Priceing for cruises

[caribill]

I really don’t get this attitude. Would you buy a house without checking neighborhood comps? How about a car? When you go on eBay don’t you look around for a similar product or do you take the first thing you see? How about remodeling?

 

 

When you take an airline flight, do you ask the stranger in the next seat to you how much he or she paid for their ticket?

[caribill]

I've found that prices are nearly always lower than the launch fares if you wait until after final payment to book.

 

That great price after final payment will not have benefits such as included gratuities or a beverage package or..... So the total value of the after final payment price may not really be lower than an earlier booking with perks that you would make use of.

[HappyCruiserettu]

Only thing I usually get is an invite sent to my inside gty cabin for the MTP event.

 

Touche! Griller.

[Knickearth]

I usually let people know if I got a good deal and give them the name and number of my travel agent. They are happy contacting my agent and learning for themselves.

[Thrak]

I agree with your comments. To ask what people paid when your are on a cruise, will end up with you or some others being disappointed or upset. It doesn't help. If you can find out before the cruise, maybe you can get a better deal.

 

I have no issue with folks asking before booking. That only makes sense. One should try to get a better deal. I booked a cruise for next May that has great perks but I had zero idea those perks were being offered until I heard about them here on CC. I had to do a mock booking and get almost all the way through before there was a link to check the perks. Holy Cow! I backed out and made a real booking right away. The cruise showed zero perks at first. When I got through to the end of the booking I ended up with Free Gratuities, Free Specialty Dining. $200 OBC for each of us. $50 each land cash. (It's a cruise tour.) I never would have found this deal if someone wasn't asking about it. CC is a great place for such discussions.

 

Getting info before booking is smart and people here on CC are very willing to help others to get a good deal. Once one is booked and onboard is not the time to be asking this stuff. It's too late at that point and can't help at all. Seriously, what good can come of it? If you got a worse deal you will be unhappy. If you got a better deal will that make you feel "better" or "superior" or what? Like I said before, I pretty much always figure there are folks on any cruise who got a better "deal" than I did. I'm just amazed that I am able to cruise. I truly never thought this was something that would be possible. I'm amazed every time we book a cruise and I certainly don't want any "price jealousy" to take away from my enjoyment of my cruise. I just say "congratulations" to those who always sail in a suite and to those who always sail in an inside cabin. Both are getting to cruise and I think it's freaking awesome. :) (This is from someone who thought for sure I would absolutely hate cruising. When I'm wrong I can sometimes be spectacularly wrong. :rolleyes:)

[donaldsc]

I am happy to tell you if I think that I got a good deal from my TA. As far as what I actually paid - it is none of your business.

 

DON

[drsel]

Only thing I usually get is an invite sent to my inside gty cabin for the MTP event.

MTP event?

[drsel]

I have no issue with folks asking before booking. That only makes sense. One should try to get a better deal. I booked a cruise for next May that has great perks but I had zero idea those perks were being offered until I heard about them here on CC. I had to do a mock booking and get almost all the way through before there was a link to check the perks. Holy Cow! I backed out and made a real booking right away. The cruise showed zero perks at first. When I got through to the end of the booking I ended up with Free Gratuities, Free Specialty Dining. $200 OBC for each of us. $50 each land cash. (It's a cruise tour.) I never would have found this deal if someone wasn't asking about it. CC is a great place for such discussions.

 

Getting info before booking is smart and people here on CC are very willing to help others to get a good deal. Once one is booked and onboard is not the time to be asking this stuff. It's too late at that point and can't help at all. Seriously, what good can come of it? If you got a worse deal you will be unhappy. If you got a better deal will that make you feel "better" or "superior" or what? Like I said before, I pretty much always figure there are folks on any cruise who got a better "deal" than I did. I'm just amazed that I am able to cruise. I truly never thought this was something that would be possible. I'm amazed every time we book a cruise and I certainly don't want any "price jealousy" to take away from my enjoyment of my cruise. I just say "congratulations" to those who always sail in a suite and to those who always sail in an inside cabin. Both are getting to cruise and I think it's freaking awesome. :) (This is from someone who thought for sure I would absolutely hate cruising. When I'm wrong I can sometimes be spectacularly wrong. :rolleyes:)

Nice find. Which cruise and sailing date has all these perks? What is the starting price per person per night ?

[J13C85]

Sometimes you can end up extremely unhappy if you ask people what they paid for their cruise. I know of a cruise currently offered by Princess that started out listing a balcony cabin for $3,549 per person. They raised that price by $500 per person when the Sip and Sail started. Yesterday that same cruise listed a balcony cabin at $4,979 per person. Would you be happy if you asked onboard what someone else paid and discovered they paid $2,860 less than you and your spouse paid? Yes, booking today gets the 3 for Free benefits: $300 (total) OBC and $648 in free gratuities but somehow that $948 in benefits pales in comparison to the difference in pricing.

 

Book the cruise you want and pay the price you can live with. Don't worry about what someone else paid. (I'm sure I've sailed with folks who got a better "deal" than I got but I've been happy with my own "deal" and don't worry about whether or not I paid more or less than someone else.) Instead of asking what others paid ask (on board - not here!) if they have a good TA and get a discount. Ask multiple people to find out who the TA is that might best fit your needs. Query several TAs by email and see who will give you the best deal on your next cruise.

Asking what others paid is not a good indicator of if you are getting a good deal. Careful research and price comparisons are. I dont base my buying decisions on what others pay as that is irrelevant. I base my decisions on a number of factors including price. For example, I eat Sugar Free Cherry Jell-O. I can get it at Wal Mart for $2.24 a 4 pack. Another store, Raleys, sells it for $3.29. In this case I choose Wal Mart. If a friend told me he paid $1.99 for it at Wsl Mart and I go and it is listed for $2.24, whas t am I going to do, demand they give me s lower price because a friend claims that is what they paid. Anecdotal evidence of pricing is meaningless other than potentially giving you starting point for your research. To really see if you are getting a good deal, comparison shop.

 

For an example if comparison shopping, when Princess was offering Sip and Sail, I priced 6 different cruises (for 2 people sharing one cabin) in 3 different room types on all 6 (Mini Suite, Club Class Mini Suite, and Full Suite) I was not interested in the free drinks so I really wanted to see those prices after the Sip and Sail promotion ended. After it did, I then priced the same 6 cruises on the current promotion (I call it 3 fer) with the same three room types. On all 6 cruises, in all 3 room categories, there was a significant fare drop (in some cases over $1K). Found the biggest drops were on the regular mini suite. Pls note that the reduced fare was only one part of the savings as they are in addition to the OBC and free grants ((which both have a significant value)

 

I do not doubt Thrak who says his balcony fare was higher after Sip and Sail; however, that does surprise me based on the research I did and results I found.

 

 

 

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[Griller]

Is it wrong to ask people what they paid for their cruise so you can find out if you got a descent deal? If so how do you know if you are getting a good deal or paying way too much?

 

Its probably the only way to know if you are not doing your homework and booking at a decent rate - and then you know you need to sharpen up some.

If you find that you are consistently paying appreciably more for the same cruise once you take all the benefits etc into account. then more research is needed before booking the next cruise.

 

Of course some people love spending a lot of money on an occasional special event cruise - it increases their feelgood factor.

But they are probably not as frequent cruisers as many folk on here who I think probably do the best they can to minimize their costs.

 

I cruise too often to carelessly pay too much for a cruise, I do my research and weigh up the data and try to make an informed decision.

 

But the cruiselines move the goalposts, I now often find very long cruises are best booked far in advance, while shorter ones, 14 days or less, are often booked like before, after final invoice when they decide there are too many cabins still available.

 

I blame the cruiselines US policy of allowing penalty free cancellations until 60 - 120 days before sailing for this, passengers put refundable deposits on multiple cruises and cancel most or all of them without penalty, leaving empty last minute cabins available.

 

I am happy to buy then,a week or two after final invoice, that can be the lowest price you will ever see for many cruises.

 

Easier if you are retired and don't have to book vacation time off work far in

advance.

[Griller]

MTP event?

Cocktail Party or Lunch for the passengers on the ship who have the most days sailing with Princess. Hosted by the Captain.

On short cruises sometimes not offered but you get a voucher for Crown Grill instead.

 

MTP = Most Travelled Passenger

[rbslos18]

I’m not sure what is the purpose of asking. It strikes me as a bit personal. And the information provided is not always accurate or even comparable. In fact the rare times I was asked while on a cruise, I could not recall the exact price we paid. Once we are on the ship, I am in vacation mode.

 

But I do know the best price does not always equate with good service.

 

Recently I was a tour leader for a group travelling overseas. I used the company with the best price I could find. It was a price I could not resist. The company was reputable and I had traveled as a group member several times with the company. I had more stress and aggravation then any previous group I led. The $500+ saved was exceeded by the aggravation and mistakes they made.

[Griller]

To be honest I do not need any great service from an agent for my simple needs.

 

All I need is for someone to take the payment. As little payment as possible.

 

I fill in everything myself on line with Princess on their website.

 

I have already researched the cruise and know what I want, date, cabin, ship, price etc.

 

Its money for old rope to be my agent.

 

I speak to them once to book, and then never again for that cruise booking.

 

Never make any changes or cancellations.

 

Don't need advice or handholding. Been there, done that, got the T shirt.

[Woobstr112G]

and of course, people are always completely honest both on here and in real life as to what they have paid for their cruise...and the free upgrade from a gty inside to the owners suite !!:rolleyes:

 

as posted before, when you start asking that question, you're just gonna be disappointed

 

pick your cruise, pay a price you're comfortable with, then keep checking the price for promotions, fare reductions, etc, then call Princess or your TA and make it happen

 

enjoy:halo:

 

Right.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

[Woobstr112G]

I have no problem with discussing prices with someone who is trying to book or evaluate a cruise. It really is not all that secret. However as pointed out the price depends on when you booked, the cabin category, perks offered, your location etc. Princess like hotels, airplanes and others will move the price around depending on the demand for that particular cruise. If it is not selling well they will drop the price while if it is selling well, the price will go up as the number of cabins available decreases.

 

Some think it is a state secret and withdraw if you even mention prices paid. To anyone able to negotiate a better price than I paid, I say good for you. It does not diminish my enjoyment of the cruise. So ask away.

 

 

Well stated.....:):):)

 

Bob

[bobnfl]

If someone does not question then how is one going to learn what is good and what is not so good. If you try and do it alone all the time you waste a lot of money and time. I always try to ask questions and learn. If a person wants to keep all private then I just don't waste my time with them because they don't want to help other people anyway. I have found that in life you have people that are private and keep to themselves and then you have people that are always there for other people and are willing to help and educate others.

[pcur]

Not a problem for me, only by sharing information can consumers get a fair deal, multinational companies in particular make unfair profits by keeping customers ignorant.

 

I can tell you an easy way to pay less for your cruise - just wait until the day after I paid and the price will be considerably less.

 

However many folk are very secretive, I have no idea why...………..

 

Yeah, I agree. Never could understand why, with all the threads about price checking, getting the best deal, how to save money, that people won't share this information. I'm all for helping others.

 

On the RCCL board, people are much freer about sharing this information.

[Griller]

Yeah, I agree. Never could understand why, with all the threads about price checking, getting the best deal, how to save money, that people won't share this information. I'm all for helping others.

 

On the RCCL board, people are much freer about sharing this information.

 

I find it hard to believe it could be because there are too many curmudgeonly old geezers on here, surely not?

[zalusky]

Let me add if somebody tells you there is a price drop on your itinerary. Are you going to tell that person that it's none of your business and you are happy with the booking as is.

[waltd]

I find it hard to believe it could be because there are too many curmudgeonly old geezers on here, surely not?

LOL, Love this. Glad you said it cause I was thinking it.

[bobby3334]

I think it is not so much a secret but as some have already patiently explained a very complex matter beginning with the English speaking country you are from. The different markets have entirely different pricing and sales at different times and it only gets more completed from there. I once read if you did a survey on the plane you were on you would find people flying for free, for $100 and even $1500 They would all be sitting in the same kind of seat you are without taking different cabins into account

Mike

 

 

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[zalusky]

I think it is not so much a secret but as some have already patiently explained a very complex matter beginning with the English speaking country you are from. The different markets have entirely different pricing and sales at different times and it only gets more completed from there. I once read if you did a survey on the plane you were on you would find people flying for free, for $100 and even $1500 They would all be sitting in the same kind of seat you are without taking different cabins into account

Mike

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

And some of us want to learn those tricks!

[rdsqrl]

That great price after final payment will not have benefits such as included gratuities or a beverage package or..... So the total value of the after final payment price may not really be lower than an earlier booking with perks that you would make use of.

Well, no, this is not accurate. Post-final payment rates are always way cheaper, even when you add in the perks you're not getting. I haven't booked a cruise before final payment in years and so I think I know what I'm talking about here.

[molole]

I don't mind discussing prices at all, and I also respect those who do mind.

[OCruisers]

We would never ask anyone what they paid for their cruise.

A general discussion on promos, credits, etc. is totally different .