It pays to book early!!

It's another one of Royal's special promotions...raise the price of the cruise & then give OBC....:rolleyes:

Do you have proof?

Do you have proof?

The past few days Ive noticed it on many sailings.

They just changed mine again tonight.

To get a good feel for your more accurate pricing - Look at the same dates for 2014 - we're within final payment... I know my 12/1/14, 5 night on the Liberty of the Seas has dropped a ridiculous amount!

To get a good feel for your more accurate pricing - Look at the same dates for 2014 - we're within final payment... I know my 12/1/14, 5 night on the Liberty of the Seas has dropped a ridiculous amount!

yup... that means the ship is needing to fill cabins. They are getting desperate.

My October cruise on the Serenade next year has had the craziest price increases I've ever seen. My Mom and I are paying $2,800 or so total for our E2 cabin, booked a couple weeks after the cruise opened for booking back in February. Tonight, that same category would cost $7,133 :eek: :eek: :eek:

I'd have no problem spending a lot of OBC. I generally don't go to the spa, but with a few hundred in OBC, I think I'd need a massage, a facial, a pedicure and whatever else I felt like.

excuse me..

 

But did you check the on board credit that is involved with the new pricing?

 

my priced jumped to but they give HUGE OBC... same price really

Yes, but the OBC is your money. One of our booked cruises is offering $1,000 OBC....but the price jumped by $956 per person. So that is your money, and then some. :rolleyes:

excuse me..

 

But did you check the on board credit that is involved with the new pricing?

 

my priced jumped to but they give HUGE OBC... same price really

Not the same price at all. I would NEVER spend that much on board!:eek:

Best time to book is last minute, and no to be picky with dates. IIRC last week's going going gone sell had D1s on Navigator for ~$360 pp for this week. If I hadn't just gotten back from Disney Fantasy, I would've jumped on that in a heartbeat.

Best time to book is last minute, and no to be picky with dates. IIRC last week's going going gone sell had D1s on Navigator for ~$360 pp for this week. If I hadn't just gotten back from Disney Fantasy, I would've jumped on that in a heartbeat.

Jumping is difficult from the West Coast. :rolleyes:

The price has gone up $900 on our cruise. We might have spent more OBC a few years ago but now we would have a hard time. We don't do the spa, don't do the ship sponsored excursions, don't purchase their photos, don't do Bingo, don't make any significant purchases in the shops, don't spend a large amount in the casino. Buying a drink package in advance or auto-tips can't be used with OBC. The OBC means the cruise line is actually getting the money so I'm sure they are happy. The last time we had OBC, on the last night of the cruise, we looked at our OBC balance and actually had to sit and think of a way to use it. That's not a bargain. I'd rather have a decent price.

Their pricing has gone crazy with all of their so called promotions. For a 12/6 cruise, check prices through the year. I would be surprised if there is not deep discounting for this date at some point.

i agree. Skip the gimmicks.

Do you have proof?

Cruise I booked for next Sept. at $1636. for a solo cruiser balcony cabin is now $3685 for the same cabin with $1,000 OBC....more than double the price I originally paid...several other cruises I have watched or booked followed a similar pattern....

yup... that means the ship is needing to fill cabins. They are getting desperate.

Booked our cruise directly with RCL in Norway. Going on Allure June 28th 2015 in March, 3 D3 cabins for 8 people (extended family). Thanks to Cruise Critic I started to check prices a month ago - and our cruise on was considereably cheaper than when we booked in March! Again thanks to CC I knew the possibility of lowering our price. Did not know, but hoped this was possible here in Norway as well - and with one phone call I saved more than 18500 NOK - the equivalent of more than 2500 USD - for our party. Was a very happy customer that evening! And that is a sailing in the Med. after the school is out in Europe, so don't think they are desperate to fill up ship yet?

About OBC….remember one dollar of OBC is not equal to one DOLLAR.

Jumping is difficult from the West Coast. :rolleyes:

Just depends on your flexibility. I've booked cruises in FL with less than 2 weeks of notice from Oklahoma. So I'll give it a caveat, if you have the flexibility, booking last minute is the best time to do it.

If you don't have the flexibility to book last minute, the best time is probably day one, then you have the most time watch for price drops.

It's another one of Royal's special promotions...raise the price of the cruise & then give OBC....:rolleyes:

Yes, you are correct.

I tried to book a cruise through the call centre because I was offered, via email, $400 on board credit due to a cruise certificate I had not used.

Guess what - I can book the cruise on line for $3800. Their first offer was $5600. Then when I complained and they assured me it would be at the lower price it came in at $4300 on the documentation. A number of calls later and an email complaining, I gave up and cancelled. Therefore lost using my cruise certificate but I now have a hold for $3800.

What gets me is that each person at the call centre assures me they are fixing it up at the lower price, but guess what, they all come in at the higher price in the documentation.

So if one wants to book on line, how do we use the cruise certificate? There is no-where to include the number that I can see.

In reality it did not go up.... Just ask to see the OBC thats given hehe

 

use it or lose it

Unless they're giving close to $2500 in OBC for a GS I'm inclined to agree with OP, because what we paid for our 8-Night Indy is looking like a mega-serious bargain.

And the only reason I can think of for the price of GS and OS going up (and up and up) is short supply.

Interior and Promenade have been dropping lately, but nothing at the upper end.

Unless they're giving close to $2500 in OBC for a GS I'm inclined to agree with OP, because what we paid for our 8-Night Indy is looking like a mega-serious bargain.

 

And the only reason I can think of for the price of GS and OS going up (and up and up) is short supply.

 

Interior and Promenade have been dropping lately, but nothing at the upper end.

I have seen prices/deals change multiple times a day. I asked the TA why and she said its like airfare.. They offer a certain amount at a good price, then when there gone they go up again until the next promo. Im getting dizzythe

I booked mine at the BOGOHO deal, so far its the best rate

Just depends on your flexibility. I've booked cruises in FL with less than 2 weeks of notice from Oklahoma. So I'll give it a caveat, if you have the flexibility, booking last minute is the best time to do it.

 

If you don't have the flexibility to book last minute, the best time is probably day one, then you have the most time watch for price drops.

Unfortunately, work really cuts into our leisure time. :D;):D

Cruise I booked for next Sept. at $1636. for a solo cruiser balcony cabin is now $3685 for the same cabin with $1,000 OBC....more than double the price I originally paid...several other cruises I have watched or booked followed a similar pattern....

I'm in the same position now. I have a solo corner aft balcony booked for next September for $1,400 and when I checked it this past weekend, it was around $2,600. So glad I booked early - my friends that are trying to book now will be paying about $1,500 apiece for double occupancy in a balcony. I believe I booked my cruise in May of this year and I'm already looking to book for February 2016 ... Those 10 night southern Caribbean cruises are extremely high right now but they are bound to drop.

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I booked my cruise in March this yr, the cruise is January next yr. couple mths later they were doing buy 1 get other half price so in my case i wish i waited

The emails I have gotten from RCI over the past couple weeks have me strongly disagreeing with OP.

If you can do last minute there are some good deals floating around. It's not just RCI, Princess and HAL are offering $199(inside) 7 day cruises. Celebrity even has deals very close to these. We could not pass up the $299 7 day Serenade upcoming. There are PLENTY of cabins still available, not "guarantee", pick the one you want.

Yes, I know folks not retired, or other reasons can't do this on a couple weeks notice. For some of us though, it's working out fine. I do agree though that some cruise prices I have seen lately are high $$$$$$ jaw droppers. Our Allure cruise we booked in August is $400PP more now than when we booked.

It seems that booking early may apply for a cruise on the newer ships but the last few cruises i have ben on older ships I have been on booking out eight plus months has either cost me or been a break even deal.

I currently have a cruise booked on BOS that was booked back in March 2014 in a E1 for $1295 total with like $50 OBC.

I could go today and book a Junior suite for $1378.72 with $300.00 obc. Where is the bargain in booking early there? When I called a few days ago they were would upgrade me to the JS for $165. I should have taken it then! When I called back today with my cc in hand it was a different story. they wanted $480 to upgrade, and they would not offer the $300obc. That would make my total cost for the JS $1775. That's crazy when I could book today for 1378.72 with $300obc. What advantage did I gain by booking ten months ago, other then it costing me a better cabin at a better price?

They did tell me that things could change as we get closer to sail date, we will see.

We are huge cruisers with over 50 under our belt. Definitely not loyal to one cruise line as we have s ailed with almost all with the exception of the high-end lines. We are on the Allure this January and I am a huge price watcher, constantly checking on Royal's site as well as others. Quite happy with what we paid but I must say I have never seen prices fluctuate as much as Royal's. Their prices change daily. In my opinion, if you see a cruise with a price that you're happy with do not hesitate, book it because tomorrow that cabin can be up to $300 more. Then again, the day after tomorrow it can be $300 less. Bottom line, if you're happy with the price you paid, you're a winner.

We would not have a problem spending $100 OBC. However, unless we could get 95% of the OBC via the casino cash method, $500 OBC would probably be too much for us.

I can't disagree with you here. There is a limit to the amount of OBC that DH and I can use. We book excursions, but generally prior to boarding and probably would not want to change that to be able to use a large OBC. Tips, sure that is fine and another reason not to prepay tips prior to the cruise.

I just wish we did not have to play the OBC game for some to get good deals. To all cruise lines -- give the cruiser a fair price for the cruise without the gimmicks......oh but coming up with those gimmicks is what they pay the big bucks to those marketing gurus (LOL).

We have been fortunate that we have not been burned by pricing. DH does his research and watches the cruises we are considering until he sees a price that works for us. Sometimes we get a price drop afterwards....and that is nice. But we don't get crazy. If you get crazy, you will never travel -- the cheapest thing to do is STAY HOME.