Does not pay to book celebrity early

When you book early, you usually pay top dollar but get your choice of one or two amenities. If you wait until 30 to 60 days before sailing and book, many times a couple will save several hundred dollars but will not get the amenity previously offered and will not get to choose their exact cabin but will at least get a guaranteed category. If you do book early and have paid for the cruise and price goes down, good luck in trying to get the lower price or at least an upgrade. In our case we booked early, got choice air for $529 per person and got an obstructed view balcony. Six weeks before sailing, price dropped $600 per person less than what we paid for a guaranty balcony and it was for an Aqua Class cabin. When I called Celebrity, they would not even upgrade us to a non-obstructed cabin for what we had previously paid and would not let us upgrade even if we paid more which I thought was totally unreasonable. Celebrity needs to change their policy on this in my opinion.

The only reason I would book early is to ensure a cabin on a once in a lifetime fantastic trip that I just cannot bear to miss. There has been only cruise out of the 40+ I've taken that met that standard. I paid though the nose for it, but it was worth every penny. Thanks, Princess. Now I wait for a great itinerary and pric and if it doesn't happen, I amuse myself in other ways.

We need to book early to secure an accessible cabin and so far we have never lost out on price. We always book Eclipse from Southampton and a 2B grade cabin preferably on deck 7. Our last 2 cruises never dropped below the launch price for a 2B grade, and so far this years Sept. cruise is saving us several hundred pounds on current adverts.

But we pay in UK pounds and are probably paying more for the same cruise than you might in N America.

It sure does! I booked my South America/Panama Canal trip for March 2015 about 6 months ago and got a great deal. The price has doubled since!

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It depends on what you want, I suppose. We were looking for cruise dates specifically covering our 25th anniversary next year. I found a cabin I wanted with my favourite line and a bucket-list itinerary. My TA called the next day to say that the prices had gone up $800 since we booked. Woo hoo! Now I see that all but inside cabins are sold out for that cruise. I'm happy that we booked when we did (and we got to pick our perks too).

But if you are flexible as far as time and itinerary, it sounds like it might be better to wait and see what deals are offered closer to sailing.

Not always the case... here's the pricing for my cruise, I paid $1,609 with the drink package...Sure glad I didn't wait.

PriceCreatedUpdated

$ 1,609 2012‑04‑12 2013‑04‑23

$ 1,659 2013‑04‑23 2013‑05‑23

$ 1,709 2013‑05‑23 2013‑06‑24

$ 1,809 2013‑06‑24 2013‑07‑10

$ 2,009 2013‑07‑10 2013‑08‑19

$ 2,109 2013‑08‑19 2013‑09‑08

$ 2,209 2013‑09‑09 2013‑09‑18

$ 2,309 2013‑09‑19 2013‑10‑16

$ 2,559 2013‑12‑12 2014‑03‑11

Oooh Colombian girl - it looks like you are on the same trip as me but the week before. It's so exciting.:)

We just booked the Century Coastal cruise for early April & our TA got us in last minute into a Family Veranda that normally sells for $3800 cabin price & we paid $2000 ,a $1800 savings. Now that is really nice .We also got free trip ins & a $75 OBC . It doesn't get any better than that .:D:p:D

We are retired & thus can wait for price drops . We rather pay in full after final payment & we are flexible as to location of cabin ;as long as it is a clear balcony .We are also flexible for itineraries . Therefore we can & do get best pricing . ;)

It really depends on where and when you want to go. Had you waited to book 30 to 60 days out any saving you gained would have probably doubled in the expense of airfare charge. The only time it really pays to wait is if you can drive to port,don't care about the itinerary, don't have to worry about vacation time and you don't care about the room type and location. We are not retired so booking 6 months out if we have to fly to port usually works for us.

I've done both (booked early/booked after final payment date) and there is no right or wrong. You can win or lose either way. By booking early you get what you want (plus any promos if applicable) and usually get cheaper flights.

By waiting until after final payment you can often do better on cabin pricing (but not always) but sometimes that is offset by higher airfare.

Last summer I came out ahead by waiting. This year I have a cruise booked for August 1st and it has done nothing but gone up in price since I booked it.

My upcoming transatlantic has done nothing but creep up over the year.

This is a 1A veranda room on Eclipse.

Price Created Updated

$ 1,169 2013‑03‑21 2013‑04‑18

$ 1,219 2013‑04‑19 2013‑07‑02

$ 1,369 2013‑07‑04 2013‑10‑22

$ 1,469 2013‑10‑22 2013‑11‑14

$ 1,519 2013‑11‑15 2014‑02‑07

$ 1,399 2014‑02‑07 2014‑02‑10

$ 1,419 2014‑02‑10 2014‑02‑24

$ 1,469 2014‑02‑24 2014‑02‑24

$ 1,519 2014‑02‑24 2014‑04‑02

However, the Penthouse dropped fairly dramatically as sailing approached...:

Price Created Updated

$ 8,749 2013‑03‑21 2013‑11‑04

$ 9,569 2014‑02‑11 2014‑02‑12

$ 7,569 2014‑02‑12 2014‑02‑24

$ 7,619 2014‑02‑24 2014‑02‑24

$ 7,669 2014‑02‑24 2014‑03‑04

$ 6,669 2014‑03‑04 2014‑03‑05

$ 5,669 2014‑03‑05 2014‑03‑19

Simple supply and demand....

For those who have to arrange flights when booking their cruise, it generally is best to book the cruise earlier when they first are announced ,due to how much the flight prices can rise . At times prices can drop on the cabins, if the cruise is not popular compared to other cruises ,then get a refund before final payment or a upgrade after final payment;)

Our last minute bookings are when we can drive to the port & not fly;as in the case of our last minute Coastal Calif cruise on Century in several days ;)

My upcoming transatlantic has done nothing but creep up over the year.

 

This is a 1A veranda room on Eclipse.

 

Price Created Updated

$ 1,169 2013‑03‑21 2013‑04‑18

$ 1,219 2013‑04‑19 2013‑07‑02

$ 1,369 2013‑07‑04 2013‑10‑22

$ 1,469 2013‑10‑22 2013‑11‑14

$ 1,519 2013‑11‑15 2014‑02‑07

$ 1,399 2014‑02‑07 2014‑02‑10

$ 1,419 2014‑02‑10 2014‑02‑24

$ 1,469 2014‑02‑24 2014‑02‑24

$ 1,519 2014‑02‑24 2014‑04‑02

 

 

However, the Penthouse dropped fairly dramatically as sailing approached...:

 

Price Created Updated

$ 8,749 2013‑03‑21 2013‑11‑04

$ 9,569 2014‑02‑11 2014‑02‑12

$ 7,569 2014‑02‑12 2014‑02‑24

$ 7,619 2014‑02‑24 2014‑02‑24

$ 7,669 2014‑02‑24 2014‑03‑04

$ 6,669 2014‑03‑04 2014‑03‑05

$ 5,669 2014‑03‑05 2014‑03‑19

 

Simple supply and demand....

On TA cruises we always book as soon as it is released to Captains Club members . Should the price drop ,we will get a refund or a upgrade depending on the timeline of the price drop.;) Then we will also have to book our b2b med cruise .

On these cruises we must fly ,so early booking is best even though we will fly business class :)

PS we always book the same cabin on both cruises ,so we don't have to move luggage

We booked a Caribbean cruise for 2016 on the day those cruises were released a couple of weeks ago. I was doing my weekly price check on Tuesday this week and the price for our category had increased by over 9%. Another cruise I am watching [this one at the end of 2015] has increased by about 3.75% for one of the categories.

We have always found that booking when the cruises are released has given us the best possible deal but this is the first time that we have noticed differences this early.

The caveat is, if you are doing a TA, Choice Air has amazing flights and the prices stay low right up until sailing. Last week I booked Venice-San Francisco for $535 for a sailing on April 20th. So waiting until final payment works well on a TA. This year, every TA had balconies under $1000 after final payment for 13-15 night cruises.

It depends. If you are planning for a specific date and itinerary it does pay to book early. If there is a price drop before final payment, you can usually get the benefit of that. I just booked for August 2015 because I want specific cabins for my family and with a group you have limitations when people can travel.

I fancy a Canada/New England cruise and decided to wait to book until after final payment, as it was too expensive when I first looked.

Guess what, only insides are left!:eek:

The caveat is, if you are doing a TA, Choice Air has amazing flights and the prices stay low right up until sailing. Last week I booked Venice-San Francisco for $535 for a sailing on April 20th. So waiting until final payment works well on a TA. This year, every TA had balconies under $1000 after final payment for 13-15 night cruises.

Ha very good information about Choice Air ;). Now rethinking the TA bookings ;as you indicated .Thanks for your post :D

If you book early you can pick the room you want. Prices may go up or down as the sailing gets closer; so it's a gamble. You just never know. Friends of ours booked an 11 night Equinox Caribbean cruise last fall for this November & paid $2750 total for a cat. 2A stateroom. We chose to wait to book, & the same rooms are now going for $2000 EACH. So it's your choice. We book at a price that we are comfortable with, & if the price goes up, we feel lucky, & if it goes down, we are at least content that we were happy with what we paid. If you want, you can only book the eXciting deals at the last minute, & always pay the most likely cheapest prices.

well we booked our med cruise last April going Oct 14 2014 paid 2199 per person for an A1 cabin 9237 with big balcony then a few weeks later got the drink package and 100 OBC because of a face book promotion and now it seems that most balcony rooms are sold out but last time I looked my A1 room has gone up to around 3900 per person so if I would have not booked early we would not be going thats for sure maybe at last minute prices will go down but im sure only insides will be left and we wanted a balcony cabin we cannot wait for this cruise so excited :)

When you book early, you usually pay top dollar but get your choice of one or two amenities. If you wait until 30 to 60 days before sailing and book, many times a couple will save several hundred dollars but will not get the amenity previously offered and will not get to choose their exact cabin but will at least get a guaranteed category. If you do book early and have paid for the cruise and price goes down, good luck in trying to get the lower price or at least an upgrade. In our case we booked early, got choice air for $529 per person and got an obstructed view balcony. Six weeks before sailing, price dropped $600 per person less than what we paid for a guaranty balcony and it was for an Aqua Class cabin. When I called Celebrity, they would not even upgrade us to a non-obstructed cabin for what we had previously paid and would not let us upgrade even if we paid more which I thought was totally unreasonable. Celebrity needs to change their policy on this in my opinion.

I agree that the answer to the question: should I book early or wait until after final payment? is: It depends. If you are doing a unique itinerary, a holiday cruise -- or a cruise that is going to be popular for any reason, waiting to book my come back to bite you. :eek:

--Two years ago, our Millie wine cruise climbed steadily in price from the time it was offered. Early on, I got a small price drop, but that was it. There were no last-minute price-drops, at least not that I was aware of.

-- One of our posters on the upcoming Eclipse Holiday cruise keeps us all appraised of current prices for it. Nine months out, whole categories have sold out, and prices (on average) are 30-50% higher than November, when we booked.

-- When X announced last year that they were shortening Century's dry dock, and adding a month of 4 & 8-niters to the Bahamas and Caribbean, one cruise in particular took off like wildfire. Prices rose, availability dropped, and even TA's were having problems finding cabins to book!

But, all that being said, I'm close enough to Seattle to drive down and hop on a round-trip cruise to Alaska. Will I be looking for a good deal after final payment on that one? You bet! :cool:

We booked our Alaska, May 8th cruise on Solstice about 1 year ago. We have a C2 cabin, for which we paid $1139.00 (ca) per person. The prices kept going up and up and last week a CC cabin was $2300.00 (ca) per person! As of today, most cabins are sold out. That is double the original rate, so waiting would have meant not going on this cruise for us. We always book in advance at a price we are comfortable with and if the price goes down after final payment, so be it.

well we booked our med cruise last April going Oct 14 2014 paid 2199 per person for an A1 cabin 9237 with big balcony then a few weeks later got the drink package and 100 OBC because of a face book promotion and now it seems that most balcony rooms are sold out but last time I looked my A1 room has gone up to around 3900 per person so if I would have not booked early we would not be going thats for sure maybe at last minute prices will go down but im sure only insides will be left and we wanted a balcony cabin we cannot wait for this cruise so excited :)

That is an amazing sentence!! Can you read it aloud without coming up for air;) I got as far as the "...but last time..." about half way down.

That is an amazing sentence!! Can you read it aloud without coming up for air;) I got as far as the "...but last time..." about half way down.

I am a nurse do you need mouth to mouth LOL

Did not know how important punctuation was on CC as far as I can see most people can not even spell