What’s the point of booking so far out

[amscene1]

I don’t get it. Every time I do the promo changes for something better anyway and I gotta call to change it or the price drops. Even when the escape and getaway debuted I still would have got a better deal close to booking.

 

 

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[pieshops]

we booked the Jade partial panama canal transit in a forward facing suite 8 months ago for 4100 pp, today it is 5100 pp, thats why I book early

[KeithJenner]

I always book very early, for a number of reasons:

 

To ensure I get the cabins I want.

 

In my experience, the prices tend to increase from the initial prices. They may decrease as you get very close, but I’m not going to wait until very close.

 

I just like to get things booked and start planning.

 

We have to travel during peak times, and almost always have to fly to the ports, often long haul, so we need to plan things. We can’t wait until last minute, and travelling during holiday times means that prices tend to increase. If you can travel at quieter times then prices may well reduce nearer the time.

 

I do keep a bit of an eye on prices, out of interest. I have seen a few cruises reduce in price by maybe a couple of hundred pounds. Most increase, and some by £1000+. My guess is that booking 12-18 months out has saved us £5-10,000 over all of our cruises, compared to what we would have paid for the same cruise if booked 6-9 months out over the past few years.

 

Of course, other experiences may vary, but I certainly don’t see the prices for our cruises falling after we have booked, unless you wait until very close to sailing.

 

 

 

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[Two Wheels Only]

Getting the exact stateroom that I want is important....even on a ship that isn't close to being completed. ;p

[DarkJedi]

Getting the cabin that I want.

If I was just going to book a guarantee I would wait until after final payment to book when the prices start to drop to fill the rooms no one wanted at full price.

[zqvol]

Other than the time to make a phone call you don't lose anything by booking early and you have a wider selection of cabins available.

[Id rather be diving]

I book early because we need a handicap accessible room. With so few on each ship, we have to book early. Although we were able to take advantage of a big sale 35 days prior to a departure date. There was a HC balcony available, then got offered an upgrade for $200 a piece to a HC mini suite. That was awesome!! But many times when I check a close in sale, there are not HC rooms available.

[dacsmom]

I have cruises booked up until Feb 2020. Many times the price goes up and not down. It is easy to make a call and get the new promo added.

[gmbhardy]

You need to book six months out to use two CruiseNext vouchers.

[hladygirl]

We booked a year ago for our 14 night cruise late October for $4,900. It is now $6,073 for same cabin type and the cruise is sailing well. It will probably not go as low as we originally paid even close to sailing.

[Cyclops32]

Look at it this way. Book early and you are locked in. If prices rise you are protected. If they drop you make a call. You lose nothing plus you get the larger selection of rooms.

 

Now assume you book closer. NCL is not going to give you any price then what it is at that time. So now you have to gamble as hope they have cheaper rates when you book.

 

For me take the sure thing knowing I can get the best rate no matter if it is 2 years out or at final payment date

 

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[shof515]

Look at it this way. Book early and you are locked in. If prices rise you are protected. If they drop you make a call. You lose nothing plus you get the larger selection of rooms.

you are also price protected if the gratuities and other charges go up to too..like on my booking, the udp and sdp gratuities is still 18% instead of the new 20%

[Two Wheels Only]

you are also price protected if the gratuities and other charges go up to too..like on my booking, the udp and sdp gratuities is still 18% instead of the new 20%

Good point. Plus, if other things get "worse", you are locked in. For example, from the time I booked Escape to the time I sailed, the UDP went from unlimited uses to 4SDP to 3SDP. I was locked in with unlimited while others had either 4 or 3 uses all on the same cruise.

 

Has the service charge ever gone down over time? :')

[tallnthensome]

I have cruises booked through April 2020. All the cruises I have taken the past couple years have only gone up in price, never down. I booked the Bliss 15 day Panama Canal in May 2017 for March 2019. It is now $1000 more today then when I booked it .... Reason enough for me.

[Son of a son of a ...]

We booked out 16 months on the Star for a family suite with UBP and UDP with $300 OBC and watched the price go up since then. Same for Epic with Haven ... never saw it offered for less. We have also booked a balcony on Escape 18 months out and ended up rebooking 3 months before cruise for an upgrade at lower price. It all depends, but we usually book early.

[Shynook11]

I usually book a year in advance when there are deals for 3rd and 4th free sailings. If we change our mind, we aren't out anything. Hasn't happened yet that we have had to cancel...but works for us.

[dinkydee718]

I book it early, partially because I want my choice of cabins, and partially because I am irresponsible...If I book a cruise early, I will pay it off little-by-little so that I am not clobbered when the final payment is due. I know me, and if instead of using the money to pay as I went, I had to save the money to book closer to the due date, I would definitely spend it on something else. :(

[KeithJenner]

I just had a look at current pricing on our next cruise (POA in August). We booked it about 15 months out and are staying in an aft balcony.

 

If I was now to book that cruise, 3 and a half months out, an aft balcony wouldn't be an option, as they are sold out. If we were to book the cheapest available balcony, it would cost us nearly £1,500 more than we are paying for our aft. That is about 30% more than we are paying.

 

The only option for paying less (with the same perks) would be an inside. The cheapest of those is a few hundred pounds cheaper than we have our aft balcony for. All the Oceanviews are more expensive.

[Carnac767]

We booked next year’s Epic TA four month’s ago to get the Haven suite we wanted. As of two weeks ago the Haven is already sold out, more than a year in advance.

[GUT2407]

If you are picky about your cabin, always book early.

[newmexicoNita]

I don’t get it. Every time I do the promo changes for something better anyway and I gotta call to change it or the price drops. Even when the escape and getaway debuted I still would have got a better deal close to booking.

 

 

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Only you can decide if booking far out is worth it? For some, it is, others prefer to book just a few months prior to cruising. Yes, prices change and so do perks, but for all those who have to call and try to make changes or those who are stuck, there are those who get a much better package or price, plus picking their cabin. I am one, that rarely books more than 6 months out, probably closer to 4 and yet others are booking a year or more in advance. There is no right way.

[njkate]

I booked our Baltic cruise in December, gives me time to pay it off, also have air fare to Copenhagen, historically those air fares will rise the closer we get to summer. So now about 114 days out cruise is paid, air is booked and tours we want to do are booked as well as the shows on board.

 

If I was cruising from NY to Bermuda or Bahamas, no air involved for me, cruise is much cheaper, I more than likely would have waited a bit longer, so for me it depends on the destination and cost.

[tef43]

Cabin selection, period.

[Dina7]

I book it early, partially because I want my choice of cabins, and partially because I am irresponsible...If I book a cruise early, I will pay it off little-by-little so that I am not clobbered when the final payment is due. I know me, and if instead of using the money to pay as I went, I had to save the money to book closer to the due date, I would definitely spend it on something else. :(

 

How are you able to pay it off little by little? We would love to do this for a cruise, but I never saw that as an option.

 

(Although I did just see Carnival added this where you can pay off your cruise rather than being hit with that big final payment)

[njkate]

How are you able to pay it off little by little? We would love to do this for a cruise, but I never saw that as an option.

 

(Although I did just see Carnival added this where you can pay off your cruise rather than being hit with that big final payment)

 

You can deposit and go back in every week if you like online and make a payment