Thread: So at what age do the cruiselines give a discount?

Which cruiselines give a seniors discount and what is the minimum age? Are these available only on specific cruises on some lines? Is it easy to get these discounts?

Hey Patty

Senior discounts usually start at age 55.

They are for select sailings and you have to catch them while they are being offered. I have never seen one offered when the bookings first open....usually it's when the ship is not selling as fast as the bean counters expect. We just got a senior rate on the transatlantic we just booked ...we sail in 3 months.

You would have to check the cruise line web site and input your info like you were booking, then the fares come up and you will see if a special is being offered. Sometimes some online agencies will promote special rates.

Not sure, but I would expect all the cruise lines to offer them from time to time---same for the residency discounts.

Char is correct; it is age 55.

Senior rates, like other specials such as residency rates, military rates, interline rates (for airline employees), union rates, etc. are all offered as a means to increase sales. If a particular sailing is not selling real well, then specials are offered. When a sailing is first opened for bookings, usually there are no specials offered. Although sometimes you'll find specials many months in advance, normally specials are offered within the last 3-6 months prior to sailing. Sometimes they will offer many types of specials and other times they'll only offer one type.

And normally the lower travel periods will get the most specials, whereas peak seasons will not have any specials.

While some cruise lines offer specials for seniors, you'll find that some may not; Holland America for example rarely has senior specials since their main demographic is seniors.

And lastly, you may find another special will afford you a better rate than a senior special, such as a residency special.

Best advice is let your travel agent/cruise specialist monitor the rates to see if any specials are offered that would lower your fare. Keep in mind that although most cruise lines will even honor the specials even after your final payment has been made and provide a refund for the difference, not all will do that. For example; Norwegian will not honor any specials after final payment has been made and Carnival will usually only offer onboard credit instead of a refund.

Pete

thanks for the verification! I'm almost there. Too bad we could only go on vacations during peak times right now (the girl's not going to miss out on a cruise, plus we don't have anyone reliable she can stay with). Oh, the joys of being an older parent.

Fortunately, we have been able to take advantage of residential discounts from time to time.

Senior=55? Damn I'm old.

Originally Posted by hanna

Senior=55? Damn I'm old.

I've BEEN old!

For a long time!

We found that with Carnival that they gave the senior rate to all in the cabin as long as at least one person was 55. When we sailed on the Carnival Spirit in Jan 06, we were able to book a mini suite (CAT 11) for the price of a mid ranged balcony. When our TA called Carnival to book our balcony cabin, the Carnival rep was on the ball and asked immediately if anyone in either cabin was a senior. Worked out great for both couples as the husband were both 55 or older. We've never had the good fortune of a senior discount since.

Originally Posted by MilliesMom

We found that with Carnival that they gave the senior rate to all in the cabin as long as at least one person was 55. When we sailed on the Carnival Spirit in Jan 06, we were able to book a mini suite (CAT 11) for the price of a mid ranged balcony. When our TA called Carnival to book our balcony cabin, the Carnival rep was on the ball and asked immediately if anyone in either cabin was a senior. Worked out great for both couples as the husband were both 55 or older. We've never had the good fortune of a senior discount since.

You mean your TA didn't ask that question before they called Carnival? They should have asked your ages and what State your driver's licenses are from. The cruise line will ask to see your driver's license to determine whether you qualify for a Resident Rate. As I stated earlier, sometimes other specials will be better than a senior rate, so your TA should be monitoring your cruise to see if other specials come along that could lower your rate even more. Carnival likes to offer specials to encourage sales and after final payment has been made, you can still get the specials, so they need to keep looking. I never give up until 2 days prior to sailing - you just never know what they might do.

Pete

Originally Posted by Cruise Planner

You mean your TA didn't ask that question before they called Carnival? They should have asked your ages and what State your driver's licenses are from. The cruise line will ask to see your driver's license to determine whether you qualify for a Resident Rate. As I stated earlier, sometimes other specials will be better than a senior rate, so your TA should be monitoring your cruise to see if other specials come along that could lower your rate even more. Carnival likes to offer specials to encourage sales and after final payment has been made, you can still get the specials, so they need to keep looking. I never give up until 2 days prior to sailing - you just never know what they might do.

Pete

Pete, we've used this TA (here in AZ) now for 5 cruises. She's has done a lot for us with bookings etc.. Part of the problems have arisen because we were Carnival Vacation Club members (no longer offered) so altho we booked thru our TA, it ended up with the Vacation Club who never told us of any discounts etc. The hard part was dealing with "points" not dollars. We are cruising RCCL this fall and booked thru our local agent ... I have found that I have to watch the rates, discounts and call. She has never called us to let us know about them UNLESS she was getting ready to book a cruise for us.

We were on the Spirit Lifters (We've Got Spirit) cruise in November and participated here on this message board for the first time because of it. I saw how hard Reggie (Reggierail) worked to get discounts for his customers and to stay on top of what is happening with the cruiselines. (As a result, we have booked a cruise with Reggie for next year and have him working on another one for us too).

The message board here has shown how valuable a good TA is to the customer and that it can really mean some great savings in the long run. We want the best for our money spent and finding the right TA sure can make the difference.