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Booking onboard?


Mudhen

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You may want to check prices as according to the repeated e-mails I have been getting prices of cruises are going up in a week. Never know what really to believe but Regent does raise their prices and I don't know if the price of your cruise is going up or not. Waiting to book may not be in your best Interest.

 

I can forward that e-mail to you if you would like.

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Hi Mudhen - You undoubtedly will receive some good feedback from far more experienced cruisers than I, but when we booked our Med cruise for 2013 (while onboard our Alaska cruise in 2012), we were given what I think were some pretty significant discounts on the future cruise booking - the discounts amounted to a couple of thousand dollars under "published prices". Secondly, we only had to put down a 10% deposit on the booking vice the normal 15% deposit. Finally, while we were sitting in the sales director's office, we were able to pick and reserve the specific stateroom (by number) that we wanted for the future cruise (we needed a "triple"), rather than just asking for a "G" or an "F", etc.

 

From reading the brochure while we were onboard (while thoroughly enjoying the present cruise we were on - hmmmm, maybe that's the marketing psychology that was going on), we knew which ship we wanted to go on next, we next the exact time period we wanted, and we knew the exact itenerary we wanted. So there was no reason to wait until later, when we were off the ship. Perhaps we also mistakenly thought that we were getting the "very best deal - farewise" by doing it then, rather than waiting until later. Just like buying a car - if YOU think you got a "good deal", then you got a good deal! :rolleyes:

 

I'm sure others will have more experienced insight to offer. Regards.

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Hi Mudhen - You undoubtedly will receive some good feedback from far more experienced cruisers than I, but when we booked our Med cruise for 2013 (while onboard our Alaska cruise in 2012), we were given what I think were some pretty significant discounts on the future cruise booking - the discounts amounted to a couple of thousand dollars under "published prices". Secondly, we only had to put down a 10% deposit on the booking vice the normal 15% deposit. Finally, while we were sitting in the sales director's office, we were able to pick and reserve the specific stateroom (by number) that we wanted for the future cruise (we needed a "triple"), rather than just asking for a "G" or an "F", etc.

 

From reading the brochure while we were onboard (while thoroughly enjoying the present cruise we were on - hmmmm, maybe that's the marketing psychology that was going on), we knew which ship we wanted to go on next, we next the exact time period we wanted, and we knew the exact itenerary we wanted. So there was no reason to wait until later, when we were off the ship. Perhaps we also mistakenly thought that we were getting the "very best deal - farewise" by doing it then, rather than waiting until later. Just like buying a car - if YOU think you got a "good deal", then you got a good deal! :rolleyes:

 

I'm sure others will have more experienced insight to offer. Regards.

 

I do agree with the discounts offered but with all the "prices are going up e-mails" I have been getting it seems like daily I don't know what to believe anymore.

All that aside the onboard booking benefits are significant! What to do, what to do.

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Nana - I absolutely agree. I'm getting the offers in snail mail, on-line, and even getting E-mails from the Regent sales staff. Who is to really know what the "real price" of a particular cruise is? Apparently, it's whatever Regent can get on a particular cruise from a particular customer. I have the feeling it's like riding on an airplane from Point A to point B, where every passenger on the plane paid a different airfare for the same flight/seat? Sheesh! They also try to build "urgency" into their marketing plan (and perhaps buying panic on the part of their potential customers) with the old phrase of "buy it right now before prices soon go up.....!" Kinda "cheesy", don't you think?

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Nana - I absolutely agree. I'm getting the offers in snail mail, on-line, and even getting E-mails from the Regent sales staff. Who is to really know what the "real price" of a particular cruise is? Apparently, it's whatever Regent can get on a particular cruise from a particular customer. I have the feeling it's like riding on an airplane from Point A to point B, where every passenger on the plane paid a different airfare for the same flight/seat? Sheesh! They also try to build "urgency" into their marketing plan (and perhaps buying panic on the part of their potential customers) with the old phrase of "buy it right now before prices soon go up.....!" Kinda "cheesy", don't you think?

 

Yep and very very irritating!

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In April 2012 I booked an H suite (the cheapest) on Navigator's trip on 10/23/13 from Montreal to Miami. I checked the price of that suite again on 9/28/12 and it was $7,299 - the same price I'd reserved. I just checked it again on 3/25/13 and it was $7,549. I expect it to go up again April 1st and again each quarter until we sail. That's the pattern Regent seems to follow. As far as I know and my Travel Agent - prices don't ever go down but are increased the first of each quarter starting about a year out. I've only had a couple of previous Regent trips but that seemed to be the case with those two as well. I'm not the most experienced cruiser west of the Mississippi but I suspect that the prices of most trips less than a year away are going to increase in a week.

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I was on Regent's site today after being told by our TA that the price of our cruise booked in December 2012 had dropped by $2500 for two pax. It appears that Regent now has lowered prices on many if not all of the 2013 sailings. Check it out. I don't know what the procedure is for getting these discounts. We have only paid the deposit so probably our TA cancels the existing reservation and immediately books under the new pricing.

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Mudhen, When we cruised in October we had two choices. One was to book another voyage onboard. They have a chart that shows the onboard discount for every voyage, and it depends on the length of cruise, popularity, level of cabin that you book. For example a "regular" cabin for Alaska in July is not going to give you much discount (say $200pp). They let you make one change to that voyage without a penalty and you get the onboard discount available the day you book your new voyage.They also had another option where you could make a deposit of I believe $2000 and you had a year to choose a voyage and again you got the onboard discount they are offering the day you book your voyage.

 

Penfriend, I believe on April 1 they raised many prices and lowered others. So on voyages I have booked for this December and next May they raised the price around $500pp, and didn't add things (yet) like free internet or other gimmicks.

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Yes, you are right. The price of my cruise was dropped $1,250 pp (yippee!) and I assumed the price reduction applied to all 90 cruises on the list. It does pay to check: you might be pleasantly surprised.

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