September 18, 2011
By Nadia Jastrjembskaia
Yes, everyone wants to have the lowest price possible! I receive a lot of questions from my clients regarding last minute cruises. It depends. If you are flexible and adventurous, last minute cruises are the best for you. If you plan your family vacation with in-laws, last minute cruise is the bad idea. Royal Caribbean International releases unsold inventory for the Sale Event on weekly basis. Very often you can see even the hottest ships such as the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas on sale for 2 days. This Sale Event helps to keep stable prices on the rest of inventory.
To be a good candidate for the Royal Caribbean Sale Events you have to have the following quantities:
- Be flexible, so you can explore a new itinerary at a great price without asking your supervisor for a vacation a few months in advance.
- Know your game. I suggest doing a little bit of research in advance where you want to go, which ship, which itinerary and keep an eye on it by checking the Sale Event page on my web site every Friday. Bookmark this page for your convenience.
- Be a member of the Crown and Anchor Society. This gives you a one day advantage to book the desirable cabin at an unbeatable price. To become a member you have to complete one cruise with Royal Caribbean International. If you cruised already, but are not a member yet, contact Nadia by clicking here. I will help you to obtain your status.
- There is no guarantee that your desired departure will be on a sale this week. So, have a plan A, plan B, and plan C with different departure dates, ships and itineraries.
- Know when to hunt. Best price for the European cruises are from September to November. Caribbean cruises are cheapest during the hurricane season but this year we didn’t see too many specials due to high demand. Caribbean cruises are discounted on particular weeks not months. Very promising will be the non-holiday portion of November and December, like the first and second week of January and first 3 weeks of May. Alaskan cruises may be on sale for next May.
Keep in mind that Royal Caribbean has great promotions for early booking incentives, so desirable inventory may be not there. Either way, contact me for advice; make me your hunt partner. Don’t be afraid of pressing sales, I have a much different agenda. I prefer royal customers with whom I can share my best promotions and sales and develop professional relationships – not just a quick sale. There are too many deals that are not really deals and too many travel agents with little knowledge about the products they sell. Developing trust and relationships are my main goals in my career. Contact me by clicking here or call her at 772 240-9797 to talk about your needs.