Best site(s) for last-minute cruises?
Jul 26, 2015, 4:41 am
#16
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 24
I recently found www.cruisesheet.com. It takes the cruises from vacationstogo and sorts it by cheapest per day.
Jul 27, 2015, 2:59 pm
#17
Join Date: Oct 2005
Programs: ex-DL Plat & Marriott Rewards elite
Posts: 58
Vacationstogo.com is an excellent resource, especially if you are looking to score a last minute deal.
However, cruisefish.net tracks cruise ship prices over time and is valuable to help you manage your budget and expectations.
However, cruisefish.net tracks cruise ship prices over time and is valuable to help you manage your budget and expectations.
Jul 29, 2015, 10:14 am
#18
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 33
If you are a Costco member you might want to check out their website for last minute cruises. The last cruise we went on was booked through Costco. We got a good price, comparable to vacationstogo (which we have also happily used several times in the past). In addition to the good price we got a gift card for Costco purchases for something like 10% of the price of the cruise. Not sure of the percentage, but it was several hundred dollars. We shop at Costco frequently so it was a nice additional "discount."
Jul 29, 2015, 3:17 pm
#19
Join Date: May 2015
Location: South Florida
Programs: DL Skymiles KE Skypass
Posts: 2,363
Living in South Florida, I have used www.cruises.com and www.lastminutecruises.com. I don't have to worry about flights as we have two local cruise ports (Port Miami and Port Everglades) and others that we can drive to within a few hours (Tampa and Port Canaveral)
I have found the best prices can be found at 10 days out as cruise lines drop the price trying to sell the last of the open berths that will go empty if not sold. Just like airplane seats, hotel rooms and other time limited commodities, empty berths are lost revenue when the ship sails.
There have been a few times that I have waited until that point and lost the opportunity on the cruise as it had sold out
, but most of the time I have gotten a cruise at about 70% off the price I first saw listed at about four months out.
I have found the best prices can be found at 10 days out as cruise lines drop the price trying to sell the last of the open berths that will go empty if not sold. Just like airplane seats, hotel rooms and other time limited commodities, empty berths are lost revenue when the ship sails.
There have been a few times that I have waited until that point and lost the opportunity on the cruise as it had sold out
, but most of the time I have gotten a cruise at about 70% off the price I first saw listed at about four months out.
Jul 30, 2015, 6:54 am
#20
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
Programs: AA EXP, DL Silver, Global Entry
Posts: 1,863
Living so far away from a major cruise port....sorry fellow Texans but I don't consider Galveston a major cruise port....we really don't look at last minute cruises. Typically the airfares and availability of flights has turned out to offset any cruise fare savings.
True last minute cruises kind of disappeared after 9/11. Up through about 1996 or so my late parents lived in Orlando and my uncle in Miami. They would pack a couple of bags and head out to my uncle's place. From there they'd go from cruise terminal to cruise terminal in Miami or Ft Lauderdale looking to catch a bargain last minute standby cruise. Worked well for them and I'd frequently get a last minute collect call (my father was amazingly cheap) to tell me they were off on a cruise. Thanks to DHS/TSA/CBP regulations and port security procedures those days are pretty much if not totally gone.
True last minute cruises kind of disappeared after 9/11. Up through about 1996 or so my late parents lived in Orlando and my uncle in Miami. They would pack a couple of bags and head out to my uncle's place. From there they'd go from cruise terminal to cruise terminal in Miami or Ft Lauderdale looking to catch a bargain last minute standby cruise. Worked well for them and I'd frequently get a last minute collect call (my father was amazingly cheap) to tell me they were off on a cruise. Thanks to DHS/TSA/CBP regulations and port security procedures those days are pretty much if not totally gone.
Aug 14, 2015, 3:30 pm
#21
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Tenerife, Canary Islands/Hannover, Germany
Programs: Celebrity Elite Plus, RCCL Diamond, Princess Platinum, Carlson Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 669
For last-minute pricing with Celebrity, check out http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/E...s_cel_tues.pdf. Generally viewable on Fridays, and the deals can be booked as of Tuesday (sometimes only for 24 hrs., sometimes for 48).
Some of the best pricing I've found has been through www.crucon.com Get on their mailing list and you'll be getting some great deals on a regular basis. (although not much "hand-holding", so you'll need to do some research on your own about what type of cruise you are looking to book.)
Some of the best pricing I've found has been through www.crucon.com Get on their mailing list and you'll be getting some great deals on a regular basis. (although not much "hand-holding", so you'll need to do some research on your own about what type of cruise you are looking to book.)