Luxury Cruise Lines
Mar 11, 2019, 7:03 pm
#121
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Just have a look at the VTG site. I think there's published brochure price - one that the cruiseco has wet dreams that everyone will actualy pay - which another responder said they know some people who are perfectly happy to pay. I've even seen that on the cruiseco's own website. One such was a Crystal sailing a few weeks ago (ship has since sailed).
Mar 11, 2019, 7:46 pm
#122
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
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Just have a look at the VTG site. I think there's published brochure price - one that the cruiseco has wet dreams that everyone will actualy pay - which another responder said they know some people who are perfectly happy to pay. I've even seen that on the cruiseco's own website. One such was a Crystal sailing a few weeks ago (ship has since sailed).
As for your other comment I’m not sure exactly what you are getting at. I don’t have the time or interest to research every cruise line and vet whether they actually get their published fares or not. I am absolutely sure Silversea is not going to discount a $16,000/person cabin for $3,500.
Last edited by Randyk47; Mar 11, 2019 at 8:13 pm
Mar 11, 2019, 9:02 pm
#123
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I've found VTG to be a very good way to search across all "major" cruise lines for the current, publicly available rates at once. Haven't really paid attention to the "brochure" prices as I don't intent to pay them.
I have never actually booked via VTG, though. Every rate and promo I find there I can usually get by just going to the cruise line website or booking via any TA (some of whom will give me an additional discount out of their own commission). And having seen the agency booking mechanisms, when I go the TA route due to not finding what I want directly with the cruise line, all it is is some promo only available via agency bookings.
TL;DR - VTG is a great search engine but IME they do not really offer any particularly special rates.
I have never actually booked via VTG, though. Every rate and promo I find there I can usually get by just going to the cruise line website or booking via any TA (some of whom will give me an additional discount out of their own commission). And having seen the agency booking mechanisms, when I go the TA route due to not finding what I want directly with the cruise line, all it is is some promo only available via agency bookings.
TL;DR - VTG is a great search engine but IME they do not really offer any particularly special rates.
Mar 11, 2019, 10:12 pm
#124
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Manhattan NV
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Friends of ours are currently on their second Silver Sea World Cruise. This one is for 5 months. They are currently docked in Hong Kong. They are annoyed as Govt officials came on board and removed all of the liquor with exception of beer and wine. Has anyone else ever heard of this happening on a cruise?
Mar 12, 2019, 4:42 am
#125
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
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Last edited by Randyk47; Mar 12, 2019 at 4:48 am
Mar 12, 2019, 11:53 am
#126
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 509
We signed up for a 7 day get away on an Alaskan sailing with Crystal about a year ago with our TA. The sailing is a roundtrip from Vancouver and our cost for a standard cabin will be less than $2K/pp Bargains are out there for one to try the luxury lines.
Mar 12, 2019, 12:42 pm
#127
Moderator: Delta SkyMiles, Luxury Hotels, TravelBuzz! and Italy
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 26,543
"Another note about our experience in Hong Kong. We’re back on the ship having dinner. One of our passengers just walked by and said that the Chinese government came onboard and took off all the hard liquor. We’re not allowed to have any drink with 20% or more alcohol here. All we can have while we’re docked here in Hong Kong is wine, beer, liqueurs and champagne!!!! No hard liquor allowed!!!!! Bob was refused at the dinner table!!"
Mar 13, 2019, 1:13 am
#128
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I did some checking and I have no idea where VTG is getting the upper category price for that cruise. It doesn’t match Silversea’s published price for their highest suite by a couple of dollars. VTG’s price matches the lowest suite category which by the way are fully booked. VTG is not being exactly honest. I never have trusted VTG and really don’t now.
As for your other comment I’m not sure exactly what you are getting at. I don’t have the time or interest to research every cruise line and vet whether they actually get their published fares or not. I am absolutely sure Silversea is not going to discount a $16,000/person cabin for $3,500.
One cruise I would even think of booking is the 5 Sept Silver Muse TPAC from Alaska to Japan. "From $4,950" on SS site, $3,700 on VTG site.
Mar 13, 2019, 1:23 am
#129
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Join Date: Nov 1999
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I've found VTG to be a very good way to search across all "major" cruise lines for the current, publicly available rates at once. Haven't really paid attention to the "brochure" prices as I don't intent to pay them.
I have never actually booked via VTG, though. Every rate and promo I find there I can usually get by just going to the cruise line website or booking via any TA (some of whom will give me an additional discount out of their own commission). And having seen the agency booking mechanisms, when I go the TA route due to not finding what I want directly with the cruise line, all it is is some promo only available via agency bookings.
TL;DR - VTG is a great search engine but IME they do not really offer any particularly special rates.
I have never actually booked via VTG, though. Every rate and promo I find there I can usually get by just going to the cruise line website or booking via any TA (some of whom will give me an additional discount out of their own commission). And having seen the agency booking mechanisms, when I go the TA route due to not finding what I want directly with the cruise line, all it is is some promo only available via agency bookings.
TL;DR - VTG is a great search engine but IME they do not really offer any particularly special rates.
VTG was offering various Ponant cruises for >50% off last October, including the cruise I booked for a ridiculously low ~$3,300 while the Ponant site (and most other TAs) wanted $7k+. We were going to just sail the Honolulu-Japan leg (offered at $1,500 while price at that time was over $3k). If we booked the PPT-HNL leg, the 2nd TPAC leg would be free, just $250 in taxes & fees, + a new customer discount of $600 p.p.. This would have brought the 2 cruises down to ~$7k for a window cabin. With the VTG deal, we had to buy both cruises separately but the total cost was $5k, and the first leg from PPT-HNL was booked in a balcony cabin ($400 pp more)..
Cruise reductions disappeared after a few weeks so maybe it was a one-time deal to test waters.
Apr 15, 2019, 12:25 pm
#131
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: GRR
Programs: Delta Plat & Million Miler
Posts: 1,375
Also
Might be when you book. I tend to book my late (within final payment window). I also use cruisecompete to verify if the deals are that good. I booked a Ponant cruise (sitting in BOB waiting to get to PPT to board the ship for a 27 day sailing in 6 days) before final payment and the price couldn't be beat.
VTG was offering various Ponant cruises for >50% off last October, including the cruise I booked for a ridiculously low ~$3,300 while the Ponant site (and most other TAs) wanted $7k+. We were going to just sail the Honolulu-Japan leg (offered at $1,500 while price at that time was over $3k). If we booked the PPT-HNL leg, the 2nd TPAC leg would be free, just $250 in taxes & fees, + a new customer discount of $600 p.p.. This would have brought the 2 cruises down to ~$7k for a window cabin. With the VTG deal, we had to buy both cruises separately but the total cost was $5k, and the first leg from PPT-HNL was booked in a balcony cabin ($400 pp more)..
Cruise reductions disappeared after a few weeks so maybe it was a one-time deal to test waters.
VTG was offering various Ponant cruises for >50% off last October, including the cruise I booked for a ridiculously low ~$3,300 while the Ponant site (and most other TAs) wanted $7k+. We were going to just sail the Honolulu-Japan leg (offered at $1,500 while price at that time was over $3k). If we booked the PPT-HNL leg, the 2nd TPAC leg would be free, just $250 in taxes & fees, + a new customer discount of $600 p.p.. This would have brought the 2 cruises down to ~$7k for a window cabin. With the VTG deal, we had to buy both cruises separately but the total cost was $5k, and the first leg from PPT-HNL was booked in a balcony cabin ($400 pp more)..
Cruise reductions disappeared after a few weeks so maybe it was a one-time deal to test waters.
More and more cruise lines, especially luxury, are trying to break customers of the wait until the last minute mentality. More and more, the very best prices are very early on. Not saying last minute deals are not there, because they obviously are, but expect to see fewer in the future. If we really want a particular cruise, we book it early as possible. Then, keep an eye on sales up until final payment as you can sometimes get the new better deal.
Apr 15, 2019, 1:58 pm
#132
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
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Posts: 1,863
More and more cruise lines, especially luxury, are trying to break customers of the wait until the last minute mentality. More and more, the very best prices are very early on. Not saying last minute deals are not there, because they obviously are, but expect to see fewer in the future. If we really want a particular cruise, we book it early as possible. Then, keep an eye on sales up until final payment as you can sometimes get the new better deal.
May 13, 2019, 11:15 pm
#133
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Posts: 3,222
Hello,
New poster in this thread; I am more likely to be found over in the Luxury Hotels and Travel Forum. I was drawn to this thread because the notion of "luxury" comprises so many, sometimes contradictory, components. Caveat: no varnish applied below, just my honest opinions.
Jim and I have cruised only thrice: Regent Navigator, ten-night Western Caribbean in and out of Miami; Silversea Amazon cruise, 18 nights in and out of Barbados; Windstar Pride Scotland/Norway/Faroes/Iceland, 12 nights. This later voyage was perfection for us. Meanwhile, we found Regent to be both tacky and pompous, and Silversea to be staid; we were not comfortable on either of those lines. (We booked a Seabourn cruise LA to Miami via Panama Canal but canceled due to illness.) In each case we booked highest-end suite
It was no competition. Windstar is exactly right for us. So, we are sailing the line again in an owner's cabin in July -- Star Legend from Vancouver, BC to Seward, Alaska, 11 nights. Very excited! We'll be joined by dear friends from Brooklyn. May book a winter PanCanal crossing (my Dad was an engineer with the Panama Canal Company, I was born and raised in Panama) ... if Windstar offers it on one of the motor "yachts." No way could we survive the tiny cabins on the sail "yachts."
I was unimpressed by the all inclusive aspect of Regent and Silversea. At the time, excursions were not included; the covered wine was uniformly bad to almost decent. Mixed drinks were decent. Food on both Regent and Silversea was unremarkable or worse. Afternoon tea was crowded and pedestrian.
Thus, Windstar's pricing structure works well for us. We get what we want when we want it and at the desired quality. Finally, Windstar cuisine is great, we loved all our meals. This is a line with no pretensions but great comfort, ambience and value.
Finally, I just do not think true luxury can be had in ships carrying more than 300 or so passengers. After that, the passenger is simply a commodity to be treated as the next guest in line.
By the way, "yachts" is in quotes because I loathe marketing-speak, a topic I likely will return to discuss.
New poster in this thread; I am more likely to be found over in the Luxury Hotels and Travel Forum. I was drawn to this thread because the notion of "luxury" comprises so many, sometimes contradictory, components. Caveat: no varnish applied below, just my honest opinions.
Jim and I have cruised only thrice: Regent Navigator, ten-night Western Caribbean in and out of Miami; Silversea Amazon cruise, 18 nights in and out of Barbados; Windstar Pride Scotland/Norway/Faroes/Iceland, 12 nights. This later voyage was perfection for us. Meanwhile, we found Regent to be both tacky and pompous, and Silversea to be staid; we were not comfortable on either of those lines. (We booked a Seabourn cruise LA to Miami via Panama Canal but canceled due to illness.) In each case we booked highest-end suite
It was no competition. Windstar is exactly right for us. So, we are sailing the line again in an owner's cabin in July -- Star Legend from Vancouver, BC to Seward, Alaska, 11 nights. Very excited! We'll be joined by dear friends from Brooklyn. May book a winter PanCanal crossing (my Dad was an engineer with the Panama Canal Company, I was born and raised in Panama) ... if Windstar offers it on one of the motor "yachts." No way could we survive the tiny cabins on the sail "yachts."
I was unimpressed by the all inclusive aspect of Regent and Silversea. At the time, excursions were not included; the covered wine was uniformly bad to almost decent. Mixed drinks were decent. Food on both Regent and Silversea was unremarkable or worse. Afternoon tea was crowded and pedestrian.
Thus, Windstar's pricing structure works well for us. We get what we want when we want it and at the desired quality. Finally, Windstar cuisine is great, we loved all our meals. This is a line with no pretensions but great comfort, ambience and value.
Finally, I just do not think true luxury can be had in ships carrying more than 300 or so passengers. After that, the passenger is simply a commodity to be treated as the next guest in line.
By the way, "yachts" is in quotes because I loathe marketing-speak, a topic I likely will return to discuss.
Last edited by KatW; May 13, 2019 at 11:38 pm
May 13, 2019, 11:45 pm
#134
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
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Posts: 7,140
@KatW, you might want to try one of Seabourn's smaller ships (450 passengers). We have found them to have an unpretentious ambiance. While I wouldn't consider the food or included wines great, the totality of the experience is.
BTW, we recently sailed on our first Silversea cruise. We found the food pretty good for a ship, but there were some disappointments. Then again, we have occasional disappointing experiences with even our favorite local restaurants. Still, we have not rebooked on Silversea, preferring the ambiance of Seabourn.
BTW, we recently sailed on our first Silversea cruise. We found the food pretty good for a ship, but there were some disappointments. Then again, we have occasional disappointing experiences with even our favorite local restaurants. Still, we have not rebooked on Silversea, preferring the ambiance of Seabourn.
May 14, 2019, 12:08 pm
#135
Join Date: Jul 2009
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Posts: 2,417
The "new" Windstar yachts are the "old" Seabourn ships, right? The "little sisters"? We've looked at Windstar (my dad and his wife enjoy) but the lack of balconies is a big con for me. I love to sit on my balcony with a book, binoculars & wine....(and, specifically my own balcony and not shared space, because I'm an introvert ;-) We did our first luxury cruise on Seabourn last Sept (on Sojourn, one of the 450 pax ships) and LOVED it. It was ideal for us. But I can't compare to others yet. (it was oodles better than Azamara, but our itinerary was not too much more expensive than Azamara is these days, or Oceania....)