How to get a good/fair deal?
 

I know nothing about cruises. However, my nephew will be graduating from college this spring and wants to join a friend on a cruise. His friend booked the crusie for approximately $750, however, he is being quoted approximately $1,400 for similar accomodations via an internet inquiry to the crusie lines. He can't afford this. He is recieving follow up E-Mails from Carnival. I told him to call a travel agent or bargain via E-Mail. Any suggestions on how to get a better deal? He really deserves this vacation.

I've used www.cruisequick.com for mass marketed cruise lines and been very pleased. It is strictly done via the internet but everything has always gone fine for me and much less $$ than the cruise line quotes.

Thanks petlover! I'll forward the information to him.

Sorry I can't recommend cruisequick, please be aware if there is a problem you cannot reach a live person by phone. I had a $300 credit from Princess cruise lines, they kept the coupon as commission and did not reduce the price of my cruise. I contacted cruisequick many times and received the brush off. I had already made final payment to the cruise line so I was stuck with this travel agency. Just a word of caution. If you do a text search here on cruisequick you will see others have had problems with them as well.

Discount online agencies: www.bestpricecruises.com, cruises-n-more.com, cruisecompete.com.

Spring cruises book up fast, but as a general rule never book with the cruise line direct, they are significantly higher unless it with RCCL that has stopped ta disocounting (you can still find small discounts by shopping around).

www.mycruisevalue.com, www.buycruises.com and www.cruise411.com usually have good pricing.
I always phone once I find a quote on the internet as it can even be lower

We used cruisequick.com for a Carnival cruise and got an excellent price. I like using the email system so I have everything in writing plus I don't have to hang around a telephone. I forgot the travel rep I used there but he was very responsive and quick to get back with me. They don't do any research though, you need to handpick your cruise, dates and cabin category and then let them price it for you. Their price beat several other quotes I received.

Try CruiseCompete.com

It's not a travel agency, but rather a site that allows various agencies to offer competing bids for your cruise. You can then compare offers and decide which (if any) agencies you want to contact.

Good luck!

Thanks all for your input! I will pass it onto my nephew.

Travelinewifey, are you saying that they gave you NO credit on your $300 coupon? Because their website states that (other than Entertainment Book coupons, which they do not honor) they discount all coupons by 16%. And you have to mail it to them. This policy is clearly stated on their FAQ's on their website. Several years ago that's just what happened to me, but they did eventually credit me (this was also after final payment).

By the way, to use Cruisequick, it is very important to know the actual category that you want, not just "oceanview" for example. An exact cabin number is even better. I once received a porthole cabin in a bad location, because I was not knowledgeable enough to know the difference between categories. I recently booked five cabins with them, because they were much lower ($100 pp) than anyone on cruisecompete. However, I gave them the exact cabin numbers I wanted, so there would be no confusion. They are good, but you really must know exactly what you want. For that reason, I don't think lovethecape's novice son should be using them (unless he knows his friend's cabin number and chooses the cabin next door).

vacationstogo.com also has great cruise prices/service.

Just checked Cruisequick.
My cruise $889.00
CruiseDirect.com has it for $709.00
Inside rooms...I don't know where is the catch but check it out.
Good luck!

P.S. I was booking my LV trip with my friend and hers was $750 and mine right after her $1100. So I asked why and they said Expedia's reserved seats on this plane were all taken. So I've booked another flight for the price.
Same thing might had happened to your boys. Cheers

Joan, Yes, I sent the coupon direct to Cruisequick certified mail and they sent me an email confirming they received it and applied it. Princess confirmed that the coupon was turned in and used. My coupon was a credit from Princess due to a ship mishap when sailing Alaska last year. When I asked Cruisequick for my total price after the coupon was applied it was the same price as my original quote several months ago. We had already booked 6 rooms with them in the past so we were extremely disappointed to be treated so poorly by this company. I contacted them 7 times for an explantation, they kept telling me they would get back to me and they never did. As I said, you cannot speak to a live person through this company, it is very easy for them to give you the brush off if problems arise. Buyer beware:)

Also, as I mentioned above, it is still worth it to phone in person as well as price vacations online. We just saved an additional $125 per person off a rccl cruise because our ta gave us a discount that is not advertsed on their website.

Hmmm...you guys have me worried! Although I did just check both cruises-n-more and cruisedirect, and both were higher than what I'm paying (Canada/New england in Sept 06). Travelinwifey, I am sorry you had so much trouble with cruisequick. Thanks for taking the time to explain. I will be very careful with this.

I think as long as you have a cut and dry reservation you'll be fine. My first reservations with them went off without a hitch. Just don't try sending coupon to them:) Also, as mentioned try calling cruises-n-more for a live quote, they have been cheaper both times I've used them via phone vs. online. My agent was Marsha at ext. 103.

I have used Pavlus Travel (cheapertravel.com) They are always at least a couple 100 $ cheaper. Definately give them a try. :)

My best deals have always been with Costco. However you have to be a member.

We found our cruise was the same price where ever we looked so we booked through United Airlines where we at least got frequent flier miles. We received very good service.

ajcolorado: Where did you look may I ask? Was it on the usual sites such as Travelocity, Yahoo!, Orbitz, etc? Those prices seem to be identical. Costco, OTOH has been hundreds less and that can be beaten by group cruises through cruise critic. Of course that is only for certain cruises.

Please, someone EXPLAIN it to me...what is group cruises through cruise critic???

Ziana: Try this. Look for "plan a group cruise"
http://www.cruisecritic.com/community/index.cfm

I would check before you book. Some agencies such as Cruise Value charge $75 per person to cancel. There are many that do not charge.

I used travelocity, orbitz, etc. I also called Cosco and AAA. Tried cruise 411 and a local travel agent. I was told by the Cosco travel agent that RCCL doesn't (didn't?) allow discounting.

Interesting. I'll look into that. a Costco agent once told me they can give deals on all the cruie lines they use.

I second the comment about not recomending cruisequick.com. Had a VERY horrible experience with them, and no phone number........forget it.

triptaker, could you elaborate? I am booked with them for Sept (5 cabins).

I would also like to know. I just booked with them for a April 2007 cruise. They came in $200 cheaper than anyone else.

I'm new to the cruising thing, but I did do quite a bit of research before I booked. I found the best rate for me (which happened to be a military rate) at vacationstogo.com and then talked directly with a military cruise expert at Carnival.

Also try www.cruisesonly.com, www.vacationoutlet.com, www.samsclubvacations.com (members get discount, but, RCCL does not allow it, that is true)www.cruises.com...most have Best price guarantee if you find lower rate in 48hrs-14 days (each one is specific on the time frame) they will match, etc...also have 24/7 cust serv & sales people available even if you book online...all same support staff behind the scenes....

Wednesday: How long has Sams had a travel club? I usually use Costco and if I recall correctly as of about 1 yr. ago an employee at Sams told me they did not have such a club. Anyway now I have more choices. Cheers, Larry. :-)

I also used to shop around but I don't have to do this anymore, since I already know my agent will beat any competition. His name is Alex at [email protected]. He works for Cruise Value Center and gets me even better prices than on website.

I have been on 15 cruises...."vacationstogo" is unbeatable, except by accident. If you can go short term you will be so surprised and probably want to send me a check. But mainly a cruise is what YOU make of it.

Larry/Jacketwatch, Sams travel has been around longer than a year - I remember getting a quote from them a few years ago. You can check their prices online (if you register).

Joan; Thank you. I'll check for brochures next time I'm there. I'll bet they are competitive w/ Costco. :-)

Hi jacketwatch...I am not sure how long Sam's has been selling travel, as they switched their backup company recently to the team at Cruises Only, I am not sure who did it before that...the largest cruise retailer. Same folks handle the cruise reservations behind the scenes...Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and now Disney do not allow them to do the Sam's discount FYI. They do have a strict customer service policy and take it more seriously than other retailers though, in my opinion. and they charge no extra xcel or processing fee, only cruise line penalties..

Thanks Wednesday. Actually what I'll do asap is call them and compare the deal I got w/ Costco. We'll see. Cheers. Larry :-)