DelCheapo said:tasha said:I just got an email from Royal Caribbean about a one day sale for October 17th. If you book with them on that day, you'll only have to pay half the normal deposit. Plus, each booking gets some free onboard credit:

3-5 nights $50 per stateroom
6-9 nights $100 per stateroom
10+ nights $200 per stateroom

Do you have to pay the other half with your final payment or is it a savings? Do you have the text from the email?

It's true! The deals is available on Oct. 17, 2007. Best Cruise Spot - RCI WOW Sale

On the website, I also found that they have last minute cruise specials. Here are some deals that they have:

5 Night Western Caribbean Cruise - $249
7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise - $449
11 Night Exotic Southern Caribbean Cruise - $549 (OceanView)

Here's the link: Last Minute Cruises

mminauro1 said:Try CruiseCompete.com for the best deal more times than not.
Good luck

Very accurate statement!

haner said:billybabe3883 said:mminauro1 said:Try CruiseCompete.com for the best deal more times than not.
Good luck

Very accurate statement!

http://www.bestpricecruises.com/ (Who I ended up going with on CC -- They had the best deal)
I booked with them too as they had the lowest price and an on-board credit to boot. Just beware they do have cancellation fees in addition to any cruiseline cancellation fees. Other online TAs do not have such fees. This will likely be a trade-off between a slightly higher price with more flexibility or a lower price and less flexibility (since you have more fees to worry about if you cancel or make changes to your sailing date).

Overall they have been pretty accessible via e-mail; I have not had to call yet. Regardless of who you book with via cruisecompete.com, just make sure you get everything you want listed in the quote (on-board credit, coupon books, specific cabin number, etc.) and then reference your quote number when you book with your selected TA.

any recent cruise offers? I'm looking to book a cruise in June.. do you guys think I should book now, or maybe wait for a last minute deal. I have never cruised before, but I have been reading cruisecritic message boards for the last week or two and have learned alot. I hope you guys can offer me some advice. Its just 2 of us, looking for a cheap place to go for a few days.. in June and the cheaper the better..

any advice?

THANKS!

isles1 said:dyn0 said:any recent cruise offers? I'm looking to book a cruise in June.. do you guys think I should book now, or maybe wait for a last minute deal. I have never cruised before, but I have been reading cruisecritic message boards for the last week or two and have learned alot. I hope you guys can offer me some advice. Its just 2 of us, looking for a cheap place to go for a few days.. in June and the cheaper the better..

any advice?

THANKS!June is peak travel time, especially the end of June. Whether there will be last minute deals depends on the time of year and the itinerary; essentially demand.

Where do you want to go? What cruise lines and dates have you looked at? Is there a lot of availability or just a few cabins and or GTY staterooms available to be booked on the sailing you have your eye on?

If you have been over at cruisecritic.com already, you know you need to get a bit more specific and indicate when and where you want to go. Also, just because you get a last minute cruise deal does not mean you will get a last minute airfare deal too.

Thanks for the reply!

Thats what everybody is telling me that end of June is going to be expensive. I am actually hoping to depart June 1 or 2nd from Mobile, AL or in FL. I was hoping to just go to the western carribean (no specific place, really anywhere would be fun for a few days). The airfare is a good point... when do these last minute deals come up.. and whats considered last minute in the cruise industry.. on cruisecritic they always just say last minute.. does that mean like 2 days.. or like 2 weeks?

Whast the best way to check for availability.. I know its available.. but how do you check how many cabins are available? Thanks!!

isles1 said:dyn0 said:isles1 said:dyn0 said:any recent cruise offers? I'm looking to book a cruise in June.. do you guys think I should book now, or maybe wait for a last minute deal. I have never cruised before, but I have been reading cruisecritic message boards for the last week or two and have learned alot. I hope you guys can offer me some advice. Its just 2 of us, looking for a cheap place to go for a few days.. in June and the cheaper the better..

any advice?

THANKS!June is peak travel time, especially the end of June. Whether there will be last minute deals depends on the time of year and the itinerary; essentially demand.

Where do you want to go? What cruise lines and dates have you looked at? Is there a lot of availability or just a few cabins and or GTY staterooms available to be booked on the sailing you have your eye on?

If you have been over at cruisecritic.com already, you know you need to get a bit more specific and indicate when and where you want to go. Also, just because you get a last minute cruise deal does not mean you will get a last minute airfare deal too.
I was hoping to just go to the western carribean (no specific place, really anywhere would be fun for a few days). The airfare is a good point... when do these last minute deals come up.. and whats considered last minute in the cruise industry.. on cruisecritic they always just say last minute.. does that mean like 2 days.. or like 2 weeks?

Whast the best way to check for availability.. I know its available.. but how do you check how many cabins are available? Thanks!!

If there are going to be deals, it is either going to be well in advance (1 year+) or some time after the Final Payment Due Date, which for most lines is 75 days before the sailing.

As for how to tell what rooms are available, refer to the cruisecritic forum for the line(s) that you are considering and search or post in that forum for an answer. You also need to refer to the first post and the info section of this thread regarding finding deals. If you want clarification on something posted over at cruisecritic, why no just post and ask your specific question (e.g. What do you consider to be last minute deals, and where do I look to find them?).

thanks.. i'll do that! just saw this thread, and it seemed like a better option for finding "deals"..

The final week of Carnival's Funtennial Celebration is here and we're going out in style -- family style!

Now through March 31st, receive a FREE stateroom upgrade when you book virtually any criuse sailing in 2008. Plus 3rd and 4th guests in a stateroom sail from only $99. That means there's no reason you to leave your family and friends behind.

Remember, this extra-special offer ends March 31st. Book early for best price and availability

LINK TO OFFER

Not sure if this has already been posted, but Royal Caribbean posts a list of seasonal specials, residency discounts, senior discounts and reduced air each week on this site. It's updated weekly on Tuesdays:

Promo Wave Link

SimpleCypher said:Want to take an Alaska cruise the last week of August (22, 23, 24) for 7 days with my girlfriend. I'm located in San Francisco. It looks to me like most of the deals require flying into Anchorage, Vancouver which greatly increases the costs though a few leave out of Seattle. Are there any deals out there? Any that include airfare?

Thanks in advance.You imply you found deals out of Anchorage. Care to share? What prices are you finding for cruises out of Seattle and where are you finding them? Have you used the sources listed on the first page of this thread?

Vancouver itineraries are usually preferred as they are "true" Inside Passage sailings rather than west of Vancouver Island like the Seattle-based cruises. As you have found, airfare to YVR from the lower 48 is no bargain. Driving from Seattle can be an option if you give yourself a cushion of an extra day or two pre and post cruise for the transfer. Any 7 day cruise out of Anchorage is going to be a Southbound cruise terminating in Vancouver or Seattle.

Overall, I would not expect many deals in August as this is prime vacation time. Consider setting your sights on September or waiting until next April or May for deals. Since you have to fly to either Seattle or YVR, it will be hard for you to jump on any last minute cruise fare sale without having it negated by high, last minute airfare (unless the stars align, your city is served by Southwest, and you land a good DING fare to SEATAC and good one-way car rental rates or Amtrak fares to Vancouver).

A cruise requires a ton of planning. IMO, you should book an Alaskan cruise (or any cruise that does not sail from and return to your home port) far in advance.

I am not aware of any cruiselines that sail from SF to Alaska on a normal itinerary. You would most likely have to look for a repositioning cruise, but that would be at the start of the Alaska cruise season (April) or the end (September) and would involve one-way airfare which can be costly.

We just completed a 7-day R/T Inside Passage cruise out of YVR. It could not have went smoother. Vancouver is a beautiful city. We cruised in May because of the low fare and lack of children given the time of year. For reference we sailed on the Norwegian Sun and paid ~$1,000 p/p, inclusive of all taxes and fees, for a BB category balcony. The cruise was booked 10 months in advance; the price dropped a total of $20 p/p in that time. Airfare was booked at the same time as the cruise and was Cathay Pacific out of JFK direct to YVR for $400 p/p.

If anyone's still reading, I have a question about insurance....

My wife is pregnant, and if the weather could presumably go sour (looking at a cruise to Bermuda from NYC in early August), I might want to cancel.

How extensive is insurance coverage on cruises? Do I need a hard and fast reason to cancel, or by paying the insurance premium do I have the right to cancel without losing my payment?

I tried reading through one of the legal agreement, but it was quite long and a little ambiguous (at least to me). Insurance seems to be about $350, roughly 10% of the cost of the cruise overall.