Price changes after booking

[hassop]

Help pleeeeeeeze.
Does this only happen to travellers who book in the USA/Canada or has anyone experienced it in the UK ?
We booked sept 2010 for a family Golden Wedding Celebration with Celebrity in March 2012 (which happened to coincide with the Easter Holidays so grandchildren could accompany us)
Do we need to check prices or just enjoy the holiday???

[Luvtotravel54]

Originally Posted by Luvtotravel54

I booked a Princess Baltic Cruise in December and have only put down a deposit. I just noticed the price had lowered $61.00 per person and that is for non-Captain's Circle cruisers so it might be even lower for me. I am going to call Princess Monday and see if they will reduce my fare. Crossing my fingers!

I contacted Princess yesterday and they lowered my fair to the current fair. I doubt it will go down any lower as this cruise is almost sold out. It was only $122.00 total but I am still very happy about it and try to save money anyway I can!

[snowwmax]

Originally Posted by hassop

Help pleeeeeeeze.
Does this only happen to travellers who book in the USA/Canada or has anyone experienced it in the UK ?
We booked sept 2010 for a family Golden Wedding Celebration with Celebrity in March 2012 (which happened to coincide with the Easter Holidays so grandchildren could accompany us)
Do we need to check prices or just enjoy the holiday???

I am a fanatic.... I check Celebrity's website Every Tuesday after I book a cruise - sometimes I get it 2-3 times that week. It has paid off on both of my 2 most recent cruises. The 10 nigth Med cruise we went from Cat 2B to Cat C2 and we paid $200 total less for the C2 over the original price of the 2B. On the cruise coming up in a few weeks - We booked C2 as the price at the time was only $49pp over the cost of 1A. Well worth the $98 to get an extra cruise credit. So then a few months later there was a $99pp price drop for C2 so that saved us $198 over the original price.

[hassop]

Y
Thanks for that info Snowwmax..did you book through a T/A or on-line with Celeb?

[snowwmax]

Originally Posted by hassop

Y
Thanks for that info Snowwmax..did you book through a T/A or on-line with Celeb?

I always book through my T/A - They offer OBC and their own loyalty program.

-Steve

[hassop]

Sorry Steve .....Have been away and then the dreaded PC curse struck.
So did you contact Celebrity direct re prices or your TA ?
Our prices have just dropped .........'.not a lot' but several bottles of wine for a party of seven, especially as I shall be paying

Thanks Hassop

[hassop]

Sorry Steve .....Have been away and then the dreaded PC curse struck.

So did you contact Celebrity direct re prices or your TA ?
Our prices have just dropped .........'.not a lot' but several bottles of wine for a party of seven, especially as I shall be paying

Thanks Hassop

[SCRABBLERS]

Hi... I booked and paid early... Princess cruise that was going to Egypt this May they cancelled Egypt and a lot of people cancelled the cruise. What happens should the travel agent refund the difference or Princess? The travel agent said after you have paid in full, that's after your due day they will not refund me and princess said there is nothing they will do either. The difference is $1200 on a 12 day cruise. Now I have not given up yet but my advise is look for a cruise or cruises that you would like and book the air (as long as you can get your money or points back) wait till the cruise is past final payment that's when it may drop then book. A little bit of a gamble but I would have saved $1200.00 and a ton of hassle .Booking Holidays should be fun and relaxing this has been awful.

[Bat and Ball]

I held back from booking a cruise with Royal Caribbean in May 2011 for myself and my family (6 adults one baby) as they could not give details of flights. We wanted direct flights as my grandson is 22months old. In Sept '11 prices had risen marginally but still no flights available. In Dec '11 price rose dramatically, for Cruise only, from £3593,56 to £4789.30 for the 6 of us.

In a fright, I booked on 10 Dec with a final, undiscounted price, of £4829.3 - that is an increase of £1236 from the £3593, a massive 34%.

Then when checking prices for other family members who fancied joining us, I found web prices had now DROPPED back to £4109. That's a 34% rise from 3593 to 4829 (please check my maths as this seems inconceivable) followed by a drop within less than 2 weeks by £720 to 4109, or 14% reduction - once again check my sums.

I have just received a short reply from RCL customer services basically saying "Hard Luck, we can make our prices what we like, book early to secure best price"

We have cruised a lot with RCL, we have shares in them and are members of their Crown & Anchor society. I will write once again asking why prices can rise and fall so rapidly and ask again for a refund of the difference. I don't hold out much hope so will vote with my feet and take my money elsewhere. If I get a suitable outcome then I'll post it. I am very angry at present.

[flier47]

Carnival cruise will adjust the price if you call them on it.. It's worth a try..

[wonlife64]

I have seen comments that sometimes you can get OBC or room upgrades after final payment when prices drop. Is it better to contact the cruise line directly or call the TA? Will cruise lines upgrade your cabin without me requesting the upgrade? (Upgrade Fairy?)

Thank You

[Bat and Ball]

Originally Posted by Bat and Ball

I held back from booking a cruise with Royal Caribbean in May 2011 for myself and my family (6 adults one baby) as they could not give details of flights. We wanted direct flights as my grandson is 22months old. In Sept '11 prices had risen marginally but still no flights available. In Dec '11 price rose dramatically, for Cruise only, from £3593,56 to £4789.30 for the 6 of us.

In a fright, I booked on 10 Dec with a final, undiscounted price, of £4829.3 - that is an increase of £1236 from the £3593, a massive 34%.

Then when checking prices for other family members who fancied joining us, I found web prices had now DROPPED back to £4109. That's a 34% rise from 3593 to 4829 (please check my maths as this seems inconceivable) followed by a drop within less than 2 weeks by £720 to 4109, or 14% reduction - once again check my sums.

I have just received a short reply from RCL customer services basically saying "Hard Luck, we can make our prices what we like, book early to secure best price"

We have cruised a lot with RCL, we have shares in them and are members of their Crown & Anchor society. I will write once again asking why prices can rise and fall so rapidly and ask again for a refund of the difference. I don't hold out much hope so will vote with my feet and take my money elsewhere. If I get a suitable outcome then I'll post it. I am very angry at present.

I can update on my post above and say that after months of letter exchanges, and even the intervention of UK trading standards, I had no joy in getting a refund of the difference (£720). RCL did reveal to Trading Standards officers that the price was raised significantly because of high demand for the cruise and that a price reduction was implemented as a promotion less than 48 hrs after I paid the increased price. Why RCL would discount a high demand cruise is beyond me. They have never admitted that their inability to provide flight details early on in 2011 was the root cause of my problem. If they had marketed the cruise with the flight details I could have made an informed decision on whether to book a fly/cruise or cruise only package at the outset in May/June 2011 and not have been hit by the rise in December. I did get an offer as a goodwill gesture of $75 for each cabin (3 of them). Whilst falling far short of expectations I have taken it. Like others who have posted on the subject I will leave my cruise booking until the last moment unless I want a particular cruise itinery. Just a few weeks after booking, RCL were selling other similar European cruises with free flights and onboard credit. Lesson learnt I think. I will also steer clear of RCL in the future.

[FitBuff123]

I am currently dealing with a similar issue with NCL - we booked six months ago because, and I quote, "This cruise is very popular and the price will only go up." Really?!?! We are now paying $1500 USD MORE than the current price, and availability is high. I am very disappointed in NCL their lack of response & suitable resolution.

We typically cruise with 4+ people at least once a year. This is our first NCL cruise, and based on this expereince may well be our last cruise with them. Like others on this board have stated, in the future I will be booking last minute, as proper planning seems to be peanlized as opposed to rewarded.

[snowwmax]

Originally Posted by FitBuff123

I am currently dealing with a similar issue with NCL - we booked six months ago because, and I quote, "This cruise is very popular and the price will only go up." Really?!?! We are now paying $1500 USD MORE than the current price, and availability is high. I am very disappointed in NCL their lack of response & suitable resolution.

We typically cruise with 4+ people at least once a year. This is our first NCL cruise, and based on this expereince may well be our last cruise with them. Like others on this board have stated, in the future I will be booking last minute, as proper planning seems to be peanlized as opposed to rewarded.

Unfortunately ALL Cruise lines do this.... I booked a cruise with Carnival back in January for July 7 sailing... and since I booked a room with Carnivals price protection I literally goto the website every 2-3 days (psycho I know) to see what the latest prices is... Originally it was approx $550 pp for an Cat 4d inside cabin on the Glory for a 5 day cruise from/to Boston up to Canada. Since then the price has gotten as high as $650pp and then it has dropped down to $408 pp recently... So I do not think their is a good or a bad time to book a cruise.

On Celebrity, we did a Western Caribbean out of Miami. We wound up getting a decent rate in the end... But the Balcony right next to ours, same C3 Category paid $300 less total because they booked it during a Sale that was for Florida residents..

So in the end - if you want to go on that specific Cruise - then book it and deal with it... Be thankful you can afford to cruise in the first place

[dancersusan]

Originally Posted by gmwilluk

We recently booked a cruise with Cunard for April next year only to find that, less than a week later, the prices have reduced by a further 5% and still with the same on board credit etc. To make matters worse the price has now decreased by a further £50 per person!

Thought booking early was the right thing to do to get the best price but obviously I was mistaken. Lesson learnt for next time!

Last minute pricing is always less! That ship will leave full, half full or empty. So the cruise lines use some formula as to when to reduce fares. Be a prudent researcher, and watch for the cruise(s) possibilities you want for NEXT year .... this year. Send to yourself via email all the discount offers on cruises you have an interest in. Put these into an email folder to review for booking your next cruise. This will give you some idea as to when each line makes reductions. Usually the last month is a sale price. Some lines hardly discounted at all this year and other lines are discounting heavily this year. Travel when kids are in school to save the most! It's very hard to get a good fare on a holiday or when kids are out of school. NEVER go during Spring Break to the Caribbean. It's over-run with wild kids and heavy drinking. Hope this is helpful info. Bon Voyage!

[lobstertan]

We booked a cruise with Carnival through our travel agent on advise from him that it would be cheaper to book early, as the best offers are early, as cruise lines are more likely to inflate the price as you near the sail date, as it would be considered unfair if another person received a cheaper price if they booked after you (Seemed to make sense at the time). Booked two rooms for a party of 5 only to discover recently that the price has dropped significantly for this summer on the carnival breeze. I recontacted my travel agent and reminded him of his advise, he contacted Carnival who said that i was not entitled to the price decrease because my cruise was booked on a different offer from the early saver offer that would have allowed me to benefit from the price reduction (note to self - make sure your travel agent books you on the offer with the lowest price guarantee and book nearer the sail date)