Is it smart to book two years in advance?

[RosieRoo]

I have 20+ cruises booked in the next two years, most booked when they first opened up. I watch them for price drops, but honestly every single one is almost double in price from when I booked. I book with refundable deposits in case something comes up and I buy yearly insurance policies to cover anything unexpected. 

[WarfRatWA]

Yes, its smart to book now for a cruise in 2025.

[LB_NJ]

15 hours ago, goldentrio said:

I have only cruised a handful of times, and I'm looking at a cruise for March 2025. Should I consider booking it now, or waiting a while to see if the price drops or just to make sure I don't change my mind? I've never booked a vacation more than 6-7 months in advance. What are the pros and cons of booking this far in advance?

 

I would never book this far in advance.  Just too many unknowns.

You may decide you don't like cruising anymore, you may not be able to get medical coverage for pre-existing conditions, the cruise line service may go significantly downhill, the cruise company could go bankrupt, the itinerary could radically change, you find that there is a family commitment come up for the date of travel, etc.

 

Also, the non-refundable deposits seem to be $500 plus so a lot of money to lose if you decide not to go.

[firefly333]

30 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

Also, the non-refundable deposits seem to be $500 plus so a lot of money to lose if you decide not to go.

And if you find a ta with refundable group rates they maybe $1k less than booking direct too. Bella2 is a big discount, but it's also high priced so a bigger than usual discount. Depends how expensive the cruise is how much less a refundable group rate is. I dont have a rule of thumb but every rcl cruise in my signature is a refundable rate and less, not more. Only my carnival cruise is nonrefundable. 

 

 

[davekathy]

Or book onboard for reduced non refundable deposits. 

Edited April 22, 2023 by davekathy

[firefly333]

I could be wrong but I booked a refundable cruise last month on oasis and didnt get a reduced deposit. @Ourusualbeachsaid that's how it is, not reduced. Also got reduced obc from next cruise. A couple went from $100 obc nonrefundable to $76 refundable. I got $75, $1 less as a solo on refundable. It was a different thread he posted refundable doesnt get reduced deposits.

 

Oops sorry I quoted you. You suggested booking nonrefundable onboard.sorry.

 

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by firefly333

[Ourusualbeach]

11 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I could be wrong but I booked a refundable cruise last month on oasis and didnt get a reduced deposit. @Ourusualbeachsaid that's how it is, not reduced. Also got reduced obc from next cruise. A couple went from $100 obc nonrefundable to $76 refundable. I got $75, $1 less as a solo on refundable. It was a different thread he posted refundable doesnt get reduced deposits.

 

Oops sorry I quoted you. You suggested booking nonrefundable onboard.sorry.

 

 

Only NRD bookings have the reduced deposit.

 

If you book refundable on board you pay full deposit

[cruiselvr04]

We book on board whenever possible non refundable with reduced deposit of $100.  To us this is minimal risk and yes we’ve lost our $200 a couple of times.  We have also booked refundable when the difference wasn’t a lot.  This happens more with ocean view cabins than balconies. 
 

But we always book as far out as is feasible as prices historically don’t go down but up with some exceptions.  Better choice of cabin too.

 

Wait and you’ll likely pay more.   The risk is you could lose your deposit as life happens along the way.

[Ourusualbeach]

56 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

 

I would never book this far in advance.  Just too many unknowns.

You may decide you don't like cruising anymore, you may not be able to get medical coverage for pre-existing conditions, the cruise line service may go significantly downhill, the cruise company could go bankrupt, the itinerary could radically change, you find that there is a family commitment come up for the date of travel, etc.

 

Also, the non-refundable deposits seem to be $500 plus so a lot of money to lose if you decide not to go.

Group rates are wonderful.  Refundable rates at less than Royals non refundable rates

[alfaeric]

Just booked a b2b in feb 25 an hour ago here on board. Low deposit that way. And it was some of the cheapest fares for our cabin I’ve seen in a long time. 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

One possible downside... all the 3rd party insurances we've gotten require getting the insurance within 'x' (like 14-21) days of paying the original deposit in order to cover pre-existing conditions.  So while the deposit may not be a big chunk of change, the insurance for multiple people could be.  AND, if someone changes, you can't transfer insurance, so (assuming you'd want insurance), you'd have to purchase it for the new person ("throwing away" the money from the person not going on the trip).

 

That being said, we usually book 12-15 months out.  We actually have Harmony booked for July 2024 and we made that reservation in February.

[Tapi]

I’m a sucker for those “one of a kind” cabins. The ones that have the huge balcony, or twice as much indoor space, or in a privileged location, all for the same price as other cabins in the same category. 

 

The only way to get those is to book as early as possible. So it’s definitely advantageous to book this far out. 
 

For my next cruise, I booked as soon as the sailing was available to book. I reserved one of only two standard balcony cabins that have a HUGE balcony over the bridge and that are as big as a junior suite. Best part about booking that far out is that the price has actually gone down and we applied a new promotion that also provided onboard credit. 

Make sure that you book with a refundable fare though. Main caveat about booking this far out is that plans may change. Something that may sound awesome two years out, may not be as awesome as you approach final payment date. 

 

[Tree_skier]

I try and book as soon as itineraries are released.  Your best chance of getting the best deal seems to be then.  I have booked some that weren't so far out but that is the exception not the rule.  With a refundable deposit booking I see no risk to doing so and boarding knowing you paid less than many of your fellow travelers always makes me smile. 😉 

[mramella]

We booked our Icon cruise the moment it became available for booking. The price has increased by thousands of dollars since then. Plus, I was able to score an aft balcony cabin on the 14th deck. Those were gone within 24 hours of when booking became available. Glad we booked when we did!

[cynt]

When I grow up I want to be like you 2 year advance cruise reservation people. I think it's great you book that far in advance. I would go bonkers booking that far in advance. I would worry myself to death.  

[mugtech]

8 minutes ago, cynt said:

When I grow up I want to be like you 2 year advance cruise reservation people. I think it's great you book that far in advance. I would go bonkers booking that far in advance. I would worry myself to death.  

Growing up ain't all that its cracked up to be.  So I've heard.

[BonTexasNY]

34 minutes ago, mugtech said:

Growing up ain't all that its cracked up to be.  So I've heard.

Growing old is mandatory.  Growing up isn't. 😄

[PhillyFan33579]

On 4/21/2023 at 9:58 PM, Magicat said:

Yes, we have 7 cruises book from now to April 2025.  

Agree with you 100%. Right now I have 19 cruises booked from now until December 2024 and that number will increase in the near future. 

[George C]

We almost always just have two cruises booked, I like booking early normally best prices but I check rates just in case they go down, both suites one rccl other celebrity.

[LindaD22]

23 hours ago, Tapi said:

I’m a sucker for those “one of a kind” cabins. The ones that have the huge balcony, or twice as much indoor space, or in a privileged location, all for the same price as other cabins in the same category. 

 

The only way to get those is to book as early as possible. So it’s definitely advantageous to book this far out. 
 

For my next cruise, I booked as soon as the sailing was available to book. I reserved one of only two standard balcony cabins that have a HUGE balcony over the bridge and that are as big as a junior suite. Best part about booking that far out is that the price has actually gone down and we applied a new promotion that also provided onboard credit. 

Make sure that you book with a refundable fare though. Main caveat about booking this far out is that plans may change. Something that may sound awesome two years out, may not be as awesome as you approach final payment date. 

 

ok, I gotta know what/where these cabins are located! We typically book aft balconies when available, although lately we’ve gone to JS for extra points as we work to Diamond. And I have *zero* knowledge. of what to look for to gain extra space. I’d love to hear what cabins you recommend, on which ships, to take advantage of that. Thanks!

[acuprulez]

You have to book asap if you want top suites, generally. 

 

 

Look at how much star class level availability icon left at the moment to have an idea. 

[FOXTROT]

Book as early as possible, That way you can pick the cabin you want. The price is probably the lowest it will be.

[Sigyn]

I would book two years in advance

Edited April 24, 2023 by njsmom

[alfaeric]

17 hours ago, LindaD22 said:

ok, I gotta know what/where these cabins are located! We typically book aft balconies when available, although lately we’ve gone to JS for extra points as we work to Diamond. And I have *zero* knowledge. of what to look for to gain extra space. I’d love to hear what cabins you recommend, on which ships, to take advantage of that. Thanks!

For us, they are the corner aft JSs. On Radiance and vision ships, they have wrap around balconies. 

[LindaD22]

5 hours ago, alfaeric said:

For us, they are the corner aft JSs. On Radiance and vision ships, they have wrap around balconies. 

We had an aft JS on Liberty and did enjoy the space!