How do people book so far in advance...

[Clarea]

A perusal of this thread suggests that, besides personal scheduling considerations, the major reasons most book ahead is first for cabin choice, then for price. Is that what most are saying?

 

I know lots of folks suggest not checking prices after final payment so as to not see significantly lower prices than what they already paid. I get that. But for those of you who do check prices, what percentage of the time would you say the advance price has worked out better than a short notice price would have?

 

We aren't picky about cabin choice, in general, so for us, it's all about price, and I am wondering if booking in advance works best for price, on average...

 

(And if anyone has info on other lines besides RC, I would be interested in hearing whether any other lines seem to be better for advance prices or not.)

The questions you ask have different answers depending on the type of cruise and stateroom desired.

 

For example, on a transatlantic, transpacific, or repositioning cruise, we have found suite prices to be lowest when the cruise first comes out. The prices generally rise continually, and never go down. There are exceptions, but this seems to have been the pattern in the last 5 years or so.

 

On the other hand, if you look for an inside stateroom for the same types of cruises, you may find prices drop significantly as the cruise approaches.

[xpcdoojk]

Thank you all , very valuable information for me on here

 

We normally book 2-3 weeks in advance and because we are in FLL the logistics are much simpler, but I am kinda sick of the Caribbean and the Bahamas and would like to try something else.

 

But wouldn't prices drop more closer the sail date? Because three months to sail is a long time. Do you monitor to see if the ship is close to sold so you know there won't be any big sales or how do you determine if you haven't overpaid for your cruise (after final payment) when you could have done much better had you booked in the last minute?

 

What about airfare? I am assuming you buy that when you do final payment on the cruise?

 

Well airfare is a bigger deal than the cruise, because as others have said, you get all of your money back if you cancel before final payment if you are from North America.

 

It is pretty difficult to book a cruise at the last moment when air travel is involved. As fares generally are significantly higher when you wait. So, when I book airfare, I feel very committed to actually take the cruise. I like to get the lowest fare so I often book airfare around 310 days before the flight. That is when the major airlines begin booking. If you are wanting to go somewhere other than the Caribbean (and who doesn't?) you are going to have to start looking at long term planning and making a commitment to doing the trip.

 

jc

[PoppyandNana]

Well airfare is a bigger deal than the cruise, because as others have said, you get all of your money back if you cancel before final payment if you are from North America.

 

It is pretty difficult to book a cruise at the last moment when air travel is involved. As fares generally are significantly higher when you wait. So, when I book airfare, I feel very committed to actually take the cruise. I like to get the lowest fare so I often book airfare around 310 days before the flight. That is when the major airlines begin booking. If you are wanting to go somewhere other than the Caribbean (and who doesn't?) you are going to have to start looking at long term planning and making a commitment to doing the trip.

 

jc

 

We booked our June 14 Norway on the Constellation last August, 2013. Within a few months not only were the prices hundreds more than what we paid, it was starting to sell out. Today, other than a few inside cabins, the ship is entirely sold out. When there were 2B balcony cabins available, they were in the $3200+ range vs the $2600 we paid. This is somewhat an aberration. for the most part the routine caribbean cruises can be booked closer to sailing time.

[Gopher1934]

Something I have learned over the years is to be happy with what you've paid for the cruise. If you don't like a price, don't book. This will help alleviate the pain of "I paid too much." I think it's all relative though. Each person has a different threshold of "paid too much" based on their own lifestyle and cabin choice.

 

We've seen price drops after final that we can't get a couple of times. If I constantly let myself worry about those situations I'd be miserable on my vacations worrying that the person in the room next to me got a "better deal!"

 

I book at the prices I deem fair, if it goes lower and I can't rebook then good for the people who get to snag that deal!

 

Nice comments Great way to look at it. No different than an airline everyone pays a different price . I have just started booking father out than ever before now that I retired makes it much easier and looking forward to booking more.

[Yorkshire Voyagers]

You get your money back if you have to cancel before final payment. After that it is prorated. We also get travel insurance in case something happens after final payment date. You can get a better choice of cabins by booking early.

 

This isn't the case in the UK, your lose the whole deposit

[BillOh]

I haven't read all your replies....yet.

 

I work a very stressful job surrounded my people I would rather not be with :rolleyes: That said, having a cruise booked ahead gives me one more reason to get up and go to work each day. It really does help. I pass the long times with the roll calls established for each cruise. I know that isn't for everyone, but the roll calls have really helped make some good cruises great.

 

I've had some dud roll calls and some great ones, but I have found value in all of them and the info even an experienced cruiser can learn is invaluable.

 

We loved our first cruise so much (voyager 06) that we immediately booked our next Cruise (Freedom 08) and when I put up the counter is ready near 700 days. We originally thought we would go every 2 years. A good resident deal popped up so we went in 2007 on Majesty. That helped pass the time till Freedom, but that Freedom roll call was a great one with over 6000 posts and everyone planning and sharing for 2 years!

Edited May 13, 2014 by BillOh

[Yorkshire Voyagers]

I'm anxious for the fall of 2016 itineraries to be released. We like to book far ahead.

 

We have 9 cruises booked right now -- we won't take them all, we'll choose the ones we'll take as the time gets closer.

 

Our next up is in November and we booked it over a year ago :)

 

As a traveller from the UK, this really annoys me. We book cruises at least a year out and the majority of the time are doing back to backs - because so many people from the US are allowed to book out cabins on cruises they have no intention of taking, it makes it almost impossible for us to get the same cabin and not have to move.

[cruiselife4me]

For some people (ours in fact) its because we're traveling with friends and their daughter is graduating next year so we booked for 2016. Plus with the sale we have connecting Grand Suites (on Adventure) for what it would cost for a balcony on Allure. LOVE that sale!

[Are we there yet?]

We leave on Friday for our next cruise to Bermuda which I booked last May.

We had just stepped off a cruise to Aruba and I find that it gives us something to look forward to. I also wanted to try an aft cabin and heard they go fast so booked early for that reason also.

Yes waiting is hard, but I also love planning and researching where we are going so that is part of the fun for me.

We also get trip insurance because we have elderly parents and four children so one never knows what the future may bring.

Our cruise price went down a few times but I just called each time and got an adjustment.

We also drive to the port even though it takes a good 24 hours to Florida.:)

This one is out of New Jersey so it's like a Sunday drive!!

[mspink98]

We book early for best price and cabin choice. Since we're in the US, we have the option of canceling without penalty up until final payment date. We also hold onto our dough until payment is due-I actually set a calendar reminder in our phones to pay it about a week before it's officially due. If anything were to come up that we had to cancel, we always have that in the back of our mind, but thankfully that hasn't happened.

 

Right now, we're on the books for February, 2015 and April, 2016.

[Dett]

This isn't the case in the UK, your lose the whole deposit

 

Sorry, I forgot about that. Why is it that you can't get the deposit back?

[mtebor]

Best prices, cabin availability and the chance to make monthly payments. That is why I book as far in advance as possible.

[saleaaway]

I see a lot of people on here who have booked cruises one or two years in advance?!?

 

How are you not worried that something might happen and you will not be able to travel? Even with travel insurance do you get all of your money back in case something happens?

 

How do you not go crazy waiting for the cruise time to arrive?

 

I see that a lot of people do not pay the full price a year out , but make payments toward the cruise... how does that work? How many payments do you normally have? What is the down payment normally (I know it was a 100$ when booking on board , but what if you font book on board?)

 

:confused::eek:

 

I handle it a different way. I have a separate savings account just for vacations. I save all the money except for the deposit. At final payment I use my credit card that offers the best rewards program to pay for the cruise.

than when the bill comes for the CC I pay it off with the money in the savings account.

That way I get a bit of a bonus.

Like everyone here I book in advance to get the ship, cabin and Itinerary I really want. If prices change I always can get the better deal through my TA. I just did it for the bogo sale RCCL just ran.

[matj2000]

Sometimes the prices are much better 24 months out.

Not so much on RC...

[saleaaway]

I see a lot of people on here who have booked cruises one or two years in advance?!?

 

How are you not worried that something might happen and you will not be able to travel? Even with travel insurance do you get all of your money back in case something happens?

 

How do you not go crazy waiting for the cruise time to arrive?

 

I see that a lot of people do not pay the full price a year out , but make payments toward the cruise... how does that work? How many payments do you normally have? What is the down payment normally (I know it was a 100$ when booking on board , but what if you font book on board?)

 

:confused::eek:

 

I handle it a different way. I have a separate savings account just for vacations. I save all the money except for the deposit. At final payment I use my credit card that offers the best rewards program to pay for the cruise.

than when the bill comes for the CC I pay it off with the money in the savings account.

That way I get a bit of a bonus.

Like everyone here I book in advance to get the ship, cabin and Itinerary I really want. If prices change I always can get the better deal through my TA. I just did it for the bogo sale RCCL just ran.

[NorbertsNiece]

I booked last week for Feb 2016... will need all the time I'll be obsessing about the amazing itinerary to pay for it!!

[Ourusualbeach]

yes of course, we would only book if the price makes sense to us , but I can't help but wonder since I am booking so far in advance what if the price drops after my final payment

I guess best solution is after final payment to stop checking the web site and chill LOL :D

 

You got it. Only check if you think that there is a chance that you might be able to upgrade and be prepared to accept it if there is a price drop.

[Lerin]

We've only booked over a year in advance twice.

Once was because we were with a large group so everyone needed that amount of time to get organized(work, school schedules, etc...)

The other time was on a small ship that has only 14 balconies, they go fast!

[OCruisers]

We also like to book as soon as we know which cruise we want to take so we can get the cabin of our choice. :)

LuLu

Edited May 14, 2014 by OCruisers

[SPacificbound]

I see a lot of people on here who have booked cruises one or two years in advance?!?

 

How are you not worried that something might happen and you will not be able to travel? Even with travel insurance do you get all of your money back in case something happens?

 

How do you not go crazy waiting for the cruise time to arrive?

 

I see that a lot of people do not pay the full price a year out , but make payments toward the cruise... how does that work? How many payments do you normally have? What is the down payment normally (I know it was a 100$ when booking on board , but what if you font book on board?)

 

:confused::eek:

 

Our cruises have all been booked over 18 months out. To us it seems like the best way to get the cabin we want. After the initial payment I do not pay until final payment which is about 75 days out. I pay the balance at final payment. The largest down payment has been $1800.00 for a suite.

[SeagoingMom]

The questions you ask have different answers depending on the type of cruise and stateroom desired.

 

For example, on a transatlantic, transpacific, or repositioning cruise, we have found suite prices to be lowest when the cruise first comes out. The prices generally rise continually, and never go down. There are exceptions, but this seems to have been the pattern in the last 5 years or so.

 

On the other hand, if you look for an inside stateroom for the same types of cruises, you may find prices drop significantly as the cruise approaches.

Thanks for the insight. I guess I'll have to do some research to get a feel for how things work. We don't book suites or insides, nor have we yet done repos, though I want to in the future.. So I'll try to follow prices on veranda cabins on RT itineraries over time to see what turns up.

[CheckersMidwest]

We book as soon as we know it's what we want to do on vacation. For example, we know we want to do a back to back next summer and an idea of what ports we want. Those itineraries just came out a couple of weeks ago.

 

If you book early....you can get the Early Saver rate, which is cheaper and gives you price protection. If there is a sale before you go.....then they give you the sale price. You can also choose whatever cabin you want without worrying if it's sold out yet.

 

If you're buying airline tickets, they're super expensive.....$1200 + for my family of 4 to fly into Ft Lauderdale, that really adds to the cost of a trip. I find the base price on those so I know....then check almost every day. When they go on sale, I know it and buy them then. Airfare isn't as easy to get your $ back.

 

[navybankerteacher]

Booking early gives you better cabin choice and the dining time you want. Also planning activities always has to be around something - because a cruise usually entails air travel and hotel bookings, that sort of activity is more complex and less subject to being easy last minute "trips or opportunity".

 

There is no point paying anything earlier than necessary, so you just make sure you set aside sufficient discretionary funds to make final payment when due. Assuming you only book the cruise when the price seems right, you have the comfort of being happy with the fare, while being able to take advantage of any price drops that come along.

 

Frankly, it is hard to imagine not booking cruises well in advance.

[wichitastatecruiser]

We've only booked over a year in advance twice.

Once was because we were with a large group so everyone needed that amount of time to get organized(work, school schedules, etc...)

The other time was on a small ship that has only 14 balconies, they go fast!

 

That's part of the reason I booked the Pride of America so far out. I'm a solo cruiser and they only have 4 studio rooms on the ship! If I hadn't gotten one I would have had to pay $1K more just for an inside.