last minute booking with family of 4

[Cruising Aussie Mum]

We have been on a couple of cruises and have really enjoyed them. For our next cruise we are considering not booking until 2 or 3 months ahead of time and just seeing how good of a deal we can get. We know that to do this we will need to be very open-minded.

Our criteria are: *the cruise needs to be no shorter than 7 days *we would like the ship to be 4 1/2 or 5 stars *it needs to leave from a US mainland port *we would be open to any cabin, even an inside, if the price is right *must have children's programs.

2 possible glitches: We are a family of 4 with 2 young children, so we need a room for 4. We would be hoping to be cruising on my husband's birthday, which usually falls around Thanksgiving weekend.

Finally, we usually book far in advance (like 12 months) and get an early bird special anyway, are the last minute prices much better than the early birds?

Would love to hear from people who have some experience or knowledge in this area. Thank you in advance!:)

[lvtotrvl1]

The only major problem I see in your plans is needing a quad over Thanksgiving. Quads usually get sold very quickly when kids are out of school. If not sold out the cruiselines will usually limit the amount of quads sold on the sailing. This year cruises are filling quickly over the holidays.

[Already In Love]

I don't know the answer to this for sure, because I am not a seasoned cruiser (in fact I'm leaving for my first cruise in 4 days) BUT

 

I booked this cruise for my family of 4 in March or April (I can't actually remember now!) and I have been watching the prices since then (not checking every day but at least once or twice a week) and the prices have not come down any lower.

 

I got in for $529 per adult and $149 per child (7 night, inside cabin). I've seen adult prices come back down to $549 (and be as high as in the 700+) but the child prices have gone up. so there has never been a better deal. Prices have infact been bad for the last 2 mo.

 

just my one-time observation, may not usually hold true, i don't know.

[Cruising Aussie Mum]

Thanks lvtotrvl1 and Already In Love for your very quick replies! I am a bit concerned about the quad cabin issue, especially around Thanksgiving. It sounds like maybe the last minute deals really aren't any better than the early birds anyway. While I kind of like the idea of being adventurous and leaving it until the last minute, maybe it's not really worth the risk if there's no big savings anyway?:confused:

[Marlissa]

Thanks lvtotrvl1 and Already In Love for your very quick replies! I am a bit concerned about the quad cabin issue, especially around Thanksgiving. It sounds like maybe the last minute deals really aren't any better than the early birds anyway. While I kind of like the idea of being adventurous and leaving it until the last minute, maybe it's not really worth the risk if there's no big savings anyway?:confused:

 

I would be concerned about the quad cabin also. Why not book what you want early and watch for price drops. From what I have seen, most cruise lines will give you a price adjustment until you have made final payment (which for our upcoming Thanksgiving cruise, was around the first of September).

[kitty9]

Prices in many cases have actually been going up the closer you get to the sail date, so waiting, in many cases, is a bad idea. I know my cruise, which is coming up shortly, is now more than $400 pp more than when I first booked. And even if the prices drop if you book early, you can always get the lower price, as long as it's before final payment. But as others said, quad cabins sell out first, as there aren't many of those to be had.

[wrp96]

Waiting until the last minute to book in order to get a deal only works if you are flexible. Since you want to go a particular week (and that happens to be a popular week to cruise), you need a quad cabin (maximum capacity issues come into play), you are particular about the length of the cruise and the type of ship you go on, then you really would be taking a risk in not booking early.

 

Yes, there are last minute deals to be had out there, but being flexible is the key to get those deals.

[GottaLuvCruising]

I would be concerned about the quad cabin also. Why not book what you want early and watch for price drops. From what I have seen, most cruise lines will give you a price adjustment until you have made final payment (which for our upcoming Thanksgiving cruise, was around the first of September).

 

Much wiser course of action! Find the ship, stateroom, itinerary that really works for you and your family, then take advantage of early booking discounts. Keep an eye on the fare and ask for an adjustment in the unlikely event that it decreases or there is a promotion. Waiting until the last minute and hoping to find a quad is very risky indeed.

 

What is the OP's resource for the ship's star rating? Generally a product that is considered "five star" would not be a good choice for families with children. Mass market cruise lines are far more likely to have great children's programming...as well as quad staterooms.

[newmexicoNita]

i think you have your answer: it isn't necessary to book a year out, but if you want that quad you will need to be thinking 6 months out as they do go fast and many times the price doesn't really fluxuate that much. If you book, watch the prices and indeed they do drop you can always get an adjustment. BTW, all ships have kids programs; the largest cabins are on Carnival ships. HAL also has larger one but they do not have the best kids programs. Just a thought.

 

NMNita

[BobbiOh]

I'll add another knot to this....

 

The week of Thanksgiving are the most heavily traveled days of the entire year. We, in the travel industry, refer to the Wednesday before Thanksgiving as "Black Wednesday". So, unless you're leaving from your hometown port, you'd have a hard time getting the airfare for the cruise.

 

Anything within the domestic US for Thanksgiving week, I usually recommend planning well in advance.

 

Bobbi

[Cruising Aussie Mum]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all of you taking the time to reply to this post. It sounds like booking in advance is definitely the way to go. Maybe I'll consider the last minute option again someday when the children are grown and we no longer need a quad (and also not on Thanksgiving weekend). Thanks again!:)

[fun*n*sun]

I don't have a lot of experience with cruising, but I do with traveling. One thing you might want to think about is being able to get decent airfare if you are leaving from a port you have to fly to. Thanksgiving time is an expensive and busy time to fly and it might be difficult to get airfare at the last minute at the times/days you want. The cost of airfare could well negate any possible last minute savings on the cruise.