Change our 2018 dates based on 2017 flight prices?

bcwife76

DisneyMomma
Joined
Dec 10, 2014
Ack, I don't know what to do!!

This past January we flew from Vancouver to Orlando (one stop each direction) for $1800 CDN total for 4 of us.

We have a Merrytime cruise booked for Nov 2018 and based on Nov 2017 flight prices, I'm having a hard time justifying it. $2269 (CDN) for the 4 of us to fly from Seattle or $2870 (CDN) for us to fly from Vancouver :eek:

If we move to Oct flight prices and move to a Halloween cruise the prices would be (based on 2017 prices)
$1982 from Seattle or $2376 from Vancouver for mid Oct
$1587 from Seattle or $2144 from Vancouver for end of Oct (sailing over Halloween).

While I love the idea of a merrytime cruise I'm also not sure I want to 'celebrate' Christmas the second week of November. Halloween would be cool but I'm not sure my kids would be thrilled with missing trick or treating at home (though it IS a Disney cruise so really....come on....they'll have a blast).

So should I change our cruise based on THIS years prices or wait it out til beginning of the new year when the 2018 flight prices are released?

All 3 cruises by the way? Pretty much same exact price for the same room so that is not a factor.
 
I would wait. We've really enjoyed the Christmas cruises. This year we are going to Universal Florida in November. When I booked our flights, I did it as soon as they were available. Since then, the prices have gone way up. We each paid about $500 per person from Edmonton (5 of us). I also had over $900 Westjet dollars and a $99 companion fare to use, so that brought it way down. I have checked on a regular basis and still haven't found a better price. One year we paid $4200 for the five of us, that was ridiculous!
Could you book the Halloween cruise too, and if you decide to take the Christmas cruise, just transfer your deposit to that? That way, you could wait until the airfares come out and see which is better.
 
I had considered just booking one of the October cruises (so to lock the price in as it were) but neither DH nor I fancy even more money tied up in a cruise deposit esp when we haven't finished paying off our May 2018 cruise yet :hyper2:

We definitely need to have this all decided by early February (which, yes, is a ways off lol) because that is when my husband has to submit his vacation dates for the following year (their vacation calendar will go from March 15 2018 to March 14 2019), once he's locked in those dates it's hard to change them (or at least a lot of red tape it seems).
 
Wow. $450pp is a pretty good fare. We always fly Alaska to Florida. Usually from YVR. Then change planes in Seatac for direct flight to MCO. We used to drive to Seattle, for cheaper fare, but involved hotel at both ends of trip by Southcentre Mall. Most hotels there have park n fly. But these days it seems there is less of a difference in fares, and for 2 people it's not as much of a savings once you factor in hotel which also has been creeping up in price.
I know I could have found cheaper fare on american but I prefer Alaska!

Next Nov 2017 I'm paying $388 (Alaska) one way. Coming home I'm using points. I don't think you can go by this year for next. Fares are changing all the time.
 


If you are looking at flying WestJet, it is worth it to apply for the WJ MasterCard to get the 99.00$ companion fare.

While we certainly try to fly Westjet when we can, it's not always the cheapest option (or even the best flight times) and I honestly don't need another credit card lol If, however, I did find Westjet to be the cheapeast (in this instance) I probably would get the card just to get that $99 companion fare!
 
How do you qualify for the companion fare? Do you have to spend a certain amount to get it? Or is there a lower limit to the initial fare, like reg economy or flex plus to qualify? I would think it would be like giving away a flight otherwise.
 


Well we decided to change to the WC cruise two weeks earlier, which actually sails OVER Halloween!
 
How do you qualify for the companion fare? Do you have to spend a certain amount to get it? Or is there a lower limit to the initial fare, like reg economy or flex plus to qualify? I would think it would be like giving away a flight otherwise.
You get one companion flight as soon as you are approved for the card and one flight each year, no limits on fares or having to earn points. It is a good travel credit card.
 

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