According to a cruise expert, the average trip costs around £125 per day with some luxury lines coming in at as much as £800 per person, per day. But one guest managed to get their pre-booked holiday for much less by simply comparing the cost with other operators. And it’s easy to do.
Taking to the popular forum Cruise Critic to share their lucky experience, the guest with the username Doribeans, explained how they got a $500 refund (£403) on their trip.
The cruiser managed to shave the money off the price of their trip, which is booked for later this month, by comparing the cost of their booking with other ship operators.
Initially asking for others’ advice, they noted that their transpacific Carnival Cruise had cost them $2,518 (£2,033) before port fees, for a cabin room with an “obstructed view”.
But after looking at the same cruise from Brisbane to Seattle on other ships, they found a similar cabin advertised for $500 (£403) less.
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And according to the traveller, the lower price was offered by the same cruise line – Carnival.
They also revealed that they had found an even cheaper deal ($700 less), for the same trip being offered on the American Airlines cruise portal.
Confused about why she should pay more for the trip when it was being offered for much less elsewhere, the forum member reached out to fellow cruisers for advice.
She said: “My cruise has an $800 (£645) cancellation charge so I can’t just cancel and rebook. Does anyone have any recommendations – can I call Carnival and request a credit or cost reduction?”
One person who used the name pipparh63 replied: “Yes, I took advantage of this ‘drop’ I was actually going somewhere else, as I couldn’t believe my eyes! I paid $1,580 (£1,275) for a balcony yesterday – deck 8! Has changed on the Carnival site now, but still available on the Expedia cruise site.”
The traveller explained that they had called cruise companies before to ask for an upgrade or reduction when the price had dropped in the past.
She added that when booking an “Early Saver fare”, it allows guests to apply for price drops until two days prior to sailing.
And according to the user named Doribeans, it worked in her case.
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She wrote: “Not sure if it was early saver, but I was able to talk to a manager today who upgraded me to a balcony and refunded me $500 (£403).
“Now my fare is just under 100/day. Moral of the story is to just be pleasant and ask nicely to talk to someone in charge.”
Other forum members shared their own experience with the price drop “hack”, noting that upgrades are almost always granted in this case.
One person wrote: “This happened to us on our Hawaii cruise. We didn’t get a refund or on-board credit but they did upgrade us to a much nicer room category.”
According to an expert, the earlier cruises are booked, the more flexibility passengers have to find a reduced price.
However, once the final payment is made, it becomes more difficult to negotiate the cost which can mean cruisers are left with no option but to pay the agreed amount.
A Cruise Critic contributor said: ” Either you take your chances with paying the cancellation fees and re-booking (making sure the difference works in your favour, which it only rarely does).
“Or you can call the cruise line or your travel agent to politely bargain on your behalf.”
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