Better to book a May 2019 cruise now, or wait until late-August when I’m on board?

My wife and I are long-time ocean cruisers, but not yet river cruisers. Our first river cruise will be on Ama Serena for ‘Enchanting Rhine’ in late August 2018.

But we just received an Ama brochure for 2019 cruises, and we’re ready to book one now. The Danube river cruise we’re looking at for 2019 has lots of sail dates we’d accept, so selling out doesn’t seem to be an issue.

From past ocean cruises, I’ve often booked future cruises on-board for great deals. But I’ve heard that for river cruises, far-in-advance bookings offer the best prices. And then there are the big February specials for ocean cruises. Do they happen for river cruises too?

So when should we book????

—Marne

Depends. Some lines gives you huge discounts for booking and paying far in advance. Just booking won’t get the discount, you must also pay in full to get the discount.

Some lines give repeat customer discounts, if you book in advance of your first cruise, you may not qualify. If you book aboard ship, you will.

AMA does have some Early Booking Discounts that seem to usually be the best option. I don't think you will need to pay in full early on them to get the discount.

Uniworld is running a sale on 2018 cruises, and you get a 30% discount if you book by December. You don't have to pay in full when you book. On top of the 30%, I got a 5% discount for being a past passenger, plus $125 off from the travel agency.

It varies by cruise line, so it's hard to advise you as to what to do. As you're aware, river cruise ships are small, and there may only be a few cabins in your preferred category.

Roz

Varies greatly by cruise line. I booked a 30% off river cruise on Uniworld on sale. Way off their standard prices although a couple weeks into warmer weather than I'd prefer.

River cruises don’t give onboard booking incentives like ocean cruise lines. Plus, the date you wish or cabin category might be sold out if you wait. Look into booking this weekend. I received some emails advertising Black Friday specials

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Uniworld does give onboard booking incentives, but they may not beat their online offerings, depending on the time of year.

Robin

Sent from my SM-N950U using Forums mobile app