Family cruise deals

[wl2cruise]

check it out

 

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/family-cruise-deals-kids-sail-free-on-three-lines-and-more.html?id=2806289

[brenderlou]

check it out

 

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/family-cruise-deals-kids-sail-free-on-three-lines-and-more.html?id=2806289

 

 

I saw the Disney, Kids sail free and did some comparisons on a 3 night cruise/inside cabind. I can get the same cruise on Royal Caribbean for $213.00 LESS and that's paying for a 3rd person in the cabin.....Disney Cruises are expensive!!!!!

[crusinmama06]

LOL...I love how they show a picture of RCCL Freedom's H20 zone but then talk about booking on Disney, Regent, Costa and Windstar.

 

No one can say that Windstar and Regent are "affordable" lines. LMBO :p

 

And Disney is the one of the most expensive out of the mainstream cruise lines.

[timmy1958]

LOL...I love how they show a picture of RCCL Freedom's H20 zone but then talk about booking on Disney, Regent, Costa and Windstar.

 

No one can say that Windstar and Regent are "affordable" lines. LMBO :p

 

And Disney is the one of the most expensive out of the mainstream cruise lines.

 

Michele,

Do you have a reccommendation for where to go to get cruise discounts? You know how much we all value your opinion/expertise! :)

[brenderlou]

Michele,

Do you have a reccommendation for where to go to get cruise discounts? You know how much we all value your opinion/expertise! :)

 

Hi

I'm not Michelle but I'll tell ya what I do. I constantly check cruise prices on the internet. We love Royal Caribbean and next month taking our very first Celebrity cruise. I just go to the cruise line website. I haven't found any cruise discounts thru travel agents. I have seen some offer excursion discounts but that doesn't interest me.

The cruise we are going on next month is a 5 night cruise. We got a great deal for our 4 yr old daughter. They had a special for $69 fare for 3rd person in cabin!!!! Hubby and my fare was $349. When I saw it, I booked and FAST. :p

So, bottom line......if I'm on the computer, I'm looking for our next cruise :D

 

Brenda

[2Cruise4Ever]

We discovered an AWESOME on-line TA who has given us some pretty fantastic deals (hundreds less!!!). However, rules here prevent me from posting who it is.

 

I suggest researching on-line and traditional TA's. Many of them still do offer discounts on their cruises.

[brenderlou]

We discovered an AWESOME on-line TA who has given us some pretty fantastic deals (hundreds less!!!). However, rules here prevent me from posting who it is.

 

I suggest researching on-line and traditional TA's. Many of them still do offer discounts on their cruises.

 

Could you email the TA info. If so, my email address is brenderlou@aol.com. If not, I understand :)

[calikak]

On pricing: some cruise lines (RCCL and Celebrity, for example) generally don't let agents advertise their prices lower than what's being offered through the cruise line (or at least, they can't advertise it), so to try to spot deals on those lines I just check with the cruise line's website. For other cruise lines, though, I find that pricing can vary dramatically from agent to agent depending on how much of their commission that agent is willing to give up to pass along to you as a discount. So I tend to check a variety of different cruise-specialist online travel agencies to comparison shop before I buy. Cruise Critic's main website lists several different agencies in their "Deals" section and those are a good place to start. I usually end up finding a price I like online, then e-mailing an agent who's a little less big-and-faceless than the online sites to see if they can match the price. Then I get the great service of a real-person travel agent, and the low price of the internet, a win-win situation!

 

Don't forget to ask about military and senior discounts for the people in your group that are eligible for them, a lot of cruise lines have those.

 

One other tip that a lot of people, including some travel agents, don't know about: if you or your spouse are a union member in a union that's affiliated with AFL-CIO, you get a 5% (or sometimes more) discount on NCL cruises. One of my coworkers is going on a cruise next week and he saved 20% on that sailing because NCL was running an extra discount for union members. And generally that discount can be combined with other discounts the cruise line is offering. Most online websites don't have their systems set up to ask if you're a union member, though, so usually you'll have to call in to make a booking to make sure you get that discount. More info about the program is available here:

 

http://164.109.173.40/unionplus/index.html

[crusinmama06]

Honestly, I am on every cruise mailing list possible. Just go to each cruise lines' web site and sign up for their mailing list. When they are going to have a sale, they send emails out.

 

Also, I compare the prices against each other using sites like Expedia. I don't use those sites to book, just use them to compare prices. You can enter a month, number of people, etc and click on "list by price". You will be able to see the cheapest cruise lines that way.

 

There is also a site that allows them to compete for your cruise. ;) I use that if I am having a hard time getting a cabin.

[calikak]

 

There is also a site that allows them to compete for your cruise. ;) I use that if I am having a hard time getting a cabin.

 

That's actually a really good tip--if you're looking for a cabin on a particular sailing but it seems to be sold out, sometimes that site can help you find an agent that still is holding group space.

 

I get a bazillion mailings too, from the cruise lines themselves and also from any travel website that gives me the option. Even if I'm not looking to book, it's fun to dream about jumping on that last-minute deal on that South American cruise. :D

[2Cruise4Ever]

Could you email the TA info. If so, my email address is brenderlou@aol.com. If not, I understand :)

 

Just did. :D