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El Cheapo Cruises Thread


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On 3/6/2020 at 1:18 PM, SinbadThePorter said:

To remind cruisers that we live in interesting times, some Inside pp fares:

 

March 18th, Voyager of the Seas, 10 nights Islands, $775

March 20th, Celebrity Solstice, 12 nights Qld & NZ, $982

March 21st, Ruby Princess, 14 nights Fiji, $ 989

March 22nd, Carnival Splendor, 12 nights Fiji, $792

April 1st, Queen Elizabeth, 11 nights NZ, $949

April 14th, Pacific Explorer, 10 nights Islands, $599

May 12th, Sapphire Princess, 10 nights Coral Coast, $664

 

As far as I can see, these fares are everywhere.

 

Those are some remarkable fares (if the ports are open).

Unfortunately, nervous people like me will never cruise in an inside cabin again (even for free).  It is a bit like once you've flown even basic business class, it is impossible to go back to economy.  It is now impossible for me to not know what I know.

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5 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Unfortunately, nervous people like me will never cruise in an inside cabin again (even for free).  It is a bit like once you've flown even basic business class, it is impossible to go back to economy.  It is now impossible for me to not know what I know.

I don't get why you would be nervous about an inside cabin. I can understand the desire for space and perhaps even daylight but I don't see that inside is any more dangerous than a balcony or oceanview. I would certainly take an inside cabin for free and would even be prepared to pay for it.

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16 minutes ago, nnps said:

I don't get why you would be nervous about an inside cabin. I can understand the desire for space and perhaps even daylight but I don't see that inside is any more dangerous than a balcony or oceanview. I would certainly take an inside cabin for free and would even be prepared to pay for it.

That is good, because the cruise lines will be counting on it.  I have cruised on more than my share of inside cabins.

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  • 1 month later...

At any other time this one I received today would look attractive. Might bookmark it.

 

PACKAGE HIGHLIGHTS & INCLUSIONS

• Return international flights
• Hotel stays in Istanbul before & after your cruise
• 9-night MSC Fantasia cruise from Istanbul to Piraeus, Corfu, Bari, Trieste, Katakolon, Kusadasi & return to Istanbul
• All meals and entertainment included onboard the ship
• Oceanview upgrade beginning from $23 per person, per night!
• Depart 6 April 2021
 

16 NIGHT FLY, STAY & CRUISE HOLIDAY PACKAGE FROM $2,899PP

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1 hour ago, lyndarra said:

At any other time this one I received today would look attractive. Might bookmark it.

 

 

 

PACKAGE HIGHLIGHTS & INCLUSIONS

 

• Return international flights
• Hotel stays in Istanbul before & after your cruise
• 9-night MSC Fantasia cruise from Istanbul to Piraeus, Corfu, Bari, Trieste, Katakolon, Kusadasi & return to Istanbul
• All meals and entertainment included onboard the ship
• Oceanview upgrade beginning from $23 per person, per night!
• Depart 6 April 2021
 

 

 

 

 

16 NIGHT FLY, STAY & CRUISE HOLIDAY PACKAGE FROM $2,899PP

 

 

A little to early for me to consider booking a cruise.😞

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2 hours ago, lyndarra said:

At any other time this one I received today would look attractive. Might bookmark it.

 

 

 

PACKAGE HIGHLIGHTS & INCLUSIONS

 

• Return international flights
• Hotel stays in Istanbul before & after your cruise
• 9-night MSC Fantasia cruise from Istanbul to Piraeus, Corfu, Bari, Trieste, Katakolon, Kusadasi & return to Istanbul
• All meals and entertainment included onboard the ship
• Oceanview upgrade beginning from $23 per person, per night!
• Depart 6 April 2021
 

 

 

 

 

16 NIGHT FLY, STAY & CRUISE HOLIDAY PACKAGE FROM $2,899PP

 

 

They want full payment upfront - with all the issues people are having getting refunds I personally will look very carefully in the future at cancellations fees etc. I don't think I could pay a non-refundable deposit of a large amount ever again.

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19 hours ago, Cruisegroover said:

They want full payment upfront - with all the issues people are having getting refunds I personally will look very carefully in the future at cancellations fees etc. I don't think I could pay a non-refundable deposit of a large amount ever again.

Have you travelled with MSC previously???!!!

my friend went wth them from Marsailles to Durban last year, worst wxperience of her life, she is an extremely well travelled lady on land and sea and said NEVER again

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For anyone interested (and game!!).....

 

Carnival Splendor

12 Oct 2020 - 9 nights.

Sydney to the islands and back (Noumea, Lifou, Mare, Isle of Pines)

Inside - $539 per person

Balcony (Guar) - $913 per person 

Aft view extended balcony - $1184 per person

Grand Suite - $2071 per person (if I was to do it, I would book this!!)

 

On that Oz site. 

 

Will the islands be open again by then? ......who knows. 

 

At least you get to buy some duty free grog on board!!

Edited by Fletch1
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Yeah, the cruise lines have been really lax about this - though of course it's in their economic interest.

 

What they should do is operate a trust program for any cruises in the next year, that if the passenger is eligible for a refund, it gets refunded immediately by the escrow operator. None of this 6 months wait.

 

I'm not willing to put funds into something with such uncertainty that if it falls through I'm then at even more risk and hassle of getting the money back.

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On 5/29/2020 at 1:57 PM, Cruisegroover said:

They want full payment upfront - with all the issues people are having getting refunds I personally will look very carefully in the future at cancellations fees etc. I don't think I could pay a non-refundable deposit of a large amount ever again.

Have you given any thought to were they are going to get the crew from

many are still stick on ships waiting to get home

IMHO this is wishful thinking. Sorry 😪😪

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10 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

Yeah, the cruise lines have been really lax about this - though of course it's in their economic interest.

 

What they should do is operate a trust program for any cruises in the next year, that if the passenger is eligible for a refund, it gets refunded immediately by the escrow operator. None of this 6 months wait.

 

I'm not willing to put funds into something with such uncertainty that if it falls through I'm then at even more risk and hassle of getting the money back.

In this case it's not only the cruise lines, it's that specific TA. They require final payment three months earlier than the cruise line's final payment date plus I have seen posts elsewhere from people saying they have been told that their refunds will take another 90 days from the time the TA receives the refund from the cruise line (which may take 90 days).

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10 hours ago, ninjacat8 said:

Have you given any thought to were they are going to get the crew from

many are still stick on ships waiting to get home

IMHO this is wishful thinking. Sorry 😪😪

I should have said I did a dummy booking to see what the terms and conditions were. I have no intention of booking any cruise for awhile. I recently cancelled a 41 night HAL cruise to South America and Antarctica next January which I paid a very large deposit which I knew was fully refundable until 4 months out. Had it not been refundable when I booked I would not have booked it. I am unlikely to see that money for months to come hence why I in the future will not be committing large sums of money many many months in advance even if it is refundable.

 

I am surprised that such companies are wanting full payment for cruises so far in advance after the bad publicity some TAs have got recently. The same company is advertising a Singapore to Brisbane cruise Nov 2021 with full payment required upfront. This is clearly the way some businesses do business and some lesser experienced people will book it but I suspect most will not.

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3 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

In this case it's not only the cruise lines, it's that specific TA. They require final payment three months earlier than the cruise line's final payment date plus I have seen posts elsewhere from people saying they have been told that their refunds will take another 90 days from the time the TA receives the refund from the cruise line (which may take 90 days).

 

You can always switch to another TA then.

 

But bit harder to switch to another cruise line (in terms of itinerary, dates, pricing and so on).

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53 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

 

You can always switch to another TA then.

 

But bit harder to switch to another cruise line (in terms of itinerary, dates, pricing and so on).

I refused to book with that TA after reading their T&Cs. 😲

 

In fact after a minor tussle with another online travel booking agency to get a refund, rather than a credit note, when the hotel itself had cancelled the booking at no cost, I don't think I'll be using any TAs or booking agencies any time soon, except for one US TA who is a real gem.

 

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2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I refused to book with that TA after reading their T&Cs. 😲

 

In fact after a minor tussle with another online travel booking agency to get a refund, rather than a credit note, when the hotel itself had cancelled the booking at no cost, I don't think I'll be using any TAs or booking agencies any time soon, except for one US TA who is a real gem.

 

I could not agree more. I will never use a TA in Oz ever again but my US TA is brilliant. He goes in to bat for me, is available all hours, gets me a OBC every cruise and to top it all off he is very polite and respectful. I tell him we need him over here, he says all my Australian clients say that.

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On 6/2/2020 at 9:14 AM, OzKiwiJJ said:

In this case it's not only the cruise lines, it's that specific TA. They require final payment three months earlier than the cruise line's final payment date plus I have seen posts elsewhere from people saying they have been told that their refunds will take another 90 days from the time the TA receives the refund from the cruise line (which may take 90 days).

 

Sometimes they also want final payment 6 months before sailing. Usually when a "Sale Special" is offered, eg....$1 per person deposit.  

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On 6/2/2020 at 10:05 AM, Cruisegroover said:

I should have said I did a dummy booking to see what the terms and conditions were. I have no intention of booking any cruise for awhile. I recently cancelled a 41 night HAL cruise to South America and Antarctica next January which I paid a very large deposit which I knew was fully refundable until 4 months out. Had it not been refundable when I booked I would not have booked it. I am unlikely to see that money for months to come hence why I in the future will not be committing large sums of money many many months in advance even if it is refundable.

 

I am surprised that such companies are wanting full payment for cruises so far in advance after the bad publicity some TAs have got recently. The same company is advertising a Singapore to Brisbane cruise Nov 2021 with full payment required upfront. This is clearly the way some businesses do business and some lesser experienced people will book it but I suspect most will not.

 

That is one cruise that has been on our radar for a while. We have done Antarctica scenic cruising before on Celebrity, but the itinerary on HAL is much better, spending a few more days in the Antarctic region.....maybe 2022 for us????

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On 6/2/2020 at 1:30 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:

I refused to book with that TA after reading their T&Cs. 😲

 

In fact after a minor tussle with another online travel booking agency to get a refund, rather than a credit note, when the hotel itself had cancelled the booking at no cost, I don't think I'll be using any TAs or booking agencies any time soon, except for one US TA who is a real gem.

 

 

We use a particular US TA as well. Much better booking conditions than booking here in Aus. Just a gamble with the US$-AUD$ conversion. We cancelled a cruise in early March and made 20% in the change over, whereas if we cancelled the same cruise now with the US$ high, we would have lost money!.

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I should have said I did a dummy booking to see what the terms and conditions were. I have no intention of booking any cruise for awhile. I recently cancelled a 41 night HAL cruise to South America and Antarctica next January which I paid a very large deposit which I knew was fully refundable until 4 months out. Had it not been refundable when I booked I would not have booked it. I am unlikely to see that money for months to come hence why I in the future will not be committing large sums of money many many months in advance even if it is refundable.

 

I am surprised that such companies are wanting full payment for cruises so far in advance after the bad publicity some TAs have got recently. The same company is advertising a Singapore to Brisbane cruise Nov 2021 with full payment required upfront. This is clearly the way some businesses do business and some lesser experienced people will book it but I suspect most will not.

Oh my god, do you think they will default on your refund?

How much money is blocked with the cruise line?

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On 6/2/2020 at 5:58 PM, MicCanberra said:

Many will need to readjust their T&Cs if they want business in the future, especially once people have used their FCCs, credits, etc.

And even more reason TAs should still need insurance.

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On 6/2/2020 at 4:11 PM, jland said:

I could not agree more. I will never use a TA in Oz ever again but my US TA is brilliant. He goes in to bat for me, is available all hours, gets me a OBC every cruise and to top it all off he is very polite and respectful. I tell him we need him over here, he says all my Australian clients say that.

 

I have a lady similar to your description. I email her direct now to get my quotes. Always available, even straight after surgery!!!...on reduced hours of course!

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3 hours ago, drsel said:

Oh my god, do you think they will default on your refund?

How much money is blocked with the cruise line?

No why would they? We are within the t&cs.  If they go bellyup maybe but there is nothing I can do about that. 

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