When to book for next cruise

[cb2367]

I've got a cruise in mind and it's most likely going to have to be in 2025. I know I've seen posts on here about never book early in order to get the best price 

 

I booked my current cruise back in February (sailing second week of September). I did call before final payment to check on price drop; there wasn't much of one, but I'm thinking price might have dropped more since I last checked.

 

I've never had the opportunity to do the vibe, and would like to check it out. I know that sells out quickly depending on the cruise destination.

 

I've never had the opportunity to do the behind the scenes tour (currently at gold level, so I don't get the free tour). There was an opportunity to book this for my current cruise, but I might have missed out on it. I'm hoping there's still a chance once onboard.

 

There's a shore excursion that I really want to do for the next cruise. Don't know how soon after booking I can start planning all of this. I guess it's a trade off between getting the lowest price possible and still being able to reserve everything you're looking to do?

[eileeshb]

29 minutes ago, cb2367 said:

I've got a cruise in mind and it's most likely going to have to be in 2025. I know I've seen posts on here about never book early in order to get the best price 

 

I booked my current cruise back in February (sailing second week of September). I did call before final payment to check on price drop; there wasn't much of one, but I'm thinking price might have dropped more since I last checked.

 

I've never had the opportunity to do the vibe, and would like to check it out. I know that sells out quickly depending on the cruise destination.

 

I've never had the opportunity to do the behind the scenes tour (currently at gold level, so I don't get the free tour). There was an opportunity to book this for my current cruise, but I might have missed out on it. I'm hoping there's still a chance once onboard.

 

There's a shore excursion that I really want to do for the next cruise. Don't know how soon after booking I can start planning all of this. I guess it's a trade off between getting the lowest price possible and still being able to reserve everything you're looking to do?

Chances are the excursion list wouldn’t be complete this early unless it’s PoA whose itinerary rarely changes.  From what I can figure most of the provider contracts seem to be renegotiated regularly and with the Caribbean ports there’s a chance of various providers getting wiped out by hurricanes. The company my parents used to get a charter yacht from in the BVIs still isn’t back to full capacity after Irma and Maria. One of the popular excursions in Alaska at Skagway (not the train) didn’t happen at all last year or this due to staff shortages. I’d say 12 months out from the start of the main season for the itinerary you’re looking for would be max list of excursions. 
I’m doing an Alaska cruise in less than 50 days and even at this late stage vibe passes are still available… but if it was a warmer weather itinerary that definitely wouldn’t be the case. 
I originally booked that cruise in January of 2022 to avoid the increased cost on the daily service charge and reductions in the FAS benefits, I then booked it for a friend in December of ‘22 and it cost about €300 less.. since then the price has bounced between those 2 figures. 

[bonvoyagie]

I usually book around 2 years out as that is usually when the fares are cheaper. I also watch prices as it gets closer to the cruise and rebook if necessary. I have only had this happen on one cruise. I lost a few perks but saved over 500.00 - on that same cruise they dropped the price again after final payment and I got the difference in FCC to use on my next cruise - that was almost 2000.00.

[hallux]

I booked my current future cruise in July and the price has gone up since I booked it.  I'm kind of hoping for a price drop before FP, and if there's a good enough drop after FP I'll ask about an upgrade to a balcony.  if I don't get either I'll still be OK, base fare was just over $100/night for a solo in a regular inside room on a 15 night PC cruise.  My recent 10 night work trip was more than that just for lodging!!

[KeithJenner]

7 hours ago, cb2367 said:

I've got a cruise in mind and it's most likely going to have to be in 2025. I know I've seen posts on here about never book early in order to get the best price 

Done believe stuff just because someone on the internet makes a sweeping statement like that. Chances are (as in this case) that doing so could potentially cost you a lot of money.

 

Depending on your circumstances, the best time to book is somewhere between a few years out and last minute. Over the years we have saved thousands by booking early. As an example, our cruise next week which was booked 18 months ago is currently sold out for most cabin categories and has been over £1000 more than we are paying for about the last year.

[mjkacmom]

I’ve always booked as far out as possible. I had kids in school so would choose a week that butted up to a school vacation. I also cared about cabin location (midship balcony, connecting cabins). We live under 15 miles from 3 cruise ports, so we can do last minute without kids.

[herbanrenewal]

Advantage of early booking include that when just-released, prices may be lower (not on brand new ships), but if prices drop or a sale with more incentives, you can rebook and get the lower rate. You can rebook for lower fares any time up to final payment date in US market but the incentive packages can vary. Really, only by waiting until after final payment date will you see lowest prices - but if its a popular cruise, the prices may be higher, or you cant get the cabin type or location you prefer. Also airfare may be highest close to sail date.

Edited August 28, 2023 by herbanrenewal

[schmoopie17]

I was surprised at the number of people on the "Never Book Early" thread a couple weeks ago. We ALWAYS book early to cabin the cabin and location we want and if the price drops before final payment all it takes is a five minute call to our PCC to get the lower payment. We've even saw price drops after final payment, in which case we got FCC. 

 

Plus (and this happened to us once before)...if NCL ends up canceling the cruise, you get even more FCC. If you wait to book, you may miss out.

 

So, I would say "Never Book Late"...

 

Edited August 28, 2023 by schmoopie17

[destar]

18 hours ago, cb2367 said:

I've got a cruise in mind and it's most likely going to have to be in 2025. I know I've seen posts on here about never book early in order to get the best price 

If you are comfortable with the price per person and other promotions book it. You have 120 days before you can cancel without any penalty. I like booking early, but I price check before final payment. On the newer ships like the Prima or Viva prices are more likely to increase.

[PhillyTravelBug]

I’m waiting until Black Friday / cyber Monday deals to book for 2025:

[SoloAlaska]

Check a week after final payment to see if the price dropped. My TA I was able to upgrade my cabin and perks and only spent 60$ more because of the price drop. So book early if that helps your schedule but always look to see if you can a bump up at the last minute. With my schedule I can do last minute trips and prefer cruises that don’t sell out so it works for me to wait.

[cruiseny4life]

I'm firmly in the camp of book late. Very late. Like after final payment late. But, my husband and I are fairly flexible with dates, itineraries, and ships. We both have passports so can go anywhere NCL goes (as any good cruiser should). All, but one of our cruises was booked within final payment date. 

 

I'll just include one of our examples, which is our most recent. We booked ten days after final payment (110ish days out from the cruise) after prices for our category dropped by about $1,000 total. Since then, our category of room has dropped $1,400 total and we're about 85'ish days from sailing. Now, part of that drop has to do with the BOGO Airfare deal going away, but that's not the entire story. 

We were happy with the price and comparable flights were triple what we paid with BOGO Air so at the end of the day, we're spending roughly the same as if we had waited until today to pay for our cruise. Each time we saved a good amount of money by booking after final payment date, but we have that flexibility, and if a cruise goes up in price, then we just search for a different cruise. We're fickle when it comes to where we go and what category of room we have.

[SoloAlaska]

39 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm firmly in the camp of book late. Very late. Like after final payment late. But, my husband and I are fairly flexible with dates, itineraries, and ships. We both have passports so can go anywhere NCL goes (as any good cruiser should). All, but one of our cruises was booked within final payment date. 

 

I'll just include one of our examples, which is our most recent. We booked ten days after final payment (110ish days out from the cruise) after prices for our category dropped by about $1,000 total. Since then, our category of room has dropped $1,400 total and we're about 85'ish days from sailing. Now, part of that drop has to do with the BOGO Airfare deal going away, but that's not the entire story. 

We were happy with the price and comparable flights were triple what we paid with BOGO Air so at the end of the day, we're spending roughly the same as if we had waited until today to pay for our cruise. Each time we saved a good amount of money by booking after final payment date, but we have that flexibility, and if a cruise goes up in price, then we just search for a different cruise. We're fickle when it comes to where we go and what category of room we have.

Haha I won’t even date a guy if he doesn’t have a passport. It’s essential for me especially since I live an hour from the border.

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, SoloAlaska said:

Haha I won’t even date a guy if he doesn’t have a passport. It’s essential for me especially since I live an hour from the border.

Someday I'm going to use my passport to see that beautiful tulip festival y'all have! I need another winter trip to Mont Tremblant and now that I know about them, some ice skating on your canals before it's too warm in the winter to do that. I'm with you on the passport being a requirement...I dated a guy once that...well he couldn't leave Montana. That didn't last long.

[schmoopie17]

10 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

 I'm with you on the passport being a requirement...I dated a guy once that...well he couldn't leave Montana. That didn't last long.

Yeah, that whole not having a passport thing kept him from leaving Montana...those border patrol guards in Idaho are sticklers for details. 😁

[cruiseny4life]

9 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Yeah, that whole not having a passport thing kept him from leaving Montana...those border patrol guards in Idaho are sticklers for details. 😁

I was extrapolating a little bit....give me some room for dramatic impact. Sheesh schmoopie! 🤡

[Grimix]

3 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

I’m waiting until Black Friday / cyber Monday deals to book for 2025:

Not sure if sarcasm (if so you got me!), but if not, NCL doesn't really do that. At least not the last 2 years I was looking...

[SoloAlaska]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

Someday I'm going to use my passport to see that beautiful tulip festival y'all have! I need another winter trip to Mont Tremblant and now that I know about them, some ice skating on your canals before it's too warm in the winter to do that. I'm with you on the passport being a requirement...I dated a guy once that...well he couldn't leave Montana. That didn't last long.

You better hurry up because this year was the first of not having the canal opened at all. The tulip festival is a great spring festival for sure. I was in the tremblant region last month and it was amazing, so beautiful. 

[PhillyTravelBug]

1 hour ago, Grimix said:

Not sure if sarcasm (if so you got me!), but if not, NCL doesn't really do that. At least not the last 2 years I was looking...

i usually wait for triple point sales and airfare and all the other crap. Lol.

[olemissreb]

My next cruise is still 18 months away. I usually book that far out so I can pay it off over time, get the cabin I want, pay for any upgrades as well as the independent excursions that I spent researching....not to mention airfare! By the time I get on board, it's just about an all-inclusive and all I have to worry about is souvenirs.

[ChiefMateJRK]

Book early and often.  You're in the US so you risk nothing until final payment date.  Some on here (myself included) make it a hobby to book/check/reprice/cancel/replace/repeat on an ongoing basis.  The fun is maximized when some itinerary that you booked only as a placeholder is cancelled by NCL and they give you a perk (10% FCC, etc) for another cruise that you actually plan to go on.  That's like free money!

[SoloAlaska]

11 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Book early and often.  You're in the US so you risk nothing until final payment date.  Some on here (myself included) make it a hobby to book/check/reprice/cancel/replace/repeat on an ongoing basis.  The fun is maximized when some itinerary that you booked only as a placeholder is cancelled by NCL and they give you a perk (10% FCC, etc) for another cruise that you actually plan to go on.  That's like free money!

Share your secrets oh smart one. This is my first NCL and hopefully I fall in love with the line. I see myself cruising at least twice a year and I’ve got a good 40 plus years of cruising left.

[ChiefMateJRK]

7 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

Share your secrets oh smart one. This is my first NCL and hopefully I fall in love with the line. I see myself cruising at least twice a year and I’ve got a good 40 plus years of cruising left.

I'm not sure how things work in the Great White North.  @YVRteachermight be more helpful.  My actions are all leveraged by NCL having fully refundable deposits here in the states right up until final payment.  Our banks used to pay us zero percent interest, so a no-brainer.  Now they pay us 5% interest, so having cash tied up with NCL has a cost.  But, what the heck, I just let it float and book NCL cruises out as far as the (booking) horizon, currently fall 2025.  Don't tell anybody this, but I currently have 14 future NCL cruises booked (actually 16, but I've been too lazy to cancel two that I have no intention of taking).  At $250 deposit per, that means that NCL has $3500 of my hard earned* money in their greedy hands and they aren't paying me a dime of interest.  Oh well.  I'm a "stock holder" (🤣), so maybe I can feel good about that? (that's a joke)  

 

*I can't back that part about "hard earned" up.😀

[phillygwm]

Two separate questions.  When do I book my cruise?  Generally, as soon as friends and I decide we want to go somewhere.  You can always rebook up to 120 days out if the price drops.  Might it go lower within 120 days?  Sure, or it might go higher.  That's happened in the case of my next cruise.  It's the poker tournament finals.  I didn't know that when I booked (neither did NCL, apparently) because I got a great price.  A balcony is showing as $1949 today pp.  I got mine through CAS but a second one cost $809.  

 

Excursions are a different matter.  As stated previously, not all excursions are listed far in advance.  I usually check those on an ongoing basis.  If my heart is set on a certain excursion, I'll book it when I see it.  Those prices don't vary much anyway.  But if nothing particularly strikes my fancy, I'll leave it alone and check closer to sail date or check an outside vendor.

Edited August 29, 2023 by phillygwm