andylanders Posted November 7, 2014 Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 Good Morning! I have a question. My family went on the Freedom of the Seas in August. We had the best time. It was a 7 night cruise an cost us around $3100 (included all fees and prepaid gratuities). It was my wife, 5 year old, 3 year old, and myself. We stayed in an interior stateroom. When people ask how much the cruise was, they seem to think that was an insane amount to pay. They have cruised before and they say they pay way less than that. We booked our cruise around 6 months out. We now want to cruise during my spring break (I'm a high school math teacher). In April, a 6 night cruise on the Independence costs ,with fees, around $2100. What do you all think about this price? Should I wait until closer to time to book, book now? Or a more generic question is, how do you book and when? We used a travel agent, Cruise One, to book ours. Thanks for any advice! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted November 7, 2014 Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 It sounds like a reasonable price for four to me. For what it's worth, I still find cruise vacations to be an extremely good value. We've done a number of land-based vacations and they always come to be more expensive than our cruises. For example, we just budgeted for a multi-state trip and when all expenses were calculated, the 10 day trip would have cost us over $5000 without food. That's the same price as a 12 night Norwegian Fjords cruise on RCI. Of course, there's the added airfare costs to consider, but for the base price the cruise was the better value and option for us. We often book Disneyworld and cruise combinations as well and the shorter Disney trip at the value resorts always costs more than our longer cruises. And again, the food is included on the cruise. I know it's a bit apples to oranges, but I'm convinced that cruising is the best value for my family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted November 7, 2014 Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 It's find of like asking when is the best time to buy airfare, the prices always seems to fluctuate. I usually book well in advance. I have booked 22 months in advance when I wanted a specific cabin, but usually I book about a year out. The key is to regularly check the pricing to see if there has been a price drop. Up to the time of final payment you just have to call RC or you TA and get the price adjusted. You can check the pricing yourself by going through the booking process on RC's website or there are websites that track prices and show the pricing history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted November 7, 2014 Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 I have bookings in place going out to April 2016 at the moment, my philosophy is to put down a deposit on a cruise if I think it looks interesting and the price is reasonable (based on my experience). Then I watch the price and rebook if it drops. I have a balcony for three on Freedom next Thanksgiving for example, originally booked it at about $3000 as that was "in-line" with prior years, subsequently rebooked it down to about $2700 during the BOGO/KSF sales when they first started. At that price I am happy with it, I keep checking to make sure it doesn't get cheaper but will be happy even if it doesn't. In my experience the best prices are 1) As early as you can book, 2) As late as you can book, 3)Sometimes during a sale that just happens to work right for you. By booking early, I can take advantage of 1) and 3) and not have to play the game of chicken on 2). I have been using the same TA primarily for the OBC that takes another 5-8% off the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andylanders Posted November 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 Thanks for the replies. One last question. If you're on a cruise and know you want another cruise at a later date, is it best to book it while cruising? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainer.stan Posted November 7, 2014 Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 Hi Andy, When we book I calculate the daily rate per person (adults) and if it is around $200 we are spot on, actually if it is lower even better again. We usually book direct with RCI online and have tried all the sales, but still find that using my daily rate works the best, then try not to see what happens with prices after that, but we have also booked on-board and obtained some great benefits through Crown and Anchor. My disclaimer as always this is an Australian's perspective, how we book and Aussie Dollars etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted November 7, 2014 Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 I think your rate is great. When it comes to the price, what many non-cruisers fail to realize is what that includes. It's not just a hotel room. You get your (most) meals, activities and transporation between island to island included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted November 7, 2014 Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 4 future cruises booked: 1Mediterrian, 3 Caribbean, 2 inside cabin, 2 balcony cabin. Average per person per day $64 - includes booking incentives & on board credits.. We usually do not use agent, all 4 of these without agent. How & when -- pick destinations 2 years out, follow prices to know normal price, good price, & bargin price -- book at bargin price. Quick $ check daily rate per person inside cabin, not major holiday, excluding fees, taxes, gratuities: $100 = Anywhere / Anytime fare $75 = good fare $50 = bargin fare $25-$50 = what ar are you waiting for, Pack Your Bags! Expectation for OBC per cabin = $25-$150 So what does a super deal look like: 1. Enchantment OTS, 4nt Bahamas $99 per person with a $50 cabin OBC. 2. 7nt Eastern Caribbean, $299 per person, with free upgrade to balcony. 3. 7nt Mediterranean +air+2nt pre4☆hotel +transfers+free 7nt Caribbean cruise balcony cabin $1899 per person Who Is In Your Wallet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted November 8, 2014 Report Share Posted November 8, 2014 I forgot to address the second part of your post. I typically use a TA and book about 9 months out. The exception was with the Liberty of the Seas for January 2016 typically, you get a better price for booking early. Plus, if the price drops before finally payment you can get an adjustment. For our July 2015 cruise, the price for the cabin has increased $3200 since booking about two months ago largely because it's an unusual itinerary which I think is increasing demand. We tried to book a similar cruise in Japan almost a year out, but were put on a wait list and cancelled when the only available cabin was a suite at twice the price we were willing to pay. While you do lose some control with a TA booking, you don't pay any more for the cruise and it's nice to have an advocate should something go wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted November 8, 2014 Report Share Posted November 8, 2014 While you do lose some control with a TA booking, you don't pay any more for the cruise and it's nice to have an advocate should something go wrong. Agreed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle Posted November 8, 2014 Report Share Posted November 8, 2014 Hi - welcome and I agree with others that is a good rate and spring break prices don't often get better unless they are having trouble selling out the sailing - I say book it - and the nice part is you can occasionally watch the pricing yourself, or if you are booked with an agent they can do that to see if other rates come out that are lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andylanders Posted November 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 Thanks again for all your replies! I really appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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