Question on opening day prices

[cjappert]

I've been reading a lot on here about "opening day prices".. Is it really just the first day?? and are the prices really that much lower? Since the 2016 are coming out Thursday does that mean Friday the prices go up? if so what kind of price difference can we expect?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I've been reading a lot on here about "opening day prices".. Is it really just the first day?? and are the prices really that much lower? Since the 2016 are coming out Thursday does that mean Friday the prices go up? if so what kind of price difference can we expect?

It just means that the first day that any given itinerary is offered is when the lowest price for it will be offered. How quickly it rises depends on how quickly the space onboard the ship for that cruise fills. Some price increases can be quite dramatic (within hours), while others can take months to go up.

It's a gamble.

 

[cjappert]

It just means that the first day that any given itinerary is offered is when the lowest price for it will be offered. How quickly it rises depends on how quickly the space onboard the ship for that cruise fills. Some price increases can be quite dramatic (within hours), while others can take months to go up.

It's a gamble.

wow that's so stressful! we are booking for 8 people so we would obviously like to get the cheapest price possible! would the smartest choice be going through a travel agent since I don't really know what im doing?

 

[JoiseyMom]

It's usually the cheapest, sometimes later on they do lower prices, but doesn't happen that often.

If you are going during a busy time, in season, then book as soon as you can

 

[lbgraves]

If prices lower, it is from the current pricing and not generally lower than the opening day rates. You can call DCL and tell them who you want to book if you know the ship & itinerary you want. I would do that myself since TAs already have a list of clients they will be calling for tomorrow and Thursday. I would expect requests to be dealt with in the order they are received. You have a couple days to decide which cruise dates you are interested in and can see what category would work for you.

 

[Fsudisney]

Are the opening day prices generally lower than FLR rates or GT rates that come out last minute?
We have always booked closer to sail dates because we are florida residents. I looked at the threads of price quotes people have been getting today, and they don't seem cheaper to me??? Can you book on day 1 and then later switch the res to a FLR or GT rate if that is better?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Are the opening day prices generally lower than FLR rates or GT rates that come out last minute?
We have always booked closer to sail dates because we are florida residents. I looked at the threads of price quotes people have been getting today, and they don't seem cheaper to me??? Can you book on day 1 and then later switch the res to a FLR or GT rate if that is better?

Generally, yes, opening day prices are lower than any subsequent prices. Rarely, *GT rates have been a bit lower, but that's not usual.

AFAIK, you can switch a regular booking to a FL rate, if one comes out. But *GT rates are specified as "for new bookings only". Sometimes it still saves you money to cancel a regular booking (with penalties) and rebook at *GT.

 

[PryncessLace]

Are the opening day prices generally lower than FLR rates or GT rates that come out last minute?
We have always booked closer to sail dates because we are florida residents. I looked at the threads of price quotes people have been getting today, and they don't seem cheaper to me??? Can you book on day 1 and then later switch the res to a FLR or GT rate if that is better?

Unless something has changed recently, then yes you can book now and switch to FLR rate if/when they come out. We did this for our Dream 2012 cruise.

 

[Fsudisney]

Thank you!!

 

[lbgraves]

Are the opening day prices generally lower than FLR rates or GT rates that come out last minute?
We have always booked closer to sail dates because we are florida residents. I looked at the threads of price quotes people have been getting today, and they don't seem cheaper to me??? Can you book on day 1 and then later switch the res to a FLR or GT rate if that is better?

Yes. The rates for 2016 don't seem cheaper because they are along the same lines of or more than the 2015 prices. Those were up to 160% higher than 2014 prices opening day. This means that while DCL will probably have to offer *GT fares that are lower than the 2015 & 2016 opening day prices, those *GT prices will still be much higher than the final 2014 prices at full price. DCL is counting on people seeing the numbers in a year or so and thinking that they are getting a deal by forgetting what the prices were the previous year.