missy_b Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Looking at booking a cruise on Oasis of the Seas in July. However a few weeks ago prices were about $1200 for a balcony room. Now balcony prices are over $1700 and balconys are cheaper than an outside room (over $2000). Anyone have past experiences of booking a cruise closer to sail date and whether or not prices will go down? This price jump seems a bit extreme and odd that an outside room cost more than a balcony. Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tylor Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Looking at booking a cruise on Oasis of the Seas in July. However a few weeks ago prices were about $1200 for a balcony room. Now balcony prices are over $1700 and balconys are cheaper than an outside room (over $2000). Anyone have past experiences of booking a cruise closer to sail date and whether or not prices will go down? This price jump seems a bit extreme and odd that an outside room cost more than a balcony. Melissa Unfortunately prices are based on supply and demand. And as time gets closer to the summer vacation season, prices are more than likely to go up. The only great deals I've ever seen is about a week before sailing with Royal Caribbean is willing to basically give away the remaining rooms. The ships sail full, so they don't do a lot of discounting to get people onboard because they don't have to. Occasionally ocean view rooms cost more than balcony simply because there is higher demand for those types of rooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Tylor nailed it. It's all about supply and demand really. As more cabins in a given category are sold, remaining cabins go up in price. You could wait for a last minute deal but there's no guarantees. The only time you may see a drop in price with any kind of consistency is the final payment date. Usually prices drop a little because people that did not make final payment lost their cabins and a few make it back into general inventory. No promises! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcarney Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I think when I retire I'm moving to Florida and will have a bag packed at all times ready to take advantage of last minute deals. My Oasis cruise next week had balcony cabins listed this morning at just $899. That's a helluva lot less than what I paid... A suite opened up last week at $5600 - per person according to the CruisePuppy app. That's a helluva lot more than what I paid... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 I think when I retire I'm moving to Florida and will have a bag packed at all times ready to take advantage of last minute deals. My Oasis cruise next week had balcony cabins listed this morning at just $899. That's a helluva lot less than what I paid... It's a gamble to wait for last minute deals. Although if you waited to today to pay I doubt your airfare would have been less than what you paid previously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCLNewbie Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 That's my issue with last-minute deals. Unless you live in the departure city, the cost of flights will outweigh the savings of a last minute deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 That's my issue with last-minute deals. Unless you live in the departure city, the cost of flights will outweigh the savings of a last minute deal. There's no question last minute deals are aimed at people that live close to the ports. Living in the southeast United States is a major benefit since you can drive to many cruises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 That's my issue with last-minute deals. Unless you live in the departure city, the cost of flights will outweigh the savings of a last minute deal. If you're willing to gamble on getting a good cruise deal, you can buy the airline tickets in advance and then wait to book the cruise until you get a good fare a few weeks ahead of sailing. I've actually done this before with success. It's certainly not something I'd recommend for most, but if you feel comfortable with a wait-and-see approach on the cruise fare, it can work. It does help if you book air with someone like Southwest where you can change the tickets for full credit toward a future purchase, just in case the cruise fare doesn't work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 If you're willing to gamble on getting a good cruise deal, you can buy the airline tickets in advance and then wait to book the cruise until you get a good fare a few weeks ahead of sailing. I've actually done this before with success. It's certainly not something I'd recommend for most, but if you feel comfortable with a wait-and-see approach on the cruise fare, it can work. It does help if you book air with someone like Southwest where you can change the tickets for full credit toward a future purchase, just in case the cruise fare doesn't work out. The Southwest idea is a pretty good idea! You can reasonably book a flight to somewhere in south Florida in advance and be assured there will be something available for a decent deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 Another thing you can always do is call the cruise line - while they may not lower your rates, they do have the ability to upgrade you to a room sometimes that is At the Current cost you are paying. So if you paid $600 for an oceanview but now that is what the balconies are selling at, ask for them to move you into one. based on availability again and within a few weeks of sailing but have done this many times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 Another thing you can always do is call the cruise line - while they may not lower your rates, they do have the ability to upgrade you to a room sometimes that is At the Current cost you are paying. So if you paid $600 for an oceanview but now that is what the balconies are selling at, ask for them to move you into one. based on availability again and within a few weeks of sailing but have done this many times. Great advice Michelle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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