Next Level Traveling

[whenismynextcruise]

There is a MASSIVE amount of travel experience here so I  thought I would throw out a topic that I would really appreciate your expertise and wisdom on.

Let me start with some clarity first - I am NOT complaining at all here. We realize how lucky we are to be able to afford these trips and others like it. I am just hoping to find tips/tricks to get the "next level"

We used to fly to both Miami and Ft. Lauderdale for cruises (along with other trips to stay in either place) but over the past 5 years its becoming more and more cost prohibitive. I looked at cruises from South Florida much earlier this year and saw itineraries I liked but as soon as the 6 month point came to look at air fair my decision was made for me. Just too expensive. I live in Boston and roundtrip airfare for 2 to either destination runs in the $1500-$1900 range anytime during the winter months into early Spring. For a 4 hour flight! So we have chosen to drive 4 hours to New York or New Jersey for the 4 hours at the cost of a tank of gas and parking. 

For the week we budget to spend $5000 total for each warm weather vacation 2 times a year. We are not cheap on vacation  and eat/drink/spa/excursions as much as we want up that dollar amount.  This seems like a lot of money to me but unless I get the deal of the century we are going to remain limited to only North East USA departures soon.

We always choose D1 cabins because that fits our budget and we are very happy with them on the whole. I do read a LOT on here about Grande Suites and SKY Level perks etc and often dream of living it that large on a cruise someday!

Are there any good tips for this? Certain air fare sales I am missing? Better planning? Is there a better time to buy flights than others? Neither of us travels for work so there is no big opportunity to score mileage points that way. I do have a credit card that earns miles with purchases and such but honestly the point never really get that high to make them usable on a regular basis. Should I really just be looking to raise the budget? Because of all the recommendations I have read here to use one I am a convert to using a TA in the future for booking cruises and probably the airfare as well but I would still appreciate any tips on the actual cost of the travel part.

Am I just being cheap?

[mom2mybugs]

Air fare is killer but even during March spring break I have paid at most 550 round trip out of Chicago to south Florida.   Have you tried looking at mayrix.itasoftware.com?  It will give you all the combinations and prices to check.   Also try checking into orlando...port Canaveral is an easy shuttle from there.   I handle my own airfare...i haven't found the travel agents where I was to be helpful on that.   I have just switched to mei travel (who sponsor this site)  and sharla has been great so far.   

In terms of ships and rooms,  there are people with way more experience.  I can definitely say you will get more bang for your buck and more cabin for  your money if you go on an older or smaller ship.   I know freedom was a steal for next spring break.  I personally would rather cruise 2x on a smaller cabin than 1x with a huge suite but I'd love to try one someday!   

   Goodluck...i know people here will give you tons of advice but i would definitely search cheaper airfare... it's out there!  Jane 

[Lovetocruise2002]

We've been cruising since 2002 and have always chosen superior ocean view balcony staterooms and we were always happy with that. As you mentioned, after reading so much on here about suites and sky class I got curious. For our last cruise on Harmony last month we started off with our balcony cabin once again. Then I watched prices and checked almost daily (type a personality). Few months later we upgraded to a JS and then a month before the cruise the price dropped a lot on a GS and we grabbed it. We ended up getting it for under $5000 for 2 people. Not sure if that was a good deal or not in the grand scheme of things but after watching prices for over a year on that sailing it was the lowest I saw it go. Because I am a teacher I am limited as to when I can cruise so we usually stick to summer cruising. I wish I could take advantage of the lower prices from September-early December.

Fair warning though. Once you go up it is hard to come back down. And I agree we are all fortunate to be able to cruise but sky class did not disappoint. Now we are booked on Anthem for March and I am watching prices once again. What I am curious about is if there are good tips out there for getting a deal in star class? See what I mean, once you go up hard to come down lol.

No tips on airfare. I live in Ontario, Canada and always fly out of Detroit, MI. I just accept the fact the it will cost us about $1500 (for 4) to fly anywhere in Florida. I have decided that we will stay as loyal as we can to Delta to collect our sky miles and hopefully save a bit that way on airfare down the road.

As for the TA question I know many here will disagree with me but after many cruises with RC I feel better dealing with them directly. I tried the TA route several times and found that I did not like having to go through them every time I wanted to change something and they could not save me enough money to make me want to give up control over my reservation. And yes I am a control freak. So I am back to just booking directly with RC.

[Lovetocruise2002]

Oh and Skyscanner is a pretty decent site to comapre airfare.

[ZinzMat]

Have you looked at Manchester or Providence for flights? I fly out of Manchester all the time and 99% of the time it's cheaper than Boston. Are you checking multiple airlines? I just booked flights to ft Lauderdale for this December 2 adults round trip on southwest was $500.

[ellcee]

I don't think you're complaining...I get it. You work hard, your budget sounds good, things are just expensive. You don't sound cheap.

 

For airfare I check daily, I'm also type A. I do a ton of research. I travel a few times a year to visit a friend for the last few years so I'm always on multiple sites for flights. I research for months before I commit. I love Kayak but there are a few good sites for airfare. I switched to a TA (also MEI) after I booked but still check the RC site.

[BrianAlt]

10 hours ago, whenismynextcruise said:

Are there any good tips for this? Certain air fare sales I am missing? Better planning? Is there a better time to buy flights than others?

Honestly, it's mostly about spending more money.  Not doing so doesn't make you cheap.  There are good deals every now and then, but you have to be prepared to AT MINIMUM blow your budget on the cabin alone.  These high end cabins are generally close to your budget PER PERSON.  However, every now and then can be much cheaper than that, but still likely over your budget for two people.

If you REALLY want to do it, then you can cancel one trip and make the next one a HUGE blow out trip.  But I don't recommend you do that.  I recommend you keep doing what you're doing.  One day you may realize you have extra disposable income and slowly step it all up.

But one thing about flights.  I think you CAN do better than that.  I can generally fly to Florida for less than $200 per flight, or less than $800 total for two.  I'm out of Newark and, while Boston may be more expensive, I don't think it's so much more expensive. 

Are you working with a TA?  They can probably help you get more economical options.

[BrianAlt]

Also, going winter to early spring is peak season.  Everything is more expensive.  Consider the fall and you can do better.

[twangster]

I use kayak.com for flight purposes.  They offer purchase advice (wait, buy now, etc) as well as fare alerts.  I find if you book airfare too far out prices are high as airlines don't know if fuel prices will rise so they hedge and keep fares high.  At the 2-3 month mark they have a better understanding and begin to become competitive.   

I understand the appeal of driving, something that will never happen for me in Denver but I often make it to South Florida for under or around $400.  Consider Southwest too, if they are convenient for you as they can have some cheap fares far out and include checked bags so no additional fees.

Fortunately Anthem of the Seas has some variety in itineraries if you can deal with the North Atlantic seas for the 1st couple sea days.  

As far as cabins, book what works for you.  I've been lucky to enjoy suites but have also gone back to inside cabins on the next cruise and had an equally great time.

[tonyfsu21]

10 hours ago, whenismynextcruise said:

There is a MASSIVE amount of travel experience here so I  thought I would throw out a topic that I would really appreciate your expertise and wisdom on.

Let me start with some clarity first - I am NOT complaining at all here. We realize how lucky we are to be able to afford these trips and others like it. I am just hoping to find tips/tricks to get the "next level"

We used to fly to both Miami and Ft. Lauderdale for cruises (along with other trips to stay in either place) but over the past 5 years its becoming more and more cost prohibitive. I looked at cruises from South Florida much earlier this year and saw itineraries I liked but as soon as the 6 month point came to look at air fair my decision was made for me. Just too expensive. I live in Boston and roundtrip airfare for 2 to either destination runs in the $1500-$1900 range anytime during the winter months into early Spring. For a 4 hour flight! So we have chosen to drive 4 hours to New York or New Jersey for the 4 hours at the cost of a tank of gas and parking. 

For the week we budget to spend $5000 total for each warm weather vacation 2 times a year. We are not cheap on vacation  and eat/drink/spa/excursions as much as we want up that dollar amount.  This seems like a lot of money to me but unless I get the deal of the century we are going to remain limited to only North East USA departures soon.

We always choose D1 cabins because that fits our budget and we are very happy with them on the whole. I do read a LOT on here about Grande Suites and SKY Level perks etc and often dream of living it that large on a cruise someday!

Are there any good tips for this? Certain air fare sales I am missing? Better planning? Is there a better time to buy flights than others? Neither of us travels for work so there is no big opportunity to score mileage points that way. I do have a credit card that earns miles with purchases and such but honestly the point never really get that high to make them usable on a regular basis. Should I really just be looking to raise the budget? Because of all the recommendations I have read here to use one I am a convert to using a TA in the future for booking cruises and probably the airfare as well but I would still appreciate any tips on the actual cost of the travel part.

Am I just being cheap?

If you don’t already gamble in the casino, you could start there. The casino rates would assist you in taking your vacation to the next level. Spending so much time in the casino “might” nix your spa plans exc in favor of giving them your money but the payout could be decent in terms of discounts. We normally cruise 3-4 times per year and since I started playing in the casino the Suites have been more within reach even on the Oasis Class ships. Good luck.

[Matt]

2 hours ago, ZinzMat said:

Have you looked at Manchester or Providence for flights?

Along these lines, consider other airports in Florida.  Orlando, Tampa, Daytona, and Fort Myers are all easily driveable to the cruise ports.

[tiny260]

airfarewatchdog.com is site I use as well as skyscanners (previously mentioned) airfarewatchdog you can set up alerts, multiple departure cities to multiple arrival cites and it sends you email notifications of deals, this makes it easier for me so I don't have to constantly watch web sites, it lets me know.

As far as cruises, I think you are close, I try and stay in a suite, but will stay in whatever size room I feel like is the best deal. I have not done Star class yet, but I have a cruise scheduled in January of 2019 on Allure, I shopped around for this one, found an off week in January and the price is half of what it was on surrounding weeks. You also need to remember that if you ever go up to Star class, pretty much everything is included in the price, spa treatments might be one of the few things that are not included.

[Hutcherl]

I book inside staterooms,  except for once on a Carnival cruise.  Was offered a upgrade to a balcony for a reasonable amount and booked it.  Was initially worried about moving up, although slightly, and not wanting to go back.   

I enjoyed the balcony more than my wife but it wasn’t enough to keep booking them.  The balcony did nothing for her.  

I’m sure suites are a whole other level.  Probably will never experience them.  Even if it was in our budget, we probably wouldn’t see the value for the extra cost.  That’s just us.  

The only thing I take into consideration when picking a room is it’s location.  Prefer to be near a stairway. 

As far as flights,  it has to be nonstop for me.   I fly out of Pittsburgh so that is a challenge.   Typically, the fare is between $600-900 for 3 tickets to the Florida ports. 

 

[RestingBird]

2 hours ago, Matt said:

Along these lines, consider other airports in Florida.  Orlando, Tampa, Daytona, and Fort Myers are all easily driveable to the cruise ports.

Great point about the airport choices.  In addition to the ones Matt mentioned, there is Melbourne International, Sanford, and I think St Petersburg.

[RestingBird]

1 hour ago, Hutcherl said:

I book inside staterooms,  except for once on a Carnival cruise.  Was offered a upgrade to a balcony for a reasonable amount and booked it.  Was initially worried about moving up, although slightly, and not wanting to go back.   

I enjoyed the balcony more than my wife but it wasn’t enough to keep booking them.  The balcony did nothing for her.

Got a decent deal on a balcony as well, and my wife wasn't overly impressed by it either.  We both loved the panoramic OV on Freedom, and are willing to pay a little extra for that.  We'll be trying a JS on Brilliance, for the space, since we'll have our 1yr old with us.

[Rose City Cruiser]

I have used Skiplagged before for flights.  If you are able to travel with just a carry-on, you can save some $$.  The site has the ability to search for "hidden cities" where you leave the flight at the layover location rather than the final destination.  You just input your desired destination.  This site may not help with your BOS to FL itinerary, but it may help you travelling at other locations.  

[DocLC]

I have found flying into Orlando can be much less expensive and rental cars are relatively cheap if you're willing to drive a little. But, I do feel your pain. We cancelled a Caribbean cruise this winter because we could fly to Europe for about $150 more roundtrip and the cruise was 40% less expensive for the same class of cabin with a better itinerary. While it is winter, I can deal with the cold especially for better itinerary. 

[Neaxan]

We typically book the cheapest cabin available - a bed and a bathroom is about all we need as we're only in the cabin to get some sleep. If we ever do a cruise to Norway I might book a balcony but apart from that no way. We prefer to spend the money on shore excursions or simply more vacations.

Regarding flights I had no idea how expensive it is to fly in the US. Maybe you should try a European cruise? Flights from Miami to Cologne (Germany) non stop were around 300 € per person - even down to 200 € per person if you were willing to switch planes in Portugal. Was quite a pleasant surprise to learn the flights home won't  mess up our budget.

[JLMoran]

9 hours ago, twangster said:

I find if you book airfare too far out prices are high as airlines don't know if fuel prices will rise so they hedge and keep fares high.  At the 2-3 month mark they have a better understanding and begin to become competitive.

@twangster, that's really interesting! This also explains why my TA has (very patiently with me!) kept saying that airfare won't be booked until January (3 months before our cruise). I thought that airfare was like cruise purchases -- buy as far in advance as their schedule announcements allow to get the lowest fares. Interesting that they pad for fuel price uncertainty until it's closer to date.

[Rose City Cruiser]

9 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

@twangster, that's really interesting! This also explains why my TA has (very patiently with me!) kept saying that airfare won't be booked until January (3 months before our cruise). I thought that airfare was like cruise purchases -- buy as far in advance as their schedule announcements allow to get the lowest fares. Interesting that they pad for fuel price uncertainty until it's closer to date.

I thought these airlines buy futures.  That is why we generally don't see much price volatility in airline tickets because they already know how much they are paying for fuel.  

[Lovetocruise2002]

18 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

@twangster, that's really interesting! This also explains why my TA has (very patiently with me!) kept saying that airfare won't be booked until January (3 months before our cruise). I thought that airfare was like cruise purchases -- buy as far in advance as their schedule announcements allow to get the lowest fares. Interesting that they pad for fuel price uncertainty until it's closer to date.

I have found from watching fares daily that there seems to be a trend...for example for our Disney cruise this December (from Port Canaveral so flying to MCO) we booked this cruise in June 2016. Airfare was release in March 2017 and I noted the price and it was reasonable. Because we are travelling with parents and siblings and all their kids this time we decided to wait on it as a group. And my dad said exactly what @twangster said that at 3 months it would be best. So we watched daily and it went sky high and then back down a bit but never back down to the original price I saw it at. Finally, the very last day of August (we are flying out on Dec 1st) it went back down to $6 above the original price I saw it at. We grabbed it at that point. Since then I have still been checking and it has gone up again. So it's a gamble I think...

I have yet to book airfare for our cruise on Anthem in March. Going to test the 3 month theory again. Will have to check out Kayak.com and airfarewatchdog.com later. 

[Rose City Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

I have found from watching fares daily that there seems to be a trend...for example for our Disney cruise this December (from Port Canaveral so flying to MCO) we booked this cruise in June 2016. Airfare was release in March 2017 and I noted the price and it was reasonable. Because we are travelling with parents and siblings and all their kids this time we decided to wait on it as a group. And my dad said exactly what @twangster said that at 3 months it would be best. So we watched daily and it went sky high and then back down a bit but never back down to the original price I saw it at. Finally, the very last day of August (we are flying out on Dec 1st) it went back down to $6 above the original price I saw it at. We grabbed it at that point. Since then I have still been checking and it has gone up again. So it's a gamble I think...

I have yet to book airfare for our cruise on Anthem in March. Going to test the 3 month theory again. Will have to check out Kayak.com and airfarewatchdog.com later. 

Have you tried to clear cookies/cache and search incognito?  

[Lovetocruise2002]

28 minutes ago, jurrjurr said:

Have you tried to clear cookies/cache and search incognito?  

Always :) every time I get on and before I get off

[whenismynextcruise]

Thank you all so much! So much to digest here.

I am absolutely going to try out the airfare sites that have been recommended. I hadnt heard of most of them. I have only been looking on the airline sites and sites like travelocity and expedia. The search is on!

I feel like a novice traveler because I have checked airfare from local airports in my area (providence, ri & manchester, nh) but for some reason I never thought to expand the airport search in florida. I am going to to work  that into my planning.

This week using the suggestions here I am going to look into our next trip for the Spring (push it out from feb/march to april/may) and see how I do. Skip a massage in the spa @ Thanksgiving to spend some $ in the casino towards those rates. 

Glad to learn I am not cheap and also I learned that I need to put in more research and effort in vacation planning. That doesnt hardly seem to be like hard work to me!!

[melski94]

13 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said:

I have found from watching fares daily that there seems to be a trend...for example for our Disney cruise this December (from Port Canaveral so flying to MCO) we booked this cruise in June 2016. Airfare was release in March 2017 and I noted the price and it was reasonable. Because we are travelling with parents and siblings and all their kids this time we decided to wait on it as a group. And my dad said exactly what @twangster said that at 3 months it would be best. So we watched daily and it went sky high and then back down a bit but never back down to the original price I saw it at. Finally, the very last day of August (we are flying out on Dec 1st) it went back down to $6 above the original price I saw it at. We grabbed it at that point. Since then I have still been checking and it has gone up again. So it's a gamble I think...

I have yet to book airfare for our cruise on Anthem in March. Going to test the 3 month theory again. Will have to check out Kayak.com and airfarewatchdog.com later. 

I'd love to see if this works over Spring Break and if you can get decent flights at good hours.  I looked for our Spring Break trip in June a week after Southwest released their fares and all the "wanna get away" fares were sold out to both FLL and Orlando. I finally found a Jet Blue flight that is cheaper than what Southwest would have been and non stop.  Most other airlines have layovers from my city. As we typically travel over prime dates (Spring break, thanksgiving, etc) and I need 6 tickets I'm not sure if the 3 month window would work for us but would love to know if it does for you.

I do have a Southwest card. They were offering 60,000 points when you opened.  That it enough for 1 free ticket at least. I do use it for most of our purchases and then pay it off at the end of the month. Trying to save enough points to get a few tickets on points for our possible summer break.

 

[Lovetocruise2002]

43 minutes ago, melski94 said:

I'd love to see if this works over Spring Break and if you can get decent flights at good hours.  I looked for our Spring Break trip in June a week after Southwest released their fares and all the "wanna get away" fares were sold out to both FLL and Orlando. I finally found a Jet Blue flight that is cheaper than what Southwest would have been and non stop.  Most other airlines have layovers from my city. As we typically travel over prime dates (Spring break, thanksgiving, etc) and I need 6 tickets I'm not sure if the 3 month window would work for us but would love to know if it does for you.

I do have a Southwest card. They were offering 60,000 points when you opened.  That it enough for 1 free ticket at least. I do use it for most of our purchases and then pay it off at the end of the month. Trying to save enough points to get a few tickets on points for our possible summer break.

 

@melski94 I will keep you posted.  I normally travel at prime dates too because of my job I cannot travel during low seasons.  Normally, I book right when the fares are released because I book the cruises well over a year in advance.  The one over March break is the exception because we decided this one just recently and I already missed the "just release fare" so I'm going to test the 3 month theory.  I am picky with flying though especially with my kids.  Both have motion sickness issues so non-stop flights are a must and no one is a happy camper at 5am so we normally choose "good" hours to fly.  Also, they are a bit too young still to sit wherever so I don't ever choose basic economy fares etc.  So I am really limiting myself to the deals out there...

[JLMoran]

Oh, to the original question about stepping up your game to start living the suite life -- Only advice I'd give is to save the purchase of a Sky or Star suite for truly special occasions; things like milestone birthdays or anniversaries, kids' high school or college graduations, or family reunion events (if you happen to celebrate that sort of thing with a cruise). The cost is so much higher than a regular balcony, even on the older ships that are generally priced lower than ships like Oasis or Quantum class, it's really hard to justify it when that money could go towards excursions or other experiences that (in my view) are what really make the trip. But as a "treat" to make a special occasion even better, then I say go for it!

If you have a little extra money you can afford to spend and don't mind going with "only" Sea class, then I've found that you can get a Spa Junior Suite (J4) for only a couple hundred more than a D1, as long as you get a good promo like a 60% off second guest sale (and provided it's still pretty close to when the itineraries were first announced). But the perks are so much more limited than when you go to Sky class or better that I think it still needs to be something of a "special occasion" purchase.

[mom2mybugs]

On 10/9/2017 at 1:11 PM, Neaxan said:

We typically book the cheapest cabin available - a bed and a bathroom is about all we need as we're only in the cabin to get some sleep. If we ever do a cruise to Norway I might book a balcony but apart from that no way. We prefer to spend the money on shore excursions or simply more vacations.

Regarding flights I had no idea how expensive it is to fly in the US. Maybe you should try a European cruise?

This is just what we decided to do...we spent so much on our ft lauderdale flights we decided it wasn't that much mite to fly to Europe.   We are going for the first time next summer!   River cruise out of Paris!  Jane

[RobertJL]

I fly into Miami on American I can book up to 11 months ahead & usually find better fares then Jet Blue out of Logan!

 

[Lovetocruise2002]

On 2017-10-10 at 8:50 AM, melski94 said:

I'd love to see if this works over Spring Break and if you can get decent flights at good hours.  I looked for our Spring Break trip in June a week after Southwest released their fares and all the "wanna get away" fares were sold out to both FLL and Orlando. I finally found a Jet Blue flight that is cheaper than what Southwest would have been and non stop.  Most other airlines have layovers from my city. As we typically travel over prime dates (Spring break, thanksgiving, etc) and I need 6 tickets I'm not sure if the 3 month window would work for us but would love to know if it does for you.

I do have a Southwest card. They were offering 60,000 points when you opened.  That it enough for 1 free ticket at least. I do use it for most of our purchases and then pay it off at the end of the month. Trying to save enough points to get a few tickets on points for our possible summer break.

 

So @melski94 I did not forget that I said I would keep you posted so here goes. Been watching the airfares on Delta for our Anthem (March 9, 2018) cruise since early October. It was $286pp at the time.  Since then it has gone up and then up again....$313-$400pp.  We ended booking with United in November because I found it one day for about $240pp but I continued to watch Delta prices rise. United then changed the schedules on us twice and finally this past week (Dec 12) they changed our return flight to 8:30am and that was the last straw.  As our good fortune would have it, I checked Delta again out of frustration and the price had dropped back to $298 (just a bit higher than what I originally saw it at). I ended up cancelling our flights with United (no penalty for us because they changed it more than 2hrs from what we originally booked) and booking Delta for $298pp. So about $1200 for all 4 of us from DTW to EWR which I am happy with. 

Long and short of it is that this past week was the 3 month mark.  So just like our flights to MCO it did follow the trend yet again. Prices rose again and again and then dropped considerably right around the 90 day mark. I have been watching it still after I booked it and now it is back to $400pp for the same fare category.  I'll be testing this for July 2019 too. Have not booked those flights yet...

[Sweety]

2 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said:

So @melski94 I did not forget that I said I would keep you posted so here goes. Been watching the airfares on Delta for our Anthem (March 9, 2018) cruise since early October. It was $286pp at the time.  Since then it has gone up and then up again....$313-$400pp.  We ended booking with United in November because I found it one day for about $240pp but I continued to watch Delta prices rise. United then changed the schedules on us twice and finally this past week (Dec 12) they changed our return flight to 8:30am and that was the last straw.  As our good fortune would have it, I checked Delta again out of frustration and the price had dropped back to $298 (just a bit higher than what I originally saw it at). I ended up cancelling our flights with United (no penalty for us because they changed it more than 2hrs from what we originally booked) and booking Delta for $298pp. So about $1200 for all 4 of us from DTW to EWR which I am happy with. 

Long and short of it is that this past week was the 3 month mark.  So just like our flights to MCO it did follow the trend yet again. Prices rose again and again and then dropped considerably right around the 90 day mark. I have been watching it still after I booked it and now it is back to $400pp for the same fare category.  I'll be testing this for July 2019 too. Have not booked those flights yet...

I do the same thing. I watch Southwest all the time. I have a cruise spring break and I am watching fares. SWA has a day when fares will drop, then I will purchase my tickets.

[mworkman]

Best thing that i've seen for airfare assistance is by finding a credit card that offers companion certificates for airlines.  I use Delta Amex Platinum and Delta Reserve cards.  The Platinum card gives you Coach seating and the Reserve card gives you First Class seating.

[monctonguy]

My advice is to keep checking often for everything....both the airfare and cruisefare...and to check multiple sites on the net as well as multiple ports/airports. Sounds like a lot of work, BUT you can find some savings if you put in the work.

 

Now I never have looked for or booked a suite, but I am sure its similar ideas and rules to booking those as anything else.

 

I have to be diligent as flying from Atlantic Canada is a nightmare cost wise. I usually check all airports within about 300kms of my location for departing flights and I check airports within 100 miles or so of where I am looking to go. West Palm Beach often has some great deals for being outside of the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area...and Sanford is often cheaper than MCO for the Orlando area as well. Air Allegiant flies from Manchester to Sanford which may give some savings too.

 

As for the cruise itself..check with 2 or 3 different cruise sites....I have honestly found the best prices on VTG no matter who else I compare with. But there are many to check with and some offer extra OBC or other perks that can make it cheaper or overall a better value.

I normally book the cheapest room available. For me the cruise is about the time I spend outside of my room to be honest. I mean a balcony or suite is amazing I am sure but I spend NO time in the room(5 hrs sleep and a shower) So that works for me as it allows me to book 2-3 cruises/trips a year instead of just one in a bigger room. If it wasn't for the airfare I could book much bigger/nicer rooms I am sure. But not sure I would, as I prefer to travel more often then just once going all out.

 

Good luck!

[JLMoran]

10 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Long and short of it is that this past week was the 3 month mark.  So just like our flights to MCO it did follow the trend yet again. Prices rose again and again and then dropped considerably right around the 90 day mark.

So glad you posted this! I had forgotten that I need to keep an eye out for that myself. My own 90-day mark is in a couple of weeks, but I just looked up prices to get an idea of what's there right now. To say it's ridiculous is a severe understatement. My airfare at current rates on Delta or United would be over half of what I'm paying for the cruise! 

JetBlue and Southwest are a good bit better but still seem kind of high. Would prefer JetBlue, but I need to mind the credit card this time around and might have to go with Southwest. I know a lot of folks here swear by them, but I can't do a flight where you don't know your seats until you board. My older daughter is absolutely terrified of flying and will already likely be taking something to deal with the extreme anxiety. If she ended up having to be by herself it could be an absolute disaster.

[tiny260]

I use 3 APP's/Web Pages to monitor ticket pricing, I am OCD but i get busy with work and forget to check, or I might actually be traveling at the peak time to buy, so the sites and APP keeps me on my toes, so to speak. 

Hopper is a cell phone app that will provide trending reports for airlines and dates of travel.

SkyScanner, is a web page and APP that will tell you if pricing is changing on a specified flight, date, time, destination and departure cites.

Airfarewatchdog, send you price alerts for dates, destination cites and departure cites.

My disclaimer, I do not know if these sites cover all airlines, where I live I typically use AA, United, Delta or SW Airlines, so I know I see pricing for all of them, SW is the tricky one, they usually don't show very much that is not their own web page.

[Lovetocruise2002]

52 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

So glad you posted this! I had forgotten that I need to keep an eye out for that myself. My own 90-day mark is in a couple of weeks, but I just looked up prices to get an idea of what's there right now. To say it's ridiculous is a severe understatement. My airfare at current rates on Delta or United would be over half of what I'm paying for the cruise! 

JetBlue and Southwest are a good bit better but still seem kind of high. Would prefer JetBlue, but I need to mind the credit card this time around and might have to go with Southwest. I know a lot of folks here swear by them, but I can't do a flight where you don't know your seats until you board. My older daughter is absolutely terrified of flying and will already likely be taking something to deal with the extreme anxiety. If she ended up having to be by herself it could be an absolute disaster.

I said to my husband a few days ago that watching the fares is a must.  If you did not how could you possibly know what a "good price" is to jump on?  That is how I knew on Tuesday is was fair because I had been tracking it daily for months.  Same with our trip that we just came back from to Orlando (see earlier posts), if I had not tracked that for months, there's no way I would have known at the end of August that the price was good to jump on.  I totally agree with @monctonguy, it seems like a lot of work but it is a must.  I have saved a couple hundred here and there on cruise fares by tracking daily and that is how I know whether or not to jump on a suite at the 45-60 day mark.

Not to be a downer Joe but my parents are taking a cruise the same day as you, March 31, flying from DTW to MIA.  My dad has been tracking fares for months now and it is absolutely crazy!  I wonder if it's because it's Easter weekend?  The fares started high already (about $800pp USD) and now it's up to about $1000pp!!!  And they have checked all sorts of airlines, Delta, United, JetBlue, Spirit, Southwest etc. They tried both MIA and FLL, both outrageous!  They are now considering perhaps flying out from another airport a bit further.  I hope you have better luck with yours....keep us posted.

[JLMoran]

1 hour ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Not to be a downer Joe but my parents are taking a cruise the same day as you, March 31, flying from DTW to MIA.  My dad has been tracking fares for months now and it is absolutely crazy!  I wonder if it's because it's Easter weekend?  The fares started high already (about $800pp USD) and now it's up to about $1000pp!!!  And they have checked all sorts of airlines, Delta, United, JetBlue, Spirit, Southwest etc. They tried both MIA and FLL, both outrageous!  They are now considering perhaps flying out from another airport a bit further.  I hope you have better luck with yours....keep us posted.

Prices that I saw for Delta and United (only ones available on Kayak) were in the $600-$900 per person range for the round trip flight in Economy Plus (I need the leg room), in the time periods I'm willing to fly and the days we are looking to fly down (two days prior to embarkation) and back up (day after debarkation). Jet Blue was a little better, but still looking like it would be about $500-$800 per person round trip. Southwest seemed to be the lowest, as long as I'm willing to go with their cheapest non-refundable rate. But as noted, they're my last choice as long as JetBlue is only a little more expensive. I did note that JetBlue's mid-tier price that includes the one checked bag along with a carry-on has a price bump that is essentially a couple dollars less than the price of buying the cheapest fare and then checking a bag at the airport. So at least there's no price gouging going on there and they seem to be keeping things fair.

But United and Delta are just beyond ridiculous. Especially when those rates don't include any checked baggage costs, and those are also exorbitant (based on my last flight to Florida about six years ago).

[Lovetocruise2002]

27 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Prices that I saw for Delta and United (only ones available on Kayak) were in the $600-$900 per person range for the round trip flight in Economy Plus (I need the leg room), in the time periods I'm willing to fly and the days we are looking to fly down (two days prior to embarkation) and back up (day after debarkation). Jet Blue was a little better, but still looking like it would be about $500-$800 per person round trip. Southwest seemed to be the lowest, as long as I'm willing to go with their cheapest non-refundable rate. But as noted, they're my last choice as long as JetBlue is only a little more expensive. I did note that JetBlue's mid-tier price that includes the one checked bag along with a carry-on has a price bump that is essentially a couple dollars less than the price of buying the cheapest fare and then checking a bag at the airport. So at least there's no price gouging going on there and they seem to be keeping things fair.

But United and Delta are just beyond ridiculous. Especially when those rates don't include any checked baggage costs, and those are also exorbitant (based on my last flight to Florida about six years ago).

And I keep wondering if that's because it's a holiday weekend.  My parents have tried all sorts of options too.  Flying down a few days earlier, staying an extra day, etc.  The only thing any of us can think of is because it's a holiday.  It's not quite the 3 month mark yet...there's still hope...

[JLMoran]

5 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

And I keep wondering if that's because it's a holiday weekend.  My parents have tried all sorts of options too.  Flying down a few days earlier, staying an extra day, etc.  The only thing any of us can think of is because it's a holiday.  It's not quite the 3 month mark yet...there's still hope...

I think it's a combination of holiday weekend and Spring Break weekend / week for many schools this year. Normally Easter weekend is closer to mid-April and the Spring Break season is over and done with. But this year we get the Daily Double, as it were. 

[Rede411]

Being from Boston myself I know exactly what you mean! 

I usually travel in February/March and always fly into Ft. Lauderdale which is so much cheaper than Miami.  Tampa isn't that bad either...I just use expedia and I usually find a great rate but I book at least 7 -months before I cruise.

Also Driving to New Jersey & taking Anthem is a much better option as well.  Sometimes the Hotels offer daily parking rates which are cheap.  I have also just taken the bus to NY (no parking fee)

Another thing to consider is the ship itself...Going on Independence soon and since there is so much to do I got an inside cabin with the 50% off deal for around $975. for 2 people! plus the airfare was $211 round trip...no brainer