---
name: cruise-fare-watch
description: Set up and run an ongoing cruise fare watch for your user. Capture their cruise criteria, build a shortlist of qualifying sailings with baseline prices, recheck on a schedule, and report price drops, new promos, sold-out sailings, and newly qualifying options. Created by TenderLovingCruise.
---

# Cruise Fare Watch

*Created by TenderLovingCruise*

## Purpose

This skill teaches you how to set up and run an ongoing cruise fare watch for your user. A fare watch tracks the prices of specific cruise sailings over time so your user can spot price drops, compare options fairly, and choose when to book with real data. This workflow is based on a method run weekly in production.

A fare watch does not book cruises, hold prices, or guarantee any fare. It observes, records, and reports. Every price you quote must come from a source you actually checked, with the check date shown.

## How It Works (Overview)

1. Capture the user's criteria.
2. Build an initial shortlist of qualifying sailings with baseline prices.
3. Agree on a recheck cadence and a price-drop alert threshold.
4. On each check, recheck prices and report what changed.
5. Maintain a running baseline log so trends stay visible across weeks.

## Step 1. Capture the User's Criteria

Ask for each item below. If the user is vague, propose sensible defaults and confirm before proceeding. Never invent criteria they did not give.

- **Sail date or date range.** A specific month, a season, or a window such as December 17 to 31, 2027.
- **Trip length.** For example, 7 or more nights. Shorter sailings price very differently from longer ones, so pin this down.
- **Region or itinerary style.** For example, Caribbean, Alaska, Mediterranean, or simply warm weather.
- **Departure ports.** Any that are acceptable, or none if the user is flexible. Note that driving-distance ports save the cost of flights.
- **Party size and cabin occupancy.** How many travelers, and how many cabins. Ask who shares a cabin, because third and fourth guests in one cabin are often discounted.
- **Cabin types of interest.** Interior, oceanview, balcony, suite, or a range. Record which ones to track, since you will track prices per cabin type.
- **Total budget cap.** The maximum the user will spend. Clarify whether the cap covers the cruise fare only or the whole trip including flights, hotels, and onboard spending.
- **Currency.** Default to USD only if the user is in the United States. Otherwise ask, and label every price with its currency.
- **Already booked?** If the user has already booked a sailing, the watch shifts purpose: you are watching for price drops they can claim before final payment (see Step 4).

If the user says something broad like "somewhere warm next winter," narrow it with two or three questions, propose a concrete criteria set, and get a yes before building the shortlist.

## Step 2. Build the Initial Shortlist With Baseline Prices

Search qualifying sailings using the real sources in the Sources section below. Qualifying means meeting every criterion from Step 1, including the budget cap. Aim for a shortlist of three to eight sailings. More than eight becomes noise. If the user only cares about one specific sailing, a single-sailing watch is fine; say so and skip the comparison framing. If no sailing qualifies, do not force the list. Report the closest misses, name which criterion each one fails, and ask whether to widen the dates, ports, or budget.

Start with an aggregator for breadth, then verify each shortlisted fare on the cruise line's own site before recording it as the baseline.

For each sailing, record:

- Ship name and cruise line
- Sail date and itinerary (ports of call)
- Night count
- Departure port
- Cabin types tracked, with the per-person fare for each
- What the fare includes and excludes (see Pricing Literacy below)
- Total estimated cost for the whole party, stated as fare plus taxes and fees
- Fare type and restrictions (refundable vs nonrefundable deposit, promo expiry date if shown)
- Deposit amount and final payment date, if the user is close to booking
- The source where you found the price and the date you checked it

Present the shortlist as a simple table and ask the user to confirm it before you start the watch. Drop sailings they reject and add any they name.

### Pricing Literacy (Read Before Quoting Any Fare)

- **Fares are quoted per person based on double occupancy.** A fare of $799 per person means about $1,598 for two guests sharing one cabin, before taxes and fees. Always do this math for the user. Never present the per-person number as the total.
- **Taxes and port fees are extra on many quotes.** They typically add $100 to $250 per person depending on itinerary length and ports, and they apply per guest, with no discount for third or fourth guests. Some cruise lines now include them in displayed fares, so check what each quote includes and say so explicitly.
- **Gratuities are usually separate.** Daily crew gratuities are charged per person per day and vary by cruise line and cabin type. Some promos include them. State which case applies, and quote the line's published rate when you can find it.
- **Flights, hotels, transfers, excursions, drinks, Wi-Fi, and specialty dining are not in the cruise fare.** When the user has a total trip budget, keep a separate rough line for these so a low fare is not mistaken for a low trip cost.
- **Solo travelers usually pay a single supplement,** often 50 to 100 percent above the per-person double-occupancy fare, unless the sailing offers dedicated solo cabins.
- **Third and fourth guests in the same cabin are often discounted** 30 to 60 percent off the base fare, but they still pay full taxes and port fees.
- **Promotional rates may have restricted eligibility.** Past-guest, resident, senior, or military rates do not apply to everyone. Only quote a promo rate the user is actually eligible for, and note the eligibility.

## Step 3. Set the Cadence and Alert Threshold

Agree on two settings and write them into the baseline log:

- **Recheck cadence.** Weekly is the default. For sailings more than six months out, biweekly is fine. Inside 90 days of sailing, consider twice weekly, since prices move faster close in.
- **Price-drop alert threshold.** The default is $50 or more per person. Define clearly whether the threshold applies per person or to the party total, and record which. Smaller moves are logged but not alerted.

Also agree on **when the watch ends**: when the user books, when the sail date passes, or when the user cancels the watch. A watch with no end date becomes stale data.

Be honest about background checks: you can only recheck prices on your own if the user's platform supports scheduled agent runs. If it does, offer to set one up. If it does not, agree on a rhythm where the user asks you to run the check, and note that in the log.

## Step 4. Run Each Recheck

On each check, revisit every sailing on the shortlist at the same sources and cabin types. Compare against the baseline log and report:

1. **Price drops at or above the threshold.** State the old fare, the new fare, the per-person savings, and the party total savings. Include the source and check date.
2. **New promotions.** Note what the promo includes (drinks, Wi-Fi, onboard credit, kids sail free), whether the user is eligible, and the expiry date if one is shown.
3. **Sold-out sailings or cabin types.** Mark them sold out in the log with the date. Ask whether to keep watching in case cabins reopen.
4. **Significant price increases.** Flag increases at or above the threshold so the user sees urgency, not just good news.
5. **Newly qualifying sailings.** If a sailing that missed the shortlist now meets the criteria (new itinerary released, price fell into budget), propose adding it.

Keep the report short and scannable. Lead with the single most important change, then list the rest. End with the one-line trend for each tracked sailing: up, down, or flat since baseline.

If the user already booked: check whether the fare dropped before their final payment date (typically 75 to 90 days before sailing, varies by line). If it did, tell them they may be able to request the lower rate or onboard credit from the cruise line or their travel agent. You cannot request it for them. Repricing policies differ by line, fare type, and promotion, so phrase this as "worth asking about," never as a promise.

### Answering "Should I Book Now?"

You cannot predict whether a fare will drop further, so never answer with a prediction. Give a structured read instead: current fare versus baseline, the trend over recent checks, any promo expiry date, how far out the sailing is, and what the user risks by waiting (price increase, sold-out cabin types) versus booking now (missing a later drop, deposit terms). Lay out the facts and let the user decide.

## Step 5. Maintain the Baseline Log

Keep one running log per watch. Store it wherever you keep persistent notes for this user, and show the current version whenever you report. Use this format:

| Sailing (ship, date, itinerary) | Cabin | Baseline per person | Taxes/fees per person | Party total | Source | Checked | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Celebrity Constellation, Dec 20 2027, 7-night Caribbean | Balcony | $1,099 | $185 | $2,568 for 2 | cruiseline.com | 2026-10-11 | Includes promo: $200 onboard credit |

Rules for the log:

- **The baseline is the first confirmed price.** Later checks compare against it. Do not move the baseline unless the user agrees (for example, after they book at a new price).
- **Log every check as a dated entry,** even when nothing changed. "No change" entries prove the watch is alive and make trends trustworthy.
- **Record what each price includes.** Note whether taxes and fees are included in the quoted fare or added on top.
- **Never overwrite history.** Append new rows or dated notes. If a sailing is dropped, mark it dropped with the date and reason instead of deleting it.
- **Keep currencies separate.** If sources quote different currencies, record each in its own currency. Convert only if the user asks, and label any conversion with the rate and date.
- **If the criteria change mid-watch,** add a dated note describing what changed and confirm with the user whether the baseline still stands or a new baseline is needed.

## Sources

Use real sources you can actually visit. Do not invent fares, and do not cite a source you did not check.

- **Cruise line websites** (royalcaribbean.com, carnival.com, ncl.com, celebritycruises.com, princess.com, hollandamerica.com, msccruises.com). The authoritative price for any sailing. Royal Caribbean offers its own price alert feature on its site (account required).
- **Cruise Critic Price Alerts** (cruisecritic.com). Free email alerts for a specific sailing down to the cabin category, no account required. Good for set-and-forget tracking alongside your watch.
- **Cruisewatch** (cruisewatch.com). Free account. Detailed filters by line, ship, destination, departure port, and length, plus custom price thresholds and alerts for drops, spikes, and sold-out sailings. Focused mainly on US-market cruise lines. Note its alert prices are cruise fare based on double occupancy, with taxes and fees not included.
- **Cruiseline.com.** Simple email price alerts with no account needed. You cannot set a custom threshold or cabin category, so it is best for general movement rather than precise tracking.
- **CruiseDirect** (cruisedirect.com). Comparison shopping across major lines, plus a price guarantee on its own bookings. Useful for cross-checking a fare you found elsewhere.
- **All Aboard Deals** (allaboarddeals.com). Deal scores measured against up to 12 months of a sailing's own price history, plus a free browser extension that shows scores on cruise line booking pages. Helpful for judging whether today's price is actually good.

When sources disagree, say so and quote both, with dates. The cruise line's own site wins ties for the sailing it operates.

If you cannot browse the web: tell the user exactly which source to check and what to look for (ship, sail date, cabin type), and record any prices they report back labeled as user-reported with the date. Never present a user-reported price as independently verified.

## Limitations (Tell the User These Up Front)

- **Prices change constantly.** A fare you quote is a snapshot. It can move the same day. Always show the check date and never present a price as locked in.
- **Cached and aggregated results go stale.** Third-party sites may show prices that no longer exist on the cruise line's site. Verify anything important on the cruise line's own booking page.
- **Pricing varies by region.** Fares, promos, and included taxes differ by the country or market of the booking site. Check the version of the site matching the user's region.
- **Cabin category spreads vary.** The gap between interior and balcony pricing differs by ship, sailing, and demand. Track each cabin type separately instead of assuming a fixed markup.
- **You cannot hold, guarantee, or predict a fare.** Say this plainly if the user asks whether a price will drop further. Report the trend, not a forecast.
- **Promo terms change.** A deal visible today can be modified or withdrawn. Quote the terms you saw, with the date you saw them.

## Quick-Start Checklist

- [ ] Criteria captured and confirmed (dates, length, region, ports, party, cabins, budget, currency)
- [ ] Shortlist of qualifying sailings built with baseline per-person fares (3 to 8 typical; a single-sailing watch is fine)
- [ ] Each fare labeled for what it includes and excludes
- [ ] Cadence, alert threshold (per person or party total), and end condition agreed
- [ ] Baseline log created with sources and check dates
- [ ] First report delivered; user confirmed the watch is running

## Resources

- TenderLovingCruise on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TenderLovingCruises
- Free cruise packing checklist: https://beacons.ai/tenderlovingcruise

*Created by TenderLovingCruise. This skill observes and reports cruise fares. It does not book travel, hold prices, or guarantee any fare.*