airfare before cruise???

[socialsea]

we are looking to book the freedom of the seas for january, 2013 but balcony prices are a little scary to us right now. would like to hold off a little to see if prices will come down. however, i have been checking air fare prices for a couple of months now, and just yesterday found a fairly reasonable air fare with delta for the time we are looking. has anyone ever booked their airfare before booking a cruise?? are we rushing things with the airfare?? and how long would you wait till you booked the cruise portion if we did book the airfare?? thanks for any suggestions.

[negc]

Originally Posted by socialsea

we are looking to book the freedom of the seas for january, 2013 but balcony prices are a little scary to us right now. would like to hold off a little to see if prices will come down. however, i have been checking air fare prices for a couple of months now, and just yesterday found a fairly reasonable air fare with delta for the time we are looking. has anyone ever booked their airfare before booking a cruise?? are we rushing things with the airfare?? and how long would you wait till you booked the cruise portion if we did book the airfare?? thanks for any suggestions.

There is really no way to predict whether cruise fares or airline prices will drop between now and January, so you just have to determine that whatever price you find that seems reasonable, is probably your best option. It is a bit of a crapshoot and there are no guarantees that whatever price you eventually pay won't drop as your sailing date approaches, but there are also no guarantees that those prices won't rise. I wouldn't delay booking my airfare (if I found a good price) until I booked the cruise unless there was a strong possibility that the cruise won't still be available.

[iamsunnysarah]

I think you could go either way with this...last time, we booked both cruise and airfare on the same night, but we were locked into a specific sail date. This time, we are going to wait until June to book our May 2013 cruise, so that we can see airfare + cruise fare together...but I'm not worried about a SJ sailing selling out

[zephyr17]

Originally Posted by socialsea

we are looking to book the freedom of the seas for january, 2013 but balcony prices are a little scary to us right now. would like to hold off a little to see if prices will come down. however, i have been checking air fare prices for a couple of months now, and just yesterday found a fairly reasonable air fare with delta for the time we are looking. has anyone ever booked their airfare before booking a cruise?? are we rushing things with the airfare?? and how long would you wait till you booked the cruise portion if we did book the airfare?? thanks for any suggestions.

Roughly 60 days out from departure is generally considered to be the sweet spot for airfare, unless it is a high travel season. If you will be traveling right at Christmas, maybe not, but if it is past the New Years travel period, for January, I'd wait. Especially given you may not cruise at all unless prices come down, and airfares are non-refundable.

[luvstwocruise]

Originally Posted by zephyr17

Roughly 60 days out from departure is generally considered to be the sweet spot for airfare, unless it is a high travel season. If you will be traveling right at Christmas, maybe not, but if it is past the New Years travel period, for January, I'd wait. Especially given you may not cruise at all unless prices come down, and airfares are non-refundable.

I would book the airfare and the cruise...then cross my fingers for a price deduction or a resident rate. Its a roll of the dice. You can always downgrade you cabin if the price doesnt come down. Airfare..once its gone..its too bad.

[Desert Cruizers]

Since you are so close to your possible sailing, I would look for the cruise of your choice first get that booked, then you know your going, followed by the air. I would be afraid to book my air to a City then find out we aren't going, then your stuck with the air fare. I am sure there will be differant opinions on this and of course circumstances, but I have booked our cruises as soon as possible and so far the price we paid has been lower then if we had booked later.

[negc]

Originally Posted by Desert Cruizers

Since you are so close to your possible sailing, I would look for the cruise of your choice first get that booked, then you know your going, followed by the air. I would be afraid to book my air to a City then find out we aren't going, then your stuck with the air fare. I am sure there will be differant opinions on this and of course circumstances, but I have booked our cruises as soon as possible and so far the price we paid has been lower then if we had booked later.

The OP is asking about a January, 2013 cruise not something a month or two from now. Some airlines don't even have schedules out for that period. In any case it is a bit of a balancing act as to which should be booked first. However, since it is easier to cancel a cruise booking (outside of the penalty period) than an airline reservation, I would probably book the cruise first and hope that there are flights available at a reasonable price.

[Desert Cruizers]

I knew it was for Jan 2013 and that is only 8 months away, yet feel it is much better to have your cruise set first then book the flights. If flight is booked, then for some reason your not able to go on those dates, you have the expense of changing your flights.

[didicruiser]

I have booked my airfare before booking the cruise a few times. I check daily for prices and to see what cabins remain. I book when the price is good or if availability becomes more limited. It is a gamble.

[monicajay]

I once booked air before a cruise . Flights had us arriving on a Friday night in FLL and leaving on a Sunday night from FLL. This gave us so many cruise options that I then waited till a promotion I liked came along.

I knew this was the week I had off and booked it with a legacy carrier the day they released the tickets. Got a REALLY good deal.

[Bowie MeMe]

I have "rebooked" a coming cruise from cruise tour oceanview to cruise only to a different cabin class and have had 3 price reductions making the cabin almost $2000 less than when I started. My TA is excellent to check for changes though usually I call and give her directions to check the fare. I would book the cabin that I want and pray for reduction in price right up to the final payment date. If the price is too high go for a lower price cabin. I have had some mighty fine cruises in an inside and now generally use Renmar's wonderful obstructed view cabins tool to choose a favorite spot on Emerald deck. I can afford balcony but I would rather have that money for blowout pre and post cruise trips.

So I would book the good airfare! Then I would book an accepatable cabin on the ship and keep a careful eye on it. If the price remains high go to a lesser priced cabin or cut back somewhere else and pay what the cabin is selling for. If the price goes down rebook, if the price goes up grin and do a high five.