Last Minute Booking - Would you do it again?

[homeofthehound]

What is the closest to sailing you have booked for a last minute cruise? Did you encounter any issues that made you regret booking so close to the sailing date? We aren't big excursion people so having limited options won't bother us but I am wondering what else (if anything?) might cause us extra stress and make it frustrating? (Looking at a itinerary that leaves in 5 days and flights are not an issue)

[Mary229]

I am retired with no pets or other dependents.  If flights and prior obligations don’t prevent me I would go anytime.  We have often packed up and gotten in the car and headed out to parts unknown.  Cruising is even easier 😁

[*Miss G*]

I’ve done several last-minute bookings, the latest being the week before sailing.  I don’t have any regrets because I know in advance that room choices will be limited.  Happily, I cannot think of any frustrations which would prevent me from doing it again.

[3kidsplayingball]

We booked four days before departure. The only regret is that I didn't have enough time to research each port. It still turned out to be a great trip!

[cruiseaholic777]

I booked 2 weeks before the cruise. But I was already booked on the same ship the week after. I just made it a 14 day cruise. My only problem was changing my flight to Florida.

[Shmoo here]

4 hours ago, homeofthehound said:

What is the closest to sailing you have booked for a last minute cruise? Did you encounter any issues that made you regret booking so close to the sailing date? We aren't big excursion people so having limited options won't bother us but I am wondering what else (if anything?) might cause us extra stress and make it frustrating? (Looking at a itinerary that leaves in 5 days and flights are not an issue)

We booked on a Thursday night for a Sunday cruise.  Just a short one, and drivable to the port.  No regrets at all.  

[Mum2Mercury]

We booked a low-cost, last-minute cruise about 5 weeks out.  Wasn't a difficulty for us because 1) we're retired, 2) we are close enough to drive to the port, 3) we didn't plan any excursions or other specialty items for that cruise -- just being onboard was enough. 

[CDNPolar]

We booked our December (2023) cruise only 2 weeks before.

 

I think that all went smoothly including getting the seats we wanted on the flights.

 

The only glitch that worried us was that when we arrived at the destination airport the agent for our cruise did not have us on the manifest, but said since we booked late, that is probably why...

 

Then at the ship, we were not in the computer for checkin...  but then someone came with a list and we were on that.

 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

21 hours ago, homeofthehound said:

What is the closest to sailing you have booked for a last minute cruise? Did you encounter any issues that made you regret booking so close to the sailing date? We aren't big excursion people so having limited options won't bother us but I am wondering what else (if anything?) might cause us extra stress and make it frustrating? (Looking at a itinerary that leaves in 5 days and flights are not an issue)

In 2021, I purchased a cruise ship cabin on Tuesday for a Sunday sailing, so 5 days.  The only minor complication was that I needed a test for you-know-what that I purchased at the same time and arrived the next day.  I used points for the last-minute flights and I had plenty of those.

[AKJonesy]

Yes, I would do it again.  The latest I booked was 3 days prior.  I once booked a Holland America cruise while sitting in Sky Club in LAX.  It was a 2 week cruise that began in Auckland and ended in Sydney.  We spent 10 days in advance of that trip in New Zealand driving around the country.  

[Hlitner]

We book a lot of cruises (with many different lines) and sometimes book far in advance, but there are plenty of times we do last minute bookings.  Why?  The last minute trips usually take advantage of excellent deals and are so much fun.  The latest we booked was a HAL Baltic cruise (round trip from Copenhagen) that I booked about 8 days prior to the trip.  DW was in our kitchen making dinner, and I spotted an excellent deal on the back to back cruises (I think it was two 12 day voyages) and quickly found a good last minute air business class deal.  Within seconds I had booked the cruise and air.  I than went to our kitchen and mentioned to DW that we were going away, next week, for a few weeks in northern Europe.  Without missing a beat she said "Ok," and then, "what's the weather forecast?"

 

We generally do not book cruise line excursions (we prefer DIY) so that was not an issue.  We did need to book tours for our 2 days in St Petersburg, but that was easily done with a local tour provider (on line) who immediately e-mailed us the necessary documents to clear Russian immigration.

 

Hank

[KBS1607]

Oh my gosh and my travel agent couldn’t believe it when I booked an Alaska cruise in April for that summer. 
 

 

[George C]

When living in New York City in the 70’s I booked a cruise to nowhere on Friday that left on Saturday, did this twice, 2 or 3 day cruise 

[Nebr.cruiser]

We generally book at least a couple of months in advance.  Last year we booked a cruise from Galveston just a few days before sailing because it was so cheap, and we otherwise had to wait in South Texas to complete a dentist appointment.  Be on a cruise for a week in a balcony for less than a week in a hotel?  No brainer.  The cruise was around $500 pp.

 

The only problem was getting last minute air (we use miles) into Houston and the very long transfer to Galveston.  Also, returning, long, long layover due to flight schedules.  But it was a great cruise.

[sullaRaffaello]

Booked on a Friday morning for the Sunday (2 days later). Got a minimum rate inside single cabin. No need for a flight since I live in north Jersey and the ship was out of NY. Just a bus ride from my town. I would definitely do it again.

[wolft927]

We booked 4 days out when our 9 night NCL out of Port Canaveral got cancelled due to a Hurricane. We ended up on the Symphony of the Seas on a Saturday. The only down side was we could not select our dining time and got stuck with anytime dining which we did not want as we prefer not to have to wait for a table. also as we drive to the port we had to book a hotel last minute for the night before which was an issue as most hotel were booked solid. Ended up staying the pre cruise night by the airport which we always prefer to be across from Biscayne marketplace. 

[Lois R]

Good thread actually😀 I am trying to find a last minute cruise......and just cannot find one that is calling my name saying "Buy Me".  We are in the middle of February.........I am looking for March or April. I will keep looking.

[mandymay]

On 2/15/2024 at 1:25 PM, Lois R said:

Good thread actually😀 I am trying to find a last minute cruise......and just cannot find one that is calling my name saying "Buy Me".  We are in the middle of February.........I am looking for March or April. I will keep looking.

Not sure whether you would consider Seabourn Lois but they have some good solo prices at the moment.

18th April for 23 nights veranda on the Odessey Japan to Vancouver $6493 + tax

24th March 39 nights veranda on the Sojourn Taiwan to Singapore $12596 + tax

24th March 11 nights o/v on Quest Mia to Canary Isles $3896 + tax

There are more ........

Sue

[Lois R]

10 minutes ago, mandymay said:

Not sure whether you would consider Seabourn Lois but they have some good solo prices at the moment.

18th April for 23 nights veranda on the Odessey Japan to Vancouver $6493 + tax

24th March 39 nights veranda on the Sojourn Taiwan to Singapore $12596 + tax

24th March 11 nights o/v on Quest Mia to Canary Isles $3896 + tax

There are more ........

Sue

Hi Sue, thanks so much and yes, I looked at Seabourne. If the ship is on a  crossing ending in the Canary Islands, do you fly home from Lisbon?

[Lois R]

34 minutes ago, mandymay said:

Not sure whether you would consider Seabourn Lois but they have some good solo prices at the moment.

18th April for 23 nights veranda on the Odessey Japan to Vancouver $6493 + tax

24th March 39 nights veranda on the Sojourn Taiwan to Singapore $12596 + tax

24th March 11 nights o/v on Quest Mia to Canary Isles $3896 + tax

There are more ........

Sue

Hi again, I called the cruise line and you fly home from the Canary Islands but with 2 stops and even that one way flight is VERY $$$$..........I will keep looking for something closer to home for this one. 

[mandymay]

7 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi Sue, thanks so much and yes, I looked at Seabourne. If the ship is on a  crossing ending in the Canary Islands, do you fly home from Lisbon?

No ,its off the coast of Spain I"LPA "airport code via Madrid, weather should be glorious.........

 

Seaboun Ovation 14th April 12 nights veranda ,Mia & ends in Lisbon $8207 + tax (ouch !)

[Lois R]

2 minutes ago, mandymay said:

No ,its off the coast of Spain I"LPA "airport code via Madrid, weather should be glorious.........

 

Seaboun Ovation 14th April 12 nights veranda ,Mia & ends in Lisbon $8207 + tax (ouch !)

Thanks.....yes, the rep told me that on the phone. 

[Hlitner]

31 minutes ago, mandymay said:

No ,its off the coast of Spain I"LPA "airport code via Madrid, weather should be glorious.........

 

Seaboun Ovation 14th April 12 nights veranda ,Mia & ends in Lisbon $8207 + tax (ouch !)

That spring cruise to the Canaries is somewhat of a Seabourn tradition (we did it 2 years ago) and there is generally some similar crossing itinerary every year.  I believe, as a rule, the cruise generally has a segment with disembarkation in Lisbon (we stayed aboard for the following segment which ended in Monte Carlo.  What makes it somewhat unusual is that there are multiple stops in the Canary Islands.  It is a popular itinerary since it embarks in the USA (avoiding the cost of round trip air to Europe) and those of us who love sea days covet this kind of cruise.

 

Hank

[lynncarol]

Our best last-minute cruise was in 2014 on a mega-yacht for a 17 day cruise of the Black Sea through (the now defunct) Vantage Cruises. 2 months before the cruise was to begin, Russia annexed Crimea and apparently many folks cancelled as we received a notice from Vantage extolling a huge price drop.  I called Vantage and asked, "Is the reason this price is so low because the Crimea situation resulted in a lot of cancellations?" After a long pause the agent replied, "Well, perhaps, but adventurous cruisers like yourself are currently filling the empty spots".  He probably meant 'cheap-skates' but who cared. I made the booking and as airfare was included, no hassles at all. Plus, we ended up being the only passenger vessel in the Black Sea and were welcomed warmly everywhere...even in Sochi Russia.

[momofmeg]

On 2/10/2024 at 11:19 AM, homeofthehound said:

What is the closest to sailing you have booked for a last minute cruise? Did you encounter any issues that made you regret booking so close to the sailing date? We aren't big excursion people so having limited options won't bother us but I am wondering what else (if anything?) might cause us extra stress and make it frustrating? (Looking at a itinerary that leaves in 5 days and flights are not an issue)

We have done a few.  The shortest was within a week of sailing a little 3 day cruise out of Pt. Canaveral that we got for $99 a person back 2001.om RCI Sovereign of the Seas It was after 911 which was why it was so cheap. Many people had canceled their cruises. we, ourselves, enjoyed the break and getting our minds off what had happened. except in Nassau, they had armed soldiers with machine guns all over the port, I hated that, but knew it was for our safety.

 

 Now, Florida residents can get great last-minute deals. When we did a partial Panama Canal cruise on HAL, one dinner mate was a lawyer who had booked last minute. He lived in Ft. Lauderdale.  He said it was an inside cabin below ocean level he joked but he got it for almost nothing and he was in it solo. The ports charges were more than the fare.

 

Now when we booked our Celebrity cruise line Italy cruise we took in 2012, we had an ocean view stateroom which was $2000 each for the 12-day cruise. My daughter and her friend booked an inside for $1600 each. Well, that was when that Costa shop listed, and all those people died. Suddenly people were canceling the Med. cruises.  We ended up in a suite and our daughter in a balcony.