Good sign or bad sign?

[Jim Avery]

Just received an email for last minute offers for 4 QM2 7 day TAs, 3 in Nov, 1 in Dec for $399 inside! Have never seen TAs that low. A good thing or signs of future cutbacks???

[bunkrest]

A good thing if you can go at short notice 😉

 

 

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[PunkiC]

Just got a price of $599 in balcony for December 12th. We will be in Paris until December 9th so we are tempted to cancel our flight and sail back to New York and see our daughter just before Christmas. So very tempting if we could get decent flights from NYC home. It is always pretty crazy flying that close to Christmas.

[Jim Avery]

Just got a price of $599 in balcony for December 12th. We will be in Paris until December 9th so we are tempted to cancel our flight and sail back to New York and see our daughter just before Christmas. So very tempting if we could get decent flights from NYC home. It is always pretty crazy flying that close to Christmas.

 

That sounds like a great trip. If you have the time, maybe a train to Seattle via Chicago? We loved our "roomette" on the Sunset Limited. Just have to realize it WILL be late... sometimes very late. But still a fun trip. Beats 39F on Delta.:eek::D:D

[balf]

Just received an email for last minute offers for 4 QM2 7 day TAs, 3 in Nov, 1 in Dec for $399 inside! Have never seen TAs that low. A good thing or signs of future cutbacks???

 

Jim, you'd have to run up a good bar bill for Cunard to make any profit on that one.

 

David.

[Jim Avery]

Jim, you'd have to run up a good bar bill for Cunard to make any profit on that one.

 

David.

 

It's been known to happen.:eek::D:D

[BlueRiband]

Short term it's good for anybody who has the flexibility of time to go on short notice.

 

Long term it's not good as Cunard will cut back on late season TAs if they have to drop prices this low.

[tangoll]

Jim Avery: May I ask what is sailing date of the $399 TA in Dec? East or Westbound? Thank you.

[Jim Avery]

Jim Avery: May I ask what is sailing date of the $399 TA in Dec? East or Westbound? Thank you.

 

Sorry to say I have deleted the email as I was unable to cancel prior travel to take advantage of the great pricing.

Westbound 15 December. Just dug through the trash.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Jim Avery

[bluemarble]

Jim Avery: May I ask what is sailing date of the $399 TA in Dec? East or Westbound? Thank you.

 

Sorry to say I have deleted the email as I was unable to cancel prior travel to take advantage of the great pricing.

Westbound 15 December. Just dug through the trash.

 

I received a similar e-mail from Cunard although my e-mail only mentioned three sailing dates. The dates quoted in the e-mail I received were 12 Nov (Westbound), 19 Nov (Eastbound), and 15 Dec (Westbound).

 

The base fares quoted are

$399 Inside

$499 Oceanview

$599 Balcony

 

Regards,

John.

Edited November 1, 2014 by bluemarble

[Dancer Bob]

All the standard cop-outs, "does not apply to singles". I'm so disgusted I won't even call for quotes any more.

They also accused me of being one of their most loyal customers. Given that I've booked 33 days on Costa and zero days on Cunard this winter, they must be in a sorry state if that's the case.

[Artemis]

^ Hmmm, at those rates x2 for a single, that is still quite a favorable fare for a crossing on QM2. 7 nights lodging, meals and ballroom orchestra and dancing, not to mention all of the other entertainment and onboard ambience a voyage on a Queen offers, for under $1,000 is quite a travel bargain. If your goal is to pay just those rates as a single, then the Carnival and NCL deals frequently posted on the Solos forum might be appealing opportunities!

 

 

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[Artemis]

OP, as a SH, I think it's a bad sign! And also as a traveler, even as it would be hard to resist grabbing the deal--there are likely to be cutbacks if this kind of pricing to fill the ship occurs with frequency, not to mention the potential for erosion of the characteristics of the Cunard brand many loyalists hold dear. OTOH, viewing Cunard from a business perspective, I do think it is facing sustainability challenges. I think it is vital that Cunard identify and implement some forward-thinking strategies to marry old and new travel models.

 

 

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[Salacia]

Increasingly, I've received offers for some crazy-low-fares from several cruise lines that I've sailed with, not just Cunard. So my guess is that filling the ship is an industry wide problem. Although I must say (or write, as the case may be), that I was very surprised to see an offer for $399 on an inside QM2 cabin for a TA. If my math is correct, that's $57 per person per night:eek:. Perhaps the lower fuel costs allows for added economy, and by extending these special rates to past passengers (our on-board spend does tend to add-up), the ship won't be sailing at a loss?

 

Anyway, the profits for CCL appear to be healthy, and CCL stock (NYSE) has rebounded. I'm happy for past passengers who are able to take advantage themselves of these special rates while they are available. Cheers, -S.

[fishywood]

^ Hmmm, at those rates x2 for a single, that is still quite a favorable fare for a crossing on QM2.

 

But as Dancer Bob said, Cunard will NOT sell a single cabin at 200% of this rate--a solo must pay rack rate plus supplement unless you find one of the few promotions available at solo occupancy. I just tried to do a mock booking on the $599 balcony and when I changed the number of passengers from 2 to 1 I got "no booking information available for this sailing"

[Salacia]

"advantage themselves" - yikes, I wrote that? What the hell language is that?

[Salacia]

But as Dancer Bob said, Cunard will NOT sell a single cabin at 200% of this rate--a solo must pay rack rate plus supplement unless you find one of the few promotions available at solo occupancy. I just tried to do a mock booking on the $599 balcony and when I changed the number of passengers from 2 to 1 I got "no booking information available for this sailing"

 

Hi fishywood. I just went to an on-line travel website that I've used in the past, and this is what it showed: (regional rates may differ)

 

 

 

 

Wed, Nov, 12, 2014

Depart:

 

Wed, Nov, 19, 2014

Return:

 

Cunard

Cruise Line:

 

Queen Mary 2

Ship:

 

7 Days Transatlantic & Repositioning

Description:

 

Guests:

1 Adult

 

Departure Airport:

Cruise Only

 

Category:

Standard Inside IB

 

 

Pricing:

 

(1) Cruise Fare$1,153.00

 

(1) Government Fees$82.52

 

(1) ON BOARD CREDIT ($150.00)Free

 

*EST. TOTAL$1,235.52

Edited November 1, 2014 by Salacia

[Salacia]

I received a similar e-mail from Cunard although my e-mail only mentioned three sailing dates. The dates quoted in the e-mail I received were 12 Nov (Westbound), 19 Nov (Eastbound), and 15 Dec (Westbound).

 

The base fares quoted are

$399 Inside

$499 Oceanview

$599 Balcony

 

Regards,

John.

 

Yes, that is also what was specified in the e-mail I received from Cunard.

 

For those who might be interested, here are the terms and conditions quoted from the e-mail offer:

 

FARE DETAILS

 

* New bookings only. Full payment is required at time of booking. Additional stateroom categories may be available at higher fares. Fares apply to minimum lead-in categories on a space-available basis at time of reservation. Fares for other categories not shown may vary. Fares are per person, do not include air travel, are cruise only, based on double occupancy and apply to the first two passengers in a stateroom. These fares do not apply to singles or third/fourth-berth passengers. Taxes, Fees, and Port Expenses of up to $85 per person are additional and subject to change. This offer is capacity-controlled, nontransferable, subject to change, and may not be combinable with any other public, group or past passenger discount, including On Board Credit. Offer is available to residents of the 50 United States, Canada, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Mexico and the District of Columbia who are 21 years of age or older and receive this offer. Fares quoted in U.S. dollars. Please refer to the applicable Cunard brochure or Cunard.com for terms, conditions and definitions that apply to all reservations. Ask about our applicable air add-on programme. Please reference promotion code: UE8. Offer expires 07 November 2014. Ships’ Registry: Bermuda. ©Cunard 2014. The Cunard logo and logotype are registered trademarks of Carnival plc, an English company trading as Cunard Line. Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria are trademarks owned by Cunard. All rights reserved in the United States and other countries. Note: For assistance reserving a wheelchair-accessible stateroom, please contact customer service at 1-800-728-6273

[babs135]

Following this thread with interest. We have booked the westbound crossing on the 15th December and will be 3 adults in one cabin. The prices here in the UK had gone down (gone up slightly in the last 10 days) so we rang our ta to ask how much to take 1 adult out of the cabin and into one of their own. Took 4 phone calls before we got a reply which was an extra £500 ($800); needless to say we didn't bother. We had set a maximum limit of £300 which we felt was fair.

 

Did wonder whether it was worth ringing Cunard direct but having read the comments posted here I doubt we would get anywhere. Seems a shame that they dangle a carrot, but when you look into it the deal is not as good as it seems (for a single passenger).

[fantasy51]

Babs, when you are on board, go to the purser's desk and ask again how much you would have to pay for one of your travellers to move cabin. A couple of friends had difficulty sharing a room (sleep issues as one of them snored) and one of them managed to move to an empty cabin for a very reasonable rate.

[fg_hb]

In Germany the crossings Hamburg to New York on Nov, 10th and New York to Southampton on Nov, 19th inside are advertised for €899 including the flights over the pond, eastbound also include transfer to Heathrow and flight to Germany. Single surcharge is 25%

Unfortunately I can not do the trips, because I'm ill :-(

But I think if I were not ill I had done my booking early and had paid more money.

 

I like Nov. crossings, but I think there will be none the next two years. Next year there will be a cruise to the Caribbean and the year after I think there will be the refit.

[Artemis]

fishywood, thanks for the scoop, and sorry, Dancer Bob, I was unaware of Cunard's policy that thwarts a solo's ability to simply pay 200%. Isn't that uncommon in the travel industry? In fact, I can envision how it could produce a rash of last-minute ill partner scenarios--why foster that artifice?

 

 

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[babs135]

Babs, when you are on board, go to the purser's desk and ask again how much you would have to pay for one of your travellers to move cabin. A couple of friends had difficulty sharing a room (sleep issues as one of them snored) and one of them managed to move to an empty cabin for a very reasonable rate.

 

Thanks for that tip. Will definitely have a word once we are on board. Just under seven weeks and counting :D

[Artemis]

Salacia, both good points. The weeks between American Thanskgiving and Christmas have historically been the lowest occupany hence lowest rates across the cruise industry, so maybe this isn't that alarming. And Carnival stock has been a decent investment for us, and I see it remaining so, although I still have concerns about the future of the Cunard brand.

 

 

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Edited November 1, 2014 by Artemis

[rsquare]

All the standard cop-outs, "does not apply to singles". I'm so disgusted I won't even call for quotes any more.

They also accused me of being one of their most loyal customers. Given that I've booked 33 days on Costa and zero days on Cunard this winter, they must be in a sorry state if that's the case.

 

I had booked the 12 November WB TA some time ago for $1999 as a solo in a BD sheltered balcony. When a similar deal dropped into my in-box after making my final payment, I asked my TA if there was any way to take advantage. Cunard's answer was "no, but we'll give you an upgrade." So I'm in a BA open balcony now.

 

Yes, it's unfair not to be able to take advantage of deals like this, but they can apparently be used for some leverage. From Cunard's point of view, they are moving that BA stateroom to NY whether occupied or not, so why not make a passenger feel good, and free up a cheaper sheltered balcony for a possible new booking?