Matt Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 What are your best tricks for getting the absolute cheapest price for a suite? Book early, reprice....any other good tricks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 Book early Check prices relentlessly Use a good TA I just processed the 6th cruise fare reduction for my 12-22-22 Oasis cruise. BrianB, Neesa, SpeedNoodles and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowrider Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 We always book refundable rates on a few different dates. Whichever one or sometimes two end up repricing the lowest are the winners. We also commonly convert a refundable rate to non-refundable prior to final payment. JohnK6404, WAAAYTOOO, Baked Alaska and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 5 minutes ago, Flowrider said: We always book refundable rates on a few different dates. Whichever one or sometimes two end up repricing the lowest are the winners. We also commonly convert a refundable rate to non-refundable prior to final payment. I thought you couldn't book refundable fares for suites? I'd be all over that. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 9 minutes ago, Flowrider said: We always book refundable rates on a few different dates. Whichever one or sometimes two end up repricing the lowest are the winners. We also commonly convert a refundable rate to non-refundable prior to final payment. Suites, at least for the last 2 years have been NRD. CruiseGus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowrider Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 16 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said: I thought you couldn't book refundable fares for suites? I'd be all over that. Wouldn’t know about the suites. We typically book interior rooms or oceanview to save money. Sorry I totally missed the title about suites! We’re a family of 6 and we take advantage of kids sail free promotion. What we’ve noticed is that if we start with the rate during the kids sale free promotion we usually pay more vs if we book when it’s expensive(and not on sale) and reprice it. Overall rates seem to be better that second route. The kids sale free promotion applies after the first 2 persons are full priced. When we had 4 kids under 12 y/o we would book the ultra spacious oceanview room or ultraspacious interior rooms(6 passenger rooms). Mom and dad were full price and then the 4 kids were free. Now that 2 kids are older we book two connecting rooms and try and get one kid free in one room and one free in the second room. Kata 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12thman Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 Book early and have a MEI TA watch for price reduction. I've had a few happy emails saying my cruise went down. But booking early seems the best. We booked a cruise star class for 2023 as soon as it came out. Last checked and the same suite is $9,000 more!! Baked Alaska, SpeedNoodles and Shari3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 The best price we ever got was the first time we ever did a suite on Explorer in 2015 (5 night trip), right before drydock. Total cost for 2 adults and 1 child in a grand suite was $2300. No idea why it was that cheap. But I wish I knew. Since then I haven't found any good way to get a better price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AspiringCruisePlanner Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 Become an airline employee or recruit your parents or kids to become one! Royal offers around a 25% discount on top of the regular 30% discount for all categories, including suites. Cruises within 3 months are often 50% off the price available to the public. SpeedNoodles and 12thman 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 Book early! The best prices are usually on day 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack_4321 Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 2 hours ago, Matt said: What are your best tricks for getting the absolute cheapest price for a suite? Book early, reprice....any other good tricks? RoyalUp if that counts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRebecca Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 We were able to cruise in our first full suite in November by applying FCC to an existing reservation. Without the FCC we'd probably not sail in a suite ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chill6x6 Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 For me it's being familiar with the current going rate, check frequency, and then be prepared to JUMP on it once you see the good deal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristiZ Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 Be flexible about when you want to go, and just keep checking availability. You never know when there will be some weird deal. First time we were ever in a GS was because it happened to be priced lower than a JS about 90 days out. It was all down hill from there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heymarco Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 We upgraded to GS once after final payment for a 7 night Med cruise. It was cheaper than balcony room we had paid for. Can’t beat that! WAAAYTOOO and PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 Book early and book off peak. During peak seasons, and Royal knows when that is, prices never deviate very much so if the question is best price ever, off peak enters the discussion. Region also makes a difference. Booking Europe is way different from short Florida or Alaska. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmondFarmer Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 Best price I ever got on a suite was when my parents invited me and paid. So I guess the strategy could be summed up as, wait to be invited on someone else’s dime. Colombia20102018, WAAAYTOOO, RWDW1204 and 7 others 3 5 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 4 hours ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said: Become an airline employee or recruit your parents or kids to become one! Royal offers around a 25% discount on top of the regular 30% discount for all categories, including suites. Cruises within 3 months are often 50% off the price available to the public. We can't even get first responder discounts. PPPJJ-GCVAB and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12thman Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 6 hours ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said: Become an airline employee or recruit your parents or kids to become one! Royal offers around a 25% discount on top of the regular 30% discount for all categories, including suites. Cruises within 3 months are often 50% off the price available to the public. Yup! miss those perks! Discounts for cruises, hotels and tax only flight! Plus jump seat when everything is sold out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 3 hours ago, AlmondFarmer said: Best price I ever got on a suite was when my parents invited me and paid. So I guess the strategy could be summed up as, wait to be invited on someone else’s dime. Can confirm this is the way. WAAAYTOOO, PPPJJ-GCVAB, SpeedNoodles and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 And that is certainly my kids’ strategy! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLH Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 Be totally flexible. Be able to travel within a couple of weeks or months and have access to great airfares. I have a website I use to check daily that tracks price changes and can search on categories and since royal changed its way to look for senior discounts and resident discounts, I have another website to look for those. There are many times that prices are reduced in error, especially when they are looking at a redeployment. Always look for redeployments. After redeployment they are trying to fill the ship and priced can be great. I always book suites and don't plan anything until I see great deal. WAAAYTOOO and Toby 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 15 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said: I thought you couldn't book refundable fares for suites? I'd be all over that. Jr. Suites are still able to be booked with refundable deposits. I realize Jr. Suites do not have the same perks the other higher prices suites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 6 Author Report Share Posted January 6 Thanks everyone, great tips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAD Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 I did this… booked a balcony room and then watched the prices to later change to a suite guarantee (“WS”) for an additional $600 or so… that ended up getting me a JS. But then I got to RoyalUp bid on all of the other suite categories. And ended up in a Crown Loft Suite for about $6k less than the going rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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