Should i book a cruise now or last minute for june?

I have a family of 4 (in the past my family has always had 4 people in 1 room and they gave us an extra mattress on the floor which was very kind, but 2 rooms for 2 people would work as well) and all we care about is going on one of the bigger royal Caribbean for around less than 600, so we don't really care about the destination or anything else really. plus we have a buy one get one 1/2 off deal until the 30th right now, but that would mean I would be boarding on one of the smallest ships of RCL (only ones with less than 700$), which we really do not like. Should I book now or last minute?

You're going to have a very hard time finding a cruise in June for that price let alone on one of the big ships. I would suggest either waiting till you can budget more for the larger ships or just bite the bullet now and get the best you can. I know a lot of people love the big ships, but the small ships are really good as well. We've done both and really enjoy them all.

That will be tough to find. To us, anything less than 6+ months out is last minute. We normally book 1 year or more out so we can get the cabin we want. We also love the smaller ships (in terms of size, we've done everything from Grandeur to Allure).

If you want to spend an average of 600 per person look at the big NCL ships for oceanview or better rooms with pick a perk. It's really a great deal. I don't think you will hit your price point on RCI for Freedom or Oasis class.

I have a family of 4 (in the past my family has always had 4 people in 1 room and they gave us an extra mattress on the floor which was very kind, but 2 rooms for 2 people would work as well) and all we care about is going on one of the bigger royal Caribbean for around less than 600, so we don't really care about the destination or anything else really. plus we have a buy one get one 1/2 off deal until the 30th right now, but that would mean I would be boarding on one of the smallest ships of RCL (only ones with less than 700$), which we really do not like. Should I book now or last minute?

I think what you're seeking is unrealistic (in terms of price). June is a popular travel month for families. The bigger, newer ships seem most popular with the family demographic as well. I doubt there's a ton of empty space on those ships during popular family travel months, but then again, I've never tried so I have no first hand experience. I would be more concerned with buying last minute airfare, especially to Florida in June. Yikes. I'd just book it now if you know you'd be disappointed if you weren't able to get on the ship for a good deal last minute. Unless it's too expensive, in which case it doesn't hurt to wait it out and see what happens because you woudn't be going otherwise anyway.

I'm already seeing many June-August sailings sold out for third and fourth capacity. Also connecting and/or adjoining doubles are extremely hard to find. The longer you wait the further away two double rooms will be from one another. Rates will not go down on these sailings as RCCL know the ships will sail full. If anything prices are going to increase as supply dwindles.

If you want to spend an average of 600 per person look at the big NCL ships for oceanview or better rooms with pick a perk. It's really a great deal. I don't think you will hit your price point on RCI for Freedom or Oasis class.

I doubt the OP will even hit his target fare for the Getaway or Breakway during the June-August period. Kids sail free is not offered during those months and rates are strong. The ONLY chance he might have would be one one of the older Carnival ships (Glory/Liberty/Conquest, etc), and even then it may be tough. During a conference call last week (at the travel agency I work for) we discussed that fare are, on average, up 10% year over year.

I think what you're seeking is unrealistic (in terms of price). June is a popular travel month for families. The bigger, newer ships seem most popular with the family demographic as well. I doubt there's a ton of empty space on those ships during popular family travel months, but then again, I've never tried so I have no first hand experience. I would be more concerned with buying last minute airfare, especially to Florida in June. Yikes. I'd just book it now if you know you'd be disappointed if you weren't able to get on the ship for a good deal last minute. Unless it's too expensive, in which case it doesn't hurt to wait it out and see what happens because you woudn't be going otherwise anyway.

What about aiming for less than 800? I definitely have planned to drive, mostl likely to NJ or Baltimore and Port Canaveral since I already live on the Mid East Coast.

What about aiming for less than 800? I definitely have planned to drive, mostl likely to NJ or Baltimore and Port Canaveral since I already live on the Mid East Coast.

There are inside rooms on Carnival Breeze within your price point during June. 6 night sailings.

What about aiming for less than 800? I definitely have planned to drive, mostl likely to NJ or Baltimore and Port Canaveral since I already live on the Mid East Coast.

If you book far enough in advance for a less busy time, you can probably average under $800/person. For example (before the recent price increase) I researched a 7 night cruise for 2 on the Freedom for January 2016 and found a fare for an inside room for just under $1200. The prices have recently increased slightly, and I haven't checked again because I chose another cruise, but if you book far enough in advance I think you could still find a ship and date that was in that price range. I usually travel in the late winter (jan-feb-mar) and cruises are usually priced a LOT cheaper than they are during summer months. I booked a summer cruise this time (August) and am paying double what I would have paid for a January cruise. I don't think you'll find a summer cruise on a big (oasis, allure etc) new ship for that price range no matter how far in advance you book.

Maybe try a Freedom class ship, or Voyager class. That's where I've been able to find the less expensive deals...but not in summertime. I researched for about a year and ended up booking 9 months in advance. The price for 2 for a summer cruise in an inside cabin on the Adventure was over $2,000. But if I added a 3rd or 4th perhaps the avg price per person would go down. The price for the same cruise now (3 1/2 months in advance) is almost the same for a lesser cabin (mine holds 4 people and the only insides left are smaller and I think only hold 2 or 3), but the bigger cabins are far more expensive (like a balcony cabin for instance, because my category of inside is no longer available). So what you may end up having to do is book 2 separate inside cabins that each hold 2 people, which means you won't get the 3rd and 4th passenger rate (often thought of as the "child" price). You don't get that price, even for a child, if there aren't at least 2 people paying full fare. I travel with my daughter as my second passenger and I always pay the full "adult" fare for her. Which is what you'd have to do for your kids if they end up in a different cabin. Hope that makes sense. Also, the bigger difference was airfare. We paid $345 each round trip. Today the price for our same flight is $1400 each. But if you're driving that won't be a factor.

I guess my point is, if you wait to book any more last minute than you're already doing, the cheapest cabins will be gone. So while there may be some last minute discounts available, they won't be for the cheaper rooms, they'll be for the more expensive rooms, and those will be waaaayyyy over your $800/person desired rate. I checked on my cruise that I referenced above (where we're currently paying about $1032/person for an inside L category room), we can add a 3rd and 4th passenger for just under $800/person. And that is with the grandfathered rate that I booked. The current rate (which you would be getting) would be higher. Even so, having booked 9 months in advance, my per person price for an inside room that holds 4 people, is averaging more than $800. And this is on a Voyager class ship that is a lot older than what you're hoping to book. I'm also booked at the end of the summer, which is less sought after than the June cruises. If you wait to book, you may get a deal on the leftover inside rooms (if there are any), but you will need 2 of them, because the family sized cheap cabins are swooped up well in advance. I'd book something for next summer instead, and book it now because you'll get the cheapest rate and have the option of getting the cabin you need in the lower price range. A year passes quickly. My current cruise and ship for next summer, same time, is pricing the same as I paid. So you'll be paying more than $800/person, but you'll have more time to save up.

ColoradoGurl has given some VERY wise advice! I hope the OP listens :D

Also- one last thing (sorry), is that you mentioned the "buy one get one 1/2 off," but keep in mind that when you're looking at the cabin categories and it shows a price range...it's showing the price range with that 1/2 off already factored in. So if it says an inside cabin is "$940-980" that does NOT mean you will get the second person for $470. What that really means is that the price per person is around $1300 and when you take 1/2 off the "avg" price is $940. A lot of people (including myself) were confused about that when we went to book expecting a much lower price than what we paid. My cruise was booked with this same "sale" which has existed for about a year now. It's just a marketing ploy.

There are inside rooms on Carnival Breeze within your price point during June. 6 night sailings.

This would be a very good option if Miami is possible. The Breeze is a large ship with plenty to do. I haven't been on it but the Dream is a sister ship and I've done that twice. They have them for as low as $579 pp for a 6 nighter.