Book cruise how far in advance?

[relo854]

Seems like people have already book their cruises from the 2008 season. This is our first cruise and we're planning on late May/ early June..sounds like it's almost too late to book???? How much in advance do people book a cruise (for future cruises)?

[GMoney]

It's not too late for 2008. Because the AK season is so short, and there are a smaller # of ships sailing there, people tend to plan further ahead than they might for the Caribbean.

 

I booked my B2B cruises for last Sept only a month in advance - but I could afford to be very flexible, and Sept is the shoulder season. Fortunately, both my land and sea trips worked out perfectly.

 

I would advise booking excursions early, as they will tend to go fast.

 

Alaska is a trip of a lifetime, as as Budget Queen states, there are no "practice runs." Plan well, plan early, and have a great time.

[ruecatt]

We too are sailing at the end of May 2008. I have already booked by cruise and excursions. I wanted to have a good choice of cabins and if you wait too long there won't be much choice if any. I would start booking as soon as you can. Its never too early.

[australian_girl]

I booked 11/1 for my cruise which departs 9/3/08. :)

[relo854]

Is it true that if you book WAY in advance, the price is alot less expensive? A friend went on an Alaskan cruise August 2008 and said they paid over $2000 less than a quote I got for a cruise in June 2008. They cruise all the time...I'm wondering if they booked a year in advance and got such a good price??? This cruise was the 2nd time they used this particular cruise line.

[Italy52]

This will be our 3rd cruise to Alaska and we have already booked for May '08. We book early for a number of reasons: prices tend to be a little cheaper in the early part of the season (however, they can also be cheaper if you book later and can catch a sale), we want a particular cabin, we use Frequent Flyer miles to book our airfare, we use hotel points for our hotel stays and we use car rental coupon to get discounts that are not available to use during the blackout periods (later on in the season).

 

Alaska definitely takes planning as anyone on the board will tell you. Take a look at your whole cruise/travel process and figure what works best for YOU.

 

Enjoy planning your cruise.

[isles1]

I can really only speak to NCL cruises in May 2008:

 

Personally, I booked my trip back in August of this year. At that time, prices were about 15% less than they are now, and almost all categories were open for the choosing. About two weeks ago, all but two inside cabin categories were sold out, no oceanviews were left, and only BA balconies available. All suites except AF remain. Not sure if TAs booked a lot of blocks of rooms or something along those lines, but this disappearing act happened almost overnight.

[isles1]

We book early for a number of reasons: prices tend to be a little cheaper in the early part of the season (however, they can also be cheaper if you book later and can catch a sale), we want a particular cabin, we use Frequent Flyer miles to book our airfare, we use hotel points for our hotel stays and we use car rental coupon to get discounts that are not available to use during the blackout periods (later on in the season).

 

Alaska definitely takes planning as anyone on the board will tell you. Take a look at your whole cruise/travel process and figure what works best for YOU.

 

Enjoy planning your cruise.

I booked early for the same reasons.

[Spikesgirl]

We booked our Alaska cruise a month and a half before we left - ended up with a tiny room way down in the bowels of the ship with just a port hole, but we were delighted with it. The latter you book, the fewer choices you will have. It's possible to not book until a few months before, but then it's a gamble if they will have what you want (cabin, dining room availability, etc).

 

Just for the record, we booked our 10/10/08 (Tahiti) cruise in July '07 and are getting ready to work on our '09 (Egypt) cruise.

 

Charlie

[GORDONCHICK]

I would say that for a first cruise, booking in as far advance as you can would be the best way to go. Lots of time to plan and research. And Alaska is very much in demand, so those book faster than most others. Also, since you need a cabin to sleep three, that is yet another reason to book early. There are fewer of those cabins, and when they're gone, they're gone. A true travel agent who specializes in cruises might be a great safety net for your first cruise. Talk to people you know who have cruised and used a TA. We cannot recommend any TAs here on CC, as it is against the rules.

 

One tip though - since you are wanting to do a one way cruise, seriously consider doing a land trip before boarding the ship. You might as well see as much as you can while you're there.

[dhmom99]

As long as you can book 2-3 months before hand, it will never be too late for the cruise ship. But if you are going on some land excursion, especially those popular ones, you may want to act as soon as possible.