When is the timing right? (When to book a cruise?)

[nfused2cruze]

Already have a cruise booked and want to book another. When is the best time to book a cruise? for the best price?

 

A) When I'm on the ship?

 

B) Wait until an upcoming cruise month sale - October/February/March?

 

C) A year in advance?

 

D) Go crazy and do all of the above and change everything all around?

[Sassy Chassis]

I've only done this twice, but both times worked the exact same way:

 

At the end of the year I start making plans...then in January I see how much tax return & bonus I will have to spend...then when I have cash in my hand I visit my TA and give her the $$ and book the cruise...but the cruises are for November-December so I always have a big wait! :)

[spoonful]

last minute during hurricane season.

[nfused2cruze]

Thanks for these suggestions - I just might wait for the next sale rather than a hurricane!

[Stacylee]

The longest I booked ahead was 6 months. The least was 7 weeks. There is no WAY I could book a year in advance and wait!! By far the best deal was the 7 weeks (sailed last month and booked in Aug). At this point I have done all the basic's east, west, etc. I keep looking at all the great deals for cruises this fall on shorter notice so I am trying to decide if I will wait til the summer to book for next fall. I found Hawaii for 499!!! Booking now at min of 1100.00 a person just sounds crazy! Thanks to the internet we can really shop around so much better than years ago.

 

IF you have a very specific ship, itinerary or cabin in mind you really do need to book as early as possible. In my case I am pretty flexible on cabin type etc so waiting until after final deposits are in and getting a deal on what is left will work for me.

[Cruising89143]

Already have a cruise booked and want to book another. When is the best time to book a cruise? for the best price?

 

A) When I'm on the ship?

 

B) Wait until an upcoming cruise month sale - October/February/March?

 

C) A year in advance?

 

D) Go crazy and do all of the above and change everything all around?

 

I like to book when I am on board. There are advantages to this. On board credits and also $$$ off a balcony cabin.

[jkrislc]

It really depends. When we went to Alaska and Hawaii, we booked a little more than a year ahead as we wanted a specific cabin and location. For short hops, we've booked as close as three weeks before the cruise. For our next cruise, we booked less than three months out.

 

If you book early, you're guaranteed the cabin you want and the location. My wife requires a midship cabin, which hasn't been too hard to get. However, if you want a balcony on a scenic cruise, those can sometimes go fast. In addition, if the price drops before final payment, you can always rebook or ask for your price to be adjusted. While you can get steals close to the cruising date, this isn't always the case and you may end up without a cruise.

[Charlie2na]

Price drives everything......I start a year or so in advance find a ship, a date, an itinerary and buy whats on sale....but I'm flexible.

[cruz1234]

If you are going to travel during busy times i find it best to book way out in advance, 9 months..Then watch the prices...I was sailing during spring break week of Easter in March..booked in aug..watched as prices went higher and higer..never got down as low as I had paid. Booked in May for our upcoming Enchantment in July 2006..these prices have REALLY increased..they have gone up about $150 pp. If they come down I go for the price adjustemnt. We have to cruise during school vacations, so it is most expensive so booking ahead is better for us. Latley i have not seen any really good deals unless it is for a cruise that is going in a week or 2 from advertisement, this is hard if you need to fly somewhere. I also like to book specific cabins. I already booked a Mediterrean cruise for next October :) got a great cabin :)

[Dafydd]

If I want a specific cabin like a corner aft, I book way in advance. Then I continually check especially the last few months prior to the cruise, even the last few weeks, because the prices drop and usually they will drop your price if you notice it and call. But the really good deals are waiting till the last minute; we had no intention of sailing over thanksgiving, but saw an 8 night caribbean cruise to aruba and labadee and miami out of new jersey and got it for $399! And they put us on deck ten! So, if you aren't picky about cabins and just want to go, I like the last minute deals. But we have the corner aft booked for the summer on mariner because we really want that and know it won't be there if we wait till the last minute.

[nfused2cruze]

It seems as if those "cruise sales" that they have are to let go of the stuff nobody wants. I notice that the majority shop for a cruise and then check out the rates rather than vice versa.

 

I'm looking at a cruise now - I just may wait until I'm on the ship, book it and then check to see how it does. (I'm also part of OnePass with Continental. I might even switch it over to them to get my miles out of it - it costs $19 extra to do it but for 3,000 miles, it may be worth it.)

 

Thanks again for the responses. :)