Buying cruises through on-line auctions
 

Has anyone ever bought a cruise through the egghead.com auction? We have bid on a couple of cruises but always lost out in the end. Still want to keep trying. <BR> <BR>Are these reliable? Do you really get what you paid for? They really do seem like great deals *if* the suggested price they give is true. ($9,000 cruise for 2 for $2,500) <BR> <BR>Would love to hear from someone who really got a cruise this way..and how did it go? <BR> <BR>Betty in Toronto

I've watched that site for sometime now, and because many people place bids without researching their true cost a lot of the cruises go for the same price or more than you could find them elsewhere. It never ceases to amaze me how people bid at any auction. They get caught up in the competition and before you know it they have paid too much. I have know people who did alright on that site but usually the only real bargains are on last minute cruises or cruises that few people have the time to take because they are so long. <BR>Do your research and search the web and I'm sure you'll do OK. Best wishes.

Before you bid on a cruise you should know the true value of the cruise. When the person selling the item says it is worth $9000 that is probably the brochure rate. No one actually pays the brochure rate. My suggestion is inquire of the real cruise price through a travel agent before bidding on anything. Enjoy!

I recently bought a cruise on egghead.com. Before bidding, I e-mailed five different people who had bought at auction and then taken the cruise. All of them said they had a fabulous time with no problems. I've never seen anyone overbid for a cruise. The suggested prices are the brochure prices so ignore them. In the off-season, you can get cruises at scandalous prices. Now, on-season, the deals are still good but more people are bidding so the prices get bid up -- and I bid on 8 cruises before I got frustrated and went over about.com's auction site. On that site, there is a fairly high minimum bid (which happened to be my maximum bid) but few bidders. The cruise I wanted was there (as well as at egghead) and there were two being auctioned off for the same date. I bid the minimum on one cruise and got it. No one bid on the other. <BR> <BR>The only downside I can see is that you don't get to choose your cabin. You'll get assigned at the last minute. You'll get the category you bid for but not necessarily the best location. <BR> <BR>We got a great deal and I'm happy. Go for it!

Jeannette, which cruise did you bid and win? Was it with Renaissance? I've heard quite a few horror stories about Ren, but feel if you buy good insurance it should be okay. <BR> <BR>Would love to hear your thoughts.

Betty, I bought a Renaissance cruise. I went on my first Renaissance cruise last year and it was great. I've had three or four friends take Ren cruises and they've all been happy. This year I wanted to try a different cruise line but when I compared prices, it was tough to ignore Ren. I particularly like the cruise/tour concept (which they are discontinuing) and the open seating and no children policies. And then I discovered the auction sites and just couldn't resist a great deal. I've read all the horror stories on the forums about Ren but other lines cancel cruises too. We bought travel insurance and are not worried. Ren is a terrific value so it's worth taking a chance.

Greetings Betty, We made a successful bid for a Ren cruise to the South Pacific on Egghead.com. Prior to making a bid I checked the Ren web site for prices. Ren's web site quoted ~$9,040.00 for the trip in a Class B cabin (w/balcony). My winning bid was ~$3,300.00 for the same trip, in the same class cabin. A Ren consultant called us two day after the bid closing and was extremely helpful, answering all our questions and making helpful suggestions. I guess what I'm trying to say I believe we got the same treatment as someone who bought the cruise from Ren. We had a wonderful trip. The R4 was brand new and the staff couldn't have been more helpful. Our cabin/suite was spacious and well appointed. I will try the auction approach the next time we're looking for a cruise

Just found out something interesting I wanted to share with everyone. I was curious about a September cruise on Carnival's no smoking ship Paradise. The suggested price on onsale.com was $3099 for 2. Plus $143 each for port charges. No air. That works out to be about $1693 US each. <BR> <BR>I just called my cruise TA and asked what it would cost to cruise the same day. Same Cat 4 and she said it would be $450 pp for the cruise and $162 pp for the port taxes, which works out to only $612 US each. (Air was an extra $319 US). <BR> <BR>Big difference. $1693 vs $612. You do the math and tell me what's the better deal. I understand that nobody pays the suggested list price, but you'd have to bid real low (less than $1224) to do about the same as you could do the traditional way. <BR> <BR>To me it seems a good way to buy a cruise (via the auction) on something like Renaissance's Tahiti but not for Carnival's Paradise. <BR> <BR>Just my thoughts. <BR>Betty in Toronto

Auctions can be much more expensive. Plus, don't forget, you are out there on your own. A TA is there to help and fix problems that may occur as well as get any info you need. <BR> <BR>Mark Buterbaugh <BR>http://btsallcruises.hypermart.net <BR>ITC with Cruise.com

I have purchased cruises and other vacation packages as well as merchandise through egghead.com. You have to decide how much you are willing to pay and set that as your limit. If you get it, fine. If you don't, then that is fine as well. The only problem I've ever had was when I paid $25 for a set of speakers worth $25. You need to have an idea of the actual value, not the suggested value.

Hi there, <BR>I guess U allready know that site, but if U wana save some money, order your cruies via cruies.com <BR>They have some hot deals <BR>Good luck!

You just need to find out the best price before you bid. We just won a bid <BR>for $1039 aboard the majesty with airfare included from Chicago to San Juan. I couldn't have purchased the airfare for us for that price. fter portcharges it came to $650 a person.

Met several people on the NCL Majesty cruise of 9/10 who bid on auction and got the cruise for $200.00 per person.. one person drove down from Maine and there was an elderly couple from Georgia..who probably drove up.. Good for them and anyone else who can do it within the week... If your not fussy about cabin location or are free to go at the last minute literally..or have air mileage or who can drive ...go for it!!! As an aside we were sharing the table with the gentleman from Maine with some snotty travel agent from Texas who doesn't believe in the internet....HAH