Where did you get the best price for your Cruise?

[PaulaMurf]

I have successfully talked DH into going. Will likely be December 2006/January 2007 - so I have some time to shop prices - would love to know where you got the best prices - and how far in advance can you book the cruise?

Also, if you book, and then see a better rate, can you rebook at the lower rate?

TIA
Paula in CT

 

[goofymama]

I have successfully talked DH into going. Will likely be December 2006/January 2007 - so I have some time to shop prices - would love to know where you got the best prices - and how far in advance can you book the cruise?

Also, if you book, and then see a better rate, can you rebook at the lower rate?

TIA
Paula in CT

Hi there - the earlier you book, the better as far as rates go. Also, if a discount comes along after you book, any reputable travel agent will get that discount applied for you.

The best way to get the best price, IMHO, is to get quotes from several reputable travel agencies. IF you can find a TA that has booked a block of rooms at a group rate, you will get a very nice deal. Some of the travel agencies to try are: Dreams Ulnlimited, Small World Vacations, The Mouse for Less, Midcan, All Seas Travel, Costco (if you're a member). And there are probably others thatn I'm not thinking of right now. Most of the above can be found by adding a .com to their names and can send you a quote via email.

Good luck and have fun planning your cruise!

 

[GreatDaneMom]

Not at AAA! They charged me exactly what the trip was listed for on the Disney Cruiseline website. The only real benefit we got was a $50 shipboard credit for booking a category 6.

 

[mark & sandra]

I found many Travel Agent sites from the folks on these boards. I booked my first two cruises with AllSeasons www.allseastravel.com . They beat the closest price by 610.00. They also have their prices listed on their web site...Mark

 

[hogie1]

We booked w/ AAA and saved about $200 from Disney's quote including tax & insurance plus we got $250 shipboard credit. ($100 was for booking at AAA Vacation Expo and the standard $150 AAA DCL benefit on a Cat 7 room). In my humble opinion, it's better to book your own airfare (JetBlue, Song, etc) which should keep the cost lower. We're only booking for 2 adults so perhaps there's more of a savings elsewhere if a family or more people are going. I've always booked w/ AAA for WDW and always saved quite a bit, usually between 500-1000 bucks. Good luck where ever you go & get the best price you can!!!

 

[my3kids]

www.cruisequick.com !

 

[cali4niacruisin]

We booked our DCL cruise through allseastravel.com but expedia and samsclub can have very attractive pricing sometimes, especially if you are ever looking on other cruiselines.

 

[carleesmom]

You could also try cruisecompete.com
The Magic For Less through cruisecompete.com beat everyone's prices, including AAA & Costco, bumped us to a cat 6 verandah. Same price for a cat 6 as the others quoted me for a cat 10 & some places a cat 11.

 

[ivanova]

Not at AAA! They charged me exactly what the trip was listed for on the Disney Cruiseline website. The only real benefit we got was a $50 shipboard credit for booking a category 6.

AAA probably didn't have group space on your particular cruise .. it's pretty much hit & miss.

 

[nsmith]

We booked our Nov. 06 cruise in Sept. 05. We decided to do a cruise so I purchased the Pass Porter Cruise book. It was there that I learned about the secret port hole rooms (a good value). I went to the web site mentioned and got a look at the obstruction over each port hole and noted the best rooms.

I then went to the Disney Site and found that one of those rooms was available. Booked it right away (1600. for a cat. 8 stateroom). You could call and check asking if the cabin numbers are available.

At little while later a TA was offering a deal if you booked through them, something like $100 rebate and $25-$50 room credit and a free beach towel. I transfered by ressie to them.

I later learned that I could use my United freq flyer miles (they don't fly non stop from Philly) towards my cruise. I gave up the TA deal and transfered my ressie to United and used my miles to reduce the price by $350.00!!

Moral of the story, your ressie belongs to you, use it to get the best deal you can.
Peace,

 

[jiminy579]

Last year we transferred our reservations to Costco, and saved close to 300.00. We booked a category 9 on the 7 night Eastern. They were very easy to work with. No frills, no fuss!

 

[smilingmouse]

Dana at www.micdan.com

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Costco for both our DCL and RCI cruises. I agree with no frills and no fuss comment. We don't need anyone to hold our hand through the experience, just get us the cheapest rate! Their customer service is really friendly but sometimes you do have to wait to get through. Overall I would still recommend them!

 

[ivanova]

I have successfully talked DH into going. Will likely be December 2006/January 2007 - so I have some time to shop prices - would love to know where you got the best prices - and how far in advance can you book the cruise?

Also, if you book, and then see a better rate, can you rebook at the lower rate?

TIA
Paula in CT

For us, the "best" price hasn't always been the lowest price For our first two cruise we were able to use non-DVC timeshare points, so it didn't matter to me how much $$ the points translated into (would've been cheaper paying cash; but I didn't have the cash so....).

For the repo cruise there was no way of getting a lower price than DCL, without a TA having to rebate part of their commission, and I wasn't about to ask anyone to do that....

I would definitely urge you to shop around, compare prices as well as compare "value" for what you are paying (what can the TA do for you, what "extras" do you get, etc. if they're price isn't the lowest).

 

[lilo62]

First....hello from another fellow CT person!

I shopped around to most of the travel agencies that people mentioned on this thread and I found that Dreams Unlimited offered the best price.

Good Luck!

 

[dreamscometrue]

I requested quotes from many online travel companies and called Costco, but in the end, Dana from Micdan booked our cruise for June 2006!! She was quick to answer all my e-mails with a phone call. Gotta love that personal touch in this e-mail age!!! I think she is away until the end of the month.

Good Luck!!

 

[GhostlyHitchhiker]

My quote search was exhaustive. I needed 5 different staterooms for a family cruise, with several different configurations and wasn't sure what category everyone would end up wanting; so I had to check every possible scenario over about two weeks. I checked probably almost two dozen places and this was the best by far:

http://www.cruisevacationcenter.com/

 

[mamalle]

our first cruise we found with allseas travel and than rebooked onboard- we than transferrred our reservation back to them.