Just Cruises Plus

While selecting the last minute promotions to post on our website, I noticed that some of the prices were pretty steep.  They didn’t seem to be much of a deal to me.  For example, I was struck by this week’s last minute “deal” for the Navigator of the Seas’ March 9^th sailing.  The last minute deal for a balcony is $1379.  That seemed pretty close to the regular price so I checked and confirmed that the last minute “deal” is only $70 less than the regular price.  Why?  Because the ship is very close to sold out and Royal Caribbean doesn’t need to fill many cabins, so they can offer a miniscule discount.  For the March 23^rd sailing, the price is a little lower at $1299, but still not much of a deal.

For the March 30^th sailing, the price drops to $999 for a balcony.  This represents a significant discount but it still did not beat the discount for Celebrity’s Reflection on March 9^th or the Silhouette on March 16^th.  They are both $749 for verandas.

Cost Per Day

I like to look at the cost per day to determine value.  The price for a balcony on most major cruise lines runs in the area of $200 per day.  This drops to about $150 per day during tropical storm season and through January (except for the holidays).  The verandas on the two Celebrity cruises mentioned above have a daily rate of $107.00 — an excellent rate.

If you really want to take advantage of a fantastic value and you need to catch up on your reading, take a transatlantic repositioning cruise.  On the Brilliance of the Seas, you can take a cruise from San Juan to Lisbon for $49.90 per day.  You’ll pay more for a Motel 6 room with meals at Burger King.

Wait Until Last Minute?

Do consider waiting for a last minute deal if you are flexible and looking for discounts.  Remember that the amount of the discount is correlated with the time of year that you cruise and the space left on the ship.

Don’t wait for a last minute deal if:

-You need a room for 3 or 4 people.
-You want to be mid-ship (so does everyone else).
-You have your heart set on a particular cruise.  Many cruises sell out and therefore do not offer last minute deals.

We update our website with a sample of last minute deals every week.  Feel free to check them out.