Why Book A Cruise Early?

[travelntreats]

Many of the big drops are after final payment and for "new bookings only". Having been the victim of this and paying a HUGE amount (over a thousand dollars) more than I would have if I had waited until about 60 days prior to the cruise, I have learned my lesson. On Celebrity, I now book last minute. Things may change once the economy gets better, but at present, this is the way to go.

For those that are flexible and are not concerned where their stateroom is going to be or are willing to take the risk of the type of accommodation not being available or if they are hoping to find a stateroom that can accommodate 4 passengers....your theory is without fault, but if any of the above concern you... this is not the way to book your cruise ! :rolleyes:

[Tigrou]

We always plan well in advance to ensure that we get the accomodations that we want. We booked our Feb 2010 cruise this past December; our CC cabin has increased $1000 pp since then and that category (in fact, all veranda cabins) are sold out. We lucked out booking early.

 

I thought it was crazy booking our Christmas 2009 cruise in June 2008, but I'm glad we did. Many categories have been sold out for some time and the prices have increased significantly. I expect this is because it is a holiday cruise though.

 

We could never take advantage of last minute cruise deals because of the flights involved. And we can't do last minute flights because, if we've booked a cruise, we have to know we'll definitely be there for it. It's a vicious circle!

[rosesplus]

Many of the big drops are after final payment and for "new bookings only". Having been the victim of this and paying a HUGE amount (over a thousand dollars) more than I would have if I had waited until about 60 days prior to the cruise, I have learned my lesson. On Celebrity, I now book last minute. Things may change once the economy gets better, but at present, this is the way to go.

 

Exactly!!

 

The only reason Celebrity has these "new bookings only" sales is to make sure they can stiff all the people that booked/paid in advance. Every week Celebrity has these sales and every week they show their contempt for the early bookers. I would never book a Celebrity Cruise in advance again in this market.

[scott in maine]

I would never book a Celebrity Cruise in advance again in this market.

 

That bold statement seems to paint with a very broad brush. I just booked two cabins for a sailing this coming fall in the cabins we most wanted at a very attractive price. Even if the cost of the sailing were to drop another 15 or even 25 percent, I would still feel that the price I'm paying is completely fair and reasonable.

 

Additionally, with advance bookings, I'm almost always able to secure airline award flights to the embarkation port city. That alone is often worth $500 or more per person. In general, award seats are far easier to find 330 days in advance than they are 60 days before departure. For many of us not living near embarkation ports, last minute planning isn't always a viable option.

 

Lastly, =X= has to do the best job it can to protect its own business in this trying economy. They have pricing models that forecast the best price points to offer, at which times, in order to fully book each sailing. With the economy in horrible shape and consumers terrified to spend money these days, lots of folks are simply staying home and sitting on their wallets. The best models and forecasting tools didn't see that happening, so the cruiselines have a choice: either sail with 200 empty cabins or firesale them.

 

Grocery stores do the same thing with bananas that are starting to turn brown. I don't hold this against =X= at all. They're doing the best job they can to maintain price integrity in the midst of a very turbulent global economy.

 

Just my $00.02.

[The_Big_M]

The only reason Celebrity has these "new bookings only" sales is to make sure they can stiff all the people that booked/paid in advance.

 

Or maybe they just need to lower the prices to attract new customers to fill the ships. And new customers don't get the full choices that early customers did which is the trade-off you take if you don't get in early - you just get what's left. It sounds like you want to have your cake, and to eat it too!

 

Early bookers also have a greater likelihood of being upgraded as they paid more.

[rosesplus]

That bold statement seems to paint with a very broad brush. I just booked two cabins for a sailing this coming fall in the cabins we most wanted at a very attractive price. Even if the cost of the sailing were to drop another 15 or even 25 percent, I would still feel that the price I'm paying is completely fair and reasonable.

 

Additionally, with advance bookings, I'm almost always able to secure airline award flights to the embarkation port city. That alone is often worth $500 or more per person. In general, award seats are far easier to find 330 days in advance than they are 60 days before departure. For many of us not living near embarkation ports, last minute planning isn't always a viable option.

 

Lastly, =X= has to do the best job it can to protect its own business in this trying economy. They have pricing models that forecast the best price points to offer, at which times, in order to fully book each sailing. With the economy in horrible shape and consumers terrified to spend money these days, lots of folks are simply staying home and sitting on their wallets. The best models and forecasting tools didn't see that happening, so the cruiselines have a choice: either sail with 200 empty cabins or firesale them.

 

Grocery stores do the same thing with bananas that are starting to turn brown. I don't hold this against =X= at all. They're doing the best job they can to maintain price integrity in the midst of a very turbulent global economy.

 

Just my $00.02.

 

Well it's great to see the Celebrity cheerleaders out in full force!!

 

 

The banana analogy is a poor one as we are all getting our bananas at the same time. Try this one, you buy a top at say JC Penneys but they have to order it in for you as they are temporarily out of stock, you pay in advance, full price. Before you receive your top, JC Penneys advertise a sale on the very top you ordered but at half price. Would you feel you should get your price at the sale price or are you perfectly happy to pay full price because you know JC Penneys are having a hard time in this market?

When you pay $1974pp for a CC and then 2 days after final payment Celebrity puts CC cabins up on your cruise for $949 "new bookings only" let me know how you feel!!

[rosesplus]

 

Early bookers also have a greater likelihood of being upgraded as they paid more.

 

Do you have any proof of this or is it just conjecture?

[scott in maine]

 

The banana analogy is a poor one as we are all getting our bananas at the same time.

 

I believe the analogy stands and I disagree that we're all getting bananas at the same time.

 

I've been watching my NOV 2009 sailing now for a few months. In that time, the range of promotions, prices, on board credits and rebate offers have varied weekly -- and, occasionally, more often than that. One week, the cabin comes with a $200 OBC, the next week it's gone. One week the price jumps by $110, the next week it's down $80. And this is for a sailing that is still 8 months away!

 

Just like buying produce, the price offered can change frequently. And, just like buying produce, there's a chance that if you wait around, the brown bananas might end up on clearance at 10 cents a pound --- but you can't count on that happening since consumers might buy all the yellow ones before they start to turn.

 

This isn't cheerleading for =X= or any other cruiseline. I appreciate that others might not like when their purchased category price drops appreciably, but -- for me, at least -- the peace of mind in having my trip planned many months in advance with hotel, air and shore excursions completely confirmed, is worth a great deal.

 

Again, I've purchased CC cabins at a price that seems completely fair to me and they are the very two cabins I wanted. From my perspective, I win.

[Can'tstopcruising]

In the past, I booked as soon as the sailing became available. And it worked in my favor.

 

This time, I felt like others, that it appears to be better to wait. Having said that, I just booked for the coming winter. The reason is that I found an excellent airfare. If Celebrity reduces the cruise rate, I will be eligible for the change. If an agency offers a "new bookings only", of course, I won't. We shall see how this plays out. If and when there will be a fantastic NBO offer, I will look at the air and then will know if I chose wisely!

[The_Big_M]

Do you have any proof of this or is it just conjecture?

 

Oh, I suspect slightly less conjecture than stating that "Celebrity have 'new booking only' sales to stiff people that booked in advance"...

[2sunny]

I've always been an early adopter.

Under that famous "early bird and worm" theory, I always felt the first person to enroll, sign-up, purchase, get in line, and adopt was the person who received the most benefits and most advantages.

That is until I purchased my first cruise.

I now realize that the smart play--in a weak economy, with a luxury product, on a vessel that holds thousands of people--is to wait, wait, wait.

Over time, I've seen my cruise offer cabin discounts, onboard credits, and now credits for future cruises. It's been suggested that comped tips, upgrades, and additional discounts/benefits can't be far behind.

But.......these sweeteners are only for those folks who sign up late in the game.

Suckers like me who purchased early are out in the cold.

This has been a great education on how to deal with cruise lines and agents in the future.

 

 

Not true - You book early - get exactally what you want, especially the stateroom location you want and if the price changes you call Celebrity and have everything adjusted.

BETTER YET! Have a TA book early for you and your TA watches the fares and specials for you and she/he takes care of all of the adjustments and all you have to do is cruise at the lowest fare and enjoy and additional amenities that are offered!

THAT IS WHAT MY TA DOES FOR ME!

:D:D:D

[Mysticks1]

Not true - You book early - get exactally what you want, especially the stateroom location you want and if the price changes you call Celebrity and have everything adjusted.

BETTER YET! Have a TA book early for you and your TA watches the fares and specials for you and she/he takes care of all of the adjustments and all you have to do is cruise at the lowest fare and enjoy and additional amenities that are offered!

THAT IS WHAT MY TA DOES FOR ME!

:D:D:D

 

I agree that my cabin location is very important and I booked my upcoming 9/28/09 cruise on 4/30/08. The price I booked is still about $200 cheaper than what is offered today and I check pricing multiple times per week. Still hoping for a price break.

I now book all of my cruises directly with the cruise line so I can deal directly with them for any changes, etc. It is great that you have a TA that checks pricing for you but unfortunately all TA's are not created equally. :(

The one I have used in the past did nothing - I booked two cruises (multiple cabins on each) and a trip to Vegas with the same agent and never got anything other than the trips booked. Once booked they were done. On the cruises, I always knew more about the cruise I wanted than they do - due to the knowledge available here on this site. ;)

[JaneStarr]

I agree that my cabin location is very important and I booked my upcoming 9/28/09 cruise on 4/30/08. The price I booked is still about $200 cheaper than what is offered today and I check pricing multiple times per week. Still hoping for a price break.

I now book all of my cruises directly with the cruise line so I can deal directly with them for any changes, etc. It is great that you have a TA that checks pricing for you but unfortunately all TA's are not created equally. :(

The one I have used in the past did nothing - I booked two cruises (multiple cabins on each) and a trip to Vegas with the same agent and never got anything other than the trips booked. Once booked they were done. On the cruises, I always knew more about the cruise I wanted than they do - due to the knowledge available here on this site. ;)

I also like to book early to lock in the cabin of my choosing. I think that both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are very fair with their price drop policies. Even though I don't like "new booking only" rates, I understand from a business standpoint how they do that to avoid sailing with too many empty cabins. Forget the banana analogy; just look at the airline model for an apples to apples comparison :) (My, we're into fruit today)

 

Mysticks1 (Donna?), thanks for the Solstice Cabin thread & spreadsheet; it enabled me to make an informed decision on which Equinox cabin to book for Europe 2010! enjoy your anniversary Med cruise. We did the Med for our 25th anniv back in 2005 on the Millie, and it was fabulous!

 

I'm lucky to have a TA that looks out for us. I may not get the biggest OBCs, but she is extremely knowledgeable and provides priceless service to us. She is also right on top of rate reductions and submits any applicable discounts for us. If that we not the case, I would also book directly with the cruise line.

 

Jane

[clivep]

The only reason Celebrity has these "new bookings only" sales is to make sure they can stiff all the people that booked/paid in advance. Every week Celebrity has these sales and every week they show their contempt for the early bookers. I would never book a Celebrity Cruise in advance again in this market.

 

I think the real reason that Celebrity has these "new bookings only" sales is to fill the ship.

 

I have asked the following questions before but no one has answered...

 

Is the need for these sales not the natural result of offering fully refundable deposits before final payment date in the US market? I do not know whether there are legal reasons for doing this or whether it is a marketing strategy. In the UK we lose ALL our deposit if we cancel a RCL/Celebrity booking before final payment, and the penalties for canceling after final payment are far more punitive for us than the terms in the US.

 

What do you want the cruise line to do with these cabins that are freed up from cancellations? If they sail with them empty then the waiters and stewards suffer a drop in income. They have to discount these comparatively few cabins in order to sell but they can't afford to give the same price to the large numbers of existing bookings.

[Denny01]

After reading this thread and looking through my previous bookings, I think early booking still works best for me. I'd been considering waiting for the within 60 days, but it doesn't work for me. Why?

1. I like to select a good cabin location.
   
2. Most of my cruises now require air. I use either freq flyers or look for good discounts which usually require early booking.
   
3. I get hooked on a specific itinerary and ship, and the option of going to another cruise because 'mine' is not avail would depress me.
   
4. I love to plan ahead. Love to read on the ports, finding something that I just have to do/see. And yes, obsess on cc Roll call and cc port info.
   
5. We are cruising more with local or cruise friends which needs coordination.
   
6. Not having a specific cruise in my future would be depressing. I just don't think I could handle it. I'd crack up!
   
7. My work schedule handles either. Early bookings allow me to set a schedule, but I could probably jump on a cruise in few weeks with fewer issues.
   

Just my own thoughts and rationale.

 

 

One interesting point about this thread. I thought it was going to be hijacked into another silly cruise line bashing-defense. A poster throws out what I call 'bait', a negative comment about the cruise line that has little to do with the thread in order to get a reaction; in this case, Celebrity was discounting in order to stiff customers who purchased early. Someone reacts, and the baiter sets the hook by accusing them of being a Celebrity cheerleader. Surprise, surprise. Gets tiring. My advice is to ignore the obvious 'bait and hook' posts. Some just like to get arguments going, some will never forgive Celebrity for some criminal act such as restricting smoking. Whatever. Ignore their rant and they go away to find another thread to disrupt and take off-message. Easy for me to say, I've reacted and probably will continue to. Just an observation.

 

 

Denny

[ncaaref]

Peteymil, thanks for your encouragement on this. Drcpa, try contacting Customer Service and BE persistent.

 

I just got off the phone with CC Customer Service and received a $1060 refund on a cruise through the Baltics in May as a result of their "Exciting Deals" e-mail send to me today.

[Mysticks1]

Mysticks1 (Donna?), thanks for the Solstice Cabin thread & spreadsheet; it enabled me to make an informed decision on which Equinox cabin to book for Europe 2010! enjoy your anniversary Med cruise. We did the Med for our 25th anniv back in 2005 on the Millie, and it was fabulous!

 

Thanks Jane - glad the spreadsheet was able to help you. :)