How to get deals?

Hi all. Just back from Equinox. Wow wow wow!

We want to do a Celebrity Med cruise next summer. What do you think we need to do to get the best deals eg drinks packages etc.?

Thanks

You want a deal ? Here are my rules A Flexibility B Diligence C Do it yourself and lastly,D Travel Agent and other discounts.

The first is the most important. Try not to limit yourself to a specific date, ship , cruiseline or cabin.

The more specific you are, the less likely you will get a good deal. This is even more important for airfare.

We have saved hundred by flying in a day early (or late) and checking all the various flights available.

People tend to discount airfare prices but truly deals here are more rewarding $$$ then the cruise deals.

The price of cruises makes no rhyme or reason and prices can be all over the place.

There are so many departure ports and itinerary's that you might want to pare down the options but be flexible.

The diligence comes in by continuing to check prices right up to your final payment date.

Even after this date they may let you upgrade your cabin at the new discounted prices.

This upgrade may cost next to nothing

On one cruise for whatever crazy reason prices dropped by over $500 on a Friday night.

They were back to the previous prices on Sunday night and never went down again.

A good tip is to be aware of final cancellation dates because that's when great deals can be found.

We paid less then 100 PP balcony on the Mariner at the peak of summer with gratuity's included.

C) Refers to making your own plans for excursions either on your own or with people from your CC roll-call.

As an example we ended of paying the equivalent of $40 each for a shared mini-van from the Rome port to the airport.

RC was charging $90 or so and that involved waiting and waiting for a 40 seat bus to fill up.

Our van picked us up at the time we arranged and individually dropped us off at our specific airline departure areas.

Finally some TA's offer great deals. Combine this with shareholder discounts or special offers.

On one cruise we got a $200 discount because my DW is a teacher. Imagine that.

Good luck and have fun. That's the most important thing.:)

Edited - Didn't notice you are from Manchester so airfare issues are minimized. Excuse me.

You may need to book with a N American TA to get the best deals.

BTW, Celebrity exchange rates can be GREAT ! Much better then the Credit Card rates.

I agree with the previous response. You can save a lot of money if you are willing to do a little bit of work. Whenever I book a cruise, I try to remain flexible regarding cruise line, ship, dates, and even destination. I look through all the different online booking agencies to see what companies are offering the best rates. Also, if you're trying to save money, you're probably not going to do it by booking excursions through the ship. They are always marked up, and you can usually find the same tours if you just do a little research.

You need to spend some time watching the pricing so that you can understand what a good deal looks like when it comes along. You need to set a strike price-the price at which you will be very happy. When your price hits...book.

If you are outside the final payment window, continue to monitor pricing for price decreases OR category enhancements. We often book just outside the final payment window or inside. Our TA will normally hold the cabin for a few hours while we search out good airfare.

If we are using a TA in our home country (Canada), we ask the TA for pricing in Canadian and in US dollars. The pricing does not always equate to current pricing since the cruise lines usually set the exchange three months in advance and then stick to it. If there are swings during that period you may same some money.

We will be in Europe during Sept/Oct. We are watching pricing now so that when August comes around we will be familiar with the pricing and hopefully can snag a Med cruise or Black Sea cruise. We have done this for the past several years. Our target was $100. for a balcony on a 12-14 day cruise.

We usually end up booking through an on line US based TA. She gives us a rebate of 8-12 percent of the commissionable fare in the form of an OBC.

Good luck.