Right sequence for booking?

[perlgirlnj]

I'm putting together a week on land and a week by cruise. I booked the car rental because I realized that I really want to do this by car not train, so I'd better get that taken care of.

 

Next I'm going to put money down on the cruise (haven't done this yet but I know that there are cabins available in the category I want so this should be okay).

 

What comes next? Hotels then airfare then excursions? Or some other order?

 

I'm trying to keep it in manageable pieces so I don't go to pieces doing this!

[lorilea]

I managed my planning by doing a spreadsheet with the days across the top and breaking it up into categories such as transportation, lodging, excursions, dining etc. down the left and filled it in as I went. I added tentative plans and highlighted the areas as soon as I had made reservations or firm plans.

 

I didn't make any reservations until I was absolutely sure that it was what we wanted to do.

 

We booked our car rentals and hotels early and paid less as a result. I watched the flights until I felt comfortable with the price.

 

I booked excursions that I knew were popular as soon as possible and the others I booked closer to the trip date.

 

Good luck with your planning! It's half the fun for me!

[Budget Queen]

Get your flights lined up. Or at the least, keep track of pricing trends.

 

BEFORE you start any reservations- lodging or tours, GET the entire itinerary lined up. Don't be jumping all around, with lodging and reservations. Usually a mistake, as the more you research, the more you find out and fine tune the plans. Get this all in place first.

[plenox]

if your time is flexible, you probably want to compare the combination of airfare and cruise fare and find out the best option.