Pricing assistance

[EW]

I am constantly reading in these boards that people are going on 2+ cruises per year, or at least 2 every 18 months. I am wondering where people find such bargains that allows them to cruise so often.

We have a elementary school aged child. Therefore, we usually have to schedule vacations for the times that he is out of school. The prices are very high for those times. I have gotten a price on Carnival Conquest for Thanksgiving week 2003 that I feel is good, yet I am concerned that it might not be "the bargain" I think it is. I have also gotten a quote on RCI Grandeur out of New Orleans for the same time. I am leaning towards Conquest, mainly because of the kids stuff - such as the pool slide, 24 hr. pizza, free soft serve ice cream -- but the price is much higher than RCI just to have these things.

There are 4 people in our party, and the quotes are approx. $1900 for a balcony room (2 people) and approx. $1550 for oceanview (2 people) on Conquest. RCI balcony approx. $1500, approx. $1250 oceanview. No airfare is needed, as we are in the N.O. area. Are these good prices, or would you seasoned bargain seekers suggest I search for lower prices?

Thanks for any and all assistance.

 

[Sharkin]

First of all when you are asking for fare information you might consider stating if the fare includes port charges and taxes. In other words the advertised price or the real price you will pay. I assume you will get a lot of opinions on this subject and here is mine, for what little it is worth. There are a LOT of web sites and travel agents to choose from. Some people feel more comfortable with someone they can go down the street and see. Some people want someone to answer the phone when they call. Others will use any online service. Personally I have found cruisequick.com to be one of the lowest. The cruise line bills your credit card, not Cruise Quick, and this makes me feel secure. If you think an online service would work for you, consider getting an email address just for this purpose, so your full time address won't be bombarded with spam. You might get quotes from several sites and the spam could be an annoyance in the future. I look forward to see all the different views that will be posted on this subject. Thank you for bringing it up. If you want more information, or clarification feel free to email me.

 

[Sharkin]

Oh yeah, if you post this on the Community forum you will probably get a LOT more response. The Know Before You Go might be considered as well. Some people don't go to all the forums as often as others.

 

[EW]

Thank you for your response. To clarify - those prices are total - tax, title, license, etc. I got them through a travel website, e-mailed them for more information, and they called me back with the above prices being total. The websites I have tried Best Prices.com, Buy cruises.com, Iwantacruise.com, Cruise value center.com, travelocity, and a few others. Most of these I got through Frommer's recommenations. I don't have a history with any local travel agents because we don't usually have the need.

I have been reading the message boards for a while, and today was the first time I decided to post. I guess I was not specific in my first e-message - so thanks for your suggestions.

 

[Sharkin]

Glad I could help. The prices for the Conquest seem to be in the ballpark, but I would still ask CruiseQuick. See ya.

 

[Cruzman]

Definitely get a quote from cruisequick. The prices look pretty good; excellent for the Grandeur. We are sailing on the Grandeur in 2 weeks, and have already booked her for December (prices too good to pass up).

 

[cruisemom2]

As you probably are aware, the Conquest is a much larger, much newer ship than the Grandeur, which probably accounts for the price difference. There are several things, including more dining options, that you will find on the Conquest that are not available on the Grandeur. I've been on the Grandeur and it is a beautiful ship, however, I would (if the price is right) choose the Conquest over the Grandeur. That is just my personal opinion, because we tend to prefer Carnival over RCI. Both cruiselines have excellent programs for kids in your son's age range. You list the prices with two in a cabin -- are you planning to book two cabins? I did notice the 3rd and 4th person rates are lower (on bestpricecruises) for the Conquest than the 3rd and 4th person rates on the Grandeur, if that makes a difference. We've booked our last two cruises with Crucon and have gotten prices lower than I've seen on any website. I usually price check several sites (bestpricecruises, icruise, etc.), then call Crucon and they have beaten the price every time, even after I've booked it's been no problem getting a price adjustment. They have a website, but no online booking engine. They have a section for holiday cruises, but it says they are updating that. Good luck with your cruise choice!

 

[markferman]

not as well publicized is ORBITZ.com they have a cruise area as well and they sometime have good prices, but my opinion is to find yourself an online TA that can do it for you, and try an inside guarantee cabin in the lowest level you can be comfortable in. You can travel more often that way. But indulge yourself once in a while with a nice room.

Take care,
Mark

 

[EW]

Thanks to all of you for your feedback. We were in New Orleans this past weekend and before heading back home to Baton Rouge we went down to Julia Street Terminal and watched RCI Grandeur of the Seas depart. It seemed very nice, yet it did seem smaller than the Carnival Inspiration - the only cruise experience we have.

Anyway, I think after seeing the Grandeur, I am set on Carnival Conquest. Wish someone could predict whether it will be taking off from New Orleans, or still be out of Gulfport.

In regards to a question from cruisemom2 - yes, we are planning on booking 2 rooms. The only other cruise we did was on Inspiration out of New Orleans with the 4 of us (husband, me, son, my mother) in an inside room. We were fine on space, yet had a total lack of privacy. My husband is very laid back and really wants the room and balcony to ourselves.

Once again, thank you all for your responses.

Liz

 

[BrendaBarberee]

Has anyone had any luck with buycruises.com? We are booked on Conquest in May and feel like we are talking to the wall every time we call. We have not received the same answer twice from anybody. Got any suggestions or inside info?

 

[EW]

I spoke with one guy @ Buy Cruises.com and he was higher priced than a few other sites. My lowest quote is from BestPrice cruises.com, and Cruise & Tours Unlimited was higher, but said they will meet Best Price quote.

I e-mailed my request to Lori @ Skyscraper and also to 24sevencruises.com. I haven't heard back from either one of them.

Sorry I can't help you any further with Buy Cruises.com. That was all the information I have on them. Good Luck getting touch with them. Keep your eye on where your cruise is sailing from. Hopefully it will be New Orleans again by the time you cruise.

Liz

 

[cruisemom2]

Liz,
Actually, the Grandeur is slightly larger than the Inspiration, but not by too much. I would think those two ships would be very comparable. I don't blame you for wanting two cabins instead of four people in one. We have two kids and have always had them in the cabins with us, but this time (Victory 5/25) we have our own and the kids (18 & 11) are sharing a cabin with their cousins (16 & 13). That way my sister-in-law and her husband finally get their own cabin too -- they've always had 5 in theirs! Their third child will be sharing a cabin with Grandma. Bestpricecruises has consistently had lower prices online than all the other websites I check out. If you haven't already booked though, you might want to call Crucon and see if they can beat the rate you found. Crucon doesn't charge the cancellation fees or fees to send your documents like I believe BPC does.

 

[Darlene]

It is much harder to find a cruise or airfare bargain for Thanksgiving or Easter. We just enjoy our family cruises and plan to get the bargains if and when my daughter no longer travels with us.