How low can they go?

[Chuck & Phyllis]

I guess "getting even" was a poor choice of words Paul. One mistake that Cunard makes is to email all those who sign up for sailmail without knowing who's already booked on a cruise. Sure, I felt a little anger finding out that if we were booked on an earlier cruise, we would have saved about $1,000 ( would have had to downgrade though). However, we cruise quite often and have seen this many times. Turns out that we chose a sailing that sold very well and generated only a couple of promotions. One of those promotions was a joke. It stated, buy an oceanview C4 and get a balcony B6 obstructed. We're in a B5 but I called about that to see how much we could save. Turns out that the C4, which wasn't priced on their web site was selling at $1,999 pp. That's what the B6 was selling for on their website to begin with. I pointed that out to them and they couldn't explain it. That was the price coming up for the C4 now and that was the promotion. ??? The other promotion was buy a balcony at $2,799 and get a P2 stateroom. I didn't jump on this right away and by the time I was considering it, it was sold out. I guess you could say that we're use to this happening and although my first reaction is "Damn it!", I just say to myself "Hey, I bought it so that's the way it is". Life's too short to sweat the small stuff. The reason for my starting this thread was not to cause anger or sadness, but to voice my concern that a "Premium" cruise line with a potential legendary ship is cheapening itself. It did happen to benefit someone who got an adjustment however. I guess this is a reason why we don't discuss what we paid. When that NCL special was going on, I posted it on the NCL board. I didn't read of any takers however. Now that it's over, I won't be bringing that up again on that board and would never tell someone onboard ship what we paid. The only thing I suggest is when booking a cruise, shop, shop, shop. Then check the prices often to see if they drop on the cruise line's website. As your crossing draws near, you'll feel that excitement and I'd bet that next time, you'll end up with a bargain that more than makes up for this time just like we did on our next cruise.

 

Regards and enjoy,

 

Chuck

[guernseyguy]

If you saw two identical cans of beans on a supermarket shelf, one half the price of the other, which one would you buy?

 

David.

 

David, I think the point is if you see an identical can of beans half the price of the one you bought a week ago - do you go to the checkout and ask for a refund of the difference?

 

My philosophy is, there are always people who have paid less (or more) than I have....so why worry or get upset about it - enjoy the trip......and now QM2 is coming down....I may go......in the 30s the crews used to say that the real class travelled Tourist Class at Third Class prices.....;)

[2moose]

I Dont Eat Beans, Best Regards

[carlmm]

Well, it is indeed not very nice to be told you are not allowed to take the can of beans or in this case the cruise for the lower price.

As mufi said the price in the UK is about 800 pounds, in Germany the lowest availabel fare is 1330 Euros, which are (today's exchange rate 1.32) about 1755 $. Just 120 % more than the 799 $ stated in this thread.

Very uplifting...

[mtbny7]

A good travel agent will always get you the best deal AND monitor price changes for you... all at NO cost to you, the customer.

 

A lot of the above questions/problems could've been solved by using a travel agent.

 

NEVER, EVER book directly with a cruise line! Always use a recommended (friends, family, etc) travel agent.

 

Michael

 

PS: I'm not a TA!

[mufi]

The fact is that it costs a European much more to cruise than an American. Just as we pay far, far more for nearly everything, we have to accept that this includes cruises. And though it may be difficult to understand to some, there are many folk on this side of the pond who just cannot afford to cruise at our prices. But at $799 for a crossing?

 

David.

[pisces1]

I know the prices for that promotion were dirt cheap, but they did not include airfare which is included in the standard cruise package with Cunard. Booking a one-way international flight is not cheap. So unless you have points with an airline, the average cost right now for flights over the pond are about $800.

[Richard Schmidt]

A number of surveys reveal that one thing people dislike most is buying cars. Why? The stress of trying to figure out whether they are paying more than they should. It appears that booking passage on Cunard is turning into a similar experience.

 

I made my reservation in October by phone direct to the Cunard Reservations Office and received the EBS rate shown on their website. I am already seeing evidence on non-Cunard websites that I paid too much for our June 9 tranatlantic voyage for the same voyage and cabin category. I also see that if I held off from booking months in advance, that I could have taken advantage of a special and sailed only a few weeks earlier and had *two* balcony staterooms for *less* than the cost of *one* inside cabin, which has to accomodate four of us.

 

What do Cunard and Carnival think will come of this type of pricing? Instead of being excited, I beginning to feel naive. Is this the experience Cunard would like their early booking customers to have?

 

Instead of booking early, the message seems to be "hold off." This will leave Cunard with even more unfilled cabins prior to sailing and create even more pressure on them to discount. It's a pricing death spiral that will leave early/full paying customers feeling foolish and ripped off.

 

I wonder if Cunard reads these posts. I would be interested in hearing what they have to say to folks who book early and directly with their office - only to watch others get better deals via other channels. Cunard? Carnival? Are you there?

 

You are absolutely correct, Paul. I am already regretting a January '06 booking I made earlier this year. Carnival has managed to send a loud and clear message that booking early is booking stupidly. Sam Cunard must be spinning in his grave. The people who turned this magnificent line over to Carnival Corporation should be shot.

 

Richard

[guernseyguy]

Booking a one-way international flight is not cheap. So unless you have points with an airline, the average cost right now for flights over the pond are about $800.

 

Pisces1 - booking oneway airfare can be cheap if you know where to look. For my JFK-LHR return leg I have been quoted $190 (Virgin/BA)....and to get round the 'higher prices in Europe'...booked with a US Travel agent....which I have used before with no problems....isn't the internet wonderful!:) I've got a view of a lifeboat.....but for a bit less than I used to pay for an M4 on the QE2:D

[mufi]

Pisces1 - booking oneway airfare can be cheap if you know where to look. For my JFK-LHR return leg I have been quoted $190 (Virgin/BA)....and to get round the 'higher prices in Europe'...booked with a US Travel agent....which I have used before with no problems....isn't the internet wonderful!:) I've got a view of a lifeboat.....but for a bit less than I used to pay for an M4 on the QE2:D

 

That IS interesting. So you booked your crossing and flight in the US through a US TA?

 

David.

[guernseyguy]

That IS interesting. So you booked your crossing and flight in the US through a US TA?

 

David.

 

David,

 

I booked both via US TAs - but different ones - the Cruise ones are not allowed (they say) to sell airfare - so I booked via another (non-cruise) for the air segment. Its all worked fine in the past....

[English Voyager]

Perhaps the shine is beginning to wear off of the QM2 image,and people are asking themselves how much are they prepared to pay for the privilege of cruising on this ship.

If one wishes to cruise in pampered luxury,there are better alternatives.

[pisces1]

Peter-

 

I believe you can find very inexpensive flights to Europe and I consider myself a savy internet deal shopper, but one cannot always find those pricings when you need to fly during a very specific time period and from non East Coast US cities.

[guernseyguy]

Peter-

 

one cannot always find those pricings when you need to fly during a very specific time period and from non East Coast US cities.

 

Regina, very true - life is about choices - but I would not want to discourage people from shopping around if they have some flexibility - and if they do, your earlier comment about an 'average' transat airfare of $800 may be misleading. I'm actually doing SFO-LHR for $270, vs the airlines 'official' one way of $1040....so there are deals to be had with a little bit of flexibility and planning.

 

On a separate topic, anyone else think they have simply scheduled too many (26) Transats on the QM2? In 1997 they cut the QE2's Transats from 24 to 18.... On the other hand what we don't know what the difference in revenue for all the on-board consumption between a Transat and a cruise with port days and pax spending their $$ on-shore.....I'm sure Mickey's got it figured out!

 

Peter

[samkmm]

Thank you all for your discussion. We are booked on the March 17th cruise and after reading your posts about rebates we have been on the phone to Cunard and the agency that booked the cruise. I don't know if you can mention them here. We booked for 1,400.00 for an inside and thought that it was worth it because we were cruising with Cunard.

After talking to the people at Cunard and seeing what they are doing with pricing we kind of get the idea that they are just like and other business that has to put fannies in the seats. We were told over the phone that other catagories are getting rebates also not just those of us in steerage. I understand what you are saying about hey you are sailing on the Queen Mary, but if they cheapen the way they treat you it may as well be the Carnival Queen with better food.

We are mainly RCCL customers and have cruised a total of 7 times on 4 different lines, none as classy as Cunard is supposed to be. I'll post what the final out come is. Unfortunately if all went well I wouldn't have written anything but that's human nature I guess.

[samkmm]

After back and forth between Cunard and the agency we used to book the cruise, Cunard is going to upgrade us at no charge to an obstructed balcony. Our only complaint was that if your are giving rebates and reductions to customers, give it to everyone We are thrilled that we are able to cruise on the Queen Mary and as we haven't ever had a balcony it's even better.

 

Thanks to your postings we were able to follow up on the reductions and we got a good deal also.

[2moose]

"'HOW LOW CAN THEY GO????" HOW ABOUT "$999. usd FOR A B-6 APRIL 22 DEPARTURE" THIS WAS JUST EMAILED TO ME FROM CUNARD TODAY BON VOYAGR

[guernseyguy]

HOW ABOUT "$999. usd FOR A B-6 APRIL 22 DEPARTURE"

 

And $899 for same cabin on web TA.......

 

Peter

[2moose]

CUNARD HAS ALL THE ATTIBUTES OF A DOG EXCEPT LOYALTY !!!!!(which is the only attribute a dog has) bon voyage 2 moose

[JPEvans]

CUNARD HAS ALL THE ATTIBUTES OF A DOG EXCEPT LOYALTY !!!!!(which is the only attribute a dog has) bon voyage 2 moose

What is that supposed to mean? I'm sailing on Wednesday, and I got money back because the price went down. I thought that was nice of them. And they also upgraded my cabin.

[2moose]

some get treated better than others but none get treated the same.truly unfair. im not complaining just stating the facts. also this transition perioid they are going thru is hectic at best. glad to hear you are happy. best regards

[mufi]

some get treated better than others but none get treated the same.truly unfair.

 

Sounds like human life on Earth.

 

David.

[2moose]

your right but seldom do you pay for the privilege

[Gypsea]

Paul NH. and friends,

 

Hi, I am a NH neighbor and and an outside agent for a large internet based company. I know how you feel. The reason I got into this business is because the same thing happened to me on the NCL Dawn in '03. I booked eight monthsin advance in an outside cabin through an internet company (not direct with NCL). The price went down immediately and the company honored it. Still, when I was on this board hooking up with other travellers I realized everyone else paid lots less for balconies or were upgraded to mini's and even penthouses (I am serious). My family of four were stuck in our obstructed outside for more than the rest were paying for better. Fare code they kept telling me. Whatever!

 

Now that I'm in the business I know a few things. Booking last minute means if you need a triple/quad cabin or a particular date or cabin type you will likely be out of luck. If you are flexible you will find something that will work. Also, it does not necessarily mean you will pay less if you book last minute. If a sailing is popular they never drop the rates, in fact they OFTEN go up. They know it will sell out.

 

I ask all of you NOT to book direct. You are not going to pay less with them, ever. This is because most companies will allow us to discount and we will do so. After all, some commission is better than none.

 

In defense of Cunard, they have to fill this massive ship or as close as they can come to it. The staff and crew depend on those cabins being full. The newness has worn off and there are soft sailings (early Dec and Jan and March/April by the looks). A ship this large cannot stay afloat without people to buy photos, gamble, tip and drink. It seems they should happily appease their guests who do book direct particularly before final payment. All bets are off after that in most cases. They are missing the boat on this as this allows them to keep all the commission as one writer pointed out.

 

Therefore, I urge you to use agents because they want you to come back again next cruise and they will fight, when necessary, to keep you happy. I have been a hairstylist also for close to 30 years and I know the value of repeat business as do most travel agents. In both businesses I am making money because of repeat customers. I treat them well and they appreciate that.

 

Bon Voyage, sailors!

[guernseyguy]

Got mail from Cunard UK offering specials on the Eastbound April 10 & 22 crossings - Balcony from £999 including flights.....a good deal, until you consider you can get (excluding flights) same crossing for $899! on web TA's......when are they going to figure out that we've worked out how to use the internet.....personally I find RCCL's pricing policy less insulting......

Peter