am I crazy to consider booking a May 2012 cruise now?

[brucelegs]

We really enjoyed our Sept '10 cruise out of Boston even though it was diverted to Nassau instead of Bermuda. We were able to take advantage of a category upgrade from BE to BC mid balcony. Part of me wants to book now for May 2012 (my birthday cruise!) and pay it down over the next year, but there are no category upgrade offers that I can see right now and why should I book now unless I an get some "bang for the buck" as it were?. Based on past experience do any of your regulars know of any upcoming deals after the 1st of the year?

 

thanks in advance

[FuninWB]

We were on the cruise with you and had a great time. We also just booked this week for the April 2012 cruise because the price is low. Our travel agent says she expects prices to climb, and since NCL has tightened their cancellation policy after January 1 of this year, I chose the cabin we want and booked!

[islandsinmyblood]

Yes..... Wait

[auntierobin]

We are going to book our Alaska 2012 trip next week. For the last 4 months I've been bugging our PCC about the dates and prices for 2012.

You are not alone.:D

[Duncan28]

We had our Feb 2012 cruise for a few months now. You can always book now, watch for sales, and upgrade if you see a better deal.

[BikerAl]

Unless you are planning to book one of the aft balcony cabins or a suite, I would wait a few weeks. The cancellation changes are really not all that different,so they should not be a big deal. NCL has, in the past, a pretty big sail, just after the holidays. The length of time before the sailing is not a big deal though, as we always have booked cruises at least 15 months out.

 

Al

[PokerDave]

I booked our balcony on the Epic for next week a year and a half ago. 2 adults and 2 kids for $2,200 total. Booking the same ( if you could even find a room for 4 ) in the last several months has been as high as over $5,500...

 

All depends on how it goes though. Empty ship = late deals... Full ship = wish you had booked early...

[camz]

We used our Cruise Rewards Certificate we purchased on the Dawn in August for a cruise on the Sun in March 2012. As far as I am concerned, its a win-win situation. The Cruise Rewards Certificate held our cabin and we can make payments on the remainder of the balance. We booked early and took advantage of the "Early Booking Rate". We booked a suite for pretty much the same price as a regular balcony cabin. In the meantime, we have watched the NCL website and the website offered onboard credits. We contacted NCL and they were more than happy to apply the $300 onboard credit to our cabin. In addition, I like certain areas of the ship, so the earlier you book, the better selection of cabins. Given all the factors, I think we made a good decision. We can change our reservations all the way until the final payment. :)

[NayRN]

I just booked for April, 2012 and not only got $150 OBC but also only had a $200 deposit for the OS! :D I also got the suite I wanted (the week prior - all 4 OS are booked!)

[tiggerman101]

I am on the Jade next month that I booked a long, long time ago. I also got a great price on an AE Suite and $300 OBC for booking early. I have booked a year out a couple times and those have come and gone. I actually have a Hawaii cruise booked for April 2012 and that was booked a couple months ago. I tend to schedule my big cruises early and fill in the other months with smaller, more last minute trips.

[sha88]

I booked our Feb 2011 cruise in May of 2009. Our aft balcony room is now less expensive than if you tried to book an interior at this time!

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Sha

[raventhebouv]

It's never too early to book a cruise! We always purchase the Cruise Rewards so that we can book the next cruise as soon as we get home. If the price changes before final payment, I just email or TA and she has always been able to get the lower price for us.:D

[tdcjerry]

Unless you are planning to book one of the aft balcony cabins or a suite, I would wait a few weeks. The cancellation changes are really not all that different,so they should not be a big deal. NCL has, in the past, a pretty big sail, just after the holidays. The length of time before the sailing is not a big deal though, as we always have booked cruises at least 15 months out.

 

Al

 

Like BikerAl says, the AC, AE and AD suites go first, and can be used to get a bargin on high end cabins near cruise time. We used our AE ( booked 18 months early and it was the last one) to get a courtyard villa for $1000 more, that was a deal.