Update on Royal Princess Fire

As we reported lat week, the Royal Princess suffered an engine room fire.  There were no injuries among the passengers.  The fire caused more damage than we initially thought.  All passengers were disembarked in Egypt and were flown home.  The next sailing was also cancelled.  The ship is proceeding under it own power to Greece where it will undergo repairs.

Sea Is For Country Booking Party Date

Booking party is being held Thursday, July 9 at Prospector’s in Mt Laurel.

Join the revelry, put down your deposit that night, and win a prize!!

See Mary Lee in the Dance Club from 7:00pm-10:00pm.

Its SAIL AWAY time…plan ahead now to avoid the snows of the Northeast.

Last Minute Bookings – What You Should Know

One of our clients called this week looking for a last minute land package as advertised on our website.  The price was outstanding.  We booked it for him.  He decided (against our advice) to wait for a better deal.  Of course, when he called back, the price had gone up substantially.

Travel suppliers (cruise lines and land operators) look at their unsold inventory about two months prior to the travel date.  If they are seriously under booked for particular dates, they will offer a last minute discounts.  These are sometimes one day offers, one week offers or offers to sell a given number of rooms at a discounted price.  When the travel supplier meets their goal, the offer is withdrawn.

Some travel suppliers seldom offer last minute deals because their early booking discounts are so good that they have little leftover space to sell at a discount.  Carnival Cruise Line is a good example of this.  Note on “Deals” Carnival’s specials are for January.

Don’t forget that travel suppliers are not in the business of charity and they don’t want to give you a very low price.

There are times when we recommend that you book early and times when we recommend that you wait to get a better deal.  We work everyday with the travel suppliers and we have very good advice about how to get the best deals.

Some General Rules

During hurricane season, wait to book.  Cruise lines are desperate.

If you want a balcony in Alaska, book very early.  If a lower price becomes available you should be able to get it.

If you have kids and you want them in your room, book early.  Cruise lines are putting fewer triple and quad rooms on their new ships.