At what point to prices go up?

[flyaway]

My fiance and I are getting married this fall and delaying our honeymoon until next fall, due to leave time and the expense of paying for a wedding. I'm eyeing the September 30 Mediterranean cruise on Voyager, and the price is pretty reasonable right now.

 

At what point do you think the prices will start going up? I'm hesitant to put down a $500 deposit right now, just because we have so much else to spend our money on with the wedding. I'd rather wait until early next year. Is that a bad idea?

 

Also, as long as I'm posting, what balcony cabins should we avoid due to lifeboats or other obstructed views?

[luvjftffc]

The earlier you book the better price you will get. if the price goes down, you can always call RCCL and they will readjust the price for you.

[lindalu62]

I would definelty book now! Based upon all the reading I do about cruising and cruiselines, a jump in prices is expected real soon. The cruiselines have all built these megaships over the last couple years, and dropped prices to fill them up (supply bigger than demand). Now, not near as many new ships are being built, and demand is up. Prices should begin to increase. And, as the above poster said, if you book with RCI and the price drops, they will credit you.

[emeraldcity]

I just noticed the price on the balcony cabin I booked for late March 2006 went up within the last 2 weeks. There was an article in the local paper a couple weeks ago echoing what the previous poster noted about demand driving the prices up.

 

The other advantage to booking early is having the best pick of the cabins ... I wanted the center of the bump ... so I booked over a year in advance to get it. If you're concerned about avoiding obstructed view, you might want to check out the bump cabins.

[britchicknyc]

I agree. Plus the earlier you book, the better chance you have of getting the cabin/room that you want. You don't want to be stuck with "any old thing" on your honeymoon!!

[truffles2]

Book early and then watch for price reductions. Go to a travel agent and get a brochure which will give the ship/itinerary you are interested in and then look at the schematic to see which cabins might have an obstructed view.

Have a great wedding/honeymoon!

[flyaway]

Thanks guys... I hate putting the deposit down now with all of our wedding expenses... but I may have to bite the bullet.

[Pumbaamd]

Bite that bullet. . . you'll get the cabin of your choice, and if the price goes down (which it probably won't) you'll get the difference refunded. What's your credit card(s)? If you get an RCL VISA, you'll get discounts on your cruise!

Go here: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/dealsandmore/offer/visa.do;jsessionid=0000PDKUdMd5x2n5e1hUvtWkJ7K:v29bc620

[firstcruise05]

I agree: book now. My Fiancee and I are getting married this fall also (October) and I booked our cruise last year. I've been checking the prices since I booked and the price keeps going up...I am really glad that I sent my deposit in when I did, it saved us alot of money. Plus our cruise turned out to be a very popular one with a couple of large group bookings so I wouldn't be surprised if the ship filled up to capacity.

 

Good Luck and congratulations!

[flyaway]

Well, now I'm trying to convince him. :) I actually put a 24-hour courtesy hold on 7616, though later I saw on expedia and travelocity that 7618 (on the furthest out part of the bump) is actually available, even though it wasn't a choice on the RCL website.

 

We'll talk about it after work tonight... I totally understand why he's hesitant to take $500 out of the wedding fund for something that's not happening until next year. But a Med cruise has been our dream honeymoon for a long time.

 

We probably won't do the RCL credit card... at least not until after the wedding. I have the Disney Visa, and our wedding is at Disney World, so the 1% reward $$$ will be great when we're down there. :)

 

Thanks for the congrats, everybody! And firstcruise05... congrats and good luck to you too!