Is there really a LAST MINUTE way to get a bargain on a cabin for a sailing on a cruise that leaves next day or 2 days .. since we live in Fort Lauderdale and are retired with no constraints....(no kids, no pets etc)
What happens to the "unsold" cabins?
I know in Vancouver, I have a couple of options. On Princess's website you can sign up for last minute sales and pick the destination you're willing to sail out of...mine of course is set for Vancouver, Seattle & LA. I regularly get e:mailed deals that sail within two weeks. Not sure if Celebrity has something similiar. The other option is a couple of local online TAs they usually have last minute deals.
Both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean have "last minute" deals (last minute meaning a sailing in the next month or so). They post these sales on Friday, and you can book them the following Tuesday. We booked one in mid-March for an April 9 sailing, and we saved quite a bit. Here are the links to those websites:
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Is there really a LAST MINUTE way to get a bargain on a cabin for a sailing on a cruise that leaves next day or 2 days .. since we live in Fort Lauderdale and are retired with no constraints....(no kids, no pets etc)
You often can get very good bargains on undersold sailings after the "final payment" deadline -- which, on Celebrity, is seventy (70) days before embarkation. The discounted fares show up directly on the Celebrity Cruises web site, and your travel agent should be able to match them.
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What happens to the "unsold" cabins?
They theoretically try to sell them even on the pier, but I'm not sure how this interacts with the requirement to submit passenger manifests to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) forty-eight (48) hours before departure from any port of the United States. TSA probably hass some sort of procedure for submission of changes that occur after that deadline.
You often can get very good bargains on undersold sailings after the "final payment" deadline -- which, on Celebrity, is seventy (70) days before embarkation. The discounted fares show up directly on the Celebrity Cruises web site, and your travel agent should be able to match them.
They theoretically try to sell them even on the pier, but I'm not sure how this interacts with the requirement to submit passenger manifests to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) forty-eight (48) hours before departure from any port of the United States. TSA probably hass some sort of procedure for submission of changes that occur after that deadline.
Norm.
They also have to submit a final manifest 2 hours prior to sailing...A couple of years ago when this first started they had a sticky on their web site explaining the new TSA rule...
My husband and I were wandering around Seattle right after an Alaskan cruise with Princess. We happened to find ourselves at the port where the NCL Pearl was docked. After about a 2-minute discussion, we decided to see if we could get on that ship for cheap. (Wouldn't THAT have been a story to tell?) Turns out, the cruise lines have to submit their manifests four days in advance of embarkation. With that in mind, you might try calling the cruise lines 5 days before embarkation and see what you can negotiate.
Both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean have "last minute" deals (last minute meaning a sailing in the next month or so). They post these sales on Friday, and you can book them the following Tuesday. We booked one in mid-March for an April 9 sailing, and we saved quite a bit. Here are the links to those websites:
Last Minute bargain ??
Last Minute Bargains
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