Best prices 1 month away

[duncmelsmom]

I didn't know if there was a way to get the best prices on a cruise.  It seems that last minute cruises are marked "Best Value" and I wondered if I should wait and watch, or just get the cruise now.  Any suggestions?

Thank you!!

[five.]

I had setup some alerts awhile ago and got one this past week. I happened to click on it, to realize "hey, this leaves in the morning." Oh my gosh, they have a porthole cabin open. I had sailed on this same ship a few years back in a porthole and I was a little surprised that it was only a savings of $200 for something that last minute. I know that's just a once off. But I was expecting a little more savings. And at least according to carnival.com, there were only three rooms available. Looking forward to hearing from others on their experiences trying to wait until closer to sailing date, to see if that is a viable strategy to save some cash.

[bridetobe53108]

I am wondering about this also.  My husband I always booked far in advance and got a great savings that way.  Recently I have looked at booking cruises leaving soon and I'm not seeing any deals! 

[bury me at sea]

I booked an OV on the Freedom, shortly after the sailing opened for booking, for 649. per person plus taxes, fees, and gratuities.

 

We are now a couple of weeks past final payment date and Carnival is advertising sales.   The sale base price per person for the same cabin is 809.

 

Same scenario for my most recent cruise.  The price steadily increased.

 

Not all sailings are the same but my experience in the last 3 years has been it's best to book as early as possible.

 

 

[duncmelsmom]

Thanks for responding, y'all!  I guess there isn't a secret time to reserve.  Boo hiss....more research to be done.  Good luck with your cruises!!

[deliver42]

I always book early. If the price comes down, then I get repriced, and if the price goes up, I can pat myself on the back for getting a desl.

[bakersdozen12]

The way to get the best price is to book Early Saver as soon as itineraries are released. Then either prices go up and you have locked in the best price, or prices go down and you price match to the lower rate. I can tell you, though, that I rarely see prices go down for my bookings. Carnival just doesn’t have a problem filling ships. 

Edited February 5, 2019 by bakersdozen12

[beachbum53]

The one and only time we got a good deal on a cruise was a Western Caribbean cruise in late September. I think it's because that is typically the heart of hurricane season, and the ship wasn't filling up very fast. We knew the weather would be "iffy", but we couldn't pass up the price. Sure enough, we had to skip going to Grand Cayman because of bad weather, and ended up with an extra "at sea" day.

[richstowe]

If you are open minded and not wedded to a particular cruise brand , great deals can be found around the final cancellation date prior to the cruise . There are many who reserve multiple cruises and cancel only when they are required to "put up or shut up " . That's when great deals can be found . Prices then often bounce back quickly as pricing today is determined by sophisticated algorithms . Early Saver price fares trade savings for cancellation penalty's and unexpected deals . Nothing wrong with either approach . 

Edited February 5, 2019 by richstowe

[duncmelsmom]

Thanks everyone!

We usually reserve a year in advance, but decided last minute to get a cruise.  Interesting, richstowe, about the put up or shut up dates.  That makes sense!

Fortunately we are able to pounce on a cruise right now for 27 days from now.  I'm so happy and hubby is the BEST!!

[dmdiver]

We tend to book early saver & watch for any price drops.  It seems like years ago we were able to find multiple price drops - not huge amounts - $20 here & there.  The past few years we are not seeing much.  The advantage to booking early is being able to get the cabin I want.  Booking last minute means there are much fewer cabins to choose from.  We travel with friends, so cabin selection is important - we like balconies on Lido that can be opened to each other.  It seems lately that when I see a low fare on an upcoming cruise, it is for a guarantee.  That's fine if it's just us traveling, but when I'm traveling with friends and family, I want to be sure we're at least on the same deck.

[PhillyFan33579]

With a few exceptions, I always book cruises under ES.  I frequently check prices on booked cruises for price drops. Over the last 15 or so cruises, the prices went up on every cruise without exception (for the room category I booked).  

[jwcruise1]

When I booked inside cabin for this coming April (July 2018) the gty was higher than the cabin I picked. Since then I have gotten an upsell to an oceanview for $30 total and the inside is now ~$300 more excluding prepaid grats than I paid including prepaid grats.I believe I got lucky booking when I did. BTW doing a mock booking the inside I had originally picked is the only inside left. Just thought it was an interesting side note.

[LeeW]

Royal has a Going-Going-Gone file they publish every week with low rates on cruises leaving soon. 

 

Last year we got a balcony on Princess for 9 days at $57 per person per day including taxes/port fees for a cruise leaving in 40 days.  Airfare was higher than the cruise cost.  In fact the port fees were almost as high as the fare.

 

Cruise booked for next month a year out now is going for double what we paid.

[bridetobe53108]

Does anyone know if the ES rate is available a set amount of days out? Like for example, can you get that rate up to 3 months before the cruise, then it is gone? Or does that vary?