Few questions re: Best Place and Time to Book Next Cruises and Price Reductions

[AidenL]

Hi all,

 

Just back from our first cruise on the Celebrity Equinox from Rome to Barcelona and my wife and I loved it so we are thinking about where to go next.

 

I have a few questions which I hope you experienced cruisers may be able to help with:

 

Firstly, I see many of you refer to price drops between the time you booked and the time you sailed – did you book directly with Celebrity or via a Travel Agent? I ask because I booked with celebrity direct last December, but I hadn’t received any communications regarding price reductions.

 

Is there a benefit to booking early, or is it better to wait till last minute.

 

I suppose with offers on OBC and drinks packages, its hard to compare like with like.

 

Essentially, Im wondering who is best to book with, to ensure guaranteed price reductions as prices fall closer to sailing time?

 

Thanks in advance.

[ChucktownSteve]

Hi all,

 

Just back from our first cruise on the Celebrity Equinox from Rome to Barcelona and my wife and I loved it so we are thinking about where to go next.

 

I have a few questions which I hope you experienced cruisers may be able to help with:

 

Firstly, I see many of you refer to price drops between the time you booked and the time you sailed – did you book directly with Celebrity or via a Travel Agent? I ask because I booked with celebrity direct last December, but I hadn’t received any communications regarding price reductions.

 

Is there a benefit to booking early, or is it better to wait till last minute.

 

I suppose with offers on OBC and drinks packages, its hard to compare like with like.

 

Essentially, Im wondering who is best to book with, to ensure guaranteed price reductions as prices fall closer to sailing time?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Generally speaking neither Celebrity nor a TA will monitor your price and alert you to a reduction. That's your responsibility. Regarding the price of cruises, if you're looking at a very popular itinerary, the sooner you book, the better the price because those only increase as cabins sell out. Earlier is better if it matters whether you want a specific cabin.

 

Itineraries that have a lot of capacity and competition are the ones which usually have price reductions. A good time to check for price reductions is when pre-booked TA cabin blocks are released back to the cruise line as being unsold.

 

The cabin price will be the same whether you purchase directly or through a TA. You will receive the Celebrity promotional perks whether you book directly or through a TA. Where the difference is, the large online TA that offers additional perks and OBC. Not all TAs are created equal so shop several.

 

It's been my observation that Celebrity isn't doing many price reductions lately. But since I'm in the U.S., YMMV in Ireland.

Edited July 10, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[AidenL]

Generally speaking neither Celebrity nor a TA will monitor your price and alert you to a reduction. That's your responsibility. Regarding the price of cruises, if you're looking at a very popular itinerary, the sooner you book, the better the price because those only increase as cabins sell out. Earlier is better if it matters whether you want a specific cabin.

 

Itineraries that have a lot of capacity and competition are the ones which usually have price reductions. A good time to check for price reductions is when pre-booked TA cabin blocks are released back to the cruise line as being unsold.

 

The cabin price will be the same whether you purchase directly or through a TA. You will receive the Celebrity promotional perks whether you book directly or through a TA. Where the difference is, the large online TA that offers additional perks and OBC. Not all TAs are created equal so shop several.

 

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

 

So book early is the answer. And based on what you are saying, prices can rise as fast as fall based on demand.

 

In the case of a fall in price, can i therefore request a reduction from either Celebrity direct or the TA? I know you said they don't offer it, but if I monitor it, can i request it?

 

Im in Ireland, so not sure who the best online Travel Agents are - are they the advertisers on this site?

[JMG]

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

 

So book early is the answer. And based on what you are saying, prices can rise as fast as fall based on demand.

 

In the case of a fall in price, can i therefore request a reduction from either Celebrity direct or the TA? I know you said they don't offer it, but if I monitor it, can i request it?

 

Im in Ireland, so not sure who the best online Travel Agents are - are they the advertisers on this site?

 

The answer depends how you booked the cruise. If you book directly with the cruise line, then you can call the cruise line. If you book with a TA, then you have to call the TA and ask them to get the price reduction.

 

Not all price reductions are equal. Sometimes they might be special offers for new bookings. Possibly when you booked you got extra perks and the price reduction could eliminate those perks from your account. If the price goes back up before you get your call in, you will not get the price drop. The key is to call immediately upon seeing the price drop. We called on our current booking and we were given the opportunity to upgrade to a higher level plus we got a slight decrease in money owed.

 

If prices drop after final payment, most likely you will not get a price reduction.

[hbe]

Generally speaking neither Celebrity nor a TA will monitor your price and alert you to a reduction. That's your responsibility. Regarding the price of cruises, if you're looking at a very popular itinerary, the sooner you book, the better the price because those only increase as cabins sell out. Earlier is better if it matters whether you want a specific cabin.

 

Itineraries that have a lot of capacity and competition are the ones which usually have price reductions. A good time to check for price reductions is when pre-booked TA cabin blocks are released back to the cruise line as being unsold.

 

The cabin price will be the same whether you purchase directly or through a TA. You will receive the Celebrity promotional perks whether you book directly or through a TA. Where the difference is, the large online TA that offers additional perks and OBC. Not all TAs are created equal so shop several.

 

It's been my observation that Celebrity isn't doing many price reductions lately. But since I'm in the U.S., YMMV in Ireland.

 

can you explain what YMMV is, thanks

[cheeseheads4ever]

I'm not super experienced on cruises and have been on 8 but can share what I've found and I'm in US.

If you book early just track cruises we've booked a cruise a year or so out and cruise went down $300 and we called our celebrity rep and they dropped it the $300. Easy to do but I agree it's your responsibility to follow for reductions.

I have never booked through a travel agent only thru celebrity and have had gotten good deals. Going thru a TA brings in another person to go thru. So not comfortable on going thru them or transferring to a TA. People do and speak highly about getting more perks.

As far as early or last minute...we've got great deals both ways so if you are not picky on rooms wait or if you have your heart set on a specific cruise book early...you being in Ireland not sure how deals would effect you being out of U.S. Enjoy your cruises.

[phillygirl2400]

YMMV means - your mileage may vary (your results may be different from mine).

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Hlitner]

There is no "one rule fits all" answer to the OP's question. We sometimes find ourselves booking a cruise more then a year in advance, and other times we love to do last minute bookings (this is when you can sometimes snag fantastic deals) inside the final payment period. If a cruise is very popular (such as HAL's Voyage of the Vikings) it is often necessary to book far in advance to get any kind of decent cabin selection....or even to get on the cruise. But a less popular repositioning cruise or perhaps a late Sept Caribbean Cruise might make the most sense as a last minute booking.

 

As to price drops, once we book a cruise we will monitor (at least once weekly) a few cruise agency sites for major price drops. If there is a price drop prior to final payment, we simply e-mail our cruise agency (we use 4...depending on who has the best deal for a particular cruise) and ask to have the cruise "repriced." The agencies we use will normally take care of this within the hour. If a price drop occurs after final payment, we will call our cruise agent to ask if we can negotiate a lower price, upgrade, or even both.

 

Hank

[deelastcre]

I tend to book at least 2 years out and I haven't had a price reduction on Celebrity since 2011. The other cruises went up considerably in price. I book early to get the cabin that I want. My favorite category usually will sale out.

[ChucktownSteve]

I have never booked through a travel agent only thru celebrity and have had gotten good deals. Going thru a TA brings in another person to go thru. So not comfortable on going thru them or transferring to a TA. People do and speak highly about getting more perks.

 

Besides getting the extra perks from the TA, if there's a problem and you've booked thought a good, large TA, they go to battle for you with the cruise line. Sometimes they reach a different level of customer service. Otherwise you're on your own.

[AidenL]

Thanks everyone - so basically book up, watch and ask for a reduction if one comes along.

 

One other question - deposits get paid at booking - are they transferrable to a different cruise after payment?

[Wiltonian]

NB the OP is from Ireland.

 

If booking there is the same as in the UK and many other non-american locales, you do NOT benefit from price reductions, and may need to cancel and rebook to get a lower price, losing your original deposit.

 

You may be able to rebook a better cabin when prices fall, but only if it's more expensive than the first booking

 

Replies to such questions too often assume US residency and booking, where you can cancel without cost before Final payment Date, or gain the benefit of reduced prices.

 

Of course, booking through a US travel agent can gain that benefit, though paying in $$ you're at the mercy of exchange rate fluctuations.

 

Stuart

[grayjay]

NB the OP is from Ireland.

 

If booking there is the same as in the UK and many other non-american locales, you do NOT benefit from price reductions, and may need to cancel and rebook to get a lower price, losing your original deposit.

 

You may be able to rebook a better cabin when prices fall, but only if it's more expensive than the first booking

 

Replies to such questions too often assume US residency and booking, where you can cancel without cost before Final payment Date, or gain the benefit of reduced prices.

 

Of course, booking through a US travel agent can gain that benefit, though paying in $$ you're at the mercy of exchange rate fluctuations.

 

Stuart

 

 

I second that - price drop rules are very different in the US. I assume it's similar in Ireland to those of Germany - both being EURO-based countries - : Royal Caribbean/Celebrity have changed their price drop policy a year or two ago and don't honour price drops any more, i.E. you're either stuck with the price you paid or you have to cancel and re-book. If you do that, you'll lose your deposit, if the re-booking is not done to pay either a HIGHER fare /choose a higher category . Friends of ours for example were able to re-book without penalty because prices had fallen and the suite they chose still cost more than their original cabin category.

So I'd look very carefully at the cruises I'm interested in - shoulder seasons or well-trodden cruise paths can be significantly cheaper if booked at a later date. Others tend to rise in price or you won't even be able to book. A typical example is a balcony cabin on a New England or South America cruise: We always booked early and saw the prices rising. Sometimes oceanviews and insides were offered after final payment day for bargain prices - but then you'd have the flights to consider.

It's a game: sometimes you win, sometimes you lose!

[roxievegas]

Our first two cruises with Celebrity we booked directly with Celebrity. The first was back in 2011 and we received drinks and tips. Got a great price and never checked prices again. The next cruise I watched the prices and I think we got a price reduction. After reading this forum, I made an effort to find a travel agency that would give us additional OBC. We booked our cruise with Celebrity (3 cruises) and then transfered to the TA and received $900 (for all three) in OBC from TA. I also watch the prices and received numerous price changes. I still had to do the watching, make the phone call to TA and get them to contact Celebrity to make the changes. For me it was well worth the money received.

I think you get the best price for the cruise if you book within 90 days of the cruise. But this limits you to the cabin category and cabin location, so if you are picky, this won't work for you.

We just booked an Alaska cruise, took an inside cabin for $999 pp. If the price drops on Verdanda, we will pay more to get Veranda (within my range), but if not we will do the inside (saving $1,400 cabin total We are not getting ONE perk, but we the savings, we can pay for it ourselves.

Cruising is different for everyone. Some people book, and never look back. Others (me) want to get the best price available and watch the prices to get that drop when it occurs

 

Have a wonderful cruise