fare reduction

[ezemoney]

hello, looking at the 5 night enchantment cruise for aug. 23 2008. there are 53 cabins plus guarantee cabins. what are the chances of them reducing fares? to me this sounds like quire a few cabins left.

thanks,

ezemoney

[TrvlPro]

I'm not quite sure how you got information on how many open guarantee spots there are. They don't even release such info on the booking engine. If someone at the cruiseline said there are 53 guarantees, be careful, that's probably how many have been booked in that category and not how many are left. The guarantee promos are subject to change at any time and often do. The best bet is always to book as soon as you've idintified what ship and sailing date you want. That way if rates climb, and many have been climbing last minute instead of falling as they have at times in the past, you're protected. With RCI there is no down side to booking it early. If they do drop rates, even after penalty and full payment, they'll adjust the rate to the new lower rate for you.

Cheers, Neil

[ezemoney]

i went to rccl web site and counted the number of open cabins in each cat. there was 53 open cabins

[TrvlPro]

There is a very big flaw in your count. Any cabins that are booked that are not assigned cabins but on guarantee status will be pulled from the inventory you're looking at. That means if they have 53 cabins left and 50 are booked as guarantee, three more bookings and the ship is full and all those categories will be closed for new bookings. I certainly don't know how may cabins are pending in Gty status to be assigned but there are no where near 50+ cabins if that's all the remaining inventory.

Cheers, Neil

[fiveparty]

Question: If I've booked a cruise through a travel agent for March and the price goes down in the next few months,do I automatically get the price reduction or do I have to ask my TA to look for lower prices?

[Cruise Fanatic]

Fiveparty,
It is best for you to keep an eye on the cruise and call your TA if you see it reduced. They can then see if you can get a refund or onboard credit.

Ezemoney,
It really doesn't matter how many cabins are left, or whether they're guaranteed or not. If the Aug 23rd sailing is something you are really interested in doing and have your heart set on it, then book it! If you don't care one way or the other, then wait and see if it goes down more.