Looking For Tips in Booking USA Cruise ?

W

whiz

Registered User
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Hi Guys,

I am looking at booking a 4 day Bahamas cruise for 3 adults, that departs Miami on the 29.08...thus i would like advice on the following :

1) I never have booked a cruise before but I am aware that some websites charge lower rates than others, can anybody recommend a website ? plus do some websites give cruise perks that others don't ? I am aware of vacationtogo website

2) Should i hold off on booking the cruise till July as the cruise price may drop further ?

3) Booking for 3 adults, is the cheapest option to get 1 cabin ?


Any responses appreciated
 
I would assume from your description that you would be sailing on Carnival cruise lines. Short cruises with Carnival are renowned as 'party cruises' so be prepared for lively entertainment and clientele. 3 in a cabin is doable as long as you don't mind stepping over each other. Occasional offers can get you 3rd person free. With US cruises, a travel agent with knowledge of the field is useful as they can source out deals for you. in the US, changes in fares up to final payment(6 weeks prior) mean that cruisers can cancel with full refund or transfer the deposit to another cruise with same line. As a result, prices can and do often drop just after 6 weeks prior. FYI, Vacationstogo are good to deal with but far from cheapest in all cases. Also, the prices you see on the website do not include taxes etc which can add a bit to the fare. Bon Voyage!
 
The two options are Carnival cruises or Royal Caribbean....I was swinging towards Royal Caribbean cruises, do they drop their prices a few weeks before and wud you get a third person free in a cabin ?
Also is it cheaper to book directly with the cruise liner ?
 
Price drops are common after final payment date but it depends on the bookings, supply and demand etc. 3rd Person free might form part of a promotion but you don't know if or when it will appear. Generally, l lean towards booking direct but l know US travel agents can have access to better offers. I would veer towards Royal Caribbean if there wasn't much difference in the money.
 
One thing to note with Royal Caribbean is that they have a price promise and honour price drops, but you need to be the one to watch it. We booked a cruise a year in advance and about a month before we went it dropped by a few hundred euro per person, we contacted them and they refunded the money straight away. We had booked through a travel agent so i'm not sure if the same applies if you book through a discount website but worth checking out.
 
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