When to book for October 2016

We are planning a Blue Danube River Cruise for October 2016 and want to catch any promotions/discounts available?

Any thoughts on optimal timing?

We are planning a Blue Danube River Cruise for October 2016 and want to catch any promotions/discounts available?

 

Any thoughts on optimal timing?

I think it depends on which cabin type you're after.

We have booked for September 16 already with Scenic. I was keen to get a suite.

As for discounts...well... not a lot about a grand per person but we were able to lock in the 2015 price...given the way the Aussie dollar is going I thought that was pretty good

I would book NOW if you want a particular cabin. We booked our Scenic cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest 14 months in advance and we got the last cabin type left that we wanted. I don't think Scenic discount too much as they are very popular. You may get something like pay now and get 2015 prices or free air fares.

You will love Scenic.

Cheers

I would also say book now. Deposits tend to be refundable up until final payment is due. The earlier you put a deposit down, the better chance you have of getting your preferred cabin. River cruising is very different from ocean cruising and they don't tend to have the price fluctuations that ocean cruises have. If a price drop happens after you put a deposit down, you can probably get that price reflected in your booking. Avalon has 10% early booking discount now for their 2016 itineraries.

As soon as bookings are available I think, especially if you want a particular date and cabin type. We put a hold on September 2016 a couple of months ago.

Actually, deposits on river cruises are usually non-refundable. Unless they change the date of your sailing, or change the itinerary in such a way that it makes it an entirely different cruise.

And, I have never heard of offering a rebate for a price reduction (never really heard of a price drop, to be honest....). Usually prices are lowest early in the season - book now at this year's rates, a larger discount for paying in full etc. On the rare occasion that a sailing isn't completely booked, they may have a last minute sale - but usually for off-season dates (ie: late fall - before Christmas markets).

If you know when you want to go - and have a specific category cabin in mind - I would jump now. Just ask when final payment is due - Viking asks for it quite early.

Fran

I know that on Uniworld, if you book while on board for your next cruise, you are entitled to the lowest ever publicly-available fare for that trip. You need to monitor it and ask for a reduction if it drops, but it's one of the perks for on-board booking. And, and on-board booking is fully refundable for 30 days.

We are planning a Blue Danube River Cruise for October 2016 and want to catch any promotions/discounts available?

 

Any thoughts on optimal timing?

This is one of the MOST popular river cruises! I've already been on it and it was really marvelous. My advice, if this is the one you want and you know when you want to go, book it now. I understand Viking wants payment in full soon after booking, I won't use them for that reason. But most other companies will take a deposit usually around $500 and if you need to change the date it or cancel this cruise and apply to a different one, that should not be a problem this far out. Before booking check the company's cancellation policy. I do know that I had one cruise booked with Vantage and had to cancel due to a medical problem, but I was able to transfer everything, including the extension to almost a year later without any penalty. As a rule, most river cruises do not have "sales" like the ocean cruises do. Viking has 2 for 1 prices every day so don't get caught up in that.

Sept and Oct are very popular months for travel, so book now. Yesterday morning I looked at a trip on Grand Circle to the Baltics in July and by afternoon that trip was fully booked so we had to pick August. And the trip is for 2016 😳. There are limited cabins on River cruises and they book fast.

Franski - you mentioned you had not heard about rebates for price reductions once booked. On my first Avalon cruise, at some point after we put our deposit down, there was a price decrease of about $250-300 per person. I had my travel agent talk to Avalon and we had our total price decreased by that amount. It wasn't a big deal. Once I book a trip, at least once a month I will price it again to see if the price has changed. More often than not, it goes up as it gets closer to sailing, but on rare occasions it can go down.

I understand Viking wants payment in full soon after booking, I won't use them for that reason.

I'm not sure where the OP is based, but just for clarity, that policy applies in North America, but not in other regions.

Similarly general comments (not Viking specific) about being able to get prices reduced on an existing booking if the price changes also reflect regional policy. Not uncommon if booking in the USA, but very rare in Europe for example.

I'm not sure where the OP is based, but just for clarity, that policy applies in North America, but not in other regions.

 

Similarly general comments (not Viking specific) about being able to get prices reduced on an existing booking if the price changes also reflect regional policy. Not uncommon if booking in the USA, but very rare in Europe for example.

This is why many of us ask posters to add at least their country in their User CP "Edit Your Details" section. US posters should add their state, as this will help tailor replies about airfare etc. This mega-level of detail should not raise privacy concerns.

Franski - you mentioned you had not heard about rebates for price reductions once booked. On my first Avalon cruise, at some point after we put our deposit down, there was a price decrease of about $250-300 per person. I had my travel agent talk to Avalon and we had our total price decreased by that amount. It wasn't a big deal. Once I book a trip, at least once a month I will price it again to see if the price has changed. More often than not, it goes up as it gets closer to sailing, but on rare occasions it can go down.

Good to know... have never had a price go down, so it has been a "non-issue" for us so far. I too check the websites for price changes - but usually am glad I booked early- as the prices often go up.

Fran

Thinking of Romantic Rhine in Sept '16 on Avalon. The NONREFUNDABLE deposit is north of $1700. This just worries me. Final payment due 6/16.

Wow. The deposits for both Uniworld trips I've booked have a been $600/couple (non-refundable), with balance due 90 days before sailing.

Avalon is $250 each. I think the poster was in error unless it was 2015 and 90 days away

Avalon is $250 each. I think the poster was in error unless it was 2015 and 90 days away

Yes, we only had to put a $250 deposit, $500 per couple. That is one reason why we chose Avalon over another company that demanded full payment. I would question the travel agent if they demanded over the $500 per cabin.

We, also, had a price reduction on our upcoming Avalon cruise. It was supposedly only for new bookings, but our TA talked to Avalon and rebooked all of us (3 couples) under new booking numbers. We kept the same cabins and saved $1,700.

We, also, had a price reduction on our upcoming Avalon cruise. It was supposedly only for new bookings, but our TA talked to Avalon and rebooked all of us (3 couples) under new booking numbers. We kept the same cabins and saved $1,700.

Vantage takes $500/couple with payment in full 90 days before sailing too.

Thinking of Romantic Rhine in Sept '16 on Avalon. The NONREFUNDABLE deposit is north of $1700. This just worries me. Final payment due 6/16.

We booked our Avalon Rhine cruise over a year in advance. It's been sold out for awhile now and we are still many months away from the sail date. Take a look at the sail dates before yours and see how much has sold out and how far in advance. That'll give you an idea of the latest you should book. Your Rhine deposit should only be $500. total if you're in the US. Why are you saying yours is $1700? You can always get insurance to cover any losses you might have too.

I too only had to put a $250 per person deposit down for my May 2016 Avalon cruise. I also wonder why someone is telling you that your deposit is $1700. RNCheryl - what country are you in? I think you should call Avalon directly to figure out what is going on.

Thinking of Romantic Rhine in Sept '16 on Avalon. The NONREFUNDABLE deposit is north of $1700. This just worries me. Final payment due 6/16.

You may have misread the pricing. I just checked Avalon web site and they're booking for Sept. 2016 with a $250/pp non refundable deposit. The columns listing pricing can be confusing, especially if its your first river cruise.

Some companies offer a significant discount for paying early. We booked Vantage in April for an August cruise and got a 10% discount for paying in full in July. That's pretty significant in my book!

FuelScience

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Forgot to say years! Booked April, 2014 for August, 2015 cruises.

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I don't know if it's because we got a $2500 per couple discount offered on our cruise with air, but when we just booked our Uniworld Rhine and Moselle cruise last week, sailing 8/1/15, we had to pay in full. I was kind of surprised by that, but since we had the cash we just went ahead and paid.