Advice on most cost effective way to book cruise

1,847 Views | 13 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by BrazosBull
The Silverback
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AG
Any travel agents out there?

Or do you get the same/best rate booking directly through Royal Caribbean website?
Texas Ag Mom
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I just went on a RC cruise in March. I went w/a group (several hundred) & we booked thru one of my daughters teachers. She no longer teaches but is a cruise planner. She has been on many of the cruises herself so she is a wealth of info & personalized service. Her prices are probably better than booking direct because she can sometimes offer onboard credits. She can also give lots of help w/excursions not booked thru RC & you can save a chunk that way. If you are interested I will text her to find out the best contact info for her.
Kool
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Costco. I went to Atlantis a couple of years ago through Costco. My brother-in-law does business in Atlantis and told me he would get me a great deal there. Costco prices blew away what he was able to get me, which was below "rack rate" as well. Of course, you have to have a membership there first.
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Marauder Blue 6
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Costco or VacationsToGo.com. VTG buys a lot cabins at group rates and sells them to the public and it can be a lot less than what you can get through the cruise lines directly. For most cruise lines, VTG is one of if not the largest booking agencies.
Texas Ag Mom
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I have also booked a previous cruise thru VTG. My lady beat their price on my March cruise. You should probably price check 2-3 & see where you get the best deal.
CalTex
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http://www.cruisecompete.com/

Click on Get Quotes in the upper left. Do it!

I have booked two cruises from this site... best prices I could find.
Tree Hugger
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When I've gone on Carnival, I booked directly with them on their website and it was cheaper then VTG. If you can book the early saver rate, you get a low price guarantee so if the price drops you can get the fare adjusted if you are before final payment, or get the difference in on-board credit.
The Silverback
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What about NCL compared to Royal Caribbean?

Have always done the RC cruises but it looks like NCL are quite a bit cheaper. Will have young kids in tow if that makes a difference in choices as well.
TXAGFAN
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Austin Ins Ag said:

What about NCL compared to Royal Caribbean?

Have always done the RC cruises but it looks like NCL are quite a bit cheaper. Will have young kids in tow if that makes a difference in choices as well.
NCL has free booze on most fares.
HvilleAggie
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Did a NCL a year ago January 2016 for the first time and was impressed, but I've only done Carnival a couple times years before that. Never been on a RC cruise, but my impression is that Carnival is for the budget conscious and families, NCL has nicer boats but still a good mix of attendees, and RC is a step above in terms of amenities, food, and other people on board.

Carnival < NCL < RC

And TXAGFAN is right, NCL has (or had) several different freebies to choose from. Booze, excursions, wifi, etc.
Hincemm
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unless something has changed and if you are talking strictly about royal caribbean, keep in mind that travel agents, websites (vacationstogo, etc), costco and other places can't discount royal caribbean cruises like they can with carnival. they all offer the same rates (keeping in mind that state, military and other discounts are the same across the board, too).

agencies may throw out stuff like on board credit, but the rate is the rate...
BQ2001
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We've done Princess Cruises a few times and use someone that works for them and she is always looking for a lower rate and applying it for us. Last one we went on Princess had a sale and she saved us almost $500 the week before the cruise.
TXAGFAN
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AG
HvilleAggie said:

Did a NCL a year ago January 2016 for the first time and was impressed, but I've only done Carnival a couple times years before that. Never been on a RC cruise, but my impression is that Carnival is for the budget conscious and families, NCL has nicer boats but still a good mix of attendees, and RC is a step above in terms of amenities, food, and other people on board.

Carnival < NCL < RC

And TXAGFAN is right, NCL has (or had) several different freebies to choose from. Booze, excursions, wifi, etc.
What NCL ship were you on? From what I hear the Breakaway class boats and Epic are very comparable to RCI's big boats.
agdoc84
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Traveling Aggies! Best value and great friends.
BrazosBull
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Carnival = The Walmart of Cruising.
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