penalized for booking early

[t00thpix]

It seems like we are penalized every time we book early to get a good choice of cabin. There is always a special that gives more Perks than when I booked. How do you handle this?:confused:

[Clarea]

Are you saying that you are not able to get price drops or perks if your cruise is before final payment date?

[sooper]

Cancel and rebook?

[mcrcruiser]

It seems like we are penalized every time we book early to get a good choice of cabin. There is always a special that gives more Perks than when I booked. How do you handle this?:confused:

 

You can cancel & rebook to get those extra perks before final payment & hoping that your cabin is still available ;)

 

There are always trade offs & only you can decide what is more important ,the extra perks or the cabin location :eek:

[Fouremco]

In most cases, we have found that the price saving from buying early more than offsets the cost of perks that might be offered later. On the very few occasions we've found that we could save money by rebooking, we've been able to retain our cabin. Pretty much a win-win situation, which is why we always book as soon as possible.

[ShawninFL]

That's sort of the way it works. If you book early, you're probably doing so because you want a specific cabin or cabin location and you have the pick of the ship. When specific sailings are not selling, the cruise line lowers the price and/or adds incentives to get people to book that sailing. Most of the super deals are for guarantee categories. This means the cruise line selects their cabin for them and they could end up with a not so desirable location/cabin. This is the trade off. Personally, we rarely book early as cabin location is a low priority for us. Getting the most bang for the buck is more important to us, thus we let pricing dictate where we're going to go. Thus we sacrifice being able to get a prime cabin location in order to get the best deal.

[grandgeezer]

That's sort of the way it works. If you book early, you're probably doing so because you want a specific cabin or cabin location and you have the pick of the ship. When specific sailings are not selling, the cruise line lowers the price and/or adds incentives to get people to book that sailing. Most of the super deals are for guarantee categories. This means the cruise line selects their cabin for them and they could end up with a not so desirable location/cabin. This is the trade off. Personally, we rarely book early as cabin location is a low priority for us. Getting the most bang for the buck is more important to us, thus we let pricing dictate where we're going to go. Thus we sacrifice being able to get a prime cabin location in order to get the best deal.

 

I agree.

I will also add, that we want to cruise, we don't have to. If the price doesn't drop to what we consider fair, we stay home, no big deal. Except for the last two or three years, we've averaged four cruises a year.

[chemmo]

Bucket list vs vacation would summarise us at the moment....There are certain destinations we want to do, some with significant milestone dates so they are booked. In between we want some vacations...we will watch, monitor and then book.

 

The 'price promise' from X has helped us greatly. We have booked at a price we are comfortable with but if there was a significant drop we do have some comeback. Got to say, as we monitor prices, we are winning from booking early at this stage!

[TeaBag]

It seems like we are penalized every time we book early to get a good choice of cabin. There is always a special that gives more Perks than when I booked. How do you handle this?:confused:

I know it's annoying when you see your class of cabin offered for less. The cruise we are taking in 3 wks went down a lot after final pmt. We upgraded to a guarantee suite for $25 each.

 

One thing to think about in booking early........if you join the roll call you can get in on private excursions and enjoy talking to your future friends. We booked a guarantee last year, about a month before sailing and it was disappointing to see all those lovely private excursions already full, plus everyone was already friends and we didn't know anyone. Just a thought, to make you feel better. Enjoy your cruise.

[CathyCruises]

I'm not sure what the 16 night Reflection April TA (Miami to Rome) started out at, but it is $799 for a balcony this week. Does not make me want to book early!

[barneymag]

I'm not sure what the 16 night Reflection April TA (Miami to Rome) started out at, but it is $799 for a balcony this week. Does not make me want to book early!

 

And again those in UK/EU do not get these offers .... Just checked Celebrity UK site and that same cruise would cost us £1900 ($2600) for a guarantee balcony or £2600 ($3600) for a 1A Balcony .... That between $1000 to $2000 per couple more for the same cruise depending which side of the Atlantic you live on .... Come on Celebrity get a grip !

Edited February 24, 2016 by barneymag

[SetU2]

I need to plan my time still so booking early is a must. My next cruise is still about 150% what I paid in December of 2014 when it was released. It might go below that in the final couple of months but oh well. I don't have the flexibility to do that and I was happy with the deal I got. All commerce is based on supply and demand but the travel industry, and not just cruises, seems to take that up a notch.

 

 

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[varoo]

And again those in UK/EU do not get these offers .... Just checked Celebrity UK site and that same cruise would cost us £1900 ($2600) for a guarantee balcony or £2600 ($3600) for a 1A Balcony .... That between $1000 to $2000 per couple more for the same cruise depending which side of the Atlantic you live on .... Come on Celebrity get a grip !

Can't you book it with a US travel agency?

 

Or, what would happen if you try to book it yourself on Celebrity's US site (http://www.celebritycruises.com) instead of their UK site?

 

If anyone has done this, when you get to the part where you enter your credit card info, will they accept it regardless of where your credit card was issued?

 

If you can use a credit card that does not charge a currency conversion fee and that Celebrity accepts, that would be great.

 

 

[MR_T]

And again those in UK/EU do not get these offers .... Just checked Celebrity UK site and that same cruise would cost us £1900 ($2600) for a guarantee balcony or £2600 ($3600) for a 1A Balcony .... That between $1000 to $2000 per couple more for the same cruise depending which side of the Atlantic you live on .... Come on Celebrity get a grip !

 

 

We in the uk can indeed get these offers... All you have to do is book through an American agent! [emoji4]

[justcrusn]

if you book early you get:

1st choice of cabins

Any price drops or perks offered up until final payment

 

If you want absolute low price and will take the leftover scraps of cabins book after final payment.

 

The old saying applies "you pays your money and takes your chances"

[CathyCruises]

if you book early you get:

1st choice of cabins

Any price drops or perks offered up until final payment

 

If you want absolute low price and will take the leftover scraps of cabins book after final payment.

 

The old saying applies "you pays your money and takes your chances"

 

Sometimes the 'scraps' can be quite good. For our guarantee balcony we got 6226, 2B on the flat part of the hump right at the midship elevators, starboard side, bed by bath, our perfect cabin!!!

[thecruise_guy]

It seems like we are penalized every time we book early to get a good choice of cabin. There is always a special that gives more Perks than when I booked. How do you handle this?:confused:

 

 

I bought a TV from Best Buy for $1000 6 months ago and now it is priced at $600 because they have a special. Can I call and get my $400 back? Absolutely not, the fact that the cruise line allows passengers to get the lower fare as long as they are before final payment date, is beyond generous. Depending on how you booked (senior rate, resident rate) you may give up that to get the perks but if it works for you then it works. It is not penalizing you, it is supply and demand, just as with any other company that sells a product or service (whether it be cars, electronics, clothes, etc.)

[Cuizer2]

Why is everyone talking about cancelling and rebooking. When I take advantage of a price drop all I do is ask my travel agent to rebook me at the lower rate. There is never a chance I'll lose my cabin. I've booked cruises more than two years in advance.

 

I booked a cabin on the Allure for September 2013. There were several price drops which I took advantage of. There was also one after final payment. I asked my travel agent to see if I could take advantage of it. No, but I was offer a two category free upgrade (from Central Park balcony to oceanview balcony).

 

I booked a grand suite while on the ship. The best price they could give me was $5,000 plus $200 OBC. I knew the prices was closer to $4,000, so as soon as I got off the ship I had my TA rebook me at the lower rate ($1,000 less), and I kept my $200 OBC.

 

No harm in booking early, however, I will no longer book a future cruise while on the ship.

 

Book early and look for price drops.

[james'mommy]

I book 2 years in advance because I want an aft balcony. I've called a couple of times and gotten repriced and added perks and still have the same cabin. Once they even gave me an extra $50 obc.

[janetz]

We just booked the Silhouette for April 2017 and picked the cabin we wanted.

My TA had a group discount for the cabin and we upgraded our cat under the Captain's club offer, saving 225 off the cabin. :)

With the drink package, (which saves us at least 600+), 400 from Celebrity and OBC from our TA, along with insurance, I think we got a great deal.

Most of our cruises are booked at least a year in advance and I am always watching the pricing.

Edited February 25, 2016 by janetz

[Algebralovr]

I usually book shortly after the schedule is released. My last few cruises have gone up a lot since I booked them. One of them went up over $1000 per person for the same cruise. You just never know.

 

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[lovemylab]

I bought a TV from Best Buy for $1000 6 months ago and now it is priced at $600 because they have a special. Can I call and get my $400 back? Absolutely not, the fact that the cruise line allows passengers to get the lower fare as long as they are before final payment date, is beyond generous.

 

I don't think that's a fair comparison.

 

With the TV, the price drop occurred after you received the product. With a cruise, the price drop occurred before receiving the product.

Edited February 25, 2016 by lovemylab

[monicajay]

Why is everyone talking about cancelling and rebooking. When I take advantage of a price drop all I do is ask my travel agent to rebook me at the lower rate. There is never a chance I'll lose my cabin. I've booked cruises more than two years in advance.

 

I booked a cabin on the Allure for September 2013. There were several price drops which I took advantage of. There was also one after final payment. I asked my travel agent to see if I could take advantage of it. No, but I was offer a two category free upgrade (from Central Park balcony to oceanview balcony).

 

I booked a grand suite while on the ship. The best price they could give me was $5,000 plus $200 OBC. I knew the prices was closer to $4,000, so as soon as I got off the ship I had my TA rebook me at the lower rate ($1,000 less), and I kept my $200 OBC.

 

No harm in booking early, however, I will no longer book a future cruise while on the ship.

 

Book early and look for price drops.

 

Only those living in North America can do upgrades like this. The rest of the world is 'stuck' when the prices drop.

[wowgirl/itguy]

It seems like we are penalized every time we book early to get a good choice of cabin. There is always a special that gives more Perks than when I booked. How do you handle this?:confused:

 

We booked our next cruise a year prior to the cruise date and I have called and taken advantage of about 4 price drops since then. I decide each time whether I want the price drop or the better cabin. We are now in a suite and are only paying $100 more than our window cabin and have $1000 OBC. I say booking early is the way to go.

[rockdoctor]

In most cases, we have found that the price saving from buying early more than offsets the cost of perks that might be offered later. On the very few occasions we've found that we could save money by rebooking, we've been able to retain our cabin. Pretty much a win-win situation, which is why we always book as soon as possible.

 

Agree completely. Book early!