Where do I find the best deal for a cruise?

[brother ken]

:confused:Good Morning all, I am a newbie.

 

I would like to go on my first cruise and I am getting slammed with a thousand pop ups and cheapest prices that are so ridiculous. How do I find the best deal on a cruise, any recommendations? How do I prevent myself from getting ripped off?

Is it best to buy the cruise way in advance or a day or two before sailing?

 

thanks for your recommendations and tips.......... Brother Ken

[CruiserBruce]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

First, we are not allowed to name or discuss travel agents on Cruise Critic. So, you just have to do your research. Check out a couple of on line travel agents. See what the cruise line is offering, via their website. There is no magical way...you just have to do your research.

[Essiesmom]

Go to each of the cruise line websites and sign up for their email notifications of sales and specials. EM

[PROCRUISE]

:confused:Good Morning all, I am a newbie.

 

I would like to go on my first cruise and I am getting slammed with a thousand pop ups and cheapest prices that are so ridiculous. How do I find the best deal on a cruise, any recommendations? How do I prevent myself from getting ripped off?

Is it best to buy the cruise way in advance or a day or two before sailing?

 

thanks for your recommendations and tips.......... Brother Ken

 

CruiserBruce is indeed correct - it takes research. Some things to consider:

1. Where do you want to cruise to and when. People say they want to go to the Caribbean. Well, does that mean eastern, western or southern. When you want to cruise also effects price. Cruising during Christmas/New Years is more expensive, usually, than cruising the first part of December.

2. What type of environment are you looking for onboard and what general age group of fellow passengers. Constant activity and go, go, go on RCCL or CCL is much different than more relaxed and less hype on HAL and X.

3. What type of cabin is important to you, if at all. Naturally an inside cabin is less expensive than a balcony. Also, do you want 5000 fellow passengers (RCCL) or 120 (Windstar)?

4. Do you have the time and desire to do a lot of comparison research? My travel agent does it all for me, and knows how to get things done with the cruise lines and then I just make a choice.

5. Regardless of how you proceed, enjoy the adventure of planning and then really enjoy your cruise.

[Pudgesmom]

The quoted cruise fare saying, "from dollar amount) can be deceptive. That offer is usually for the least expensive cabin on maybe one or two sailing dates. You'll also want to consider port charges, taxes and insurance cost.

 

Once you're on the ship, in most cases a daily gratuity charge will be added to your account. Except for premium lines, you will pay for alcohol and soft drinks. You'll have expenses at your port stops for excursions and meals.

 

Lastly, you need to budget time and money for travel to and from your home to the ship, and possibly a hotel the night before you depart.

 

A good travel agent can really help with this. Read reviews and then jump in and find one you like. I hope you'll have a wonderful cruise.:)

[shadesofgrey]

We learn by doing. Ask some friends for a recommendation for a cruise line and then just start checking prices. If you stick with a major line, I don't think you'll get ripped off, especially since most cruise lines will allow you to cancel and rebook if the price drops and you are still outside the due date for final payment. FWIW, unless a sailing just isn't selling, prices tend to rise, not drop, as sail date nears. Also, as with any vacation, the "teaser rate" may be for something you just don't want. I have motion sickness and claustrophobia. Can't do an inside cabin, no matter how nice. Wish I could, but alas... Anyway, I pay a lot more for my balcony room than that advertised "starting at" rate. Not getting ripped off, but I am paying more. For my first cruise, there are some money saving things that I just wasn't ready to do, like book a guarantee. It saves money, but right now I'm about 2 weeks from sailing and still no cabin assignment. That would've made me nervous as a first-timer. So, for your first cruise, decide where you want to go, set a budget, and then pick something that meets your parameters. I've found cruising to be a good deal compared to other vacations by the time I add up all the lodging, food, and travel they require!

[janetz]

Start at the top of the page where it says, Find A Cruise. :)

[SantaFeFan]

Also, many, if not all, of the major cruise lines forbid travel agencies (TA) from quoting different prices than that shown on the cruise line's website. They pretty much all quote the identical price for the cruise. Where you can save, however, is in benefits offered by those travel agencies. These can be in the form of pre-paid expenses, such as gratuities, beverage packages, or as On Board Credit (OBC). If the cruise line is having a special promotion, you will also get those promotional perks since they don't involve the TA.

 

As an example, for our upcoming cruise the cruise line had a promotion offering $400 OBC for certain category cabins, plus one free specialty dinner for all occupants in the stateroom. On top of that, my TA offered an additional $495 OBC for spending a certain dollar amount through them. We will have $895 OBC plus complimentary dinner value of $58 for the two of us - almost $1,000! In essence, that is a cruise savings because we would probably be spending that much out of pocket if we didn't have these benefits.

 

This upcoming cruise has been a very generous booking. In the past we were lucky to get perhaps $75 from out TA, and maybe pre-paid gratuities through the cruise line. But, in both cases, the cruise fare price was identical whether we had booked directly through the cruise line or with the TA.

Edited May 4, 2017 by SantaFeFan

[BlueRiband]

:confused:Good Morning all, I am a newbie.

 

I would like to go on my first cruise and I am getting slammed with a thousand pop ups and cheapest prices that are so ridiculous. How do I find the best deal on a cruise, any recommendations? How do I prevent myself from getting ripped off?

Is it best to buy the cruise way in advance or a day or two before sailing?

 

thanks for your recommendations and tips.......... Brother Ken

 

Since you signed your post "Brother Ken" it implies that you are a member of a religious community so there are other things to consider. Would you travel solo or with another community member? The per-person quoted prices assume two people in the cabin. Ships tend to have relatively few solo cabins and if you occupy a cabin intended for two the solo supplement is typically 50%-75%. Rarely is there a break on solo supplements unless a voyage is selling very poorly. On some lines last minute deals apply only for double occupancy.

 

 

If you are a religious community member who places a high priority on attending Catholic Mass be aware that many lines now only have clergy on board for major religious holidays. Cruise ship clergy are contracted from Apostleship of the Sea or Compass Speakers, Religious Leaders. Holland America and Cunard's Queen Mary 2 are the only ones that I can think of that continuously have a priest on board.

 

 

And lastly, you're not likely to find a good deal only one or two days before sailing. By then the ship is full and prices are typically higher than they were one week earlier.

[MCC retired]

For the cruise lines that allow TA's to discount their best rates ( Princes , Cunard , HAL for example) , they just can't advertise those discounted rates . You must contact them for a quote of their rate .

 

 

 

 

 

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[easyboy]

On our first cruise, a friend who was a frequent cruiser guided us. If you have none, try searching for online travel agents, or directly the cruise lines. Getting the best price is somewhat similar to finding the best airline fares.