Lwlawlor Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I wanted to thank all of you for recommending that I watch deals everyday. This evening I was able to save $1570 on the junior suite because of a price drop. I am so thrilled! Thank you again lildawgscottFL, DocLC, lessiets1 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Woohoo ! That's awesome. Congratulations ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lildawgscottFL Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Congratulations! :DHow does one "watch deals everyday" because I have to start doing that obviously!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lwlawlor Posted October 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Yes. So wonderful. It is the adventure of the seas, april9-16th out of San juan is anyone is already booked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lwlawlor Posted October 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I went on line every day and checked price of the cruise I was taking. Takes 2 or 3 minutes. I wonder does this happen regularly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lildawgscottFL Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Okay! That's what I'm gonna do then! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I use a cruise price monitoring service (CruiseFish.net). They do charge a small fee to monitor a sailing and email you upon price/availability changes, but I've found it to be very worthwhile. In fact, just tonight I found out that my March 2017 cruise dropped $47/person! Lwlawlor and bobroo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lwlawlor Posted October 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I did not know about the service, thanks for letting me know. I am such a geek I am driven to check the price each day. deeders40 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lildawgscottFL Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I'm all over this CruiseFish thing now! Thank you, sir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 The shipmate app also lets you track prices, but it's a free service. I was able to save $500 on our Baltics cruise. Our TA was also able to save us $20 on Allure plus get us an OBC with the promotion her agency had with RCI. Galveston Steve and Lwlawlor 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lildawgscottFL Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I'm beginning to feel like a fool. I have the darn shipmate app! I had no idea it does that!!! ARGH!!!!!! :angry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I'm beginning to feel like a fool. I have the darn shipmate app! I had no idea it does that!!! ARGH!!!!!! :angry: That's what's great about these boards. You learn something new every day. Lwlawlor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I have not found the fish site to be helpful at all. I have no luck figuring it out, nor getting prices to match what I see elsewhere. And I like to think I am not that technically challenged when it comes to websites. I do it the old fashioned way...I check the RCI site plus 2 other travel sites daily to watch prices for cruises I have booked. So far I have saved on a cpl cruises, the most recent is my upcoming Nov cruise where overall I saved approx. $500 on cruise(including OBC as I re-booked in CAD so benefit from a 10% exchange rate, rather than 35%) For my next 3 cruises after that...rates are almost double from when I booked overall, so don't think I will benefit from any price drops on those...but I still check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I wanted to thank all of you for recommending that I watch deals everyday. This evening I was able to save $1570 on the junior suite because of a price drop. I am so thrilled! Thank you again Wow, nicely done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lildawgscottFL Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I like to use the "lowest common denominator" concept, like we learned in grade school. Take any sale, promo, special, etc., and reduce it down to the price per day before taxes, port fees, etc. That way you're comparing apples to apples. If you come to...more than $80/day for an inside stateroom - keep shopping! (you're a newbie)less than $70/day for an inside stateroom - you've got a fair deal, but you should keep checking back (amateur hour)less than $60/day for an inside stateroom - you've got a good deal, and checking back won't do much good (solid player)less than $50/day for an inside stateroom - you've got an exceptional deal, go do something else with your time, like planning another cruise (pro cruise planner)less than $40/day for an inside stateroom - you've got a steal and beating that price will be very highly unlikely (you've got mafia-style connections)less than $30/day for an inside stateroom - if you didn't book it, consider seeking psychiatric assistance (you're nuts! tell me where you found it so I can book it)Obviously these figures move up for the more expensive rooms, but it's the same idea. I find people spend too much time, effort, and worry, trying to get THE best deal possible, and they're too competitive - don't worry about what someone else got. If you're paying, for example, $60/day for 3 square meals (and we all know 3 is a joke! it's more like 10!), hotel accommodations, entertainment, and so on, you're getting an extraordinary value for the money spent. Where can you do that on land?So am I saying not to shop around? No, and yes. I'm saying that, if you're comfortable paying a certain price for goods and services rendered, then maybe yes, stop shopping around and creating anxiety. It's a vacation! It's not supposed to create stress - it's supposed to alleviate it. However, if you can't shake that nagging feeling like you could have done better, invest a little time. Just remember the law of diminishing returns: at some point, you're investing way too much to get way too little, and time is money. I don't know about you, but after 40 years on this planet, my time is far more valuable to me than my money.#rantover ;) Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeders40 Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 So once you book your cruise, and you find the price has gone down (let's say a month later), can they apply the difference for you? I thought it was only within 48 hours. I am just curious since I am a "newbie" trying to figure out RCI strategies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lildawgscottFL Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Remember that you have until your "Final Payment Date" (which I believe is 45 days out) to completely cancel your cruise. You may need to cancel and re-book, but that's unlikely. We just call, and if it's before the Final Payment Date, they'll just give you the lower price. If you have to cancel and re-book, you'll risk losing any OBC (on board credit) or reduced deposits you may have received on the initial booking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 So once you book your cruise, and you find the price has gone down (let's say a month later), can they apply the difference for you? I thought it was only within 48 hours. I am just curious since I am a "newbie" trying to figure out RCI strategies! You can adjust price up with no penalty up until final payment. Here's a blog post you may find helpful: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2011/06/10/cruising-101-price-adjustments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Keep in mind that final payment date can vary widely based on the length of cruise and for some lines holiday sailing and categories booked. Also, the rules vary for those outside of North America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 It has been my experience that if you ask for a repricing (price reduction), they WILL basically rebook you. That means (or always has for me) that if there were any incentives (i.e., OBC) associated with the original booking and that incentive is not a part of the deal at the time that you reprice, you will lose your incentive. Sometimes the reduction in fare is worth losing the OBC - sometimes it's not. A good example of that is the special that they offer on tax day. I booked the blog cruise (Feb 21, 2016) on April 15, 2015 which gave me the price without taxes or port fees. If I were to try and reprice that cruise b/c of a fare reduction (which has NOT happened, BTW...that fare is now $700 PP more than what I paid in April) then I would be rebooked at whatever the current lower price would be, but then I would have to pay the taxes and port fees - so in order for the repricing to be a net gain, the new, lower price would have to be low enough to cover the added cost of taxes and port fees, which would be highly unlikely. I think the reason that people think their prices were simply "adjusted" is because they did not have a situation where the rebooking cost them any incentives...in other words, the "deals" were the same in both cases, the price just went down. I have had that happen as well. On the Oasis in January 2015 the price on my B1 Boardwalk Balcony went from $1099 PP down to $629.50 PP due to BOGOHO and C&A Balcony D+ discount. In the end, I ended up getting upgraded to a regular balcony on that cruise so it ended up being maybe the best price I have ever had on an RCI cruise - especially on an Oasis Class. Those days are long gone ! AGSLC5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeders40 Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Thank you SO MUCH!!! This helps! lessiets1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Thank you SO MUCH!!! This helps! Feel free to post any questions here on the boards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 A few points about price drops that I have found. Rarely do many of these "sales" that RC runs actually change the price of cruises that you have already booked. Secondly the overwhelming driver of a price drop is demand. Sailing the Allure, Oasis, Anthem or at peak times will never get you a price drop. Less popular times of the year, ships or itinerary will be the thing that gets your prices down. In 9 cruises I've had only 2 that had price drops. One was the Mariner when it was on the west coast. RC was having a hard time filling her and it was an August sailing. I booked an E1 for myself, my wife and our daughter. The price dropped three times plus I upgraded to the D1 deck 10 corner aft. If recall it dropped over $1200 for the three of us. Also if you're interested in possibly upgrading check the pricing of higher catagory cabins than the one you've booked. Sometimes you can get a good deal on those. I once upgraded to the GS on a Jewel 4 night sailing that only cost me an additional $250 for 3 people. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 On our last Northern Europe cruise and ours next year, we were able to get a $500 priced reduction on each cruise, but we had booked far out and the reduction was short lived and about 9 months out. It just went up from there. We were able to save about $200 on the Liberty on a price drop, but that was only because of a brief residency special. Since then, it's been several hundred dollars higher. Moral of the story is that it doesn't hurt to check but don't expect much unless you've booked far out or they're struggling to fill the ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 . I once upgraded to the GS on a Jewel 4 night sailing that only cost me an additional $250 for 3 people. On the cruise that Marc and I just finished (liberty to Bermuda) the price difference between Jr a Suite and Grand Suite was just $20 total for 2 ! We were both able to upgrade for $20 - an amazing deal and if Marc hadn't pointed it out to me I would have missed it completely b/c I never would have been looking for that kind of deal. AGSLC5 and WhiteSoxFan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 On the cruise that Marc and I just finished (liberty to Bermuda) the price difference between Jr a Suite and Grand Suite was just $20 total for 2 ! We were both able to upgrade for $20 - an amazing deal and if Marc hadn't pointed it out to me I would have missed it completely b/c I never would have been looking for that kind of deal. Great deal! Congrats on that. That was my point, don't just check on the cabin you have booked but look for deals on upgrades. WAAAYTOOO and DocLC 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigburlyjohn Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 We booked a 2017 Oasis cruise at the Next Cruise office onboard Freedom during our last cruise and will receive an additional $100 stateroom credit on Oasis. Recently, I called to see if I could change from an inside stateroom to a balcony stateroom on Oasis and pay the increased rate, unfortunately I was told I would lose the $100 dollar stateroom onboard credit even when moving up and paying more. At this point I don't want to take that hit and will wait to see if the higher category price drops before forfitting the onboard credit. Any other suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 This is why I haven't done many onboard bookings as I've lost the OBC when finding a better price which exceeded the OBC offer. However, for our Baltics cruise next year, we received a $250 OBC and were able to recently get a price reduction which didn't impact our OBC. We'll see if that holds if the prices drop again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 We booked a 2017 Oasis cruise at the Next Cruise office onboard Freedom during our last cruise and will receive an additional $100 stateroom credit on Oasis. Recently, I called to see if I could change from an inside stateroom to a balcony stateroom on Oasis and pay the increased rate, unfortunately I was told I would lose the $100 dollar stateroom onboard credit even when moving up and paying more. At this point I don't want to take that hit and will wait to see if the higher category price drops before forfitting the onboard credit. Any other suggestions? My suggestion is look for new deals that combinable with NextCruise. I've found more deals are compatible with NextCruise rather than not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lildawgscottFL Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 I LOVE my ShipMate app! We just saved $100 for no reason whatsoever! Woo hoo!!! :D :lol: B) JohnK6404 and DocLC 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 I LOVE my ShipMate app! We just saved $100 for no reason whatsoever! Woo hoo!!! :D :lol: B)And who was it that told you that the ShipMate had that functionality . . . ? ;) BTW, that's more Labadoozies for you. lildawgscottFL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lildawgscottFL Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Was that you!? THEN I LOVE YOU TOO!!!! And I owe you a few Labadoozies!!! :D DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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