Optimum time for booking saver fare

[smileon]

I have been watching fares for 2 cruises as a late extra break

Ventura 10th Sept and Oriana 12th Sept both 7 days.

When is likely to be the optimum time for getting a good deal? Should I hold out a little longer?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated

Thank you

[BrianI]

I think the optimum time is around six weeks before departure so a little early right now.

Brian

[rooftop]

Yes, I booked 6 weeks out and the price was at its lowest.

 

Having said that a few days ago, the Ventura cruise due to depart tomorrow on 9th was offering a balcony for 7 nights for £899 and 14 nights for £949 before they sold out. So you can occasionally get a properly last-minute bargain.

[majortom10]

There is no right or wrong answer its always a gamble its just a case of if you are happy with price book it. There is a chance that the price might go further down or up just check your cruise on P&Os website for up to date prices and if you are happy book it. A recent cruise on Azura to Baltics was reduced to £599 as a Saver fare but it soon went up and never came back down to that price prior to sailing.

[jeanlyon]

The saver fare on my cruise in October is exactly the difference between the Select fare minus our parking and OBC, so very glad we booked early when on board? Obviously it will come down further nearer the time

Edited July 9, 2014 by jeanlyon

[Midsomer Madness]

We booked an early saver fare for an Oriana cruise to the Canaries in November. We booked it just when the early saver fares were released and the current early saver price is £200 pp more than what we paid. I know that saver fares will come in a few months before sailing but I'm convinced the price won't be very much less than what we paid. I'm keeping an eye on it out of curiosity because we really did pay quite a silly price for 12 nights!

[smileon]

Thank you everyone

Just called P and o to check availability on the Ventura cruise and there appears to only a handful of cabins of each grade remaining so I think any reductions further are unlikely.

[majortom10]

Thank you everyone

Just called P and o to check availability on the Ventura cruise and there appears to only a handful of cabins of each grade remaining so I think any reductions further are unlikely.

 

Its always a gamble when to book but dont always believe what P&O reservations tell you they are not obviously going to say there are loads of cabins available in every grade because you will then wait in the hope of a lower price. They want you to think that there are not many cabins available so that you book now and P&O make more money, try ringing an independent TA and ask them how many cabins are left available they might give you a different view.

[doobs]

If it is any help, I booked a late saver deal last week on ventura for the N415A 7 day cruise from Venice. The booking was made about 10 days before our departure date of 16.7.14 , we got an accessible - disabled - balcony cabin, even though we are not disabled! Looks not too bad from the deck plan and review of the nearby area! Our travel agent gave us the impression it was one of the last balcony cabins available. Originally the balcony deal at that time was £699pp, then it temporarily doubled to £1399pp as I was trying to book it, then the travel agent rang to say they had secured it for less than £599pp! I jumped at it as I knew it was a good deal!

[ParCan]

To get the very best prices you need a lot of Bottle if you are fixed on Dates.

We were looking at X 13. 2 weeks in the Baltics. Price stayed well out of our budget. Called P&O and they said it was selling well.

Bottled out and booked a week in Norway as a late deal and got a very good price.

Foolishly looked at X413 after we got back and it had dropped to £665 2 weeks before it sailed.

 

There are some VERY good deals out there if you can get time off at short notice and be Flexible on when you can go.

[majortom10]

To get the very best prices you need a lot of Bottle if you are fixed on Dates.

We were looking at X 13. 2 weeks in the Baltics. Price stayed well out of our budget. Called P&O and they said it was selling well.

Bottled out and booked a week in Norway as a late deal and got a very good price.

Foolishly looked at X413 after we got back and it had dropped to £665 2 weeks before it sailed.

 

There are some VERY good deals out there if you can get time off at short notice and be Flexible on when you can go.

 

Never listen to what P&O reservations say about a particular cruise they are obviously going to say its selling well because as a business they want people to book early and pay higher prices. Oriana has had some very cheap deals throughout spring and summer so obviously not selling very well.

Edited July 15, 2014 by majortom10

[Skintman]

We've just booked Ventura for 20th August (14 nights), so less than 3 weeks before it sails. We got a great deal, but there were only 9 seats left on the flight from East Midlands (or so P&O told us).

 

If you are flexible, then leaving it until the last few weeks can pay dividends, but there is always the risk that it can fill up. If it does, just book with another cruise line or go somewhere else.

[shallwe]

There is no right or wrong answer its always a gamble its just a case of if you are happy with price book it. There is a chance that the price might go further down or up just check your cruise on P&Os website for up to date prices and if you are happy book it. A recent cruise on Azura to Baltics was reduced to £599 as a Saver fare but it soon went up and never came back down to that price prior to sailing.

 

I go along with majortom on this. We booked our first cruise for last February back in October/November 2013 and it turned out that that was the cheapest it ever got to.

 

It was a complete gamble and I paid the price I was happy with.

 

My Britannia cruise next year was booked very early on a Select fare which I know will be bettered on a saver fare later on. To me it was the price I wanted to pay (and I got the special offer at the time of 5% off for previous cruisers even though we still don't qualify for a penisular tier.

Edited August 1, 2014 by shallwe

[jeanlyon]

With two months to go to our Western Med cruise, prices have suddenly gone up by £300 for an inside cabin. The saver fare is only £50 less than we paid per person and doesn't have our £300 OBC and free parking, so even though there may be some last minutes, very glad we booked early.

[shallwe]

With two months to go to our Western Med cruise, prices have suddenly gone up by £300 for an inside cabin. The saver fare is only £50 less than we paid per person and doesn't have our £300 OBC and free parking, so even though there may be some last minutes, very glad we booked early.

 

We got exactly the same deal for the same cruise as you Jean. The main difference is we bought ours on board Oriana in February and ended up with £440 OBC!

So it doesn't always pay to wait, sometimes you just need a little bit of luck on your side. Although to be fair, the early saver fare did drop on this cruise at one short point to give a saving of about £200pp.

It shows how fluid the prices are though, our Britannia cruise in December 2015 has already gone up by £100pp, and there's still 17 months to go.

[Bronte30]

Our Britannia cruise next June has already gone up in price.

[pete14]

Many months ago we booked select fare cabins on Arcadia leaving next Friday and Adonia leaving early November. The deal we got on fares, parking and OBC when we booked has never been better. Select fares have risen and early saver / saver fares, based on the higher current select fares are still more than we paid for select. Of course we also get the select fare benefits. :)

 

The old getaway fares seemed to offer some great bargains. I am not sure that saver fares do the same especially as the select fares they are compared with may not the lowest select fares that have applied to the cruise.

[P&O SUE]

I was happy to book a select fare for next September but I have to wait for my holiday to be confirmed at work and we can't request them til Sept/Oct. There is a similar itinerary in June which has already been reduced to an early saver!

I am thinking by the time I can book my cruise there could be an early saver fare on it. Am I mad to book an early saver? I remember someone saying on here that select or saver was the best bet but I want some say in my choice of cabin etc! The money I would save would make up for the free car parking benefit I would choose as a select benefit.

[majortom10]

All cruises for next year, including Britannia, have increased since release of brochure due to removal of 5% early booking reduction which was given on brochure release for first 2-3 months nothing to do with whether the cruise is selling well or not.

Edited August 2, 2014 by majortom10

[jeanlyon]

We got exactly the same deal for the same cruise as you Jean. The main difference is we bought ours on board Oriana in February and ended up with £440 OBC!

So it doesn't always pay to wait, sometimes you just need a little bit of luck on your side. Although to be fair, the early saver fare did drop on this cruise at one short point to give a saving of about £200pp.

It shows how fluid the prices are though, our Britannia cruise in December 2015 has already gone up by £100pp, and there's still 17 months to go.

 

We also booked whilst on board Oriana and got extra OBC. Ours is an inside cabin. We also booked for a single friend.

[lake5298]

Just got a saver fare of £549 for December on Arcadia - when the other fare was £729 - so that's a good saving over 20 weeks ahead in this particular case.

[jeanlyon]

Yes but what goodies came with the higher fare? OBC - free parking? Looks like not much difference?

[janny444]

Yes but what goodies came with the higher fare? OBC - free parking? Looks like not much difference?

 

Just been looking at this cruise myself....doesn't make sense for us to book a Saver fare. Balcony cabin...select fare £999...saver fare £749....bit of saving...seemingly ....BUT...with select fare you have coach transfer....worth £95 to us...£160 OBC...shuttle bus included...choose cabin/dining....why would you do a "saver" fare

[jeanlyon]

My point exactly. I know you can get some very late deals, but early savers are often not worth what they seem.

Edited August 2, 2014 by jeanlyon

[Daftlad]

My point exactly. I know you can get some very late deals, but early savers are often not worth what they seem.

Saving almost £1500 by taking a saver deal over the select fare, will more than make up for the hardship of having to pay for a couple of shuttle runs, not knowing what sitting we are on, and a measly £70 pp OBC.