EXTREME last minute cruising?

When I was on my last cruise on the NCL Getaway I met a couple on an island tour who were on the Carnival Conquest and they told me an incredible story:

They met a family at dinner who showed up to the cruise terminal the day of departure and got their cruise fare for under $100 each person for a 7 day cruise.

I realize they took a risk in hoping the ship had unsold rooms, but has anyone else had or heard of an experience like this?

Thanks!

This used to be possible prior to 9/11. Not anymore. The first reason would be that you can't get close to a ship anymore unless you have a cruise booked. The second reason is requirements for disclosing pax rosters to TSA in advance of sailing.

I think the story you heard had gotten stretched quite a bit.

At the last quarterly earning conference call, the head of Carnival Corporation said they would not be doing the discounting they have done in the past.

When I was on my last cruise on the NCL Getaway I met a couple on an island tour who were on the Carnival Conquest and they told me an incredible story:

 

They met a family at dinner who showed up to the cruise terminal the day of departure and got their cruise fare for under $100 each person for a 7 day cruise.

 

I realize they took a risk in hoping the ship had unsold rooms, but has anyone else had or heard of an experience like this?

 

Thanks!

First of all you cannot get anywhere close to the cruise terminal without already being booked so showing up last minute would not happen. I think someone was good at story telling. Or perhaps they misunderstood.

At the last quarterly earning conference call, the head of Carnival Corporation said they would not be doing the discounting they have done in the past.

That is wishful thinking on the part of CCL. The reality is that an empty berth equals "opportunity lost" revenue which can never be recovered. Accordingly, all cruise lines use "yield management" to fill as many berths as possible at the highest price point. But when a ship has 200 empty berths a few weeks before a cruise, the lines do what they have to do to try and fill most of those berths. If the cruise lines do a good job pricing and marketing a cruise they may not need to do much discounting. But, many times this does not work and they need to take more drastic measures. The trend does seem to be towards offering more amenities (like drink packages) rather then dropping the actual cruise price. Celebrity seems to lead the industry with this strategy, but we recently watching HAL seem to fail with a similar strategy (because they overpriced their product).

There are some harsh realities in the cruise industry. First, competition is pretty effective at controlling the line's ability to increase pricing. and Second, the industry must also compete against other travel mediums such as All Inclusive Resorts, River Cruise lines, and land tours/vacations. We ourselves are good examples. In April we took a 25 day TA/British Isle cruise to Europe, but then jumped off the cruise a day early to spend a month driving in Europe. If we could have found a great price on a longer Med cruise we might have just spent 50-70 days on a ship. The cruise lines have lost those approximate 80 cruise days (what we would have booked) forever! And as is our usual practice, we spent a month driving to parts of Europe we would not normally visit on a cruise.

Hank

First of all you cannot get anywhere close to the cruise terminal without already being booked so showing up last minute would not happen. I think someone was good at story telling. Or perhaps they misunderstood.

A year ago we entered the terminal building at Seattle and only showed any evidence of being booked once inside. Same a few years ago at New York.

In any event, there are strict time limits - I'm not sure what time frame - concerning the lines' reporting final passenger manifest.

From 2002 through 2007 I booked a number of last minute cruises - within a week of sailing, but none less than two days prior. The prices were very good - but never in the $100 per week range.

Carnival allows you to call in the morning and sail in the afternoon. The final manifest has to be submitted on hour before sailing. But you have to call, cannot book online or just show up at the port. The checkin people at the port do not have the ability to sell you a cabin if one is available. EM

When I was on my last cruise on the NCL Getaway I met a couple on an island tour who were on the Carnival Conquest and they told me an incredible story:

 

 

 

They met a family at dinner who showed up to the cruise terminal the day of departure and got their cruise fare for under $100 each person for a 7 day cruise.

 

 

 

I realize they took a risk in hoping the ship had unsold rooms, but has anyone else had or heard of an experience like this?

 

 

 

Thanks!

Could have been done via phone to CCL but not @ the terminal .

$100 p/p per day for what ? Inside or OV on a soft sailing date may not be a bargain at all .

Then again , may be just a story indeed.

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

At least with RCI - and I can't imagine other cruise lines aren't the same - you cannot enter the terminal with out printed documentation for that cruise.

As others have said with likely correct information as to how "last minute" cruises are handled with CCL since 9/11, what you heard on board most certainly is exaggerated. In addition, most cruises are sold out with the availability of day-of-sailing staterooms scarce and if available not likely sold at that low a rate.

It was probably the result of the telephone game. Each time the story was told, it was closer to sailing and the price got cheaper.:D

As it was noted Carnival will allow for last minute bookings. The closest we've booked was 20 hours before sail, but we were under 3 feet of snow with another 18 inches on the way and wanted out. It was by no means an inexpensive cruise (it was the most expensive one we've booked to date), but it was a lot of fun and we spent the week getting a tan. My Mom returned to her classroom with braids in her hair. :-O

Some lines do require reservations to be made up to a few days before sailing, but each line handles it differently.

You do have to book ahead of time and you are just not going to find deals like that.

Cruise Lines have gotten much better at filling ships ahead of time.

Keith

When I was on my last cruise on the NCL Getaway I met a couple on an island tour who were on the Carnival Conquest and they told me an incredible story:

 

They met a family at dinner who showed up to the cruise terminal the day of departure and got their cruise fare for under $100 each person for a 7 day cruise.

 

I realize they took a risk in hoping the ship had unsold rooms, but has anyone else had or heard of an experience like this?

 

Thanks!

pretty much unheard of these days. pre 9/11 it was doable, even frequently an option.

today, the manifest must be submitted earlier, and well,s the ships are selling out soon after final payment passes.

In April we took a 25 day TA/British Isle cruise to Europe, but then jumped off the cruise a day early to spend a month driving in Europe. And as is our usual practice, we spent a month driving to parts of Europe we would not normally visit on a cruise.

 

Hank

We're trying to decide on a driving trip in Europe with another couple similar to what you did Hank. If you don't mind sharing what are your most favorite driving trips we might enjoy too? Like the idea of cruising over....

This used to be possible prior to 9/11. Not anymore. The first reason would be that you can't get close to a ship anymore unless you have a cruise booked. The second reason is requirements for disclosing pax rosters to TSA in advance of sailing.

 

I think the story you heard had gotten stretched quite a bit.

I agree, I think those days are gone.

As far as "not getting anywhere near the terminal"..I think it depends on which port. We've brought friends/family to the NYC terminal and always have parked, gone in and sat with them in the lounge area until the boarding procedure started. Actually, we've had our own little "bon voyage party" in the waiting lounge complete with beverages and snacks, and as recently as last month. As I said, it must vary by port.

We're trying to decide on a driving trip in Europe with another couple similar to what you did Hank. If you don't mind sharing what are your most favorite driving trips we might enjoy too? Like the idea of cruising over....

Favorite is a tough term because we love it all :). We have spent the most time driving around France, Italy and Spain...and have covered a good portion of all those countries over many years. The reality is that the most popular tourist areas are also the most interesting for most folks. In France we love Provence (we tend to stay in the Avignon area) and Loire Valley is also good because of its many Chateaus (some of which are hotels). The Strasbourg area is also quite beautiful although it is more like Germany then France.

Italy is really tough because we have enjoyed the entire country from the Swiss border down to the far South (and even Sicily). It is hard to go wrong with any region but many first timers tend to focus on Tuscany (actually this is a huge area) and Umbria. And within Tuscany you need to think in terms of which part and our favorite would be centered around San Gimignano...although if you go to the East....we also like the Assisi area. Another favorite of ours is to stay on the Amalfi Coast (with a car we prefer Praiano because of the lower cost hotels and free parking).

On our most recent trip (last month) we focused on the far eastern part of France. So we drove down to Avignon, and then later went up into the French Alps (used Chamonix as a base) and eventually worked our way North to the Alsace/Loraine region. We really enjoyed the drive, but its not as "sexy" as being in Provence or the Loire.

Hank