Which is better

[theriac]

From what I've seen here many people opt for the ES rates, but if you really don't care where you are located at on the ship, is it cheaper to just have a time to go and just book within 72 hours of leaving and take what you can get. Obviously you can risk a ship being full so lets say you have about 3 choices to choose from. I'm just curious as to which you've found to work out better. I understand all of this is anecdotal but would like to know. Also flying is not an issue as I live close to many ports. Just trying to find out which is the better value.

[Lovefuninthesun]

I'm a planner -- I would be crazy uncomfortable booking at the last minute, not knowing what to expect.

 

We nearly always book far enough in advance to book ES, and it has suited us fine. We get the cabin we want, and have always gotten fare reductions along the way.

 

But that's just us -- it's an individual thing. Some people are gung-ho Last Minute Lucies!:p

[crewsweeper]

IMO, its akin to book airfare. Sometimes you can lock in a good rate far in advance so long as you know for certain that's when you'll be traveling. Other times, you wait until near date certain in case a event comes along and you need to change plans.

 

For cruises, we typically book when we decide what cruise we want so we can get the best cabin we want. let me add, that we also consider the price at the time of booking. If it's affordable we're usually fine with that. We don't go out every hour on the hour for months in advance checking for those $10 savings. We will try to take advantage of lower fares if we hear about them but not trying to game a system or get all worked up over missing a fare reduction.

Edited August 18, 2014 by crewsweeper

[theriac]

well my thought process is you can still plan everything you want to do, so many cruises leave the same day and go to the same ports so the planning is easy. Just curious as to whether its cheaper booking with ES or last LAST minute. I get all the price drops and OBC people get but you're still ultimately paying that money after final payment. If you weren't planning on spending it onboard anyway then its ultimately costing you more. I understand leaving a boat without spending anything is almost impossible(tips ALWAYS paid), but some people spend so much so far out just to gurantee to carnival that you're gonna spend that money on board.

[snc_cam]

couple of things to toss in...

1. price drop OBC is refundable. So, if you don't spend it, you will get it back.

2. There are some cruises that if you wait until the end, you will pay a lot more than if you booked it early, or you may not get on. I have a repo cruise that has gone UP 60% and has not fallen in months. Booked this cruise soon after it came out, got the cabin I wanted, and a VERY good price.

[Lovefuninthesun]

Another reason (for us, anyway) to book ahead with ES -- the ability to make payments for several months up until the final payment date, 75 days before sailing.

[MrsMick1]

If I lived close to a port, I'd consider scheduling time off and watching a particular cruise until the last week or so, figuring if I didn't get it at the price I wanted I could cancel my vacation time and start looking again.

 

However, currently we need to fly to almost any port, and I'm not comfortable leaving the cruise fare and flights to the last minute (plus it seems airfare almost always goes up closer to departure time, so it would likely not be a net savings anyway.)

[dadroy]

Since you are within driving distance of Ft. Lauderdale, you could easily wait for a week before sailing and compare pricing among 5-7 ships per week for the best deal. Then jump on that sailing. As long as you do not insist on a certain ship you could probably get a good room at a good price.

 

Be careful with saying you don't care about the room. A poster recently complained about getting an upper/lower bunked room when he bought a guarantee room.:D