Should you shop around?

Can you get better deals if you shop around or are the prices pretty much the same whoever you book with? We’ve been on three cruises and we always seem to pay a bit more than the people we meet on holiday! Any advice on getting a good deal will be much appreciated.

Princess is one of the few cruise lines that allows a TA to discount the fare. So we have found one that gives us a nice reduction on the fare plus some OBC.

Can you get better deals if you shop around or are the prices pretty much the same whoever you book with? We’ve been on three cruises and we always seem to pay a bit more than the people we meet on holiday! Any advice on getting a good deal will be much appreciated.

I wouldn't trust every statement of how much they paid. There is a not insignificant number of people who like to go around bragging about how great a deal they got. Some are truthful, some are not. We never discuss how much we paid. It is not the best of topics.

As prices can - and usually do - change from the time the itinerary was first listed until final payment, what one person pays can very well be different than some one else. Shopping for pricing can also simply be a matter of watching for price changes over time from when you originated your booking.

It can save you $$ or get you OBC to shop around. I do that and watch the deals myself, making changes when I see a better deal to get promotions like the Princess sale where we got OBC, free upgrade and free grats. Saved a significant part of my cruise fare by making a call to my TA.

Human nature being what it is, you rarely hear people on a ship talking about how MUCH they paid - whether it's strictly truthful or not, most people will only talk about the great deals they've made, not how they overpaid.

The same general symptom is displayed by all those people who seem to regularly come out ahead at casinos: it makes you wonder how the casinos stay in business.

It is true that some people like to brag about how cheap they got their cruise, but it is also true that you can often save significantly by shopping around.

It take some looking and checking, but we usually find online travel agents who save us a considerable amount. Sometimes after booking there are also price drops that can be applied. For instance, the price on our recent South America cruise had a price drop of $500 on a balcony; found out about it on these boards because someone kindly posted it. It only lasted about a day, then prices shot up again.

By calling our travel agent we got the drop, kept our room and perks. And that was $500 per person!

I'm not sure how this works in different countries though.

Can you get better deals if you shop around or are the prices pretty much the same whoever you book with? We’ve been on three cruises and we always seem to pay a bit more than the people we meet on holiday! Any advice on getting a good deal will be much appreciated.

I grew up in Brooklyn where the first thing you learn to say is "Never pay retail."

Of course you need to shop around (for anything that may mean a "big bite" to you). And the key to doing that is to reduce everything in the "deal" to a dollar value. If one cruise line allows TAs to "discount" the cruise, that discount may be coming out of the TA commission while another cruise line that doesn't allow it will find the TA providing a rebate or refundable OBC.

Whether it's discount cabin price, free gratuities/internet/et al., OBC, rebate, etc., reduce it all to dollar value on a spreadsheet for comparison of cruise line booking to multiple TA bookings.

Since any decent TA can pass through to you the best offer from a cruise line and then add perks to the equation (whether from cruise line promo funds provided to TAs, travel consortium bonuses to TA partners, commission sharing, etc), it makes little sense to not use an excellent TA who is a top producer for the line you prefer to use (since commission rates are often structured on productivity and higher commissions mean possible higher commission share for you).

In essence, you are looking for a TA added perk(s) valued at least at 7-10% of the commissionable portion of the cruise line's advertised price. On a premium/luxury extended cruise, this means you may save thousands of dollars. (Note that on a discount line like Carnival, it would be far less. In fact, many of the best TAs won't handle single cabin Carnival bookings since there's little commission involved).

Some on CC will say they don't want to give up "control of their booking" to a TA. That's a short sighted comment. Who do you think will get action when a problem needs solving: The TA who may do a million $ per year business with them or you (a rounding error in the cruise line's bottom line)? That top TA has the line's regional sales manager as a "speed dial" while you'd be "on hold" with a minimum wage phone rep somewhere in Nebraska.

Of course, finding a great TA can be a challenge. The TA your neighbor recommends may actually be terrible (but that's a start). What you want to find is someone who specializes in cruises (especially your preferred line) and who is often mentioned by other cruisers, metro newspaper travel sections (e.g., NYT, SF Chronicle....) plus may be cited in "best of..." lists in publications like Condé Nast Traveler. Some lines have designations for their top producing TAs (e.g., Oceania Connoisseurs Club). DO THE RESEARCH.

The other related piece of this is to never compare just cabin prices. Use the "net daily rate," I.e., the value of all required and desired optional trip costs divided by days away. Sure, that premium/luxury line cabin price will seem higher than a mass market line; that is, until you do the math involving the possibly included airfare, internet, beverages, specialty restaurants and any other choice of OBC or Booze or Excursions included in the premium/luxury price.

Finally, there is the quality part of the equation: while the bottom line "net daily rate" comparison may give you quantitative price differences, what do you get for your money? On CC, posters will often say, "all the ships are the same. So, pick itinerary first." I disagree. Many lines will have fairly identical itineraries particularly on the short 1-2 week trips to the Caribbean, Med and Alaska. But, the onboard experience difference can be significant. In talking with a great TA, one of the first questions you'll hear regards your travel experience preferences, hotel type, dining quality, etc. S/he will also ask about demographic preferences (e.g., families) and numerous other items before suggesting a few cruise lines whose itineraries you can then peruse.

Bottom line of all this is that getting both the best experience AND the best deal takes far more time and effort than many cruisers are willing to invest. That may not be too much of an issue if one is looking at some three-four day booze cruise to Ensenada. But, if you're looking at the "big ticket" extended transoceanic cruise, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

Can you get better deals if you shop around or are the prices pretty much the same whoever you book with? We’ve been on three cruises and we always seem to pay a bit more than the people we meet on holiday! Any advice on getting a good deal will be much appreciated.

Hi

Of course you can save some money if you shop around. Fining the right TA can make a difference.

The question is, how much time are you willing to invest to save some money.

Prices on cabin fluctuate, sometimes daily. As time passes, cruise lines assess cabin sales in relation to what they anticipate. So, if cabins are selling well, prices go up, if cabin sales are lower than anticipated, you might see some discounting. This goes on continually right up until sail date.

Don't forget, a lot of people plan these vacation years in advance. They might be booking more than a year out. Do you? Not such a big secret is to book a cabin as early as you possibly can determine that you will make a particular sailing, that is at a price that you think is fair. Book with a "rate" that will allow you to benefit from any price drops. Take the time required to check, whether you qualify for any price drops and claim them as/if they occur. If you booked a year out, and did this, you would pretty much know that you got the best possible price.

When comparing prices, don't forget some people are getting promotional discounts that you might not qualify for. Also, when comparing make sure that you are comparing the same cabin "class". Not just any two balcony cabins, if so, there will likely be a difference.

hope this helps

Princess is one of the few cruise lines that allows a TA to discount the fare. So we have found one that gives us a nice reduction on the fare plus some OBC.

In the UK there are several TA agencies that get cheap cabins through reserving 'blocks of cabins' for almost all major lines. They block out so many they can offer a discount to their customers.

Not sure if it is different in the US/single TAs or if TA's do a bit of white lying.

But always shop around...using different sites and everything. It also pays to not jump on a price immediately unless its one hell of bargain.

Yes you should shop around to get better prices or perks at the time of your booking. Just consider how much time you want to spend and how much you value that time. If you have booked early it is reasonable to check back to see if there have been significant pricing changes but always factor in what perks you may lose or gain if you rebook for a lower price.

As to those people with the ridiculously low prices most of them are last minute fill-ins to a cruise that has not sold out They get late offers and have the flexibility to get time off or are retired and can get to the port with relative ease. You are less likely to see them on cruises that historically sell out. If you have a cruise or time that you absolutely must go on then you need to book when it is available and cannot just hope for the best

The more you cruise the more discounts/perks the cruise line offers to get you back. Especially if you’re a big gambler. Casino offers are steeply discounted. Plus there are discounts for seniors, military, etc. So the price comparison may not be fair. If you’ve only sailed the cruise line a couple times and the person you’re comparing fares with have cruised them a dozen times plus they get a military discount, then you’re not getting a fair comparison. So it all depends on the situation. :)