Best time to book?

[loukins]

If I am looking to go on a cruise this Summer to Europe, when is the best time to book. I really when can I get the best deal. There is 16 of us going. Should I not wait too long? Where can I go to compare the best prices etc?

[lvtotrvl1]

You should book as soon as possible..Last year most European cruises sold out very quickly.

[Cruzman]

Ditto on booking sooner rather than later. Start your search on the cruise line's individual websites. Some of the agencies that advertise on this board have online search engines also. Click on one of their ads and see what they offer.

[NAS-KARR]

Book right now.....whats a couple of bucks one way or another ????

CIAO,

[10X]

We just booked a 31 night cruise that starts 4/7/08. We booked 19 months in advance and, with our friends, got the last 3 balcony cabins the travel agent had in her inventory. A check of the Princess website shows that this cruise is already almost sold out. There aren't any suites, mini-suites, or balcony cabins available, and most of the outside cabins are gone as well.

 

Book NOW, it's never too early. Prices will only go up as the cruise gets closer and begins to fill up. The days of last minute deals are few and far between with most cruises now selling out.

 

Denny

[fann1sh]

Are the 16 of you neatly arranged in 8 cabins of 2?

If there's more than 2 people in some cabins - if you want to be on the same area of the same deck - it may already be too late for 2007.

I sense you're hoping for last minute deals.

It's true you sometimes see fabulous last minute prices...with 2 catches...They're usually the "leftover" cabins no one else wanted (under the disco, far forward where there's thruster noise early morning.) And, that $399 bargain cruise is going to require a last minute $2,999 flight!

Especially beware of "deals" on European cruises which start in one port and end in another. Open jaw airfare can be brutally expensive, making the cruise company's own air a better option (perhaps the only time it is!) Better yet if you can get a one way discount air "hop", or a train return to your original city, and book a regular return flight.

Also, do you want to take advantage of frequent flyer or credit card "points" for discount air fare? Check now to see availability, and what rules apply.

It's only if you have the extra time to plan/wait/lurk and pounce on flight deals that you're going to get as good a price on the flight as on the cruise. For Europe, cruise costs are all about the whole package.

[GORDONCHICK]

When booking a group, large or small, the sooner the better. As others have mentioned, the choice cabins go quickly and the European cruise market is selling big, partially because of the ratio of the Euro to the USD. It's a great deal for the Europeans to cruise the popular "American" lines (based in USA but foreign flagged). It's my understanding that the "American" lines are know for having better service (more pampering) as a whole than the European ones because that's what we expect. Not to say that there aren't foreign lines that do pamper, but that was a generalization.

 

Book asap to get the cabins you want.

[Soccerfan]

Hi,

 

Book as soon as possible.

 

We booked 12 months in advance for our cruise in the Med for June 07.

 

I shopped around and found a group cruise rate being offered by one of the agencies that are listed on Cruise Critic. However, the group is not a Cruise Critic group sailing.

 

We are now 7 months away from our Med cruise and if we were to book today directly with Carnival the cost is $1000 ( yes, $1000, not $100) more than what we paid. That is per person so we have saved $2000 on this cruise fare in an 8B cabin. The site is not showing any availability any more for 8B cabins on this sailing.

Friends who booked a 4A cabin have saved $500 per cabin over prices now.

 

Investing the time in investigating can save you a lot of $$

 

Best of Luck :)