Celebrity booking early vs close to sailing

[Cruise till you drop]

We generally like to book 1.5 to 2 years in advance (or sometimes longer), mainly to get our choice of rooms and because we want a specific sailing and get it on the books.

 

Wondering what you prefer

1) book early on or wait closer to sailing time

2) why is that your preference 

[chemmo]

4 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

We generally like to book 1.5 to 2 years in advance (or sometimes longer), mainly to get our choice of rooms and because we want a specific sailing and get it on the books.

 

Wondering what you prefer

1) book early on or wait closer to sailing time

2) why is that your preference 

Early.
 

We usually book higher suites and in our experience they are the rooms that can go quickly (only a few of each) and having monitored over many years they tend to go up in price…

[kokopelli-az]

We always book early (a year or more out) because we need an accessible stateroom.   These staterooms are booked quickly.  

The prices usually went down in the past and we would rebook at the lower price; however, more recently the prices have only gone up.   Way up.   

[neverlaysup]

We tend to book last minute (within 3 months of departure). Perhaps we are not the planners we used to be but retirement has allowed us to literally pick up and go when we feel like it. When we were working, because of the way we bid vacation, we booked at least a year out. Now we can search all the fun last minute bargains and just book and go. We realize our cabin options may be limited but the cabin location is not as important to us as others say it is to them. We have landed some steals over the last two year on both X and some other ultra premium lines so we have been having fun. 

Edited August 14, 2023 by neverlaysup

[Jim_Iain]

Usually book very early or on occasion very late if see a really good deal.

 

Much of the time  I book when they are first released and am able to get price adjustments if the prices all.   Most of the time the prices go up.

[wenlyn]

I tend to wait until 60 days before and look for a cruise deal that seems good. We tend to book ordinary balcony cabins. If we wanted a specific itinerary or were planning for a special occasion we would consider an early booking but usually, we just want a break and aren't overly fussy so long as we can afford it. (which is getting harder as everything seems to have gone up but that's life in 2023)

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, Cruise till you drop said:

We generally like to book 1.5 to 2 years in advance (or sometimes longer), mainly to get our choice of rooms and because we want a specific sailing and get it on the books.

 

Wondering what you prefer

1) book early on or wait closer to sailing time

2) why is that your preference 

 

We typically book out about 2 years in advance (when the schedules are first released) because we have a specific cruise date, ship, and cabin in mind.

[lola2013]

Definitely early.  Waiting until closer to the sail dates leaves the possibility of higher airfare and less availability at hotels.

[Stockjock]

I book early to very early.  I always do a refundable deposit, one way or the other.  As we get closer to final payment, if the price drops, I'll ask to be rebooked or for an upgrade or OBC.  But I want to lock things in early, as prices often increase.

That said, I did recently book a short cruise not too far from the sail date under their "Amazing Deals" offer, which I think are about their lowest priced offerings.

Edited August 14, 2023 by Stockjock

[SmilingOctopus]

In my opinion, the best for me so far has been to book early when I need to fly transatlantic to the departure port. Since flights and hotels indeed go up a lot when closer to the date.

 

While when I'm looking for a cruise close by, last minutes have worked out quite well.

Managed a really good deal just last week for a September cruise for example.

 

It's just my way of going about it, but booking very early makes a lot of sense too, when its refundable.

Especially given the current prices which are going higher then ever...

[chemmo]

4 minutes ago, SmilingOctopus said:

In my opinion, the best for me so far has been to book early when I need to fly transatlantic to the departure port. Since flights and hotels indeed go up a lot when closer to the date.

 

While when I'm looking for a cruise close by, last minutes have worked out quite well.

Managed a really good deal just last week for a September cruise for example.

 

It's just my way of going about it, but booking very early makes a lot of sense too, when its refundable.

Especially given the current prices which are going higher then ever...

The other benefit of booking early is it gives you longer to look forward to your cruise😀

[SmilingOctopus]

10 minutes ago, chemmo said:

The other benefit of booking early is it gives you longer to look forward to your cruise😀

And nowadays, it gives you longer to see more and more good things disappear, while looking forward to your cruise 😄

Jokes aside, you make a fair point any way

Edited August 14, 2023 by SmilingOctopus
typo

[RTShaker]

The downside of early booking is you stand a greater chance of your cruise itinerary being changed, removed, or chartered, leaving you scrambling for alternatives. That said, I still book as early as I can.

[chemmo]

7 minutes ago, RTShaker said:

The downside of early booking is you stand a greater chance of your cruise itinerary being changed, removed, or chartered, leaving you scrambling for alternatives. That said, I still book as early as I can.

We tend to book with the proviso that we have a ‘provisional’ booking until about 9 months out…that tends to be the time we commit to flights, hotels etc. Like many we accept that itineraries may need to change owing to several factors some of which may be out of Celebrity’s control…

[Traveling Fools]

Depends on the reason for the cruise....Special occasion like an anniversary early.  We might not end up with the ship we want, but end up with the desired itinerary and itinerary. 

4 hours ago, SmilingOctopus said:

In my opinion, the best for me so far has been to book early when I need to fly transatlantic to the departure port. Since flights and hotels indeed go up a lot when closer to the date.

 

Booking airfare can only be done 9-12 months out, no sooner.

[Mark_K]

It may change with the new deposit policies, but we usually booked just before and after the final payment date.

[chemmo]

5 hours ago, Mark_K said:

It may change with the new deposit policies, but we usually booked just before and after the final payment date.

I think where you live can influence this…We have UK friends with a condo in Florida and they never pre book a cruise going from anywhere in Florida. They just look for last minute offers, pack a bag and off they go…No great deals and they simply enjoy all Fort Lauderdale has to offer…A hard life!

[Traveling Fools]

15 hours ago, Traveling Fools said:

Depends on the reason for the cruise....Special occasion like an anniversary early.  We might not end up with the ship we want, but end up with the desired itinerary and itinerary. 

 

 Should read itinerary and suite.

[Traveling Fools]

8 hours ago, chemmo said:

I think where you live can influence this…We have UK friends with a condo in Florida and they never pre book a cruise going from anywhere in Florida. They just look for last minute offers, pack a bag and off they go…No great deals and they simply enjoy all Fort Lauderdale has to offer…A hard life!

 Back in another day and another life I lived and worked in Islamorada.  One of the wealthy owners had places in Miami and Islamorada.  His wife was on the fast dial of several travel agents who would let her know of any last minute cruise deals.  This was the mid-80's, so different rules were in play.  Like you said....a hard life, I'm sure well earned.

[CNSfromHI]

 

On 8/14/2023 at 10:11 AM, Cruise till you drop said:

We generally like to book 1.5 to 2 years in advance (or sometimes longer), mainly to get our choice of rooms and because we want a specific sailing and get it on the books.

 

Wondering what you prefer

1) book early on or wait closer to sailing time

2) why is that your preference 

We book early, usually 9-12 months out, because we both work so we need to plan for that, as well as the fact that it gives us plenty of time to monitor flight costs. We're both picky about our cabin location, too.

 

That said, we both receive the incessant Celebrity emails offering "the greatest sales in history (until the next one)" and I notice the flash-sale/discounted stuff. Assuming cabin choices are limited by then, I still wonder about the bargain-aspect of booking last-minute. Perhaps once we both retire? 🤔

 

Great Q @Cruise till you drop and thank you for posting it.

 

cjr