts" from my agent ... Pinnacle Grill credits, a free cruise DVD, photo credit, several bottles of wine, and a small shipboard credit. The person who booked through the discount agent maybe paid a few hundred dollars less than me, but they didn't get any of these special "gifts," nor did they get any onboard credit whatsoever. Finally, you have the person who paid more than any of us. Maybe they booked through HAL directly. However, they got a nice upgrade which the rest of us didn't get, and also a generous onboard credit per person in the cabin.

By the time you figure out the true price each of us paid for the cruise, I'd be willing to bet that it pretty much worked out the same. True, I got my cruise a bit cheaper than the person who booked through HAL, but that person left the ship at the end of the cruise with an onboard bill much lower than mine due to the more generous onboard credits they received. The person who went through the discount TA had an even higher onboard bill.

When all is said and done, a cruise is sold for a set amount of money based upon cabin category. The TA may have some wiggle room for discounting because maybe she has group space on the sailing that she can sell a bit cheaper, or she may be willing to cut into her commission rate in order to make a sale ... but then there won't be anything left for onboard "bennies." The client got the better price ... so he can't expect the nice shipboard bennies and credits that the person who paid a higher overall price will get. In other words, everyone will pretty much pay the same amount for their cruise ... regardless of who they booked it through.

As I said, the only way ... in my opinion ... to get a nice deal on a cruise ... and truly sail for far less than others onboard may have paid ... is to either book a fast-selling cruise way early ... or book a poorly selling cruise way late. Now the trick is to figure out how your cruise is gonna sell and then optimize your timing. :)

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Navy_Chief]

Our current cruise (booked through HAL 15 months out) started at ~$3200 per couple. With sales and promos tossed in it is now down to ~$2100 per couple plus a free motorcoach transfer. When I booked this with HAL I point blank asked that id the price went down or promos came out, would HAL honor those for my booking and the answer was "Yes". At the time of booking, we put down the minimum deposit and I could not find the cruise listed with any of the TAs I have used in the past. I figured I had nothing to lose at that point seeing I could cancel Sept 22 with no penalty.

So if HAL is willing to do business that way, so be it. Here's the thing, not everyone shops and checks prices so HAL is going to make out anyway. To the OPs point, I guess it's a sealed deal when I can on longer hold the penilty of canceling for free over HAL's head.

[lougee1043]

<<<my cabin mate and I are probably just SOL in that we will have paid about $300 each more for our cabin than the folks next door paid for an identical one.<<<

just like on the airlines -- i know the guy sitting next to me didnt pay the same price i did ---what i do know is that if i met the exact same criteria as they guy on the plane with the cheapest seat then i too would have the cheapest seat

this holds true on the ship except that you might not have the cabin or class or cabin that i want -- also booking early allows yu the time to find the "cheapest" air fare to your port of departure------------

[serendipity1499]

Lougee... Appreciate your reply..Understand how you've done this..I'm still pleased with the price we received & at this time won't "rock the boat" so to speak..We too book with Insuremytrip.com which rates travelex as A-1..Have used them for years & feel OK with the policy..However our insurance for our last trip on the "Prinsendam" with Travelex was a bit over $900.00.That about killed me:rolleyes: Know if we had taken our Agents Insurance it would have been less but unsure of the Insurance Company they use & don't know how to check out the Insurance Co...

Kryos Re your post: (Quote) Other than last minute deals on a cruise that didn't sell very well ... I find that pretty much everyone pays the same general amount. For example, I talked with people on my Hawaii/South Pacific cruise who paid more than me for the cruise because perhaps they booked through a different agent than me ... or they booked directly with HAL while I went with an agent and maybe someone else went with an on-line discount agent. But then ... I got a bunch of "gifts" from my agent ... Pinnacle Grill credits, a free cruise DVD, photo credit, several bottles of wine, and a small shipboard credit. The person who booked through the discount agent maybe paid a few hundred dollars less than me, but they didn't get any of these special "gifts," nor did they get any on-board credit whatsoever. Finally, you have the person who paid more than any of us. Maybe they booked through HAL directly. However, they got a nice upgrade which the rest of us didn't get, and also a generous on-board credit per person in the cabin.(unquote)

Rita, understand what you are saying, but it's not as simple as that..Cruise Lines, as Airlines previously did, offer High Producers blocks of space at greatly reduced prices for "X" number of cabins....Agents ban together with other agents and form what might be called a consortium.. The deal HAL & other cruise lines offer is usually to the Parent Company in the consortium.. Sometimes Agents are even willing to accept a smaller commission since they are booking many cabins..The smaller agents book under the Parent Agents name in the consortium..Therefore the person next door to you could very definitely be paying much less than you are..

Also most of the perks you've mentioned don't appeal to us..We couldn't care less if we had DVDs, Flowers, photo credits, Airport transfers, Soda Cards etc..The only things that might appeal to us is a $100 shipboard credit, Pinnacle Grill (once per cruise), & 3 bottles of wine which we almost always use..That amounts to approx $250.00...Our savings for our 14 day "Ryndam" cruise with our on-line agent was $420.00 less than HAL's Mariner fare-a savings. of 11.5% ...Our savings for our 24 day trip over Hal's Mariner fare was $1078 - a savings of 8.9%...We don't need those perks as we can afford lots of Wine & Pinnacle Dinners, & Gifts.etc with our savings..

I'm not saying that Brick & Mortar Agents cost more..Many of them are well trained & will keep trying to reduce your cost, knowing that you will be a return customer...However, I do know for a fact that on our "Amsterdam" South American Cruise we met two acquaintances who paid a a great deal more through a large well know B&M Agent than we did..They could have bought a bottle of wine every night & had Dinner in the Pinnacle many times with the savings..We did not use an on-line agent for that cruise, but used a Major Tour Wholesaler which gave us an excellent price because we wanted Air, Pre & Post cruise stays & transfers...Of course I'm sure that's one reason why the "Up-grade fairy" has only visited us once, when we paid the HAL Mariner fare;) ...

On-line agents are not for everyone, as most people can't or are not willing to do their own leg-work..When we book, we know exactly what we want & have been very pleased with our Agent..

Happy cruising everyone..:) Betty

[twinkletoes4445]

As I said, the only way ... in my opinion ... to get a nice deal on a cruise ... and truly sail for far less than others onboard may have paid ... is to either book a fast-selling cruise way early ... or book a poorly selling cruise way late. Now the trick is to figure out how your cruise is gonna sell and then optimize your timing. :)

Blue skies ...

--rita

I agree. We've not done a last-minute cruise, but it's almost easier for us to plan something like that. Maybe next time we'll try that...but we do have certain cabins that we like. :)

[lougee1043]

I'm not saying that Brick & Mortar Agents cost more..Many of them are well trained & will keep trying to reduce your cost, knowing that you will be a return customer...

when i started cruising i used a local b&a agent and what i found out was that i was paying full retail --when i discussed cheaper prices with her was told how lucky i was to have her- i have never relied on any agent checking prices for me --they have lots and lots of clients and if they checked eveyone they wouldnt have time to work with new clients -in a great many cases a lower price means lower commission so i dont see them tripping over their feet to save you money at the cost of losing some of theirs ----------------my ta never gave a cruise gift --wine etc etc to us and never followed up with a did yu have a good cruise telephone call --- she didnt know me unless i walked in the door looking to book --never mind how long it took her to get back to me and none of the other agents would answer a question if she wasnt there---------then the light went on and i found ray and have been happy and certainly satisfied with the speed of response and efficiency of service - and that means a lot to me which is why i stayed with him even though i found a cheaper price from a "stranger"

[WNYCRUISER]

If one books a cruise early, one has the priviledge of getting first pick at the ship, itinerary, and cabin you want. You also get the certainty of knowing that you have got what you want. It doesn't seem fair to me to take advantage of these early booking priviledges (often with an early booking discount), and then compalin that others got a better deal much later on when the line is trying to fill up the ship.

Comments?

I would only complain since it was given to me in writing.......
Take a look at any brochure on the pricing page.

Early Savings (ES):
The fares shown are early savings
fares and are subjuct to change.
BOOK EARLY TO ENSURE THE BEST
POSSIBLE RATE.

It would seem that the ones that book the earliest SHOULD have the best rate according to HAL!

When is a deal not a deal and when is it false advertising??????

[jhannah]

This bugs me, too. I wish booking early would provide the best possible rate. But it doesn't. There's no real incentive to book early, IMO, other than getting to select a specific cabin (if that's important to you.)

[lougee1043]

I would only complain since it was given to me in writing.......
Take a look at any brochure on the pricing page.
Early Savings (ES):
The fares shown are early savings
fares and are subjuct to change.
BOOK EARLY TO ENSURE THE BEST
POSSIBLE RATE.
It would seem that the ones that book the earliest SHOULD have the best rate according to HAL!
When is a deal not a deal and when is it false advertising??????

i think what they are NOT saying but mean is "book early to ensure the best possible rate (AT THE TIME YOU ACTUALLY BOOK)

[Atomica]

Jim is absolutely right.

Now, probably for the more unique voyages, like panama canal or some europe itineraries where maybe there is only one or two sailings, would fill up faster. Those would be better to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

That being said, I booked our Zuiderdam Alaska cruise about four months away and got a good deal. What's a good deal? I don't know - it's subjective. Probably anything that makes you go 'wow! that's a good deal' and start reaching for the Visa... :)

[Charliesmom]

I used the same brick and mortar travel agent for years. I even followed her when she closed her office and went to work as an employee at another agency. I never even knew there was such a thing as a discount cruise agency until I booked a Celebrity cruise and they referred me to Cruise Critic.

I felt pretty guilty when I used an online agency for the first time. Then the agent moved on to other things and I no longer have to feel guilty. It took awhile, but I found an online agent who gives me super service - as good as the brick and mortar agency and she is more willing to go after things likes onboard credits for me. And I still get a bottle of wine.

I did use a lower priced discount agency, but the agent left and one of the promised onboard credits did not materialize. I still use their website for reference as they have the cheapest prices. They must be part of a large consortium.

Now I shop around before I book. If the price difference is $300 total more than the cheapest with the agent who gives me good service, I book with her. She is a known quantity and if there is an American Express Platinum card onboard credit to be had, I know that she will get it for me.

Roberta

[Alexborngal]

Another common theme that appears on these boards is from people who book a cruise months ahead of time and then complain that the same cruise is offered at some later time or by some other agency for a cheaper price.

I own a business that opens over 4000 files a year. We regard each and every transaction with each and every client as a separate business deal. We often adjust our fees taking into account a number of different factors, including the amount of unsold time we expect to have on our hands.

It seems to me that if one happens to own a cruise ship, airline, hotel, resort, car rental agency, etc. one should have the same liberty to do business. Isn't that what our free enterprise system is all about?

If one books a cruise early, one has the priviledge of getting first pick at the ship, itinerary, and cabin you want. You also get the certainty of knowing that you have got what you want. It doesn't seem fair to me to take advantage of these early booking priviledges (often with an early booking discount), and then compalin that others got a better deal much later on when the line is trying to fill up the ship.

Comments?

I completely agree with you. I like an oceanview midship so I book early - as a matter of fact, I already have a reservation for Circle Hawaii on the Zaandam in December 2007. I also like the 6:15 seating. Although I booked our upcoming cruise in October last January, I was waitlisted and I was number 107 - in January no less. After all final payments were in, I was still No. 48 so there is much to be said about early booking. I get the best deal I can at the time and then live with my decision.

I am shopping around for last minute deals just out of curiosity. There are some great deals out there and since we'll probably go on a cruise in the spring of 2007 before our December cruise, we'll probably go on a last minute deal which will be advertised January or February. It's nice to have the best of both worlds.

[kryos]

Rita, understand what you are saying, but it's not as simple as that..Cruise Lines, as Airlines previously did, offer High Producers blocks of space at greatly reduced prices for "X" number of cabins....Agents ban together with other agents and form what might be called a consortium.. The deal HAL & other cruise lines offer is usually to the Parent Company in the consortium.. Sometimes Agents are even willing to accept a smaller commission since they are booking many cabins..The smaller agents book under the Parent Agents name in the consortium..Therefore the person next door to you could very definitely be paying much less than you are..

Also most of the perks you've mentioned don't appeal to us..We couldn't care less if we had DVDs, Flowers, photo credits, Airport transfers, Soda Cards etc..The only things that might appeal to us is a $100 shipboard credit, Pinnacle Grill (once per cruise), & 3 bottles of wine which we almost always use..That amounts to approx $250.00...Our savings for our 14 day "Ryndam" cruise with our on-line agent was $420.00 less than HAL's Mariner fare-a savings. of 11.5% ...Our savings for our 24 day trip over Hal's Mariner fare was $1078 - a savings of 8.9%...We don't need those perks as we can afford lots of Wine & Pinnacle Dinners, & Gifts.etc with our savings..

Yeah, but those "perks" that you are not interested in can often be converted to cold hard cash ... as an onboard credit. I got a few "perks" I didn't want either ... including the wine credit and a bathrobe credit. I just asked the front desk to credit the amount of those perks to my onboard account and I spent that money as I chose.

I guess it is possible to go with certain travel agents that charge a lot more ... but then I generally comparison shop well in advance and usually only deal with large online agencies. So, I know I'm getting the consortium benefits right upfront when my price is quoted. But then ... I will always meet someone onboard who paid less or more ... and then will often find out that yes, maybe they paid a bit more, but they paid for the same inside cabin that I did ... at say $300 each additional ... but then got upgraded to an outside at embarkation. So now, yes, they paid more ... but they got more too. Same with the person I met who paid about $800 more for a comparable cabin than I because they booked through HAL. They got a slew of onboard credits ... free soda cards ... and a couple of other things that I sure didn't get. I'd be willing to bet that when all was said and done, they came out paying the same exact amount for their cruise as I paid for mine. In fact, a few days before the end of the cruise, they had checked their onboard statement at the front desk, and the woman told me that they were gonna be getting off the ship, at the end of a 30-day cruise ... owing only about $500 in onboard charges ... for a 30-day cruise ... for TWO people. My onboard charges netted out to around $1,000 ... for one person. Sounds to me like we wound up paying similar for our cruises since our daily charges were about the same ... only she had a lot more credits to offset them against than I did.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

I am shopping around for last minute deals just out of curiosity. There are some great deals out there and since we'll probably go on a cruise in the spring of 2007 before our December cruise, we'll probably go on a last minute deal which will be advertised January or February. It's nice to have the best of both worlds.
If you are really flexible, shop after final payment would be due. Of course, it's unlikely you'll get a specific preferred cabin ... but if you can take "run of ship," you can often get some killer deals ... especially if a lot of folks cancelled their reservations right before final payment was due. HAL could be stuck with a slew of cabins on their hands for a sailing only two or so months out, and be willing to cut some great deals just to fill those cabins.

Of course, the reason flexibility is required to use this strategy is because you could wind up not getting onto a preferred sailing if you wait this long. The ship can sell out too ... leaving you closed out. But, if your choice of itinerary, ship and embarkation date is flexible, you can get some wonderful deals about two months out on many sailings.

Just as a sidenote ... I know of several people who live in various parts of Florida ... within driving distance of most ports ... who are on an email list that HAL maintains for last minute bargains. These folks are mostly retired and very, very flexible. HAL can email them a couple of weeks before a sailing and offer them a cabin at absolute fire sale prices. This is because there are empty cabins on that sailing that HAL needs to fill. They are willing to fill them cheap, in the hope that even if they make nothing on the cabin sale, maybe the people in that cabin will spend some serious bucks onboard. These folks have told me that they take three cruises for the price most people spend for similar accommodations on one. And, since they don't have to fly to get to the ship, they don't get hurt on higher airfare prices because of booking the flight less than 30-days out.

Nice, huh? :)

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Alexborngal]

i book early and i see nothing wrong in checking prices in case the cabin cost goes down -- i feel i am entitled to a lower price the same as the person booking today even though i booked a year ago -- the cruiseline has my money to work with and i shouldnt be penalized for booking early

here are the numbers for my next cruise
hal retail 2171.82
mariner 2073.82
my online ta 2004.91-- booked at that price

found a cheaper price of 1939.14 about 10 days ago and told my on line t/a and he came back with 1920.12

and im happy with the additional discount and i dont feel that i took advantage of anyone -----you can do that in any reputable department store- you buy something and a few days later the price goes down -- yo go back with your sales receipt and they give you a refund ---thats called customer service

How do you check prices? I booked a HAL cruise for December 2007 and would love to know if I got the best deal. Thanks.

Joan

[Alexborngal]

If you are really flexible, shop after final payment would be due. Of course, it's unlikely you'll get a specific preferred cabin ... but if you can take "run of ship," you can often get some killer deals ... especially if a lot of folks cancelled their reservations right before final payment was due. HAL could be stuck with a slew of cabins on their hands for a sailing only two or so months out, and be willing to cut some great deals just to fill those cabins.

Of course, the reason flexibility is required to use this strategy is because you could wind up not getting onto a preferred sailing if you wait this long. The ship can sell out too ... leaving you closed out. But, if your choice of itinerary, ship and embarkation date is flexible, you can get some wonderful deals about two months out on many sailings.

Just as a sidenote ... I know of several people who live in various parts of Florida ... within driving distance of most ports ... who are on an email list that HAL maintains for last minute bargains. These folks are mostly retired and very, very flexible. HAL can email them a couple of weeks before a sailing and offer them a cabin at absolute fire sale prices. This is because there are empty cabins on that sailing that HAL needs to fill. They are willing to fill them cheap, in the hope that even if they make nothing on the cabin sale, maybe the people in that cabin will spend some serious bucks onboard. These folks have told me that they take three cruises for the price most people spend for similar accommodations on one. And, since they don't have to fly to get to the ship, they don't get hurt on higher airfare prices because of booking the flight less than 30-days out.

Nice, huh? :)

Blue skies ...

--rita

Thanks Rita. I'm going to try to get on HAL's "fire sale" list on the West Coast. We live in the San Fernando Valley and can go from San Pedro, Long Beach, or San Diego. We have a cruise booked for October 22 to the Mexican Riviera and one for December 2007 to Hawaii. I'll keep checking prices for the Hawaii one and see if I can get a better price even though $2040 pp for an ocean view for 15 days sounds good to me. I don't know if they ever have oceanviews at last minute sale prices as I'm claustrophobic and need a window. I'm looking for a cruise in the spring of 2007 as December is too far away after our October cruise.

Thanks again.

Joan

[Steamboatin]

HAL over sold our 7 day cruise. They sold more cabins to passengers than they had cabins.

They offered passengers a 10 day cruise for the price of the 7 day cruise that was over sold to the same region.

Not enough passengers opted for the deal and HAL still had an over sold vessel.

About 3 days prior to sailing HAL panic hit a high. They offered us a FREE 10 day cruise and totally refunded our cost of the 7 day cabin rate.

Now that is an "upgrade" or "sale" that is hard to beat. We jumped at it and will be cruising in October for 10 days free rather than last week on a 7 day paid cruise.

Simply put, THANKS HAL!!!!!

[RuthC]

About 3 days prior to sailing HAL panic hit a high. They offered us a FREE 10 day cruise and totally refunded our cost of the 7 day cabin rate.
With that kind of luck you might want to invest some of those savings in lottery tickets!

(disclaimer: normally, I don't consider lottery tickets an "investment", but in this case I'll make an exception.)

[happy cruzer]

I would guess that most people on CC care alot more about the particulars of the cruise that they are booking and tend to book early.

However, I'm guessing because of the high deposits and horrible cancellation policies (just compare to most hotels) that the average cruiser waits alot longer to book. Yes they suffer a more limited choice but for them they are taking less risk that the price will change or their plans will change ( they could take some form of insurance but that's extra too).

The cruiseline would like to entice the second group into booking early and they do that by honoring the price decreases.

[Neil in Vancouver]

Shall we try this again? It seems timely in light of recent threads.

[cruizefan]

I don't know if this is off topic but I was just reading about the mistake in cruise fare on a HAL cruise that was about a 400-500 dollars and my question is, the article says that the cruise line said it could not afford to let these people sail at that fare, yet when reading another article about the cancellation of celebrity milleniums 10-day cruise, they were offered a free cruise on top of a full refund.

I could see this turning off those people who booked at the original rate. I would hate to get a letter asking for another 500 bucks for a cruise that I technically paid for already.

[middle-aged mom]

Another common theme that appears on these boards is from people who book a cruise months ahead of time and then complain that the same cruise is offered at some later time or by some other agency for a cheaper price.

I own a business that opens over 4000 files a year. We regard each and every transaction with each and every client as a separate business deal. We often adjust our fees taking into account a number of different factors, including the amount of unsold time we expect to have on our hands.

It seems to me that if one happens to own a cruise ship, airline, hotel, resort, car rental agency, etc. one should have the same liberty to do business. Isn't that what our free enterprise system is all about?

If one books a cruise early, one has the priviledge of getting first pick at the ship, itinerary, and cabin you want. You also get the certainty of knowing that you have got what you want. It doesn't seem fair to me to take advantage of these early booking priviledges (often with an early booking discount), and then compalin that others got a better deal much later on when the line is trying to fill up the ship.

Comments?

I agree with your original post as copied above, Neil. I book early for peace of mind, and because I know what type of cabin I want, and where. We're fortunate in that we have a good TA who will notify us if the fare has gone down, and pass on that savings to us, prior to final payment, of course. However, I consider these reductions a bonus, not a perogative. I don't care to know what others have paid for their cruises, nor do I spend any time lamenting over whether I have received the best deal or not. Personally, I'm always suspicious when a price seems too good to be true. "What's the catch?" I ask myself.

I booked our upcoming holiday cruise back in February. Many outside/inside cabins on that sailing are now going 'for a song", as HAL attempts to fill the ship. I say, good for the newcomers, who will surely get a great deal! And good for us, who have the cabin we want:)

Karin

[Kamloops50]

We book early to get the best rate possibel. My online T/A guarantees that if the rate goes down so will my costs.:)

[HeatherInFlorida]

I missed this thread the first time around, but I am confused because like so many others here I always book about a year or more out because I'm so fussy about my choice of cabin.

And if by some chance the rate goes down before final payment, every TA I've ever used has always lowered our rate accordingly. So unless the price goes down drastically after final payment, we really can't lose. However, I don't check other TA sites as much as I check the HAL site. At the time of my booking I always make a note of the rate HAL is charging that day. If I see it go below that amount, I notify my TA and my rate is changed.

The one time that I asked for my rate to be lowered because I'd seen a lower price on another TA's site, my agent gave me quite a hard time about it. They eventually lowered my price but only after changing their terms to reflect those of the other TA (which included a cancellation fee that my TA didn't charge at that time).

If the price did go down after final payment I wouldn't be in the least upset because any cabins left over at that late date would probably not be ones I would choose.