Rumors #1, 2 & 3 - which is the truth??

[6 of us]

Rumor #1 You save more if you book a year in advance.

Rumor #2 You save more if you wait & book only 4 weeks in advance.

Rumor #3 The Early Saver deal is always the best, you won't beat it.

 

Any of these the across the board truth?

 

THANKS to all you Cruise Pro's!!

[mondello]

There is usually an exception to every rule. ES is great for the most part but, it does have restrictions (no name changes, no downgrades, etc.) that can come back to bite you. Last minute (3/4 weeks out) may have deals but not usually for summer/holidays, depends how flexible you can be not to mention finding airfare is half the battle for many PAX. There is no 1 method that works for everyone. However, those ES price drops sure are nice. Its just a matter of booking at a rate you're comfortable with.

[rockbock]

Rumor #1 You save more if you book a year in advance.

Rumor #2 You save more if you wait & book only 4 weeks in advance.

Rumor #3 The Early Saver deal is always the best, you won't beat it.

 

Any of these the across the board truth?

 

THANKS to all you Cruise Pro's!!

 

 

The best deal will almost always be booking as far in advance as you can, using the Early Saver rate. But this is only the case if you check the rate every singe day, looking for price drops. You also need to be willing to live with the terms of the Early Saver rate.

[Monalis]

#3 only works if you book far enough ahead of time AND book a category that has more than just a few rooms. Such as a "normal" balcony, OV, or inside. If you book a suite or Jr Suite there are only a few of those rooms and they rarely sit unsold for any length of time, so there is no reason to discount them. Also as stated above you need to be willing to stay on top of checking the price every day or at least every few days.

 

Other than that I will almost ALWAYS book ES, since I book my cruises 6-12 months in advance and am willing to deal with the added restrictions.

[CENTEX CRUISER]

Perfect answer from above

 

 

The best deal will almost always be booking as far in advance as you can, using the Early Saver rate. But this is only the case if you check the rate every singe day, looking for price drops. You also need to be willing to live with the terms of the Early Saver rate.

[lsbgvaguy]

We booked out August cruise on the Liberty back in November with the ES rate and all we've seen is the price go up, up, up. I was hopeful for a drop so we could get some OBC but that doesn't seem to be in the cards. Now I'm content with being happy that we really did get a good deal by booking well in advance. We're thinking January 2014 for our next cruise and I'm seriously thinking about going ahead and booking ES while we're on the ship in August.

[ray98]

#3 always for me. We are normally rather open when it comes to cruise line, ship, cabin types and itineraries so I will settle on a general time frame and start watching. I have always found at least two or three with deep discounts within a month of sailing.

[firefly333]

I pick .... all of the above, but of the choices, ES is my least favorite, and I almost always do better than whatever the ES rate is when it comes out .. but Im good with last minute or far in advance gtys.

 

My groups deals booked in advance are almost always the best deal, better than ES by far, by hundreds and hundreds of dollars, some over $1000.

 

Pack n goes can also be great deals, booked last minute. I got triumph 5 days last january for $169 pp (X 2, since Im solo), great for galveston.

 

I have never tried to book exactly 4 weeks in advance .. so thats a hard one.

 

People say well they often allow you to price match pack n goes with ES, but the one I got, had had a $179 senior rate the weekend before and by the time it went live, only had 1 or 2 cabins at the $169 rate, my PVP really had to work to nail down one, so I doubt anyone with ES would have been allowed to price match as we jumped on it as soon as it came live.

[iheartpoco]

Also, you don't *have* to check ES rates every day, if you are willing to pay a cruise tracker website 99cents to do it for you. If you google cruise fare price trackers you will find the site. There might be others, but I like this one because I'm familiar with it now, and it has twice emailed me when fares went down so I got my price drops.

 

I just never find the time to check prices for myself...

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

The best deal will almost always be booking as far in advance as you can, using the Early Saver rate. But this is only the case if you check the rate every singe day, looking for price drops. You also need to be willing to live with the terms of the Early Saver rate.

I agree.....:):)

[golfadj]

The best deal will almost always be booking as far in advance as you can, using the Early Saver rate. But this is only the case if you check the rate every singe day, looking for price drops. You also need to be willing to live with the terms of the Early Saver rate.

 

Agreed but did the yak give you that info?

[FiremanDan]

Agreed but did the yak give you that info?

 

The Yak is back? :rolleyes:

[BenjiRodney]

So far true to number 1 and 3 we booked last Dec for this Nov and the price has only increased. I have yet to qualify for a rate cheaper than early saver.

[D4]

ES isn't always the least expensive. We've been trying to decide whether or not to book ES for a Mediterranean cruise next year. The ES and past guest rates are the same. However, if we book the past guest rate, we get $200 OBC. This OBC is a special they are running, but it is not valid with ES.

 

So if we book ES and the rate doesn't go down after final payment by at least $200, booking past guest would have been a better deal. (Both rates get price reduction matches before final payment.)

[saltsandknit]

I have found #2 to be the best but you must be flexible. I find the best rates about 4 months out. However if we plan far in advance then the option is always #3.

[Redsfan]

for us the only real choice is to book ES. We are a family of 5 on a budget, and prefer to book OV Cabins. These are in high demand on any cruise ship, and are usually few and far between. Even if we choose to look at connecting/close by interior/OV'S they are also hard to come by unless we book early.....

 

If you are flexible with travel and cabin type you may indeed benefit from waiting...

[Sargent_Schultz]

Rumor #1 You save more if you book a year in advance.

Rumor #2 You save more if you wait & book only 4 weeks in advance.

Rumor #3 The Early Saver deal is always the best, you won't beat it.

 

Any of these the across the board truth?

 

THANKS to all you Cruise Pro's!!

 

IMO, The only truth is: It depends.

 

I think #3 is probably most correct BUT even with ES rates, price reductions are only up to what, 2 days before sailing?

 

Sometimes hurricane specials are the best values possible, but are typically only available with very short notice.

[gobucks_43228]

The Yak is back? :rolleyes:

 

I keep seeing 'yak' mentioned who is this yak? :cool:

[Moobaby214]

This best rate and time to buy is the time and price that make you happy. Don't worry about rules or plots. Just book at a rate you are comfortable with and enjoy your cruise :-)

 

 

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