need advice from experienced cruisers

Hello all. I am interested in taking a cruise this winter (jan to march 2015). I hear it is important to try and book a cruise many months in advance... but this is where my problem lies.

At work we bid for vacation time for the following year in late december. Unfortunately I am at the bottom of the seniority list. I will bid for a few weeks in jan to march and see what I can get approved for.. but nothing official until the first week of jan

so my questiom is.. by the time i get my official vacation dates..does that leave me enough time to book a cruise by march.. .? I am not sure what to do here.

thanks

If you receive vacation confirmation in early January you will still have no problems booking a cruise in late January onward.

Absolutely. Check out the 90-day ticker on a popular site for great last-minute bargains.

The only downside when booking a last minute cruise is not being able to get the best pick of cabins. The upside would/could be lower fares.

The other possible problem is flights. You don't indicate where you live. If you will have to fly to the port, the rates may be high for last minute flights

It would be helpful if you told us where you would like to cruise to/from and where you live. If you live within driving distance to your cruise then you will have tons of options.

If you are not picky about rooms, you might be able to score some great deals. The airfare, however, might be a little higher than you like.

I've seen prices rise and fall after final payment.

My line of choice is Celebrity. My only choices are to sail from Florida of San Juan, PR. Plus I will want to fly, since it is a 20+ hour drive to Miami/Ft Lauderdale. That said, I've seen rooms drop to half what I've paid as the sail date creeps closer and closer. Celebrity puts out an "exciting deals" sheet every week with discounted sailings. I would expect others do as well.

If you can be flexible in where you sail from, and where you stay on the ship, you'll find a cruise you can enjoy.

As others posted, AI r may be the toughest thing to arrange . . . But cruise air might just pay off.

I frequently book our cruises that late--after the final payment date. It's when bargains abound at times. The main thing is flexibility as to the cruises you're willing to take. I generally start looking at possibilities a few months before the final payment date.

For something in the Caribbean you should have no problem. There are enough flights to FLL and MIA that that should not be a problem....albeit you may not get the best deal on airfare. Hotels can also be an issue but there are enough hotels that if you check Hotwire and other similar venders you will find something. As others have pointed out will not necessarily have first choice of cabins but there will be something.

First of all.....welcome to Cruise Critic.

Cruise bookings are very heavy during your time frame so cabin availability and overall cost will become an important factor.

The shorter 3-5 day cruises during this period will also have many more children and teens sailing during spring break if that is a consideration.

Air fares to south Florida during this time frame will also reflect availability.

Start looking at itineraries now and pick a few that appeal to you. Almost every cruise line has frequent sales so you can monitor cost and availability. You should see price fluctuations if a particular sailing is not at capacity, even before final payment. Often cabin class guarantees are offered and your cabin will be assigned between now and boarding.

Good luck. You should be able to find something that works after your December vacation lottery.

One other thing, Payments made after the final booking date must be paid in full.

We usually book 2-3 months out with no problems, but it does help to be flexible. Flights can be harder to find or more expensive and it helps not to be too picky about your cabin, though we've never had a bad room.

Once you know your vacation dates, find one of the big travel agencies and start comparing prices and itineraries. Sometimes prices go way down if booking closer to sail date, but not always. Don't get stuck on one particular ship or cruise line and also look at different itineraries.

Also check on the cruise line websites; sometimes they have great sales too.

Spring Break season can make it harder to find bargains, but it's not impossible.

Also, if you have any idea of when you might be going--say the month of March--you can put a deposit down now if you find a cruise you like; if the dates don't work out, you can cancel with no penalty until the final payment date--just be sure you do cancel before that date to get your deposit back.

We actually prefer booking after final payment--we have gotten some great bargains--and since we usually use FF miles, have so far been able to find flights; if we can't find flights, we don't book.

However, this works well for us because we can afford to be very flexible, having our own business (except in summer). Also, it can be very scary for a new cruiser to wait until the last minute.

You will have no problems getting a cruise in the last two weeks of January.

Valentine's Day week will get spotty.

The week after will likely be an easy one as well.

It works well last minute cruises but can't be as choosy is all

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Welcome to Cruise Critic.

You won't have a problem booking a cruise -- may not get the cabin type you want.

Hopefully you live in a city with a larger airport and many flights.

Let us know what happens.

Hello all. I am interested in taking a cruise this winter (jan to march 2015). I hear it is important to try and book a cruise many months in advance... but this is where my problem lies.

 

At work we bid for vacation time for the following year in late december. Unfortunately I am at the bottom of the seniority list. I will bid for a few weeks in jan to march and see what I can get approved for.. but nothing official until the first week of jan

 

so my questiom is.. by the time i get my official vacation dates..does that leave me enough time to book a cruise by march.. .? I am not sure what to do here.

 

thanks

I would avoid March like the plague..remember March is Spring Break month for most, and prices are up 30-50% and so are flights...Feb is OK and anytime in Jan is fine, and end of April also good, since by then most spring breaks are done...as others have said, getting your preferred cabin may be a problem on the cruise you want..is there any reason you want to cruise only from Jan- March? Also, you didn't mention age bracket you are in, nor if you are alone or with somebody, kids, etc...that would make a big difference in your choice of cruises..I am both a cruise agent & avid cruiser & the more you tell me, the more choices I can give you...give a bit more info, and you'll get more cruise ideas....

Big Al

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am open to a cruise in april as well.. but because I do not have seniority may through September are closed to me. I will be flying out of new york.. albany, ny to be exact. I want to cruise in the carribbean 5 to 7 days. I have only been looking through the cruise site directly. Where else should I be searching cruises? Is the carribean a great place to cruise during the winter months?

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am open to a cruise in april as well.. but because I do not have seniority may through September are closed to me. I will be flying out of new york.. albany, ny to be exact. I want to cruise in the carribbean 5 to 7 days. I have only been looking through the cruise site directly. Where else should I be searching cruises? Is the carribean a great place to cruise during the winter months?

Caribbean is pretty much THE ONLY place to cruise in the winter...nobody ( especially people who live in Albany- I grew up on Long Island) wants to cruise in the cold- defeats the purpose almost...well, now, if you want to cruise 5 days, try the Liberty Of The Seas by RCI- she goes to Cozumel, Belize, Jamaica, etc.. there are 2 different Western Caribb cruises by her..FYI- you really can't do an Eastern Caribb cruise in 5 days- the ports of call are too far, so you need 7 days for that...BTW, Eastern is St. Thomas, St.Maarten, Nassau, San Juan, etc...Western tends to go to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Belize, Honduras, etc..East is best for beaches & shopping...West is better for things like Mayan ruins ( Cozumel, Belize), Swimming with the stingrays ( Grand Cayman), climbing Dunn's River Falls ( Ocho Rios, Jamaica), and natural forests in Belize, etc.. I tell people if you like sun & fun & beaches & shopping, Eastern is better..if you like history, more active ports as far things to do, Western is better...also, if you are going solo, Norwegian has solo cabins and so does the new RCI Quantum Of The Seas, which debuts Nov out of NY..all the others you will pay a premium for solo cabins...if you cruising with another person, you'll be fine...

Big Al

I am willing to fly into florida to enjoy a longer cruise with less days "at sea" verses leaving from new york with 2 days to reach florida. I am bringing my 7 year old daughter with my husand and I and we want as much beach and outdoor activites as possible.. we are in our early 20s. Which cruise line do you recommend for us? Eastern? Western?

Booking within the last three weeks before sailing saves lots of money. We haven't had any problem getting a good cabin. It's our preferred method of booking.

As others have said, March isn't the best month for sailing unless you have kids or are a teacher.

Just saw your most recent post. Have you considered sailing out of San Juan? Have a look at Carnival Valor or Liberty. They do 7 day cruises with one sea day and lots of great ports.

I am willing to fly into florida to enjoy a longer cruise with less days "at sea" verses leaving from new york with 2 days to reach florida. I am bringing my 7 year old daughter with my husand and I and we want as much beach and outdoor activites as possible.. we are in our early 20s. Which cruise line do you recommend for us? Eastern? Western?

AAAHHH, a 7 year old!!!Well, that's different...OK, IMO, I would do EASTERN on Oasis or Allure, OR FREEDOM of THE SEAS out of Port Canaveral does a nice Eastern including CoCo Cay, another RCI private island ( all beach stuff!) along with St. Thomas & St. Maarten, both beach havens..( fly into Orlando for that), or the Independence Of The Seas ( Port Everglades) does a nice Eastern including LABADEE, the RCI private island, which your 7 yr. old should LOVE ( all beach & watersports stuff & zip-lines ,slides,etc..)..also, Norwegian Getaway ( Miami) has wonderful slides & pool area for kids & that great magic dinner show ( it costs like $29 pp ,but well worth it if you like illusions & magic..)..they do Eastern, but no private island on those...very important: RCI's Oasis class & Freedom Class ships have a kid's pool area called the "H20 FUN ZONE" that has water guns, water falls, hot tubs, etc., exclusively for kids, BUT they also have an adult's only area called the "Solarium"..so if you enroll your child in the Kid's program, you can also hang out at the Solarium area while your child is being supervised with the group...RCI also has diving shows, a Carousel FOR KIDS, and an ice-skating show that's great...You daughter MAY be a tad young for swimming & feeding the stingrays in GC, or climbing Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica, a 600 ft group of rocks you climb up while water is at your feet..fun, but not easy to do...I think Eastern on these ships is your best bet..BUT, they sell out fast if you plan to go at any holiday time like Spring Break or vacation times...get a balcony for 3, you will LOVE the balcony experience and your daughter will be mesmorized at the wonders of the sea!!

Big Al

Thank you all so much for the advice. I will look into flying into san juan... didnt cross my mind honestly but a great idea

Thank you all so much for the advice. I will look into flying into san juan... didnt cross my mind honestly but a great idea

Something to keep in mind- almost ALL of the San Juan ships do NOT have a lot of "kid's stuff"..because the ports have smaller docks, many or most of the big ships like Freedom Class or Oasis do not go into the Southern Caribb, so, that means NO kids pools and zip-lines, ice skating shows ( except on Adventure Of The Seas)..I love the Southern Caribbean, BUT the ships are really for adults, not kids..that doesn't mean you won't enjoy the cruise- it means most of the fun is in the PORTS, not the ships on sea days, which there are few...FYI.....

Big Al

If you know what dates you are bidding for you can book hotels for those dates. Just remember to cancel those you don't need.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

Feel sure you'll be able to find a Caribbean cruise that will meet your vacation schedule! :)

LuLu