Quote:
Originally Posted by otherbruddaDarrell
Where would we get the best prices?
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Having sailed 3 times and never used a travel agent, I'll share my process.
First, I'm primarily interested in "least expensive". If I can sail a month sooner or later and save hundreds of dollars - for the exact same cruise - then, I try to do exactly that. My wife and I are currently booked on a 7 nighter/4 porter out of New Orleans for less than $1000. Granted, it's an inside, lower deck cabin, but, we don't spend much time there.
Second. I visit Cruise.com to find the lowest published rates/sailing dates.
Third. Once I decide on a cruise, I contact an agent of the cruise line itself (Carnival.com, NCL.com, etc) and make a deposit, usually about a year out. Last time, we had only been off the ship for 6 days before making our next year's reservations.
Fourth. Every week, I continue to check the cruise prices, both for my existing cruise sailing week and the other ones too. If the price for my cruise goes down, I call and get my fare reduced. You have to call them, they won't call you. Also, if I see that the week(s) earlier or later have dropped lower in price than my reserved week, I call to change my reservations. For my current cruise that I reserved 6 days after taking my last cruise, I have already changed the dates twice and got price breaks twice. What started out as a $1400 cruise is now under $1000. Full payment is due a few months before sailing - read the fine print.
This is not a knock against travel agents. I have just never used one and can't comment on their services. This is just another way of booking travel.