thetimeshareguy
TUG Member
Hi all. My girlfriend and I plan to potentially go on a caribbean cruise in mid-March. We're looking for the best value out there, and it turns out that the start of our research coincided with RCI sending us a "voucher" claiming it could knock up to $1200 off the price of a cabin.
Anyway, my girlfriend has been researching selloff vacations a bit, but I decided to call the RCI cruise phone line and aks about it. My questions boiled down to the following options, the latter of which appeals to me.
After reading the two options below, please let me know if you think this is good value (esp. option "b") or just what you'd get from a regular travel agent. It appears that using weeks or points didn't enter the discussion so this is not really a timeshare deal so much as using RCI as a travel agent. I'd appreciate any tips you might have in "gaming the system" for cruises, although we don't want to save money by traveling on an inferior ship, a different time, staying in a windowless cabin or going on a "repositioning" cruise, since we really want to see some islands and not just be at sea. (Also, if this question belongs in a different forum, feel free administrator, to move it, but please let me know to where you've moved it with a PM. I couldn't find anything specific to cruises here.)
I asked about a one-week cruise leaving on the weekend of March 15-16.
The RCI agent described and quote two different cruises. In both cases the value of the voucher was worth $600 on the cabin.
a) Royal Caribbean "Liberty at Sea": a very high-end on a brand new ship that, in addition to the usual pools, restaurants, casino, etc. also has things like a rock climbing wall and other bells and whistles. Leaves Miami on March 15 and makes three stops. Oceanview room -- window but no balcony -- (including all taxes and duties) $1,500 per person. Room with balcony costs $2,043 per person. (This is more than we want to spend.)
b) Carnival "Triumph": almost the same situation with a fairly new boat (2001) with the usual bells and whistles (restaurants, casino, piano bar, pools, etc.) but maybe not some of the "over the top" doo-dads like the rock climbing wall, etc. I think this would beet our needs and it's cheaper. It leaves Miami but is an eight-day cruise with four stops (San Juan, St. Thomas, Half Moon Quay in Bahamas, Nassau, then back to Miami). Spa deck (high up) with window (and no lifeboat in front -- important to check) costs $997 per person including all taxes, etc. Interestingly, a similar room WITH BALCONY is less -- $986. She said that happens sometimes for no special reason.
I don't know how this compares to other travel deals out there, but this is what RCI offers. Option "b" seems to me like "the one to beat". We must add airfare, of course, because we live in Ontario, Canada. Opinions?
Anyway, my girlfriend has been researching selloff vacations a bit, but I decided to call the RCI cruise phone line and aks about it. My questions boiled down to the following options, the latter of which appeals to me.
After reading the two options below, please let me know if you think this is good value (esp. option "b") or just what you'd get from a regular travel agent. It appears that using weeks or points didn't enter the discussion so this is not really a timeshare deal so much as using RCI as a travel agent. I'd appreciate any tips you might have in "gaming the system" for cruises, although we don't want to save money by traveling on an inferior ship, a different time, staying in a windowless cabin or going on a "repositioning" cruise, since we really want to see some islands and not just be at sea. (Also, if this question belongs in a different forum, feel free administrator, to move it, but please let me know to where you've moved it with a PM. I couldn't find anything specific to cruises here.)
I asked about a one-week cruise leaving on the weekend of March 15-16.
The RCI agent described and quote two different cruises. In both cases the value of the voucher was worth $600 on the cabin.
a) Royal Caribbean "Liberty at Sea": a very high-end on a brand new ship that, in addition to the usual pools, restaurants, casino, etc. also has things like a rock climbing wall and other bells and whistles. Leaves Miami on March 15 and makes three stops. Oceanview room -- window but no balcony -- (including all taxes and duties) $1,500 per person. Room with balcony costs $2,043 per person. (This is more than we want to spend.)
b) Carnival "Triumph": almost the same situation with a fairly new boat (2001) with the usual bells and whistles (restaurants, casino, piano bar, pools, etc.) but maybe not some of the "over the top" doo-dads like the rock climbing wall, etc. I think this would beet our needs and it's cheaper. It leaves Miami but is an eight-day cruise with four stops (San Juan, St. Thomas, Half Moon Quay in Bahamas, Nassau, then back to Miami). Spa deck (high up) with window (and no lifeboat in front -- important to check) costs $997 per person including all taxes, etc. Interestingly, a similar room WITH BALCONY is less -- $986. She said that happens sometimes for no special reason.
I don't know how this compares to other travel deals out there, but this is what RCI offers. Option "b" seems to me like "the one to beat". We must add airfare, of course, because we live in Ontario, Canada. Opinions?
