Best time to book??

[pinkdora1]

Hi everyone, i'm new to this forum. Was just wondering when is the best time to book a cruise? We sailed with Royal Caribbean in 2015 and Princess in 2016. Have found the cruise we want to book for next year with Royal Caribbean but not sure whether to book now or wait and see if a good deal comes up ie, free drinks etc. Not sure how often this happens?! Thanks in advance :)

[jdshaw1000]

From our experience the best time to book is 10 - 12 weeks prior to departure date.

[leaveitallbehind]

Sometimes the best initial pricing is when the itineraries are first released. Advanced bookings allow for any price decreases to be captured as long as it is prior to final payment. Price increases are not passed along, so you have protection from that.

 

Advanced bookings also provide the best selection in staterooms. But all cruises are priced based on supply and demand, and can go down, stay the same, or go up in pricing anytime. In other words there really is no best time to book to get the lowest price. Just book when you are ready and watch the pricing for any favorable changes.

[Clarea]

Hi everyone, i'm new to this forum. Was just wondering when is the best time to book a cruise? We sailed with Royal Caribbean in 2015 and Princess in 2016. Have found the cruise we want to book for next year with Royal Caribbean but not sure whether to book now or wait and see if a good deal comes up ie, free drinks etc. Not sure how often this happens?! Thanks in advance :)

No pattern to best pricing and/or best promos. If you are booking uder US/Canadian rules, you can get price drops until final payment date.

[Biker19]

From our experience the best time to book is 10 - 12 weeks prior to departure date.

This is true IF it's not a popular sailing.

[JimAOk1945]

I always book as soon as I see a cruise/itinerary and cabin that I want. Sometimes this is a much as 1 1/2 years out. In my experience, the prices don't fluctuate enough to make much of a difference.

[Surfguyxxx]

Hi everyone, i'm new to this forum. Was just wondering when is the best time to book a cruise? We sailed with Royal Caribbean in 2015 and Princess in 2016. Have found the cruise we want to book for next year with Royal Caribbean but not sure whether to book now or wait and see if a good deal comes up ie, free drinks etc. Not sure how often this happens?! Thanks in advance :)

 

 

I book on-board the cruise, give it to my travel agent and she finds us the discounts for us without us looking for them. She get a commission, we get OBC etc; it's a win win. Book On-Board!!!!! :cool:

[leaveitallbehind]

I book on-board the cruise, give it to my travel agent and she finds us the discounts for us without us looking for them. She get a commission, we get OBC etc; it's a win win. Book On-Board!!!!! :cool:

 

I don't disagree - we do that often. But the OP is looking to book a cruse for next year. Good advice once they are on that one, however! :)

[tortoisegirl]

I see no negatives to booking as early as you know you may want to go on an itinerary. You can get any price drops before final payment (and sometimes can bump up a category if prices go down after final payment). However, if you are using a travel agency (not booking directly through the RCI website), double check their policies on cancellation and price adjustments. I have heard of some travel agencies charging a cancellation fee even when the cruise line doesn't (as they put work into it even if you end up cancelling). I recently realized I booked with a travel agency that charges $25 per price adjustment after the first one (taking away OBC), so I won't be using them again.

[leaveitallbehind]

I see no negatives to booking as early as you know you may want to go on an itinerary. You can get any price drops before final payment (and sometimes can bump up a category if prices go down after final payment). However, if you are using a travel agency (not booking directly through the RCI website), double check their policies on cancellation and price adjustments. I have heard of some travel agencies charging a cancellation fee even when the cruise line doesn't (as they put work into it even if you end up cancelling). I recently realized I booked with a travel agency that charges $25 per price adjustment after the first one (taking away OBC), so I won't be using them again.

 

Very good advice. While there a many excellent TA's who do not charge service fees, there are those who will charge fees not charged by the cruise line for originating, modifying, or cancelling a booking handled through them. They indeed should be avoided as they are paid a commission by the cruise lines for your booking and these fees are an additional revenue source for them from your wallet. Do your homework and ask about this prior to placing a booking.

[datolim]

Check at least a couple of your local TA websites. You can see all the available suites there and they have different suites allotments.

Right now I am waiting to book 2 more cruises. The one in June is practical full because of the school holidays here and the price is double the price for September. Tons of suites available here but RC is still holding on to their price as I think they think they can fill these suites at a rapid rate since they just change their schedule and put it on the market. For November sailing they are holding their price up as it is a far booking for this part of the world but they have tons of empty suites.

I am waiting to book only when they drop their prices in September or November.