Where to get the best deal on a RCCL Alaskan cruise?

[dznyacct]

5 time Disney cruiser here (finally Gold ), who now has to jump ship because of their skyrocketing prices . We are looking to book a June 2017 Alaskan cruise on RCCL with a group of awesome DIS friends (16 people total, give or take and 5 or 6 cabins). For our Disney cruises we used Dreams Unlimited, getting the great onboard credit. Who do you suggest booking with/through to get the best deal on our cabins? We will likely have a mix of outside/balcony cabins. When I called RCCL a few months ago, they told me that it would likely be January 2016 when we could book. Can anyone confirm that that time frame is correct? Thanks for any advice you can offer !

 

[eskimoinparadise]

5 time Disney cruiser here (finally Gold ), who now has to jump ship because of their skyrocketing prices . We are looking to book a June 2017 Alaskan cruise on RCCL with a group of awesome DIS friends (16 people total, give or take and 5 or 6 cabins). For our Disney cruises we used Dreams Unlimited, getting the great onboard credit. Who do you suggest booking with/through to get the best deal on our cabins? We will likely have a mix of outside/balcony cabins. When I called RCCL a few months ago, they told me that it would likely be January 2016 when we could book. Can anyone confirm that that time frame is correct? Thanks for any advice you can offer !

RCL usually starts releasing their next year itineraries in the February-March timeframe, so March 2016 would be a better bet for the June 2017 Alaska dates. As far as whom to book with, RCL pricing doesn't change if you book yourself or book through a TA, so look for the TA that gives you the best added perks. BTW, you can book RCL cruises through Dreams Unlimited.

 

[bumbershoot]

I go for the way of booking that gets me the best overall price.

While Dreams Unlimited is a good plae to start (they own the boards), I personally book through costcotravel.com, generally. Pretty much all TAs are going to have the same price (the only way to discount, just like with DCL, is if a TA books a block of rooms...so if you find a really low price, expect that you'll have extra difficulties in cancelling/changing/etc b/c of different rules), so it's about the perks. Costco gets me OBC in an amount that makes me happy.

 

[OKW Lover]

For our Disney cruises we used Dreams Unlimited, getting the great onboard credit. Who do you suggest booking with/through to get the best deal on our cabins?

Dreams Unlimited also books Royal Caribbean so go ahead and stick with the TA you know. I've booked four RC cruises through them.

 

[ronandannette]

This might not work for your plans, but the BEST prices RCCL usually offers is the week after "final payment" when many reservations get cancelled and they're trying to re-absorb the inventory. It's a great way to book if the price is more important than specific cabins, etc. We booked the Southbound Radiance of the Seas from Anchorage to Vancouver during a prime August week for $300/pp for an inside guarantee.

 

[WebmasterJohn]

For our Disney cruises we used Dreams Unlimited, getting the great onboard credit.

Dreams Unlimited Travel also offers an onboard credit for Royal Caribbean bookings. Details can be found here - http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/dcruise/#royal (scroll down to Shipboard Credit Specials). Just like the ones for Disney Cruise Line these are applied automatically to your onboard account prior to travel and can be used for any onboard expense.

In addition, your Dreams Unlimited Travel agent will continue to watch for discounts or special offers that can be applied to your reservation to help you save even more money. These discounts, if available, are automatically applied to your cruise reservation.

You can start by emailing your current Dreams Unlimited Travel agent or you can email me directly at John@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com and I would be happy to get you to one of our Royal Caribbean Cruise Line specialists.

 

[dznyacct]

Thanks for the tips everyone . I'll email our DU agent soon.