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Good Price for 7 day cruise?

firsttimecruiser9876
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firsttimecruiser9876

firsttimecruiser9876

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Posted

Hi all! Need some help from experienced cruisers. Only my 2nd time cruising so still learning the ropes.

 

What is a "good" price for a balcony 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise out of port Canaveral? I am seeing around $2800, which seems a bit high. Perhaps there is usually a big sale during Christmas? I want to pick out a cruise and then jump on it when the price is right, but need help with what is a good price? Thanks for any help you all can give me!

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Drazil65

Drazil65

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Posted

pick the itinerary and the ship you want then purchase the "cheapest real estate" on the ship, you can always upgrade later when you see prices go down or just call and they will tell you how much to upgrade to balcony.

 

We are cruising NYE week (typically one of the most expensive weeks of year)on the Liberty, got in on the Halloween sale for an inside guarantee, 4 days later they called us and offered us balcony on deck 7 for $200 extra out the door, pd total all in...$2200 for 3 of us with great location on deck 7.

 

So narrow down your ships and your itinerary then just jump on best sale you see, upgrade later....;)

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richstowe Great Review Rare

richstowe

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Posted

You know the old adage in real estate is that the 3 most important factors in price are location,

location, location.

Well with cruises it is the date of the cruise . If you can cruise off season , you can pay less then $100 PP ,

per day for a balcony. Sometimes significantly less then this. Calculate all in price including

service and port charges. So the answer is not "What is a "good" price" but when is a good price.;)

 

Having said that, flexibility is also important . Not limiting yourself to a particular cruise line or

ship will improve the chances of getting a good deal . Of course everyone has to define what

a good deal means to them . Downgrading away from balcony is the easy option.

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Idislikeusernames

Idislikeusernames

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We paid just over 1,300.00 for 2 adults and our daughter who is 9 for a balcony room. We are going Jan 4th and booked it at the end of October.

Eastern Caribbean

 

Last year I paid around $ 380/person and we went 3rd week of January. Also a Balcony room and once again booked late October, possibly the first week of November.

Eastern Caribbean

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winddawn

winddawn

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Posted (edited)
Hi all! Need some help from experienced cruisers. Only my 2nd time cruising so still learning the ropes.

 

What is a "good" price for a balcony 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise out of port Canaveral? I am seeing around $2800, which seems a bit high. Perhaps there is usually a big sale during Christmas? I want to pick out a cruise and then jump on it when the price is right, but need help with what is a good price? Thanks for any help you all can give me!

It really depends on when you want to cruise. Last minute deals tend to be the best. Right now about the cheapest 7 day balcony on Carnival that I see is Sunshine on January 17th for $579 per person plus tax/port charges, but that is Western Caribbean. Or for Eastern Caribbean balcony $779 per person plus tax/port charges on January 10th on Sunshine.

 

How flexible are you on when you cruise? Or do you have a specific timeframe in mind?

Edited by winddawn
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firsttimecruiser9876

firsttimecruiser9876

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Yes I have cruised Carnival before. Looking to cruise somewhere between Late march and may. I am from SC, was hoping to sail liberty or sunshine from port canaveral. 2 people. Pricing aren't looking that law right now so may have to wait it out or choose something later....I guess the best thing to do is pick an itinerary and a ship or two and wait out a sale! I just wasn't sure if cruises that time a year ever sold out....

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katiel53

katiel53

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Carnival Liberty is moving to San Juan so it won't be available when you are interested in sailing. Sunshine is usually more expensive and not doing as well as Carnival expected it to do so taking away Liberty and putting Valor in there should drum up more business for Carnival by those wanting 2.0 upgrades. This is my opinion and I don't have proof to back it up other than looking at prices and availability on the Carnival site.

 

I haven't looked at prices for Valor, but if you are able to get to Miami, it seems that prices are considerably lower than cruising from Pt Canaveral. We usually sail from Pt Canaveral, but we are sailing on Breeze from Miami in a balcony for 8 days cheaper than sailing from Pt Canaveral.

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hartsnvt

hartsnvt

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Posted
Yes I have cruised Carnival before. Looking to cruise somewhere between Late march and may. I am from SC, was hoping to sail liberty or sunshine from port canaveral. 2 people. Pricing aren't looking that law right now so may have to wait it out or choose something later....I guess the best thing to do is pick an itinerary and a ship or two and wait out a sale! I just wasn't sure if cruises that time a year ever sold out....

In late March the Valor is coming to Port Canaveral and the Liberty will be home ported in San Juan. So your choices will be Sunshine or Valor out of PC in late March to May.

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nydney1 Great Review Rare

nydney1

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Posted (edited)

You asked the million dollar question and will get many different answers. Here is my two cents.

 

The price of the cruise has several factors:

 

Time of Year

Depending on the time of year the cost per person can differ up to $50 per person per day. If you are not limited on when you can travel, you can save a substantial amount of money.

 

Number of people

You answered this as there are only two in your room.

 

Departure Port

You mentioned that you were in SC and I assume that you are driving. Look at other ports as well. It may be worth the extra couple of hours to drive to Tampa to save a few hundred $$. Spirit Airlines is cheap/no frills and flys out of SC. It might make Miami an option which often has cheaper sailing rates.

 

Ship

Some of the older ships which have less features may be a better value. You can still have a great time on a ship without all the bells and whistles.

 

Ports of Call

This also plays a role in the cost of the cruise. Follow me on this one. Depending on the ports you may spend more on shore excursions. While this is not in the base cost of the cruise, it still will be money out of your pocket. If you know that you are going to spend all your time in port and only have one sea day, then your ship does not need all the bells and whistles. If you have multiple sea days and do not plan on many shore excursions, then the ship is itself a destination and you may want to spend a little more on the ship that you choose.

 

Length of Cruise

I know that you said you are looking at a 7 day, but look at the 5 day cruises and spending an additional day or two at the departure city. There is a ton to do in Orlando and the 5 days can be much cheaper than the 7 day cruises.

 

Rate Type

There are several different rate types, just like an airline. Some are cheaper but have more restrictions (changing rooms, changing ships, changing people) some are more expensive but less restrictive.

 

There is even a guarantee room that just provides you a room on the ship. You may look at a balcony guarantee that will guarantee you a balcony, you just won't know where il closer to your sailing.

 

I would recommend using a PVP or Travel Agent to you feel comfortable making the decisions yourself. They can help guide you with your decisions. Cruise Critic is also a great resource.

 

I hope this helps, enjoy your trip.

Edited by nydney1
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SNJCruisers

SNJCruisers

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Posted (edited)

Are you going to be driving to the port or flying? If you're flying, the reposition cruise of the Liberty from Port Canaveral to San Juan on 3/22 would be your best choice economically for the time parameters you mentioned. It's 709 for a balcony, instead of 949 the previous week. An inside is only 379. It also stops at Tortola, which is still on my bucket list after 25 cruises and has been highly rated on many boards.

Good luck with your decision. Edit....the 240 difference in rate would cover the airfare on Southwest from San Juan to Orlando as well as the shuttle from Orlando to the port, assuming that you were driving.

Edited by SNJCruisers
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lifeisgoodPat

lifeisgoodPat

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Posted
You asked the million dollar question and will get many different answers. Here is my two cents.

 

The price of the cruise has several factors:

 

Time of Year

Depending on the time of year the cost per person can differ up to $50 per person per day. If you are not limited on when you can travel, you can save a substantial amount of money.

 

Number of people

You answered this as there are only two in your room.

 

Departure Port

You mentioned that you were in SC and I assume that you are driving. Look at other ports as well. It may be worth the extra couple of hours to drive to Tampa to save a few hundred $$. Spirit Airlines is cheap/no frills and flys out of SC. It might make Miami an option which often has cheaper sailing rates.

 

Ship

Some of the older ships which have less features may be a better value. You can still have a great time on a ship without all the bells and whistles.

 

Ports of Call

This also plays a role in the cost of the cruise. Follow me on this one. Depending on the ports you may spend more on shore excursions. While this is not in the base cost of the cruise, it still will be money out of your pocket. If you know that you are going to spend all your time in port and only have one sea day, then your ship does not need all the bells and whistles. If you have multiple sea days and do not plan on many shore excursions, then the ship is itself a destination and you may want to spend a little more on the ship that you choose.

 

Length of Cruise

I know that you said you are looking at a 7 day, but look at the 5 day cruises and spending an additional day or two at the departure city. There is a ton to do in Orlando and the 5 days can be much cheaper than the 7 day cruises.

 

Rate Type

There are several different rate types, just like an airline. Some are cheaper but have more restrictions (changing rooms, changing ships, changing people) some are more expensive but less restrictive.

 

There is even a guarantee room that just provides you a room on the ship. You may look at a balcony guarantee that will guarantee you a balcony, you just won't know where il closer to your sailing.

 

I would recommend using a PVP or Travel Agent to you feel comfortable making the decisions yourself. They can help guide you with your decisions. Cruise Critic is also a great resource.

 

I hope this helps, enjoy your trip.

 

Very impressive answer! Not one answer would ever do for everyone...

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