Do prices tend to drop the closer you get to PIF date?

[mickeyhereicome]

I have been watching the prices of Alaska cruises. We are booked on July 15 cruise. I have noticed the prices for the first three Alaska cruises have dropped (May & June). If you were to book the May cruise today, the pay in full date is Jan. 27, so only 5 days away. It looks like the current prices are within $200 of opening day prices (at least from what I can tell reading the thread here). Is this common? Do you think the prices will be lower after the PIF date? If I were to switch our cruise today it would be a $630 savings. I am just thinking that if I wait it may be less and then I won't lose the deposit. Your thoughts? Experience?

TIA

[PrincessShmoo]

Originally Posted by mickeyhereicome

I have been watching the prices of Alaska cruises. We are booked on July 15 cruise. I have noticed the prices for the first three Alaska cruises have dropped (May & June). If you were to book the May cruise today, the pay in full date is Jan. 27, so only 5 days away. It looks like the current prices are within $200 of opening day prices (at least from what I can tell reading the thread here). Is this common? Do you think the prices will be lower after the PIF date? If I were to switch our cruise today it would be a $630 savings. I am just thinking that if I wait it may be less and then I won't lose the deposit. Your thoughts? Experience?

TIA

Typically cruise prices are lowest on opening day. And rise as the space fills. This rise in prices can be quite dramatic (within hours) or very slow (months). But prices do rise. On those cruises that aren't selling well, DCL will offer discounts (usually after the PIF date). While these prices may be lower than the price currently being offere, they are (most of the time) higher than the opening day prices.

[lanejudy]

Did those cruises actually drop in price, or maybe they never increased much over opening day fares? Most kids are still in school in May and early June and those fares are likely to be lower due to less demand. Mid-July is likely in high-demand due to summer vacation, so the fares may have been higher to begin with and/or increased more quickly because they sold faster.

If you can do the May cruise dates and want the lower fare, certainly go for it! There might be discounts offered after the PIF date for your cruise, but you would lose your deposit. I'd be surprised if a mid-July Alaskan cruise dropped the fares considerably before PIF.

Enjoy your cruise!

[kcashner]

Did those prices drop or did they never rise from opening day (or not rise much).

While it is possible that a cruise will drop in price before the PIF date, it is more common to have it happen after the start of the penalty period. Usually these are special bookings, but I've seen normal bookins at a reduced price as well...I just haven't noticed any in the last year or so.

[mickeyhereicome]

Thanks for the replies. I am pretty certain that they have dropped some. The one in May dropped just from this weekend. I know when I orginially booked there was not a $600 difference between my cabin in July and the ones in May and June. Plus that price is for a higher category cabin.

So if I book the May cruise and they offer Kids sail free, I will not lose anything (deposit). For kids sail free you do not have to cancel and rebook like you do for military rate?

Thanks again

[lbgraves]

Originally Posted by mickeyhereicome

So if I book the May cruise and they offer Kids sail free, I will not lose anything (deposit). For kids sail free you do not have to cancel and rebook like you do for military rate?

Thanks again

You do need to cancel and rebook to receive a KSF deal if it is after the penalty time begins. The penalties to cancel would apply. This is also the case for any of the *GT rates that come out after the PIF date.

[mickeyhereicome]

Originally Posted by lbgraves

You do need to cancel and rebook to receive a KSF deal if it is after the penalty time begins. The penalties to cancel would apply. This is also the case for any of the *GT rates that come out after the PIF date.

What is a *GT rate? Same thing as *GTY? I am not fimiliar with this one?

[PrincessShmoo]

Originally Posted by mickeyhereicome

What is a *GT rate? Same thing as *GTY? I am not fimiliar with this one?

Not the same thing. When a certain number of rooms within a specific category are booked, the category goes GTY (guarantee) status. This means you can still book a room in the category but not a specific rooms (ie, 8AGTY; or 4BGTY). You are guaranteed that DCL will assign you a room within AT LEAST your booked category (it could be a higher category).

On those cruises that aren't selling well, DCL will offer last minute restricted fares (usually after the PIF date). If you book one of these, you book a type of room: IGT (Interior); OGT (Oceanview); or VGT (Verandah). Within each type there may be different categories, for example an OGT might get you a category 8 or 9 room. DCL will assign a room within the type of room you booked. These rates have many restrictions including, must pay in full at booking, no changes, and no refunds.

[lbgraves]

A GTY is simply the fact that a certain percentage of the rooms in a category have been sold and you cannot select your specific room. It doesn't have a discount associated with it. A *GT rate is either IGT, OGT or VGT [inside, ocean view, or verandah]. These rates are generally discounted from the current price, but not lower than the opening day price.

[su_A_ve]

Originally Posted by mickeyhereicome

What is a *GT rate? Same thing as *GTY? I am not fimiliar with this one?

A *GT rate is a special rate that comes out typically after PIF when a sailing is not selling well. Super restricted, it only works with new bookings, non refundable and must be paid in full at the time. There are three types: IGT, OGT and VGT. IGT inside, OGT outside, VGT verandah. The rate gives you one stateroom of the type selected (I/G/V) and to be assigned by DCL, usually about 7-15 days prior of sailing. Typically *GT rates are only available for up to 4 people on a room. *GT rates cannot be combined with any other Disney promotion or OBC (such as FL/MIL rates or KSF). Note that many say it cannot be combined with Disney's Visa Rewards $50 OBC, however I sailed last August under OGT, and did get the $50 OBC, so YMMV. Many times these are upgraded, specially IGT and OGT, since there are far fewer staterooms of these types. In my case, I booked OGT and got upgraded to a cat 5e.

GTY is an assignment given to a particular category when there are no rooms available. The rate is a regular rate, and only says that DCL will give assign you a stateroom of that category or better. This is offered when there are few staterooms left for a particular category, prior to PIF. These are standard rates and you could be offered GTY even when booking KSF for example - you just can't select the actual room.

They are frequently confused here but they are TOTALLY different animals.

[disneypoor]

Originally Posted by lbgraves

You do need to cancel and rebook to receive a KSF deal if it is after the penalty time begins. The penalties to cancel would apply. This is also the case for any of the *GT rates that come out after the PIF date.

You actually don't have to cancel and rebook after the PIF date for KSF. For military rates, you do have to cancel and do a new booking and will have penalties if after the PIF date, but it isn't that way for KSF or if the price of the cruise just drops for no apparent reason.

I called DCL multiple times on the KSF question, and it doesn't have to be on a new booking. There was just recently a post about this same thing, and the OP had already passed her PIF date, Disney then offered KSF, and she got a refund for that money. Hope this helps.

Here is a link to one of the posts I mentioned. The OP got $972 refunded to her after her PIF date just because the price of the cruise dropped. Good luck!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3042398


Susan

[EPCOTatNight]

Originally Posted by su_A_ve

A *GT rate is a special rate that comes out typically after PIF when a sailing is not selling well. Super restricted, it only works with new bookings, non refundable and must be paid in full at the time. There are three types: IGT, OGT and VGT. IGT inside, OGT outside, VGT verandah. The rate gives you one stateroom of the type selected (I/G/V) and to be assigned by DCL, usually about 7-15 days prior of sailing. Typically *GT rates are only available for up to 4 people on a room. *GT rates cannot be combined with any other Disney promotion or OBC (such as FL/MIL rates or KSF). Note that many say it cannot be combined with Disney's Visa Rewards $50 OBC, however I sailed last August under OGT, and did get the $50 OBC, so YMMV. Many times these are upgraded, specially IGT and OGT, since there are far fewer staterooms of these types. In my case, I booked OGT and got upgraded to a cat 5e.

GTY is an assignment given to a particular category when there are no rooms available. The rate is a regular rate, and only says that DCL will give assign you a stateroom of that category or better. This is offered when there are few staterooms left for a particular category, prior to PIF. These are standard rates and you could be offered GTY even when booking KSF for example - you just can't select the actual room.

They are frequently confused here but they are TOTALLY different animals.

I also kept my $50 OBC when I booked a GT rate room. I sailed last week.

[mickeyhereicome]

Like I said I have been watching the fares. I put a cruise on hold for May. It had to be a GTY (which I dont care), but it is almost $900 less. The PIF for this cruise is the 27th, so 5 days. I was in the middle of booking one cabin lower, which was a $1200 savings but the page froze and it went away. Guess I was fighting some one else and they won, hate when that happens.

Believe me, I will be checking everyday, many times a day, for lower fares.