When to book travel

[trucker den]

My cruise is booked for late March 2019. How far out should I book airfare and pre and post cruise hotels? This is my first cruise and really my first non Disney world vacation since my honeymoon 18 years ago. I have never flown so booking airfare confuses me. We are sailing out of San Juan and staying 1 night pre cruise and possibly 1 night post cruise. Thanks in advance for your help.

[kerryincork]

Price of flights rarely go down same with hotels in tourist spots. I think certain flight booking sites can track cost of flights.

 

It's best to find a fare you are happy to pay and get it then and not expect prices to go down

 

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[musik07]

I use the Hopper app for flights to track prices and alert me when prices drop. However it looks at a date range. Once all of the discount airlines start to release flights sometimes the major airlines go down a bit (Southwest is up to early March, I was just looking for my spring break over Easter the other day).

[Silkroad]

I’d book the hotel now, regardless of when you book flights.

[deliver42]

Flights on the major airlines go on line 330 days from flight home. Most hotels go about 1 year. Book when you are confortable with the price, especially airlines, whose prices can fluctuate by the minute, and aren't price protected. With hotels, you can book without deposit, and can cancel anytime prior to 24-48 hours, depending on the hotel, so if the price on your hotel goes down, call to get an adjustment, or cancel and rebook.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Here is a link to a website that give average historical price variations by lead time for specific itineraries.

 

https://www.cheapair.com/when-to-buy-flights

[Luvcrusn]

Generally airfares reach their optimal price ranges between 120-90 days out, of course there are always exceptions. Book your hotels when you find a price that suits your budget/needs. A good tip when booking both is to monitor fares/rates only when using an InPrivate or Incognito window on your browser to avoid cookies. Travel sites notoriously track and when browsing prices may rise on flights you're considering if you don't.

[Purplsmurf]

We are sailing next month and we still haven’t purchased our plane tickets yet! There aren’t a whole lot of seats booked on the flight that we need so I’m still holding out that the price will come dowm

[gerelmx]

The Hotel and Air opens 330 days prior (11 Months) Some flights and rooms go fast, others you can book last minute without risk. it depends on you, I prefer to book the hotel & air asap. Also I do early bird cruise booking then I monitor the rates, I have seen both scenarios price drop or price up.

[deliver42]

You are playing Russian Roulette, but I hope it works for you.

[MarLieb]

We are sailing from San Juan in December and I booked our flights and pre-cruise hotel about 5 1/2 months in advance. When I found a price that was reasonable, I snagged it and didn't look back. Airfare is so unpredictable. I also had a very particular hotel I wanted to stay in in Old San Juan, so I wanted to make sure we had our room booked ASAP.

[Travelling2Some]

I usually buy the airfare about 4 months before a European trip and also buy trip insurance at that time. For Asia/Australia I would buy it around the 6 month mark. I book hotels much earlier since I want to make sure I get something in my preferred location. Hotel reservations are easily cancelled if I spot something better so there's no downside to early booking.

[alcpa1]

OP

You can fare watch at sites like Kayak and Google Flights.

If you are sailing near the Easter holiday you may have already seen the lowest fares so monitoring is helpful.

Do carefully watch the hotel websites because the majority of SJU hotels are resort hotels with resort fees and extended cancellation periods beyond 24-48 hours. Hotel rates do change too so monitor those reservations too.

Enjoy SJU. Try to find time to visit the rain forest. It's being restored after the hurricanes last year and worth a visit.

For more information about San Juan check the Destinations boards. Many of your questions can be answered there.

And don't forget to join the ROLL CALL for your sailing. It's the best way to get a feel for your ports and your ship.

Enjoy