Best time to buy a cruise

[botanica]

Hi! Curious... How do cruise prices go up and down depending on when you buy them? Is there a best time of year to book? Is it cheaper if you book long in advance or are last minute buys better priced? I'll be extremely grateful for your advice as I have no experience in cruising yet 

[Flatbush Flyer]

You may want to search the numerous threads on this subject here on CC. 

 

One thing to note is that pricing variations very much depend on the cruise line and itinerary. Many of the cruises we take on our preferred line have unusual itineraries that sell out soon after booking becomes available. Even after the final payment deadline, when a few cabins may open, the prices (now significantly higher than the original cost) seldom will decrease.

 

That said, short Caribbean cruise prices on mainstream lines may occasionally drop if there are numerous cabin vacancies.

 

[CruiserBruce]

There is no one final answer to this. Differing cruises sell differently, as do differing cruise lines. Sales happen at different times for different seasons. So you would be narrowing your fields down to get better ideas.

 

You will hear all about "the best prices are after final payment" (after everyone else has made their final payment).  Yes, usually, but not absolutely. But you might be trading off a lower cruise fare for a higher airfare (for last minute, and/or high season airfares). 

 

So, it takes research. Perhaps a travel agent would be very beneficial for your needs as you learn the ropes.

[martincath]

Both posts above are totally correct.

 

Living in a port city, and with another close by, we can afford to play the 'wait & see' game for mainstream cruises as we can walk to the pier in Vancouver and our worst-case to Seattle would still be less than a hundred bucks in travel costs. But even with that advantage, we've never managed to jump on a one-way either North or Southbound close to sailing as we have never found a good flight price to/from Alaska, a hotel, car rental etc. so the total package has so far always been relatively poor value to us despite the cruise being ridiculously cheap.

 

In general, assuming there are any cabins left for sale, the cheapest cruise price is going to be really close to the sail date, when the lines will potentially be willing to charge you next to nothing (as long as they cover their actual expenses of feeding you, cleaning your room, and however much extra fuel is needed for one or two pax, then any onboard spending you do makes them more money than leaving the cabin empty... we've paid less than $30pp per night before port fees) BUT the cruise fare isn't your total vacation cost... and if you are remotely picky about which room category there may be none left even if there are other empty cabins... and when you try to book excursions you'll find that the popular small-group independent vendors are already fully booked for months as are even some popular ship excursions.

 

Last minute may still end up being the cheapest despite pricier flights, but if you also have to compromise the quality of what you are able to do it probably won't be the best option.

[RocketMan275]

9 hours ago, botanica said:

Hi! Curious... How do cruise prices go up and down depending on when you buy them? Is there a best time of year to book? Is it cheaper if you book long in advance or are last minute buys better priced? I'll be extremely grateful for your advice as I have no experience in cruising yet 

 

The best thing for you to do is book a cruise you want to take.  If the price goes down, you can rebook for the lower fare.  If the price goes up, well, you got the cheapest price didn't you?

[njhorseman]

15 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

If the price goes down, you can rebook for the lower fare.

In most cases not if the price drop occurs after final payment.

[ldubs]

18 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

The best thing for you to do is book a cruise you want to take.  If the price goes down, you can rebook for the lower fare.  If the price goes up, well, you got the cheapest price didn't you?

 

This. 

 

I would drive myself crazy if I tried to time time the pricing.   

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

The best thing for you to do is book a cruise you want to take.  If the price goes down, you can rebook for the lower fare.  If the price goes up, well, you got the cheapest price didn't you?

 

Yes - when booking from North America.

But not when booking from Europe, where deposits aren't returned if you cancel / re-book - they're at risk from the moment they're handed over.

The OP is in Bali & I don't have a clue whether deposits are returnable.

So that's the first thing the OP needs to check. 

 

JB 

[botanica]

5 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

You may want to search the numerous threads on this subject here on CC. 

 

One thing to note is that pricing variations very much depend on the cruise line and itinerary. Many of the cruises we take on our preferred line have unusual itineraries that sell out soon after booking becomes available. Even after the final payment deadline, when a few cabins may open, the prices (now significantly higher than the original cost) seldom will decrease.

 

That said, short Caribbean cruise prices on mainstream lines may occasionally drop if there are numerous cabin vacancies.

 

Thank you, Flatbush Flyer. So as I see from your reply, if I go for a relaxing beach-umbrella-bathing-sleepeing can do last minute. If I go for adventurous off the beaten path - book in advance.

[botanica]

5 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

There is no one final answer to this. Differing cruises sell differently, as do differing cruise lines. Sales happen at different times for different seasons. So you would be narrowing your fields down to get better ideas.

 

You will hear all about "the best prices are after final payment" (after everyone else has made their final payment).  Yes, usually, but not absolutely. But you might be trading off a lower cruise fare for a higher airfare (for last minute, and/or high season airfares). 

 

So, it takes research. Perhaps a travel agent would be very beneficial for your needs as you learn the ropes.

Thank you, CruiserBruce, for reminding me you need to buy a flight separately. I was not thinking of ot

[botanica]

4 hours ago, martincath said:

Both posts above are totally correct.

 

Living in a port city, and with another close by, we can afford to play the 'wait & see' game for mainstream cruises as we can walk to the pier in Vancouver and our worst-case to Seattle would still be less than a hundred bucks in travel costs. But even with that advantage, we've never managed to jump on a one-way either North or Southbound close to sailing as we have never found a good flight price to/from Alaska, a hotel, car rental etc. so the total package has so far always been relatively poor value to us despite the cruise being ridiculously cheap.

 

In general, assuming there are any cabins left for sale, the cheapest cruise price is going to be really close to the sail date, when the lines will potentially be willing to charge you next to nothing (as long as they cover their actual expenses of feeding you, cleaning your room, and however much extra fuel is needed for one or two pax, then any onboard spending you do makes them more money than leaving the cabin empty... we've paid less than $30pp per night before port fees) BUT the cruise fare isn't your total vacation cost... and if you are remotely picky about which room category there may be none left even if there are other empty cabins... and when you try to book excursions you'll find that the popular small-group independent vendors are already fully booked for months as are even some popular ship excursions.

 

Last minute may still end up being the cheapest despite pricier flights, but if you also have to compromise the quality of what you are able to do it probably won't be the best option.

Indeed... I was somehow thinking of a cruise vacation starting when you get aboard. Your post widens the view... Thank you. As I said, I'm all new to cruising, just starting to explore  

[lifes-a-beach]

The very best time to book a cruise is today. Always. Today.  

[navybankerteacher]

There seem to be times of the year when prices are lower:  September/October,  late November/early December, and May sailings to the Caribbean seem to attract fewer - probably because schools are in session and they are not typical vacation periods.

 

Otherwise, it’s pretty much the luck of the draw  - you might decide on an itinerary that just is not sellling well — or you might not. And you can never predict with any real certainty how a particular cruise’s pricing will move from a year or so out to the last week.

[Flatbush Flyer]

14 hours ago, botanica said:

Thank you, Flatbush Flyer. So as I see from your reply, if I go for a relaxing beach-umbrella-bathing-sleepeing can do last minute. If I go for adventurous off the beaten path - book in advance.

Well - not quite that simple. Savings associated with a close-in purchase of a cheap cruise may quickly be erased by the high cost of last minute  airfare/hotel/etc.

Perhaps the biggest rookie cruise mistake that can be made is to base cruise comparison solely on cabin costs.

You'll often see CC posters lamenting the cabin cost on some premium lines when compared to the mass market. Almost as often, you'll find that some of those folks didn't think to consider that the premium line price may include things like intercontinental airfare, beverages, ALL restaurants onboard, internet, gratuities, excursions.....

Always do a "bottom line" total daily cost comparison for ALL required/optionally chosen cruise-related expenses. Even then, recognize that there are quality elements to consider beyond the quantitative ones.

[botanica]

On 8/15/2019 at 11:13 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Well - not quite that simple. Savings associated with a close-in purchase of a cheap cruise may quickly be erased by the high cost of last minute  airfare/hotel/etc.

Perhaps the biggest rookie cruise mistake that can be made is to base cruise comparison solely on cabin costs.

You'll often see CC posters lamenting the cabin cost on some premium lines when compared to the mass market. Almost as often, you'll find that some of those folks didn't think to consider that the premium line price may include things like intercontinental airfare, beverages, ALL restaurants onboard, internet, gratuities, excursions.....

Always do a "bottom line" total daily cost comparison for ALL required/optionally chosen cruise-related expenses. Even then, recognize that there are quality elements to consider beyond the quantitative ones.

Thank you for the list of other things to consider. And that's not the complete list yet I'm sure...

[getting older slowly]

Best time to book a cruise besides Today......

 

Depends.... on the cruise....  Some cruises book out in a few months for launch...

 

But one thing to think about.... if you are like us and want a particularly cabin...

 

Book soon to get your cabin... or wait and be flexible with sailing dates to get your cabin..

 

If it is purely cost.. wait for a sale.... but if popular no sale....

oir sometimes last minute to fill unsold cabins..( which are generally the unwanted cabins )

 

There is no one answer.

 

Cheers Don