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How To Get What You Want At The Lowest Price
Pricing is definitely one of the biggest issues present and past in cruising. However, Many things have changed over time. In the past some agencies discounted the price to near wholesale. This was stopped by most of the major lines in the past few years. This practice also caused many cruisers to expect an almost bartering situation with agents on price or amenities. This just doesn't happen anymore even though some people may have enjoyed it.
Today you really have a few ways to get a great rate and it all comes down to the knowledge and resources of your cruise agent. Cruisers enjoy amenities or perks such as free champagne, an onboard credit as well as a great rate. This can normally be achieved if your agent has access to a group booking, on a ship your interested in. This is also another reason to be flexible when searching for a cruise. If your agent has access to a group you may be able to book at a very low rate AND get perks that others would have to pay for. So I always ask. Do you have any existing groups? I then break it down to what ships and what dates. Then see whats included (onboard credit, photo credit, a bottle of champagne ) with your group price.
The times of the year
This is really a big deal in the cruise and travel business. Its so big in fact that, everyone should know this. The LOWEST prices on cruises normally are seasonal. You can find great rates during September and October. However, You can find the lowest rates of the year during the Non-Holiday (ie first two weeks of month) weeks of November and December. Prices tend to go back up starting January of the new year. You'll see the lowest rates in areas where allot of ships are sailing at that time. Such as a Caribbean cruise leaving from Florida.
I also tell my friends this. If the kids are out of school, the rates are high. Because everyone around the country is booking cruises throughout the year. Many families cannot go on a cruise unless the kids are out of school. You also have many teachers who can't go except on certain dates. So this drives up the demand and price of the cruise during those weeks. So if your shopping price you'll need to avoid these times of the year. It also means your ship will be very full (3rd/4th person in cabins) and your going to pay top dollar for your cabin. This also holds true for a hotel room in Florida or any other travel package. If your retired or you don't have kids.. or have options BOOK when the kids are in school. I used to book the last two weeks of May. Its not the lowest price but, its a nice time of year and the rates are fair. Come June they sometimes DOUBLE what you see in May.
How many Nights 3,5, or 7+
I regularly run into friends who ask me about going on a cruise. They tell me they are looking at a three night cruise from lets say Tampa, FL during a school break with their kids.
My first question is can you do a seven night cruise? Why do I ask? Because many times the shorter cruises are more expensive overall. Only a few ships actually do short cruises and they are normally older compared to some of the newest ships that only do seven nights or more. Since only a few of these cruises exist and demand can be high during peak times of the year.. they may end up paying more for your cabin.
Sometimes families are not able to be flexible. However, If they are they can get a better value by booking a seven night cruise for the same time period. If you can book at a non-peak time you may do very well on a any ship.
How to save $100/pp instantly
When you book your cruise ask if any guaranteed cabins are available? This means the cruise line will guarantee that you get the type of cabin or category you book (or higher). You don't get to choose your cabin number, the cruise line does this for you. So if you booked a Balcony Guarantee you will be assigned as Balcony Cabin before you sail. Since you let the cruise line do this for you, they reward you by offering you a lower rate. The price for picking your SPECIFIC cabin category is normally $100 per person MORE! So being flexible can pay off. The same goes for any other cabins category. Please note, Guaranteed cabins are NOT.. I repeat NOT always available on all cruise lines or sailings.
I got an Upgrade!! Or DID you?
Upgrades are something people really get excited about. However, It all depends on how and when they received this so called "upgrade". Sometimes you will see cruise lines have sales promising an upgrade. Such as "Get a Two Category Upgrade" and so on. The cruise lines know people WANT an upgrade so they can feel good about the purchase. So they have these promotions at times (some more than others). The truth about them is you will most likely do as good or better by following the tips I've given above.
Grading Your Upgrade
Many times your upgrade is still within the same cabin (ie Inside, Outside, Balcony) type. So you went from an Inside Cabin category (AA) which is the lowest price inside cabin to a Category (AD) which is the highest priced inside cabin. What did you get? You now are on a higher deck. You technically recieved an UPGRADE but, at one time or another these two cabins were probably the same price or close. This goes for most other cabin types also. A real upgrade in my opinion is when you Go from an Inside to an Outside (window cabin) or from a Balcony to a Suite. These do happen but, not as much as people would like.
A Final Tip on Price & Booking
Lastly, If your interested in cruising BOOK your cabin early. Booking early gives you the best opportunity to find a hard to get location or hard to get cabin type (ie. Aft cabins, Handicapped, Suites, etc). It also means you can lock in what could be the lowest rate. Prices for cruises normally start off low and steadily increase until the ship is nearly full or sold out.
What do I mean by "booking"? I mean place a deposit to hold (book) your dream cabin. This is around $250 per person for a seven night cruise. You can normally do this a long as a year before the actual sailing date. When you book early you LOCK in this early booking price and your chosen cabin. You then have up until the final payment date (around 90 days before sailing) to pay off the balance of your cruise. This gives you several options and advantages such as:
1) You can normally cancel your cruise and have your deposit refunded if you cancel your booking anytime before your final payment date (around 90 days before sailing)
2) You probably have the lowest rate.
3) You can take your time and/or make small payments when paying off the remainder of your cruise vacation. This is a major purchase for most people and this really helps people relax and enjoy the purchase.
4) You have the satisfaction of knowing you have a great cruise vacation booked at a great rate and exactly where you want on the ship (prices normally go up).
What if the rate drops?
What If you see a cruise line promotion that you think may be better than what you originally booked under? Just ask your travel agent to check into this for you and if you can re-book at this lower rate. Many agents pride themselves on "monitoring" rates for their clients. If the rate drops they will re-book you under this lower rate if its before your final payment date and you save money. The only exception to this is when its after your final payment date and the cruise line has some LAST MINUTE cabins that need to be sold. These last minute sales are sometimes only a few weeks or even days before your cruise. The cruise lines will try hard to have all the cabins sold on the ship. To entice people to drop everything and go on a last minute vacation you may also see some low rates. The cruise lines don't like to do this but, it does happen. These promotions will regularly have "new bookings only" to let agents know its not for any existing customers. The good news is you still probably have as good if not better rate because of good planning. You also have exactly what YOU wanted which is more valuable than price alone.
As with any vacation, its what you make it.. So enjoy yourself at any price.
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