Cruiseline standby discounts?
Posted in Cruise Travel on 11/13/2008 09:08 am by admin
ryanberezay asked:
You can get cheap airline tickets if you have an open schedule and are willing to be a “fill in” if they have space. Are cruiselines the same? How do I get the cheapest cruise available?
ROOSEVELT
You can get cheap airline tickets if you have an open schedule and are willing to be a “fill in” if they have space. Are cruiselines the same? How do I get the cheapest cruise available?
ROOSEVELT
11/16/2008 at 7:22 am
ANTON
I HAVE HEARD FROM MANY SOURCES THIS IT TRUE. THEY COULD LET YOU ON FOR FREE AND STILL MAKE MONEY FROM OTHER PURCHASES YOU WOULD PROBABLY MAKE.
11/18/2008 at 6:24 am
SIDNEY
With new security measures this is no longer possible. I don’t know the exact rules. But I do know that the cruise line has to have their passenger list completed at least 24 hours before the cruise departs. So that means you can no longer go to the port the day of departure to get a good deal. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get a very good deal a week or two before a cruise departs. -Travel Agent
11/19/2008 at 9:40 pm
CARL
No, cruise lines cannot offer standby travel. The reason is that cruise lines have to provide Homeland Security a passenger list four days in advance of the sail date.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Requirements: The DHS now requires cruise lines to provide a passenger manifest 96 hours before entering into any U.S. port. This is one of the reasons why cruise lines are increasingly offering passengers incentives to provide their personal information well in advance. For instance, Carnival, which encourages pre-registration on its Web site, gives folks who submit information 40 days prior to cruise date a pass to fast track through the embarkation process. Lines like Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Cunard and Princess, among others, offer e-check-in before you depart for your cruise with no other incentives. But it sure does make the embarkation lines move more quickly for all if most folks have pre-registered.
See below for four ways to get the best price. However, the second way means taking a chance that you will not get to cruise at all, or that you will end up in a cabin nobody else wanted.
1) Book as early as possible. If the price goes up, you get to keep the old lower price. If the price goes down, you can ask to be re-booked at the new lower price.
2) Wait until after final payment is due. If the cruise is not selling well, prices will drop. However, if the cruise is selling well, prices will go up and you may find that the ship is sold out. A typical cruise sails with more than 100% capacity. 100% capacity is reached when there are twice as many passengers as cabins. However, since some cabins can sleep more than two, a ship can go over 100%.
No matter how many empty beds there might be, once every seat in the lifeboats has been filled, no more passengers can be booked.
3) Sometimes you can get a reduced rate by booking a guarantee cabin. This means the cruise line gets to pick your cabin for you. You can book an inside guarantee (inside means no windows) an ocean view guarantee or a balcony guarantee (or very rare is a suite guarantee). You will be placed in a cabin at or better than what you booked (but not below). So it is possible to book an ocean view guarantee and end up in a balcony cabin. However, what usually happens is you end up in a cabin in the category you booked, just not the lowest level. For example, if you book an inside guarantee, the most likely upgrade is to an inside cabin on an upper deck (not an upgrade to an ocean view or balcony, though that can happen).
4) The least expensive cabins are the inside cabins. If you are looking to save money, this is the way to go. Once you step out of your cabin, you will be treated the same as someone who is in a suite.
11/20/2008 at 9:15 am
FERNANDO
The closest that I have seen is a friend who booked on the Carnival Sensation last spring. They booked on the Tuesday before they left of Thursday. The booking was done online, and they had to pick up their tickets at the cruise terminal.
11/20/2008 at 1:23 pm
MICHEAL
Start at vacationstogo.com for research…. you can see how “deals” change. Look at their 90 day ticker. Off season, AFTER major holidays, repositioning (starts in one port, end in another) all affect the price.
But, I agree—– book an inside cabin, and enjoy the public decks and services offered to all (except a butler, in the suites).
Great overall vacation value…..