holding out for price drop

[karen of PA]

My husband and I took our first cruise on the CB last July. We loved it so much that we are planning a family cruise on the CB in June 2007. We got a great deal last year about two months before the cruise.

 

I'm getting nervous and wondering if we should book now because we will be needing 5 rooms in the same general area. I was hoping the price would go down but it hasn't so far. Is there any way of knowing how many cabins are still available on a ship?

 

Thanks for your help! I have learned so much on these boards.

 

Karen

[dforeigner]

A major draw back of waiting until the last moment is that the choice of rooms available may not be that great. Meaning that in your particular case, you need five rooms. The odds are against having all five rooms nearby.

[justkidding]

If you need five rooms and want ANY kind of chance of getting them together, you need to book now.

 

Many people book cruises 1 year out. If you can't afford to be scattered throughout the ship, book and keep an eye on prices. If they go down before you make final payment, call your travel agent and ask him/her to get the price reduction for you.

[Colo Cruiser]

Needing that many cabins I would not wait that long. The chances of them being in the same general area is slim and none that close to the cruise especialy in June. :)

[Pam in CA]

Let's see... when we booked our Golden cruise for next month last September, we got the last outside cabins of any kind on the ship -- wound up booking mini's since they were the only ones. It's not at all unusual for a Princess cruise to book solid with a waiting list a year in advance. Yes, a few cruises are discounted and yes, there is always the very slight possibility that pricing will come down. But it's very unusual. If you were booking only one cabin and if the ship were full, it wouldn't be the end of the world. But since you're booking five and want them near each other, I would book TONIGHT. Run, don't walk, to your TA to book the cabins 'cause if you wait, chances are very good that: a) you won't get cabins near each other; and b) one or more of you will be waitlisted and possibly not even get a cabin. I don't know the availability of cabins right now but I would definitely not wait.

[TrojanJulez]

We booked our upcoming Alaska cruise more than a year in advance because we needed 3 cabins together (and each is for 3-people). I have been checking the Princess site every week or so to watch for a price drop... so far it has increased by $100. Maybe it will drop again as we get even closer, but if you have your heart set on this cruise, this ship, this date, and 5 rooms, I would really be nervous about waiting any longer... Good luck!

[Coolmama_1]

If it were just you, you might play the waiting game. Needing several staterooms is a different story. Will you still want to go if the price does not drop? Go ahead and book and enjoy!

[Coolmama_1]

If it were just you, you might play the waiting game. Needing several staterooms is a different story. Will you still want to go if the price does not drop? Go ahead and book and enjoy!

[Coolmama_1]

darn computer!

[Nana G]

Book now! You can always monitor Princess boards for lower price, call Princess and they will adjust. It is as all the above say, very hard to book cabins together!

[iluvcruzin]

Since you mentioned 5 cabins, I would go ahead and book now. Then watch the pricing between now and when you sail and if it drops, ask for an adjustment.

 

From my experience with Princess, they drop the pricing around the 60 day out mark to fill up the ship if it's not full. Also, check using your past passenger signon as the prices can be lower. I had a booking that I switched the pricing with just this week for a sailing a little over 60 days out. Princess honored the price drop. (yes.. I know for others about to chime in that some special pricing are for new bookings only).

 

As far as availability, the Princess website shows a segment of what's available on a sailing. But you can ask your TA how much % shows overall availability.