LAST-LAST minute cruising!!

[susycruise]

How close have you booked to your sailing date, and what made you decide to go?

[snausman]

How close have you booked to your sailing date, and what made you decide to go?

 

I have booked one week before cruise. Didn't get a get seletion in cabins but oh well got a great price.

 

Laura

[Cya@Sea]

Our next cruise coming up 9/20/08 on the Liberty of the Seas we booked August 11, 2008. We have never booked so close, but got a good price so we jumped on it.

[HighlandCruzer]

We just recently booked the Mariner on 9/28/08. I think our countdown started at 28 days.

 

We are going to be in Orlando for a conference on the 25-26 of September so we just thought why not treat ourselves to a quick get-away :)

[karisma99]

When I lived in Miami, we would book cruises about a month out. We were never picky about cabin selection and the prices were good. Once my mom started going with us, we would book a few months out so she could get a balcony cabin.

 

I liked booking closer to the cruise date, because the anticipation kills me!! A month is easier to bear than 6 months! :)

[Rancher Dave]

Our last cruise was booked 8 days and 19 hours before sailing, well manbe it was 8 days and a18 hours when accounting for the time zone difference.

 

Last week I got an email about a cruise to nowhere...that I almost booked at 11pm for a 4pm next day departure...then I decided I really needed to get work done at the office so skipped out on that trip. Besides I decided it didn't seem like enough fun to go alone in my own cabin on that specific ship.

 

In August we had a blast however it took a lot of time to plan at the very last minute...went off without a hitch so to speak, until MIL took a spill in St Thomas and has to get stiches etc...back on the ship in the infirmary.

[kruznmike]

How close have you booked to your sailing date, and what made you decide to go?

 

 

 

We've booked within 6 weeks of sailing date:) . The price made us do it!:eek:

[seychelle]

We decided to look at cruises once when we had an unexpected week off and found one that looked great leaving in 3 days. We decided to sleep on it and when we looked it up the next morning to book it, it was gone!! We called and found out they close out reservations 3 days in advance because they need that much time for the paperwork and security issues. We BEGGED, and even went down to the office, but they wouldn't budge.

 

So -- don't wait too long!!!

[Host Kewlguy]

Two weeks before sailing. We got a great price and didn't have to fly so it was doable.

[medic123]

Just booked yesterday for September 25. The prices made me do it.:D

[royalcruz]

I booked a cruise yesterday for this Thursday! I was planning to go to Orlando to the theme parks but hurt my foot and can't walk around that much. So being that I already was closing the office for a few days, I checked and found a great price on a local cruise!

[cruisinisforme]

Normally I book pretty far out, but recently I just booked the majesty 8 days before the sailing...its was a real spur of the moment decision. Now if I lived in Florida..id be doing it all the time lol

[BillfromWV]

We booked on a Friday morning in February of 2007 sailing on that Sunday, effectively 2 days before the cruise. We did it because the northwest weather was going to be in the negative 20's that week and we did not want to deal with the cold....so we went to the carribean.

Bill

[icruiz2]

We have normally always booked about a month out. We know when we are going to take a trip, but don't bother looking until around a month before. I get very good last minute rates through work.

 

This June, knowing we wanted to try Bermuda, we booked for September. That was far in advance, for us. When they asked for a deposit, we were like "Deposit??? You mean, we don't just pay in full?" (Now I have two more cruise booked for the future, and I agree with a pp who stated that the anticipation is too hard!!!)

[RicardoC]

Those last minutes "surprise cruises" sounds awesome!!!

We booked once a last minute for 2 weeks after on Carnival:eek:

I should have booked RCI but It was after our 4 year stop cruising after a bad cruise so we didn't know how RCI is better than Carnival but It was a good cruise and made us restart our cruise fever:D

I'm still 14 and could make my parents book a 3 night on Sovereign less than 1 month before in April 2008 but when I'm older I'll book last minutes twice a month:)

 

Imagine....I live near Orlando....I have Tampa(1 hour), PC(1 hour), Ft. Lauderdale(3:30 hours) and Miami(4 hours);)

[robtulipe]

We did a Serenade southern cruise to Barbados the 1st week of Feb. last year. Got home and three days later booked the Adventure southern route to Aruba for the 1st week of March which was just over three weeks before. It would have better to do B to B since it sailed one day after Serenade but return flights cost for us to San Juan for that cruise was only $239 each.

In early Sept. while on Radiance Ultimate Alaska cruise booked our Legend Eastern Med. cruise which sailed out of Rome less than two months later in early Nov. The total cost of about $1500 each for this 12 night cruise, flights and precruise and postcruise hotels (one night) convinced us to do one of our dream cruises on short notice.

Typically with us we tend to book less than three months out. I also do a search with a flight search engine like kayak before booking cruise to see what transport to embarkation port will cost so we have a good idea what the total cost will be.

[Linda/Ohio]

4-8 weeks is our norm. Every few years I have to plan ahead for a small group cruise and book about 1 year in advance. This upcoming trip was about 10 weeks out.

[Shanafan]

On our first cruise another couple joined us and he had to fly home a day early for an important meeting. He went to the airport in St Thomas and somehow the airlines screwed up his flight so they gave him a free round trip ticket to be used within a year.

 

About a week before his ticket was to expire he remembered it and they asked if we wanted to do another cruise. I remember he called on a Sunday morning and we left for Florida on Thursday.

 

This may not seem like a big deal to many, but we live in Michigan, had to find a flight from California to Michigan to fly Grandma home to stay with our three children in 3rd, 4th and 10th grades and find flights down to Florida. It all worked out and went fairly smooth considering everything we had to do in just a couple of days.

[CondoDiva]

I'm getting ready to book for Sept. 28th...19 days away, the price is awesome and my hubby and I need a getaway!! This is the 1st time I have booked so close, usually I am one of the 1st people booking when the cruise comes out!!

 

Feels sort of wierd that I will be on a cruise in 19 days.....so used to all the "planning ahead", lists, research.....etc. But I just want to throw some things in a suitcase and go!!:D

[sarakatg]

1 HOUR!!!! However, it wasn't a new booking. I was visiting my grandma on Christmas when I was 19 and she was going on a cruise the next day with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. We talked about how fun it would be if I could go along, too. So the next day, I packed my bag and went with them to the port (Long Beach). When checking in, she asked if she could add me to her room and they said it was fine! I love being spontaneous and that was definitely the best!

[Snoozeman]

1 HOUR!!!! However, it wasn't a new booking. I was visiting my grandma on Christmas when I was 19 and she was going on a cruise the next day with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. We talked about how fun it would be if I could go along, too. So the next day, I packed my bag and went with them to the port (Long Beach). When checking in, she asked if she could add me to her room and they said it was fine! I love being spontaneous and that was definitely the best!

 

Well that beats me, but I have booked within 24 hours.;)

[SPF 350Z]

We just recently booked the Mariner on 9/28/08. I think our countdown started at 28 days.

 

We are going to be in Orlando for a conference on the 25-26 of September so we just thought why not treat ourselves to a quick get-away :)

 

 

Hi there! I am also on the Mariner on 9/28. We have a lively roll call going - come on over http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=628494&page=108. We also have a meet and mingle going - 115 folks so far!:p

[cruisin4kicks]

Found a very good last minute deal on the Explorer a couple years ago. Booked on a Tuesday for a cruise that left on a Friday.

 

Tim