Best deal?

[Berick1234]

Spoheat,

I think I use the same TA that you are talking about...20 cruises and I've never missed a ship....but I do get insurance...never know when a snowstorm will show up at the last minute...Happy cruising....

Bob E

[chris 2486]

we used rccl direct last booking and found we got £400 knock of the price of the cruise.
i must admit though i will never use rccl for flights again as i thimk we have been seriously ripped off.
they have charged us £1540 for return flights from manchester england to san juan, plus the times we have to spend in newyork for our connecting flight is silly.
when looking on expedia i could get the flights for about £900 with good connections.
but hey!!! you learn from your mistakes.

[Dave]

It is important to note that booking directly in the UK is not going to be the same as booking directly in North America. Different rules, pricing schemes (sometimes), etc.

At least in the U.S., the RCI policy is "a level playing field" as far as prices go - regardless if it is an agent or direct with RCI. They do allow special arrangements and pricing for select cruises, as well as for group bookings.

[cruise_addict]

I know in the UK that cruise lines are not allowed to fix the prices and stop TAs cutting them.

My problem is that I live in Spain but book and pay for my cruises in UK in GBP. I have to juggle with price comparisons in USD, Euros and GBP. Especially difficult at the moment with fluctuating exchange rates. Thank god for online currency converters.

[TrvlPro]

Many lines have claimed they have rules in place to level the playing field with pricing. It's not normally true. There are ways to get around their policy and they're not even bending their own rules to do so. They have contradictory policies that allow and even encourage exceptions to increase bookings. RCCL has actually done it without the usual loop-holes. I have a vested interest in the topic and from a pure self interest perspective, I wish they had exceptions and there was a way to gain an advantage, there no longer is. The perks will vary slightly but rates in the industry for RCCL will be consistent. Much more fair but fewer options for savings from a consumer standpoit. The good news in it is that you know you recieved the best rate available, where-ever you go. There group rates and amenities are even very little in incentive now. That means more bang for the buck to buy blocks from other lines with bigger advantages for the investment. You'll see little if any block space being offered from the folks who buy it in mass with RCCL sailings.

Cheers, Neil