Booking onboard

[ATG]

I tried to search for the answer, but couldn’t find it.

 

What are the benefits for booking onboard?  We will be sailing late next month.  We have found a cruise we want to book for summer 2021.  I can’t decide whether to book now using our big box travel agent or wait until we are onboard and book.  We would then move the booking to our travel agent.  
 

Any information on what the benefits are would be helpful.

 

Thanks!

 

 

[39august]

Lower deposit and OBC depending on length of cruise. I try to always book while on board. Plus you get whatever the going promotion is. Win-win as far as I am concerned. 

[keesar]

Although you may get an additional $150 OBC for booking on the ship, the cost of the cruise may rise in the meantime. I had waited 6 weeks to book on the ship and the price for the cruise had risen over a thousand dollars.  This may be a risk of waiting to get on board.  

[Bo1953]

26 minutes ago, keesar said:

Although you may get an additional $150 OBC for booking on the ship, the cost of the cruise may rise in the meantime. I had waited 6 weeks to book on the ship and the price for the cruise had risen over a thousand dollars.  This may be a risk of waiting to get on board.  

k - Yes, you have identified a risk, while we booked aboard The Edge for a sailing that was released a few weeks before our sailing, the pricing this week dropped enough for us to get an additional Perk (now we have three (3)), plus save $400... all so quickly for a sailing taking place in 2021...

 

We think that is enough time for prices to possibly drop further in the interim, if not, we were happy with the price paid and Perks selected while aboard, otherwise we would have never booked.

 

bon voyage

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, keesar said:

Although you may get an additional $150 OBC for booking on the ship, the cost of the cruise may rise in the meantime. I had waited 6 weeks to book on the ship and the price for the cruise had risen over a thousand dollars.  This may be a risk of waiting to get on board.  

This is correct for cruises that are not too far out.  If you book close in the prices could go up.  The economy is running on all cylinders and cruises are booked.  Now if you book two years in advance the prices are reasonable and probably will not go up in 6 weeks.  

 

We find the best value in booking early and then rebooking if the price goes down.  We have also seen prices go up.  So if you book early you get the best of both worlds (protection against prices going up and the ability to rebook if prices go down).

 

We also transfer our onship bookings to our TA which is wonderful.

 

Our lowest deposits are while booking onboard.

Edited December 21, 2019 by NMTraveller

[ipeeinthepool]

5 hours ago, keesar said:

Although you may get an additional $150 OBC for booking on the ship, the cost of the cruise may rise in the meantime. I had waited 6 weeks to book on the ship and the price for the cruise had risen over a thousand dollars.  This may be a risk of waiting to get on board.  

 

So the approach should be to book a couple of cruises onboard with refundable deposits as place holders.  When you return you transfer this reservation to your TA.  So when you are at home and see a good deal or new released cruise, you transfer the reservation to the cruise that really interests you and you keep all of the booking onboard benefits, you get all of the benefits from your TA and you book the best deal because you are in control.  Never cancel the cruise, just transfer the reservation for the best deal.  If nothing come up, then you cancel the onboard reservation.

[wrk2cruise]

5 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

So the approach should be to book a couple of cruises onboard with refundable deposits as place holders.  When you return you transfer this reservation to your TA.  So when you are at home and see a good deal or new released cruise, you transfer the reservation to the cruise that really interests you and you keep all of the booking onboard benefits, you get all of the benefits from your TA and you book the best deal because you are in control.  Never cancel the cruise, just transfer the reservation for the best deal.  If nothing come up, then you cancel the onboard reservation.

 

Yes I do this as well but we all have to realize that this is why they are now pushing us all to non-refundable deposits.

[ipeeinthepool]

2 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

Yes I do this as well but we all have to realize that this is why they are now pushing us all to non-refundable deposits.

 

This is probably one of the reasons but if the fares wouldn't fluctuate as much as they do we wouldn't follow this approach.  However it is frustrating to see a lot of availability for February cruises at decent rates when it was almost impossible to book a February Caribbean cruise last summer

[Bo1953]

39 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

Yes I do this as well but we all have to realize that this is why they are now pushing us all to non-refundable deposits.

To be sure, they are not 'pushing' us, as opposed to making NRD pricing sweeter for a minimal of out of pocket loss of money.

 

We believe that there are a few upsides to booking RD's as well, before and after final pay date.

 

Personally, we only will book RD's unless within 180 days of a sailing...

 

bon voyage

Edited December 21, 2019 by Bo1953

[mickey89]

20 hours ago, ATG said:

I tried to search for the answer, but couldn’t find it.

What are the benefits for booking onboard? 

http://thecelebritycommitment.com/FutureCruiseVacations.html

[ATG]

Wow thanks!  That answers all my questions.