747FC

Are you referring to the "Premium Fare Deals" under the Mileage Run Deals Forum?

mules

Yes. I have booked many family trips based on the information gathered there. Usually I find a deal and then we go. There is a randomness to our travel that we enjoy. I am just fortunate that this latest deal coincided with a long desired trip that a relative wants to take.

747FC

Thanks, I'll have to keep this in mind as my bountiful supply of F mileage seats is due to meet an untimely end

iluvcruising2

If you are going to cruise during busy seasons, then book early. The prices can only go up.

We have had significant price drops in the past, because we sailed during off-peak season. E.g. sailing in the Med during Nov/Dec, you can get some good deals.

But over time, we found it more difficult to get deals. Why? The cruise lines move their ships to where the demand is!

A real example - the price kept dropping for a cruise on Celebrity Silhouette we took a few years ago - http://guitar123foodandtravel.blogsp...-adriatic.html

Thankfully we had a good travel agent who helped us get lower prices along the way, and even after final payment, she still managed to wrangle some perks out of the cruise line.

When we got on board, many passengers (most American) whom I spoke to told me that they never planned to come on this cruise, but the last minute deals were so compelling they decided to do it.

The next year, Celebrity moved the same ship to the Caribbean way earlier.

YVR Cockroach

I tend to book unpopular cruises, i.e. repos because I love them as a means of transportation. Prices tend to drop on these though TATLs are not as cheap as they once were and TPACs never were.

That said, I booked a repo to get me home from the LGB area end of the month. Cruiseco was asking a minimum of $500 for the longest time until sales department got serious in January and started to lower the price, dropping to USD 169 for all cheap cabins (internal, window and balcony grades) last week. Booked a GTY and was assigned a cabin that someone on drugs would pay that much for (USD330 for a 4 night cruise?)

Sitting in H.K. right now waiting to, hopefully, board a ship to take me TPAC in a few hours.

dogfan

Which website gives the best deal on cruise to Alaska
from Vancouver ?

jww947

Does the type of ship/cruise matter (e.g., Disney Cruise, Carnival, etc)? What time frame: Spring, Summer Winter, Fall? Are you looking for bargain basement or bargain specialty (i.e., Bargain Business)?

DaveBlaine

Whoa! Easy there. Too many details all at once.

jww947

Just trying to help. I'll slow down.

DaveBlaine

That post wasn't meant for you. Maybe re-read it and you'll see who I quoted.

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your day.

ranles

Okay, we cruise fairly often. Mostly once a year. Our last three Holland America cruises have had price reduction (s) after our early booking (6 mos to 9 months in advance). All three times we have been able to get our travel agent to get us all or part of that new pricing and still give us the discount that that is offered by her internet/physical agency. We are Mariner members, and get special offers in the mail.

Money Magazine, April 2016 on page 46 talks about some flat cruise pricing on Princess for 7 day cruises since 2013 and some special deals on Crystal (naturally at a higher starting level) Cruises having decreased prices 6% from 2014 to 2015.

I would suspect that the lower prices are a result of low fuel costs, continued stagnation of most economies around the world, the large number of additional capacity coming on stream, and more recently the number of ports that are "hot" in term of security issues and terrorism. So more cabins to sell, lower costs for the cruise lines, matched against less ability and/or inclination to travel by ship. Seniors, a large target market, especially on long cruises, have seen interest rates of saving of nominal levels for a long time now.