Advantages to early booking for 2009

[Frankie Sue]

Hi everyone:

 

I have just received an email telling us that the 2009 Schedule for Amadeus River Cruises has come out and dates are available for booking.

 

We are looking at a 2009 Fall Itinerary, 15 days Amsterdam to Budapest.

 

Can you tell me if there are any advantages to booking this early and if we do, will Amadeus match any lower prices for the same itinerary, advertised between now and final payment.

 

I look forward to receiving your comments.

 

Frankie Sue

[Benita]

We booked our Amadeus Tulip time cruise about a year ago and got one of the last cabins available - they were sold out more than six months in advance. The advantage is getting the cabin catagory you want on the date you want. The ships are small - it is not like the large ocean liners that may have some availability close to sailing and drop the price.

[Frankie Sue]

Thanks Benita, we may just wait until all the Cruise Companies have brought out their schedules and then decide.

 

I appreciate your help.

 

Frankie Sue

[MVPinBoynton]

Frankie Sue,

One thing that made me comfortable booking early with Amadeus is there "Worry Free" insurance. With it you can cancel for any reason almost up until the cruise date for any reason. If you do cancel, you can use your prior payments as credit for another Amadeus cruise. Since Amadeus has such a good reputation, that seems like a great deal to me.

 

By booking early you also get an early booking discount of I believe 5%. Also remember that AARP members receive a $100 per person discount.

 

My main reason for booking early was to be sure to have a cabin. In the past when I have waited to look for river cruises, they were always sold out very early. Plus now with the euro getting more expensive every day, I didn't want the price to go up.

[Benita]

Online travel agencies are not allowed to post lower prices than the cruise line. You need to ask for a quote to get the real price- this can be either done online or by phone.