How far in advance to book a Med cruise

[Cabogirl13]

Hubby and I are cruising soon but I am already looking into a Med cruise in 2017.

 

When or how soon should I start looking in order to secure the BEST deal? (We are going on Princess this time but haven't cruised enough to be married to any one line.)

 

We would be traveling with another couple, all in our 40's and do like to partake in adult beverages while on vacation, so extra perks like AIBP and such are appealing.

 

Thinking 10-12 days onboard and would like to have some Italy, Greece & Spain on itineraries. What is the best time to go to the region?

 

I value the opinions from those experienced so all input is appreciated.

Thanks in advance to all

[Hlitner]

There is no magic panacea for a booking strategy. There are advantages to booking early (at least 9 months in advance) and also advantages to doing last minute bookings (within the final payment period). As to time of the year, we particularly favor the shoulder season from mid-April thru mid June or in October. One exception to my recommendation is that if you want to swim or do some beach days there is much to say for the hotter summer months. We also strongly recommend extending your trip a few days pre (and even post) cruise so you have some land time in Europe and also are able to bounce back from "jet lag" before you board the cruise. And given the nature of airlines, it just makes good sense to be in Europe at least 1 day (and preferably several days) early.

 

When choosing an itinerary pay attention to the times and days of the week in each port. For example, if you are in Civitavecchia (Rome) on a Sunday you will usually find the Vatican Museum (including the Sistine Chapel) closed! In other cities you might find that a key museum is closed on a Mon or Tuesday....so it really makes sense to carefully review these issues before booking. And also check for major holidays (just Google European Holidays) as these are also days when many things are closed.

 

Hank

Edited January 12, 2016 by Hlitner

[CruiserBruce]

Agree with Hank...there is no magic date to buy a cruise, or the follow up question you will no doubt have, your airfares. You just have to do your research. Most cruise lines will give you any new, lower fare up to final payment.

 

If you do some research on the Med ports boards, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

you will find all sorts of info about cruising the Med, and the options you have.

[sail7seas]

Book as soon as you find the itinerary and ship that appeals. The earlier you book the better chance for the cabin you want, if you have specific preferences. Watch the prices regularly and if you find a decrease in the price, you can ask for the benefit. If you book with a TA, be sure they don't charge a cancellation fee. If you find the lower price, you could cancel the existing booking and rebook at the lower price.

[Cabogirl13]

Thanks for the replies all. Good stuff.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I agree with Hank as to when to cruise Europe -- the months he mentioned are off season, not too hot and loaded with tourists.

We like to book as soon as possible so that we can get the cabin category that we want.

We don't book guarantees as we do not like gambling on what and where are cabin would be located.

[iancal]

We prefer spring or fall. We typically book inside the final payment window. The cruise is always part of a longer land trip so we are usually very flexible. We watching or two itineraries, and two or three ships/cruise lines. When our price for a balcony hits we book.

 

You might also want to look at cruise air. Keep in mind that more than once we have seen two one way flights cheaper than a return ticket. Have also seen good routings less expensive than poor ones. Shop this as well. In all but one instance we have been able to get the same or better air on owr own. And that was a one way ticket.

 

There is no harm to booking early....only upside. You can get repriced if fares drop. You are protected should they increase. You can cancel with full refund any time prior to the final payment date (assuming you are booking in U.S. or Canada)

Edited January 13, 2016 by iancal

[nolatravelgirl]

I was on the NCL Spirit this past summer and had a great time. The itinerary was ideal and the ports were great. I would be less concerned with the ship/line and focus on itinerary and dates. I had never cruised NCL before but when researching itineraries this one couldn't be beat. Not sure what other lines offer beverage packages but NCL certainly does. You can read my review here:

 

12 Day Grand Mediterranean Review on the Norwegian Spirit

[Dayenu]

You can make reservations as far in advance as you want, but watch the price up to the final payment.

 

If the price goes down, you call the cruise line (or your travel agent) and ask for an adjusted invoice. The most we saved that way was $600.

 

Or you can book another cruise, and cancel the first one.

 

If the price goes up, consider yourself lucky, you won't have to pay more.

[SuiteTraveler]

You might look at NCL as they have good prices in the Med and you can often get the beverage package included.

 

We like cruising the Med in early May as the weather is perfect for being outside most of the time with clear and sunny skies. As you go into summer, the Med ports get very hot and lots and lots of tourists are present making tours even more draining. Since you will be going with another couple, you can plan joint private tours, which is usually cheaper than the cruise ship tours. Have a wonderful time!

[SPacificbound]

I book when the schedules come out.

[iancal]

On our last 14 day Med cruise we watched the prices on three cruise lines. t Dates were almost the same, as were the itineraries. HAL, Celebrity, and Princess.

 

On the day we booked the least expensive it was fifty percent less than the most expensive and thirty percent less than the middle price. Balcony cabin.

 

The cruise was port intensive. We did not discern much difference between the three ships/cruise lines so we went with price.