One of the first questions that usually comes up with fellow cruisers whilst on board is usually ‘ How much did you pay for your cruise ? and ‘when did you book ?
I must be asked once a day when is the best time to book ? Am I better waiting till the last minute ? Obviously if I knew the answer to this I would probably be a very well off person telling people the numbers to put on the lottery !!
I have decided to do my blog this week based on cruise prices as just the other day Royal made the following announcement ;
Royal Caribbean to Cruisers: Stop Expecting Last-Minute Discounts
Usually there are lots of last minute deals available to to fill the cruise ships but why should somebody who booked last minute get a cruise so much cheaper than customer who book in advance ? All this does is anger those who are usually loyal to the brand who book in advance.
Royal are aiming for a more consistent approach to pricing and they have done this by relocating some of their ships to other areas of the world which balances out capacity more.
Will they be taking a huge risk by not discounting lates ? There is one thing for sure it will definitely raise the customer satisfaction levels and make our job easier.
Or has P&O got their pricing strategy correct ? They offer saver and early saver promotions which have a clear difference between the prices you can get when you book early .
There are really three main fare categories which are detailed below ;
Early Booking Discount is when you book in advance and you get to choose your dining times , your cabin number and you also may benefit by other added value promotions like free car parking, Coach or onboard spends.You also just pay a deposit to confirm your cruise.
Early Saver fares won’t necessarily be available on all cruises, You will get less choice of your accommodation, so they are more suited for those passengers who are flexible. The main points are as follows: –
- You cannot choose a cabin number, but you can select a cabin grade from those on offer
- You would not be able to choose your dining choice at the time of booking, and would be asked for your preference closer to the departure date, and would be allocated on boarding
- Deposit of 15% payable at the time of booking.
- Amend, transfer or cancel the booking subject to booking terms and conditions
- You would have to pay for port shuttle buses where there is a charge
- Combinable with onboard benefits and future cruise deposits
Saver Fares are the third type and they will only be offered within 90 days of departure, and not necessarily on all departures. They will be far more restrictive, the main points are: –
- You won’t be able to choose a cabin number, or even a cabin grade, as the choices are likely to be along the lines of ‘inside’, ‘obstructed outside’, ‘outside’, ‘balcony’ and ‘suite’, and even then they might not all be available
- There will be no choice of dining time or table size, and you will find out your dining time when you board
- Payment will be due in full at the time of booking, with no subsequent changes allowed as 100% cancellation charges will apply
- You would have to pay for port shuttle buses where there is a charge
- These fares are not combinable with onboard benefits and future cruise deposits
I think P&O have got it right book early and you get what you pay for . I hope that Royal stick to their words and balance out their prices and don’t forget when you book early you can benefit from other promotions like drink packages , free gratuities ..
What do you think ?