Topic: How to choose the right cruise & get the best deal

QUOTE:

I imagine you're totally correct. My problem is that I can't be bothered to delve deeper! I flit from site to site looking for the cheapest advertised price and if none are cheaper than the cruise line's I book direct. :o

Hi Dave

After reading your posts I was surprised to read that Cruise.co.uk were coming up more expensive than the cruiseline direct, as it is never normally the case.

So I did a little investigating and to cut a long story short, we CAN give you a better price than Fred.Olsen.

I'm not sure why the price was incorrect on our website - probably just human error (we can't be perfect all the time ;)).

If you're interested, please call Heidi on freephone 0800 408 6085.

Robbie :D

A lot of knowledge and cruising, great advise. A queston asked before no doubt,what would be your "ball park" cost per night, say round the world sector, for good value?

Getting back to the original theme I will say that I was so impressed with this publication and that it was very professionally managed.

It has been stated that it had some interesting items for newcomers but I will go further and say that even for us old stagers it held some good points and to be reminded of them was first class, especially for my old brain.

Difficult to see how you could improve on this edition although I have had one or two others through in the mail from the competition with vast improvements to their publications so it is going to be hard to stay in premier position but I'm sure you will. ......Neil

QUOTE:

I imagine you're totally correct. My problem is that I can't be bothered to delve deeper! I flit from site to site looking for the cheapest advertised price and if none are cheaper than the cruise line's I book direct. :o

Me too Dave. After a bad esxperience with an agent (not this one) when we were allocates a cabin right at the front of the ship and it was like sleeping on a trampoline, we book direct unless the price is very much lower with an agent. Usually it is not as we book early.

I have just received an email from RCI, entitled 'Deal of the Week' Cruise the Caribbean this March from £974pp.

When you click through the cheapest I could get this 'Deal' was £2084 for 2. Checked Cruise.co.uk, same cruise priced up at £2089.80. Checked with Thomas Cook £2027.

I have noticed recently, and I have spent time on the phone to both agents, that TC do seem to consistently come out the cheapest. When I did book this years cruise, .co.uk would not match the price offered by TC.

I have in the past managed to get a good deal directly with the cruise line but this has never happened since and I simply put it down to my good luck at the time. I am always checking the prices though and the cruise line is never cheaper and never really has what I would describe as a good deal.

We booked our next cruise yesterday with Cruise Dot - and saved a fortune. To be specific, both the cruise line and the biggest newspaper-advertising agent quoted around £3000pp whereas Cruise Dot quoted just over £2500pp. That's a saving of nearly £1000! Good old Cruise Dot .

We have a Thomson Travel Agent in our local Tesco Store, and so far we have found that if we find cheapest deal on line, print it off and take it in to them, they will always beat it.....may be we've just been lucky, but we have been quite happy with the deals we've got so far

Brilliant thankyou

Phew Dave that was some savings well done.

QUOTE:

I’m going to disagree with Dave and Mrs M on this one and agree entirely with “Don't book with the cruise line direct... You will always get a cruise cheaper by going through a cruise agent," a technique I have put to the test more than once.

Eg. A couple of years ago RCI announced their first time Far East destinations. The first 12 nighter came on their website, inside cabin at about £410, oceanview £630 inc charges & taxes, no special offers or early booking deals, just a straight forward price. Remember this is a 12 nighter in the Far East!

Within the hour I placed a 24 hour hold on 2 cabins with RCI, phoned a couple of my well used agents, both were amazed at where I had got the price from as their systems were showing double those prices, both were prepared to deal, so we agreed on £570 total for an ocean view.

These two agents, among others, will always undercut providing you can show evidence of pricing.

Incidentally, the price increased overnight by £170 and continued increasing.
This is not the first time we have struck deals such as this, I could quote another deal (even more embarrassingly cheaper) on a newly posted itinerary which, like I’ve said many times, “Wait for the brochure to come out and those deals have long gone”

So I have to agree with Robinson Cruisoe, don’t ask what their price is if you already know their advertised offer, go in with your price, have the evidence to hand and ask them to better it.

Hi Wilba I want to cruise Canada and New England next year and would like to get the best price possible. I usually book as soon as possible after the brochure comes out. how do I get even better prices before the brochure comes out? where do you get the prices before anyone else? thanks Issy