How far in advance do you book?

Hello all, just curious if anyone books ahead a specific amount of time as a rule of thumb?

Right now I'm not really in a position to book a cruise 1-3 months ahead of time- I really need 4-6 months minimum. However, I'm trying to figure out where I'm likely to get the best price for a given itinerary based on how many months away it is. Experienced cruisers, any advice?

We always book about the six month mark, for our last 3 cruises it's been the best rate we've found

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Remember, RCL will price adjust if a better rate or promotion becomes available! I booked our room and 4 days later the fall sale came out and I saved an additional $500!! As long as you stay on top of it - if a better offer comes out you can still take advantage!!

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I book as far ahead as possible, especially when the rate is good and I can get the cabin and itinerary I want. Then I watch and if the price goes down I call and get the savings applied.

I already have 6 booked through May 2018 and may add more.

I book when I get the price I want to pay. The longest out was about ten months and the shortest was about five weeks.

We most always book far out in order to get choice of aft cabins then just keep and eye on price/deal fluctuation.

But just booked our 1st RC cruise for 7 months out as we had a change in plans, we also were able to grab the last aft cabin.

We typically book when we are on the ship for the next cruise. We have also booked when sailing on Celebrity for Royal Caribbean. Sometimes you get extra on board credit to spend if you book on board. As previously said, if the price drops, you can call RC and adjust By booking as early as possible, you can book a great cabin rather then book what is left over. You can always cancel the cruise prior to final payment without penality.

Enjoy.

Frequently, a year in advance.

Hello all, just curious if anyone books ahead a specific amount of time as a rule of thumb?

 

Right now I'm not really in a position to book a cruise 1-3 months ahead of time- I really need 4-6 months minimum. However, I'm trying to figure out where I'm likely to get the best price for a given itinerary based on how many months away it is. Experienced cruisers, any advice?

We book some cruises as soon as they are offered. We also keep watch on prices and may book other cruises if the price is right.

We book as soon as the new cruises are put out, then watch Royals site for any price drops.

We book some cruises as soon as they are offered. We also keep watch on prices and may book other cruises if the price is right.

We book as soon as the new cruises are put out, then watch Royals site for any price drops.

Same here. We're finding the best prices early. We haven't seen a price drop below our original booking for a few years.

Same here. We're finding the best prices early. We haven't seen a price drop below our original booking for a few years.

Apparently you weren't on the transatlantic, on the Silhouette, this past April. We booked that five weeks from sailing and got a 1A balcony for $600 p.p. plus tax and fees. I doubt if it was that low when it first came out.

If you are not fussy about your cabin and the cruise isn't prime itinerary or during a peak time fine to gamble. I booked the harmony two years in advance and not only did my suite go up almost $2000 but the type of cabin hasn't been available for about 5 months. Our crise isn't until march 2017.

We booked our next cruise on board in April for a cruise in April 2018. We have changed cabins twice now and ended up with a good deal. I told our TA that I won't look at prices anymore.

I scout out what day the schedule is going to be released and book on the first day. Have gotten some really good deals that way.

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We are sailing OASIS on 4/30/17 and booked it in April 2015. I like to book EARLY so I can get my choice of cabin location.

It went down 1 time by $75 so I called and got the lower price. At one point it was $2,000 more than we paid! I like to make payments along the way so I have time to pay it off before I go. We also hit a sale when we booked with the deposit reduced by 50% so it only cost $375 to reserve for 3 people.

We have now upgraded to a junior suite by watching prices and are so excited.

Hope this helps.

Hello all, just curious if anyone books ahead a specific amount of time as a rule of thumb?

 

Right now I'm not really in a position to book a cruise 1-3 months ahead of time- I really need 4-6 months minimum. However, I'm trying to figure out where I'm likely to get the best price for a given itinerary based on how many months away it is. Experienced cruisers, any advice?

We generally book a year to 18 months out.. I check often for price drops, or better cabins. Book when it is best for YOU. You can change reservations if something comes up...

Hello all, just curious if anyone books ahead a specific amount of time as a rule of thumb?

 

Right now I'm not really in a position to book a cruise 1-3 months ahead of time- I really need 4-6 months minimum. However, I'm trying to figure out where I'm likely to get the best price for a given itinerary based on how many months away it is. Experienced cruisers, any advice?

We usually (not always) book a cruise while we are on a cruise.

Apparently you weren't on the transatlantic, on the Silhouette, this past April. We booked that five weeks from sailing and got a 1A balcony for $600 p.p. plus tax and fees. I doubt if it was that low when it first came out.

Actually, we got a $900 price drop and upgrade from and S2 to an S1 on our March 2018 Silhouette but weren't we talking about Royal Caribbean? :rolleyes:

We book based on deals offered, and check if new deals are better than earlier booked.

I watch prices closely and have found the further out the better the price. My next FOS cruise was booked 11 1/2 months out and I got the best price offered to date.

Usually 18 to 24 months.

I'm really curious about this thread, and wondering if all of you are booking directly thru RCCL or using a TA? I was under the impression you couldn't do anything directly thru the cruiseline if your original booking was thru a TA. Am I wrong? I booked Harmony about 1 1/2 years before our sailing in December 2016, and got great "perks". Fortunately, the price just increased to the point of doubling what we paid for a Cat d7 balcony. I would assume I would have lost all my perks if I did anything to the booking!!!

Hello all, just curious if anyone books ahead a specific amount of time as a rule of thumb?

 

Right now I'm not really in a position to book a cruise 1-3 months ahead of time- I really need 4-6 months minimum. However, I'm trying to figure out where I'm likely to get the best price for a given itinerary based on how many months away it is. Experienced cruisers, any advice?

As soon as the itineraries are released. Advantage in both pricing and cabin selection.

We usually book cruises about 12 months out for the same reasons everyone mentioned above.

We, however, struggle to find the best time to book the air flight... We always seem to purchase when most expensive (3-6 months) and, unfortunately, they don't adjust the price down after the purchase like the cruiselines.

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