Book a year in advance?

[nelblu]

I've already booked a Feb. '13 cruise on the AOS. I wanted a specific cabin, plus a lower price. Used a next cruise cert and got a $100 OBC, $225 balcony discount and only $100 per deposit. Also, since it was booked in February there's a promo going on that gets you a gift from Diamond Int'l.:D

[davekathy]

I booked our March 2012 Cruise November 2012. I booked our March 2013 Cruise May 2011.

[pspercy]

Sometimes it's better early but sometimes amazing deals come up after final payment.

 

I booked our October 2011 TA in June or July 2010 but it became a B2B in mid-August 2011 after an irresistible price drop for the cruise prior to the TA :)

[Zach1213]

YUP!

 

BTW there is no such thing as booking too early..or booking too often....

 

PLUS you then have more time to pay for it, and to save up for your incidental expenses like DODs, excursions, "STUFF"..etc!

 

I think there is such a thing as "booking too often"...it's usually called credit card debt ;)

[jletsgo]

Never to early to book a cruise...I booked my January 2013 cruise on the Oasis while on my Med Cruise last September 2011.

[Virtopia]

I just booked a cruise for April 2013 a couple days ago; I'm going alone, as it stands right now, and I wanted to lock in the single supplement pricing. I actually really like the cabin I got as well, so it never hurts to book early, especially if you can financially handle the deposit.

[davekathy]

I think there is such a thing as "booking too often"...it's usually called credit card debt ;)

 

Not in our case.

[tnt10]

Cosidering a specific cruise for Jan. 2013. Is it too early to book? Pretty particular about cabin choice. Is cabin choice a good enough reason for booking so far ahead?

 

Same here. If you are really particular about cabin choice, and you are comfortable with the price, book when it is available. If you wait, and the selection drops dramatically, then is any savings truly worth it yo you?

Just for the record, none of the cruises we have booked have dropped in price after we had booked them. Actually, the prices increased up until the last days prior to the cruise date.

Happy Cruising,

TnT

[dar06win]

Hi Tnt10....first of all, I'm not used to messaging much on here so hopefully I'm doing this right...My question for you is, I had noticed on other threads as I was doing some research on AOS that you posted that you had cabin 1320 for a cruise a couple of years ago on the ship...by chance do you have any photos of the room. Have been on the ship before but that was back in 2006. Was wondering what this room looked like and maybe the view from the hump...I had tried an older thread to ask but I have my doubts you would have found it...hopefully this one you will....

Thanks D

[dar06win]

Hi Tnt10....first of all, I'm not used to messaging much on here so hopefully I'm doing this right...My question for you is, I had noticed on other threads as I was doing some research on AOS that you posted that you had cabin 1320 for a cruise a couple of years ago on this ship...by chance do you have any photos of the room. Have been on the ship before but that was back in 2006 and we now have this room booked for 2013. Was wondering what this room looked like and maybe what the view from the hump was like...I had tried an older thread to ask you but I have my doubts now you would have found it...hopefully this one you will see....

Thanks D

[sail2sea]

Booked April 2013 as soon as the schedule became available. Almost 2 years out.

 

I think Norwegian has full 2014 schedule out. My friend is considering 2014 Christmas on Norwegian's newest ship. That's almost 3 years out! :eek:

[Mama24]

I booked April 7, 2013 sailing on Freedom about a month ago. I need a HC cabin and was able to get the very same one we had on our December 2011 cruise. That makes the wait worth it. :)

[maxxedout2]

Cosidering a specific cruise for Jan. 2013. Is it too early to book? Pretty particular about cabin choice. Is cabin choice a good enough reason for booking so far ahead?

 

Yes, you can book the best locations on ship. You have until final payment

day to change your mind and receive your deposit back.

 

If you are booking a cruise during school vacations the best

cabin(s) go fast.

 

Cost of flying to the port is a different matter.

 

If you can cruise off season and can drive to a port....booking

at the last minute, on Tuesday sales, can put you on same ship

surprisingly cheaply.

 

Sorry if you heard all this before.

 

:cool:

[Cigar King]

Sorry, I have read there on this site. But the upgrade is still possible. Get the price drops prior to the final payment. That is why you never pay in full for the cruise before the final payment date on the invoice.

 

You are mistaken. You get price drops until the final payment DATE regardless of your payment status.

 

FWIW, I agree with what most people are saying, book early, get the cabin you want, and if the price falls, get that as well.

[StarCruiser54]

Definitely a good idea to book early. We very seldom ever book our next cruise LESS than a year ahead of time. We get the stateroom we want and it gives us time to make our deposit upon booking and pay the balance out over time without having to put a large payment on our credit card. That being said.....be sure to buy the insurance just in case something happens within the ensuing year.

[Mach1]

Definitely a good idea to book early. We very seldom ever book our next cruise LESS than a year ahead of time. We get the stateroom we want and it gives us time to make our deposit upon booking and pay the balance out over time without having to put a large payment on our credit card. That being said.....be sure to buy the insurance just in case something happens within the ensuing year.

 

It was recommended to us not to purchase the trip insurance until final payment as that is not refundable.…

[Nickles]

While I didn't book a year in advance, I booked 8 months ahead for the Oasis. Prices have done nothin but go up. Checking on RCCL now, it is $300 pp more for the same category that I booked.

 

I say if you have the deposit, go for it.

[Quasar1011]

This is the rule change after May 17, 2010. After final payment, no more refund or OBC. Just upgrades.

 

I just checked on mine. It has almost doubled! :eek: That's actually on the next cruise after mine; my date says n/a. Does that mean my date is sold out?

[ICMDGO]

That is awesome! Come over and join our roll call - we have a nice group of people - and could always use more!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1520103

 

Only 409 more days :p

 

 

Well, duh ! I guess there are more than just 1 ship going out on April 7th, we are going to be on the Allure !!!!

 

Hope you have a good time on your cruise.

[co2stay]

Our last cruise was booked about 15 months out as we were tying 4 families together, 3 generations, work schedules, school schedules - all had to jive. Then there was the fact that my brothers had time to save the funds for our folks 50th anniversary. We had so much fun planning during the time.

 

Our current cruise was booked about 14 months out, airfare going there 330 days, just booked the return airfare and we are 7 months out now. We have a rough schedule drafted. It won't get completely firmed up till about 60 days out as that is when train tix are available. ff airfare (saver rates), hotel points for most hotels, cruise with $$$, b&b with $$$, train with $$$ - lots of time to save and plan and make the most of our 20 day European vacation! Can we go now???

 

For us, the planning is half the fun. We book when we can start making plans

[TampaBayGirl]

Cosidering a specific cruise for Jan. 2013. Is it too early to book? Pretty particular about cabin choice. Is cabin choice a good enough reason for booking so far ahead?

 

I say - yes.

 

I booked the Jewel again for January 2013.

We loved the ship, embarkation port close to home, and fellow cruisers that time of year.

 

It gives us something to look forward to and it's nice to have a get-away set.

It's also a luxury to have your pick of dining times and cabin selection.

 

I must also mention that we do not obsess about price drops. We book what we can afford and enjoy the trip. We do not participate in the daily price stalking. I think that only causes paranoia and stress - the antithesis of why we cruise in the first place.

[Bigtex1622]

I don't like left-overs, you never know what you will get.

But I do not have that problem.

If we do not book early ( 4 of us in a room ).

The suites are gone, and gone fast.

Even after final payment, not one OS opened up.

I am so glad I got it early, got my suite, and on the Hump.

No stress, and it gives mom something to look forward too, which is a blessing.

 

 

:rolleyes:

[Philly Steve]

Absolutely! Those aft cabins go fast. :cool:

[tnt10]

Hi Tnt10....first of all, I'm not used to messaging much on here so hopefully I'm doing this right...My question for you is, I had noticed on other threads as I was doing some research on AOS that you posted that you had cabin 1320 for a cruise a couple of years ago on the ship...by chance do you have any photos of the room. Have been on the ship before but that was back in 2006. Was wondering what this room looked like and maybe the view from the hump...I had tried an older thread to ask but I have my doubts you would have found it...hopefully this one you will....

Thanks D

 

Sorry D.

Took me a while to find some pics of 1320. Really enjoyed the OS. On the AOS, the OS balconies are smaller than those in the GS category, but we found it perfectly acceptable for 2.

Was well furnished, and no complaints from us. One drawback from this suite, and truly the only one, was the room opened directly into the walkway between the elevators and the hallways. In other words, with the suite door open, opposite our doorway there was no wall separating the view across to the other side of the ship. I'll try and attach a couple of pics of the suite. Sure you'll enjoy it as much as we did!

TnT

[Canusa02]

We booked our cruise for next week in Nov. or Dec. of 2010. It gave us time to finish saving for the cruise, pick the room we wanted, find a good hotel rate, and a decent flight.