A new website rolled out in late June gives cruise passengers the option to sign up and receive email or text alerts if there upcoming cruise price drops. We recently interviewed the creators of Cruise Fare Monitor on Cruise Radio. You can listen to the interview here.
How does this work?
High-tech fancy computer programming searches thousands of cruise fares every day and reports back their findings to you, the client. Think Air Fare Watch Dog for the cruise lines.
The website gives this example:
You reserved a stateroom at a cost of $1,000 dollars per person. If the cost of your stateroom drops by $200 per person [even if the price drop is in effect for only 24 hours], chances are you are entitled to a price adjustment for the same stateroom category for $400 dollars less. If you made a deposit on two staterooms in the same category, you may be entitled to an $800 savings. The price of staterooms can drop frequently after initial deposit.
Costs associated
The service is not free, but compared to what it can save you the pricing seems very fair. There are four different options ranging from free (initially), $10, $12 and $15 per cruise. The options range from monitoring to when final payment is due to all the way until the day you cruise.
Buyer Beware
If you book a restricted fare and your price drops, chances are you aren’t getting any compensation what so ever. Every cruise line plays the game differently. For example, Carnival gives you 48-hours to find a lower price under certain fare codes. With that said, I haven’t used it yet, but will soon.
Want to check it out?
Go to their website Cruise Fare Monitor and select your upcoming sailing. Doing so will trigger the system to keep a close eye on your cruise fare around the clock. Right now the site is open to US residents only and monitors seven cruise lines.
Let me know if you try it out.
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