Transatlantic Price Dance

[FlaMariner]

So we are contemplating a fall TA from Rome to Fort Lauderdale on either of the big boys....K dam or NS.

 

It's now two weeks out from the eastbound TA's to Rome and the fares are stupid cheap......Around thirty bucks a day for inside and $76 for a suite......So I went further and checked airfares and I can get me back from Rome for $500.  Also, hotels are plentiful for a few days in Florence. 

 

So...my questions to the experienced TA folks......

 

Would there be any evidence that this same scenario would not play out this fall?

 

I'm thinking of rolling the dice and waiting for the deals.....What am I missing (and we are not picky about cabin locations)?

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

So we are contemplating a fall TA from Rome to Fort Lauderdale on either of the big boys....K dam or NS.

 

It's now two weeks out from the eastbound TA's to Rome and the fares are stupid cheap......Around thirty bucks a day for inside and $76 for a suite......So I went further and checked airfares and I can get me back from Rome for $500.  Also, hotels are plentiful for a few days in Florence. 

 

So...my questions to the experienced TA folks......

 

Would there be any evidence that this same scenario would not play out this fall?

 

I'm thinking of rolling the dice and waiting for the deals.....What am I missing (and we are not picky about cabin locations)?

 

Wow - that is a great deal.

 

And with these two ships, sure it’s possible the same scenario may play out again.  And it’s possible it won’t.

 

I’ve done several TA’s that were sold out before final payment.  

 

Even trickier is the air fare.  No one can guarantee where that will be but if you don’t mind rolling the dice you could do very well.  Especially if you don’t mind what category or location you are in.

 

No one has a crystal ball and things can change but with your flexibility, you should succeed somewhat even if it isn’t the rates you are seeing now.

[FlaMariner]

Thanks Kazu.....

 

Do you recall if the sold out TA's in the past were eastbound or westbound or both?

 

I'm curious if a particular direction is more popular than the other?

[kazu]

16 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

Thanks Kazu.....

 

Do you recall if the sold out TA's in the past were eastbound or westbound or both?

 

I'm curious if a particular direction is more popular than the other?

 

Our was sold out going from FLL to Europe - lovely time - in May. (2 of them).

 

And our Rome to FLL was sold out twice.  

 

To be clear, we were not on the Pinnacle ships,, but was a Signature ship (Rome to FLL) and the others were the lovely Prinsendam.  So my experience may not reflect what you will have on the bigger ones.

 

I’ve been doing the Bon Voyage threads for a few years so I take note of what sells and what doesn’t as well.

 

There are usually good deals on TA’s but there are a number that have sold out in my years of doing the BV threads.  As long as your options are open and there is more than one, you should be fine, I think.

 

But, people do know repositioning cruises can be good deals so.... 😉 

[SilvertoGold]

I have found over the years that fall TAs usually do not decrease in pricing so dramatically as the spring ones do. 

 

Every year is different, based on supply and demand.   Normally the Collectors Voyages, with TA + Med, can be a great deals, not this year so far, though. 

[dockman]

He who hesitates does not get the worm.  Grab it.

[SilvertoGold]

37 minutes ago, dockman said:

He who hesitates does not get the worm.  Grab it.

 

37 minutes ago, dockman said:

He who hesitates does not get the worm.  Grab it.

 

 

At the prices right now, I would agree!!

[FlaMariner]

Thanks for the good info.....We're going to try to hold off on booking and keep watching......With the low fares we see for this spring's TA's, we wish we could go now but that will not work......

 

 

[notladjr]

Sounds like you are very flexible so there is a good chance you may get as good a deal in the fall. However my experience booking a May 2020 T/A on another cruise surprised me. For t/a crossings my wife pretty much insists on big ships with a promenade like a city street. For our 40th wedding anniversary I found the perfect 15 night cruise that hits the Caribbean first then crosses to Ireland and then England. I starterd watching it waiting for a bargain on a junior suite. Prices stayed stable but cabins started disappearing pretty fast. I didn't check for a couple of weeks and when I did there were only 5 jr suites left. I thought maybe some large online travel agency had a big block of rooms reserved but my agent friend said no. Bottom line is I had to go ahead and book because of the 5 avaialble none had premium locations and only one was decent. A couple of days after I booked all were gone. My only consolation is that this years version of that cruise, which is one day shorter, has prices only about $200 total less per person than I paid and it is for one less day. (BTW I found out that apparently a large church group has booked a lot of cabins on my cruise and that is why it has sold so fast so early)

[St Pete Cruiser]

Sometimes HAL doesn't plan well.  Sending the N Statendam and the Zuiderdam on the SAME DAY from FTL to almost the same place is not good planning, but the savvy cruiser makes out this time.

[cGypsy]

Westbound TAs tend to be more popular than eastbound — higher demand, higher price....but there are also always random factors that can affect prices, so keep the crystal ball handy.

[iancal]

The price will depend on how well either of the two ships are selling AND the the price structures of the other cruise lines who have ships making the same voyage.  If there is lots of available capacity as the embarkation day approaches prices will fall.   

 

I do not think that you can predict what the westbound prices will be.  Better to determine a strike price and book when your price hits and when you can get the cruise line/ship/cabin of your choice...or near enough to it.

 

We usually book inside the final payment window.  We have done this for years.  We have our preferred cruise lines but we are certainly not loyal to any one cruise line.  The one thing we have learned over time is that if you see the right ship, the right itinerary, the right cabin all at the right price then book immediately.  Why?  Because others are doing the same.  If you sleep on it, fuss about, or try to wait to see if there are further price drops one of three things will happen the next day.  The price will go up or the ship will sell out, or your preferred cabin category will sell out.  We also shop cruise and air at the same time.   We usually feel that it is time to book when the stars are aligned for both.  

 

One way to double check this is to compare pricing and availability on competing cruise lines like Princess and Celebrity.

Edited March 30, 2019 by iancal

[philliesgirl48]

I am booked on the TA from Rome leaving October 17th.  I booked February 1st & at that time it was almost completely booked. 

[mrsbunder]

I'm researching my first TA cruise for mid-April 2020, I"m looking at HAL from Ft Lauderdale to Rome, and then we plan to fly back after touring Italy.  If I were to book early and the price drops, has anyone had experience with being able to get a price match?  I'm seeing balcony rates for about $1600 pp, 14 days, and I'm seeing rates for 2019 balconies for around $700 (wish I could go this year!).  Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

[thinfool]

This is generally called 'refaring' and HAL will do it until Final Payment Date.  After that, price changes are for 'new bookings only' which means that, to take advantage of the lower price, you must cancel your original booking and pay the cancelation penalty that is in effect for that date, and make a 'new' booking.

Suggest that you also explore 'refundable' vs. 'non-refundable' deposits for a HAL cruise...these have become rather common across the cruise industry.

[FlaMariner]

On 3/30/2019 at 9:26 PM, philliesgirl48 said:

I am booked on the TA from Rome leaving October 17th.  I booked February 1st & at that time it was almost completely booked. 

 

That's a great itinerary but it's 28 days with a cruise before the 14 day TA begins.  And the 14 day TA can be had for what I would call a "deal" today.   Both cruises show available in all categories.

 

....and looking at the spring eastbound TA's leaving in a few days, it looks like HAL can feed and shelter me for less than my utility bills. 

 

Since there are more cruises sailing that we have never taken, for our situation, I think we are good holding out. 

 

[BoughtMyPoints]

This year I suspect a late Easter is responsible for the lower prices with most lines holding ships in the Caribbean a wee bit longer.  Ironically,   cruises out of Florida ports during the Spring Break period are also deeply discounted this year.

In 2018, March was very expensive in Florida and for FL originating cruises.  I paid extra to leave on Cunard's Queen Victoria in March rather than wait until April.

This year, I am on Regal Princess but I would have gladly opted for Zuiderdam, arriving Copenhagen a week later. 

[iancal]

You can never tell.  Both of our Caribbean Christmastime 10/14 day cruises were late booking balcony cabins (20 days or so out), at very attractive pricing levels.  Celebrity and NCL.   We lucked out and got great air on one.   We were in the area for the second so no air was required.    Likewise for a March break cruise from Miami booked 3 days out.

 

There have been other times where prices went up or our itinerary sold out.  

Edited April 10, 2019 by iancal