[ 2005 ] Booking Cruises--Website Recommendations

[VacationForever]

Do you have to be a Costco member to book a cruise with them?

Yes.

 

[LannyPC]

Costco returns 8% to 10% of their commission back to you in the form of cash card, amongst the highest in the industry. Some agents will give you the same if you haggle with them and ask them to match Costco's perks. So if you know what you are looking for and don't need a travel agent to help you research or hold your hand, Costco offers the best above the table deals.

That's good to know. I will check that out next time we are looking to book a cruise.

 

[EZ-ED]

Cruisefish.net tracks the price of room category change up and down. Select the cruise line, itinerary and ship, and check before booking.

Cruisefish is no longer usable. No accurate updates in months. Titus (the site creator/admin) has not posted or answered emails for the same period of time.

 

[pedro47]

Please do not use Cruisemate; parts of it is a dangerous website. Please do not click on photos; you are going to be very surprise what you are coming to see (not cruise photos).

 

[Talent312]

I'm a moderate cruiser... Lately, in even years, we've done serious cruises (Baltics, Mediterranean, Alaska), and in odd years, more nearby getaways (Caribbean, New England). I used to book directly with the cruiseline to avoid dealing with middle-men. However, more recently, I've been using www.bestpricecruises.com (a/k/a Vacation Superstore Network).

They were consistently competitive with vacationstogo, but offered more perks (extra OBC and specialty-dining certificates)... which BTW, AAA doesn't do (apparently). I've also booked onboard and transferred to bestpricecruises to get both low deposits and extra OBC.
.

 

[timesharejunkie4]

I don't cruise often but I use CruiseCompete.com. You let them know the specific cruise and cabin type and they will send it out to agencies in their network. the agencies will then get back to you with a quote. You can get separate quotes for each cruiseline and/or dates that you want. I just checked and the cruise I am in the process of booking was a little cheaper thru the agencies I received quotes than both Costco and best price cruises. I usually book with cruise vacation outlet but like to see their offer thru Cruise Compete to make sure I am getting the best deal.

 

[VacationForever]

The only potential issue with Cruise Compete is that sometimes the cheapest bidder is a small independent outlet with poor customer support that one realizes only after going with them. Several cases were report on cruisecritic about agent going MIA and not answering post booking calls and emails.

 

[beejaybeeohio]

Cruisefish is no longer usable. No accurate updates in months. Titus (the site creator/admin) has not posted or answered emails for the same period of time.

Thank you for this information! In the past I've saved money using cruisefish, but for the 3 cruises I'm currently subscribed to with them, nada. I do use Seascanner, a German site who gives updates in euros (I think you can request USD in requests, but I haven't) and I use it as a guide to check the cruiselines website when it appears prices have dropped. Oh well, at 99c to follow a cruise via cruisefish, it's not a big financial loss.

The only potential issue with Cruise Compete is that sometimes the cheapest bidder is a small independent outlet with poor customer support that one realizes only after going with them. Several cases were report on cruisecritic about agent going MIA and not answering post booking calls and emails.

After being burned by booking with a Cruise Compete agency which went belly-up, I've never approached cruise pricing via their quotes again.

COSTCO- we have used them for 10 cruises and been very pleased. However, a week ago we decided to book a veranda GTY on a HAL cruise on their new ship Nieuw Statendam following our Celebrity EDGE maiden voyage next month. Checked out Vacations to Go, Costco and Crucon. V2G offered nada, Costco a $165 OBC and Crucon prepaid grats worth @$100 per person and a pricing per person of $105 less than the others Perhaps we'd have found a better deal and in the future will try bestpricecruises, too (Thanks Talent312!)

 

[timesharejunkie4]

Cruise Compete provides information to BBB ratings and customer reviews. I have used Cruise Vacation Outlet several times with no problem. There are other well known agencies that have replied as well as a few that sounded hokey. Like anything, do your due diligence.

 

[marijalas]

Ok, I'll start this. Here is a list of the places I go to when I'm checking cruise prices:

Cruise Shopping
Cruise Vacation Center

This is especially good for cruises in the next 90 days, but also has dates further out.
Vacations to Go

Use this site to request agent bids on a cruise you are considering:
Cruise Compete

If I want to see what cabins are available on a specific cruise I use
Expedia You pretend to make a booking and when you get to cabin selection it will show you what is available

I belong to a pay website called Cruise Stateroom . It has various price points ($11.95 a year, or you can do 3 months, etc). You can compare cabin configurations, locations, etc. on most ships here. Its a convenience I feel is worth paying for.

The above is my "short list," and the ones I use.

I've not used Crucon yet, but they send out mailers with great prices, and I may book with them one day.

I have gotten some interesting flyers from Zoe's Cruises in Sacramento, but while they have good prices, if you want more info they are slow to respond to you.

How about we keep this going with others posting their favorite cruise websites?

Fern

I was told that the Cruise Lines control the pricing and that it is more the timing of WHEN you book, what the cruise lines are offering at that time for what rooms. That is why Costco gives shipboard credits, it is the only way they can manage a price differential.

 

[VacationForever]

I was told that the Cruise Lines control the pricing and that it is more the timing of WHEN you book, what the cruise lines are offering at that time for what rooms. That is why Costco gives shipboard credits, it is the only way they can manage a price differential.

You are spot on. However you can get the same deal with many travel agencies although Costco is the one of the easiest to work with. If there is a price drop you will need to call Costco or whichever travel agency you have booked with and they will also adjust the cash card or refundable onboard credit accordingly. Beware of agencies which charge change and cancellation fees. Costco does not charge these fees.

 

[Ylinesand]

I have never been on a cruise before, do you like it? is it worth it?

 

[Judy]

I have never been on a cruise before, do you like it? is it worth it?

That seems like a simple question, but it's really very complicated. DH and I cruise a lot. Some cruises we love and some not. Some are a good value for us, others have not been. Whether you like a cruise and whether it's worth it depends upon what kind of experience you'd like. Some considerations: Where do you want to go? Do you like to be surrounded by lots of people? Do you want a large choice of activities onboard? Would you like a hairy chest contest or would you prefer a lecture? How about water slides and rock climbing walls? Do you prefer all inclusive or would you rather pay a lower cruise fare and be charged for extras on board? Do you like to dress for dinner? How long would you want to be away the first time? (I hesitate to recommend a short cruise as a test because they can be a very different experience from long ones) Do you have motion sickness? Would you prefer sea days or port calls? There are dozens more questions but I'm asking because whether or not you'd like a cruise depends upon which one you choose.

 

[TUGBrian]

also remember you can support TUG if you book thru priceline using this link!

http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-8455784-10392981

 

[Alex More]

if you need rent a car in nyc try real car

 

[eakhat]

Do you have to be a Costco member to book a cruise with them?

I’ve booked for people who don’t have a Costco membership. Recently I booked for 4 people I traveled with. In the past I booked a cruise for 4 people I didn’t travel with. I had to be involved with the initial booking and with the insurance deposit. I agree with the other post that they have great insurance rates.
Costco gives you the cruise line specials plus their own incentive of on-board credit. You do have to watch for specials and call back if rates have changed. They give the customer the commission other agencies give their agent via onboard credit. If you don’t spend the onboard credit, it can be returned to you after the cruise, unlike the cruiseline onboard credit. (We’ve usually use princess.). In addition you get cash back through Costco for using their credit card( the executive Costco credit card is worth the extra cost in the year you pay for cruise.
I love Costco for cruises but will check out some of the other sites. Thanks for the many replies to this thread.

 

[Synergy]

I still search on vacationstogo.com to find a cheap cruise. I've never booked with them, though. I check Costco as a baseline. I submit a request on cruisecompete.com and see what agencies are willing to offer as extras. Lately, I have booked with cruises-n-more.com - but I don't usually go through the link from cruise compete, as I've been able to get the same offer through their website without having to talk to a live person. I'd try the same with another agency if someone else offered a better deal or more/better perks - but I'd talk to a human if I needed to for the best deal. If no one can offer a deal, I book with the cruise line directly.

 

[Judy]

Synergy, It sounds as if you work with a variety of cruise agencies. Do you find that one is better than the other, depending upon which cruise line you want to sail with?

 

[Passepartout]

Necroposting is alive and well. It was good to see some TUG notables usernames from 15 years ago. (sigh)
Fwiw, we -OK, my DW, checks for cruises mostly on www.vacationstogo.com and has a personal agent there who is most responsive. We also use Celebrity's website. We are pretty much Celebrity loyalists. The last few bookings with them have been while onboard other Celebrity cruises. The prices and perks seem better.

Jim

 

[Synergy]

Synergy, It sounds as if you work with a variety of cruise agencies. Do you find that one is better than the other, depending upon which cruise line you want to sail with?

Nope, I'm completely without loyalty for both agencies and cruise lines. We almost never book cruises longer than four nights, and we book almost exclusively on price. If there's a ship we can get on for 2-5 nights for less than $100 per person per night, including drink package and tips, we book it if there's any way we can fit it into our work schedule. I should probably move my cruise line direct bookings to vacationstogo.com as a thank you for maintaining their wonderful searchable database.

Lately, cruises-n-more.com has been able to offer us the best deals - and they make it easy to view all availability rate codes and specials. That includes virtuoso, a luxury booking affiliation they are signed on with. I haven't had to ask anything special of them, so I don't know how they well they handle issues, but they made the booking process completely painless and gave us $75 in credit and tips on a cruise we only spent $500 on.

 

[bendadin]

I will look at Vacationstogo as they have subpages for the different discount groups: military, teachers, fire/law enforcement, Interline, FL resident, etc. Then I go to a TA who can book our group. They all cannot book everything.

 

[DaveNV]

I will look at Vacationstogo as they have subpages for the different discount groups: military, teachers, fire/law enforcement, Interline, FL resident, etc. Then I go to a TA who can book our group. They all cannot book everything.

I watch Vacationstogo.com a lot. Currently, the military discounted price they're quoting for a Celebrity cruise in the Med next Spring is the same base fare as Costco's price. But Costco is giving a cash card back, which reduces the cost. Tried cruises-n-more.com as mentioned above, and their price for the same cruise is higher. So at the moment, Costco is winning. Next stop is a travel agent we've been referred to, to see if they an provide anything better.

Dave

 

[Jodyv]

I've used a site called CruiseCompete.com. Post the cruise you're interested in and you will receive various offers. Sometimes the offers will be the same amount of money but include a bonus. I've had good luck with them. I also like VacationsToGo.com. The real bargains are in the 90 days last minute cruises. It will be interesting to see how cruises are going to be priced once we get to sail again. Another way to save on a cruise is to buy 100 shares of Carnival. (I don't know about other cruise lines...) Carnival (and the brands they own) will give shipboard credit based on how long the cruise is. You can see it at Shareholder Benefit - Carnival Corporation.

 

[musknikki09]

i think I joined CruiseCritic about six years ago and agree that it's like the FlyerTalk of cruising. My postings there during the Norway tragedy were memorable, as the ship and her crew had special meaning to me.

 

[easyrider]

What is the recommendation for a Mediterranean Cruise. Maybe one that includes Israel and Egypt ? We haven't been on a cruise for a long time. We used cruise critic on the last cruise. I'm trying to talk my sil out of Ireland. The group we would be going with is family and while I love them I like a little space.

Bill