Cruises for £1

Alan_Bowen

Th £1 offer is genuine, in as much as 'brochure prices' are the actual prices at which the cruises are usually sold. Unfortunately the cruise industry seems to have got it in its head that if they double the price they want to sell the cruise for, they can then offer either directly or through travel agents a huge discount. Either way, you pay the same, the Advertising Standards Authority made a major fuss of a particular advert in November 2008 and got a reply from Fred Olsen Cruises admitting they never sold at brochure price. So before leaping, just compare the offer with the millions of others out there!

SKWebster

Thanks for explaining Lisaloo, and thanks Alan! Oh yes i did send the Telegraph link but certainly don't work for them! :rotfl:

I think I might still go for it, cos my in-laws booked themselves on a cruise and paid more than double for it. I calculated this offer and with flights it works out to about £500 odd per person even for balcony cabins. Sounds like quite a lot of savings, anyway nothing ventured nothing gained. I'll decide by Saturday...

AndysDad

SKWebster wrote: »

Thanks for explaining Lisaloo, and thanks Alan! Oh yes i did send the Telegraph link but certainly don't work for them! :rotfl:

I think I might still go for it, cos my in-laws booked themselves on a cruise and paid more than double for it. I calculated this offer and with flights it works out to about £500 odd per person even for balcony cabins. Sounds like quite a lot of savings, anyway nothing ventured nothing gained. I'll decide by Saturday...

Not quite what it seems.The prices don't include flights or port taxes as far as I know.

SKWebster

Yeah you're right the flights aren't included but I think port taxes are...May go for a cat. 3 inside cabin instead of splashing out on a balcony (oops hope my hubby doesn't see this post) on MSC Fantasia 8 Nov at £1,350 plus the £1 - this is with flights and port taxes included so works out to about £675 for each of us. I like the itinerary for this one, cos it goes to Barcelona, Tenerife, Madeira, Malaga, Rome, I think my husband will love these places, not bad for 11 nights money wise.

MrSmartprice

dmg24 wrote: »

The cruise is not £1, it is £1 for the second person. This sort of misadvertising makes Ryanair's 1p deals seem like pretty good value!

Ryanair's 1p deals are good value.:D

We have booked 2 return flights to Porto in January. I would say that 4p all in was excellent value.;)

Kez100

Cruise deals are good at the moment but beware of deal tactics to make them look better than they really are.

We had a twelve nighter in the UK summer school holidays last year, family of four, for £1800. That was before the madness hit the markets. MSC were even cheaper at the time.

Make sure you know what a good deal is. If you do and can afford it then enjoy. We had a brilliant time.

dmg24

MrSmartprice wrote: »

Ryanair's 1p deals are good value.:D

We have booked 2 return flights to Porto in January. I would say that 4p all in was excellent value.;)

I wholly agree with you, but there are plenty who don't!

It is interesting how, if it was Ryanair advertising this offer, this thread would be several pages long by now with people shouting 'rip off'. Yet here, where no one is getting anything for any where near £1, people seem to think it is a good deal?

sheilanick

This is a marketing spin on standard industry practice. Cruise brochures are actually printed with full fare prices and discounted rates. However it is unlikely that anyone will ever pay the full fare published price ( a bit like never paying MFI or DFS full prices:p )

So if you say that the full fare is £1000 with a 50% discount, as frequently happens, you could just as easily advertise that with every full fare paying passenger, the second passenger travels free ( or for a nominal £1).

If you are seriously considering a cruise, then do your research first, as cruise vary enormously in their offering and pricing structure. My advice to you would be to either book as soon as the first edition brochure comes out or wait until 8 weeks before the departure date. In between these date prices gradualy increase and then start to fall the closer the departure date.

SKWebster

Hi Sheila,

Is what you said true, is that what works for you usually? I think it depends how popular the cruise is, my friends who work in the travel industry say that if a cruise is unpopular the price will drop (duh) but if the cruise is snapped up more likely companies will raise the price to what you call brochure price...I mean this makes sense I suppose. Hmm...a bit late for waiting for brochure, unless I wait for next year's. When will the brochures be out?

x SKW

sheilanick

Yep can only speak from personal experience...... but on the cruises I have monitored that's how the prices have moved.

P&O 1st edition brochures usually come out April, for cruises starting the following April. The brochures will be re-printed a number of times and although the discount may appear the same, the gross cost of the cruise may well change. First edition brochures often have free parking, obc etc as incentives to book early.

You are right that if a cruise proves slow selling then the price may reduce, but you will lose early booking offers such as free parking, on board credit, so you may well still pay out more.

Of course with the current climate, and new ships due from 2009, over capacity may well see cruise costs come down, but who knows.

Really the best advice is to find out about the individual cruise lines, because they really do vary and you should try to choose something that fits your own personal preferences/profile.

try www.cruisecritics.com for more info