Have we waited too late to book for this August/September?

Yes, I know a few cabins are still available here and there, even tho most are already booked for this summer and fall to the Baltic. And cancellations pop up from time to time everywhere....

But when I look at the cruises we are considering on Cruisewatch and most categories are labelled 'expensive' or 'extremely expensive' (and their little charts show fares have risen), I am wondering if we are paying a "premium" by having waited this long? In the don't-beat-yourself-up-vein, we had a medical issue that prevented us from definitive planning earlier.

But still.... nobody wants to get on a ship and hear the people in the cabin next door telling what they paid and learn that it's $800 less than your price.....

And, I just read this article which would make anyone conclude they should be planning 15 months in advance not 5 months.

https://cruisemaven.com/when-to-book-a-cruise-to-get-the-best-rates/

It is disheartening to learn that some cruise lines (maybe most?) raise their rates as time goes by, like the airlines.... Are there some that do NOT do this? Maybe we should focus on them.

And as for those last minute bargain fares people like to talk about, that may be a fine strategy for a trip to the Caribbean when you really don't care so much which line you are with or which islands you visit, but I am not sure it's a viable strategy for a trip to the Baltic where the itinerary matters.

I would find a good travel agent and have her look at multiple lines.

I think several are cancelling due to fear of going to Russia (which I wouldn't cancel over). There are often cancellations around final payment. Work with a good agent as opposed to scoping it out yourself.

I booked a different Northern European cruise and the best price I saw was 75 days out.

I wouldn't count on the article you read to work with every situation. I usually book last minute and find the best rates that way.

not sure of the site you mention

we usually just check the cruise line website & go from there

I do not ask what others pay for their cruise

If the price works for me that is all that matters

YMMV

Can you look to book at 3 months prior? If fares are going to drop they will then. Of course if the sailing is popular prices will rise. The best rule of thumb is to go with what YOUR budget will bear, not what others have paid.

When we did our Baltic sailing, we booked about 30 days out. It was so last-minute that some of the SPB tour companies were full or we’d missed their cutoff for booking due to the immigration circumstances. We paid well under brochure rate.

Note that the season typically ends around mid-August. Many of the later cruises tend to be on smaller ships from specialty or luxury cruiselines.

FYI - It looks like HAL, Norwegian are both staying in the Baltic into September and are showing some reasonably discounted fares. Princess has a few later sailings, but they don’t look to have dropped much below brochure prices. (I’m also seeing some deep discounts in that timeframe on Oceania and Cruise & Maritime Voyages.)

FYI - It looks like HAL, Norwegian are both staying in the Baltic into September

 

and are showing some reasonably discounted fares. Princess has a few later sailings, but they don’t look

to have dropped much below brochure prices. (I’m also seeing some deep discounts in that timeframe

on Oceania and Cruise & Maritime Voyages.)

It seems so yes. Konigsdam will make the last call in Stockholm on 11 September, Norwegian Breakaway will

make the last call in Nynäshamn/Stockholm on 30 September while AIDAmar continues until the end of October.

AIDA is a german cruise line though and I don't know how suitable they are for non German speakers.

Please also note the airfare, which is an important factor in booking last minute. We booked our cruise 4 years ago about a month out. If you do book at the last minute, your first priority is booking your St. Petersburg tour, since they need time to process your visa waiver. We DIY for all the other ports, which gives you extra breathing room. I hope it all works out for you.

Thank you for the good advice about booking airfare and tours. I have been investigating these details already. It is Thursday so I think we really ought to decide and book the cruise today... :-)

I am also looking at cruises to the Baltics in late Auagust. Just curious, and if you don't mind sharing, did you decide on a cruise? I really haven't noticed too many "deals...".

We did not decide yet. We have been looking at the three smaller ships (<700 passengers) that are in the area since the CC folks all seem to see advantages with the smaller size vessels getting into ports, etc. : Oceania Nautica, Pacific Princess, and Azamara Journey. I think we have sort of ruled out the PP since that one sails later in September when the weather will probably be colder and the days will surely be shorter!

I have found the prices vary from one day to another due to promotions that come and go. One day my agent called one of the cruiselines and they told her of a great deal; when she called back the next day to put a hold, it was gone. What we see online is not the whole story; I found that more than once when I made a phone call and chatted a bit, phone reps would find a good promotion that wasn't shown online. It sort of makes sense that the website prices might be kind of a baseline, and with various promotions at times which a clever and persistent agent can use.

I have not experienced Oceania prices changing one day to the next ..perhaps it is the TA you are using trying to get you to book

LHT, for Oceania, I simply the cruiseline directly. Their call center agents seem quite personable and helpful! But in the last hour, I just had a message from the cruisewatch people saying that the prices had dropped on the Azamara Baltic trip, so this might be a good time to consider that one! It seems pretty comparable to the Oceania voyage.

LHT, for Oceania, I simply the cruiseline directly. Their call center agents seem quite personable and helpful! But in the last hour, I just had a message from the cruisewatch people saying that the prices had dropped on the Azamara Baltic trip, so this might be a good time to consider that one! It seems pretty comparable to the Oceania voyage.

well go for the one that ticks most of your boxes

remember the price you see on Oceania includes airfare unless you look at the cruise only fare price

Enjoy whatever cruise you choose

We booked a British isles cruise about seven weeks before we left home last summer. One problem was that many of the popular independent excursion companies were booked up. We still managed to have good things to do in all of the ports. I'm looking at a trans-Atlantic for this coming September. It goes from Southampton to Rotterdam, Hamburg, Bergen, and Belfast before heading across the ocean.

We did not decide yet. We have been looking at the three smaller ships (<700 passengers) that are in the area since the CC folks all seem to see advantages with the smaller size vessels getting into ports, etc. : Oceania Nautica, Pacific Princess, and Azamara Journey. I think we have sort of ruled out the PP since that one sails later in September when the weather will probably be colder and the days will surely be shorter!

Have you checked out Viking Ocean? They have several sailings in your timeframe. Ships are a bit bigger (950) and it looks like the Homelands itineraries have availability.

I have not experienced Oceania prices changing one day to the next ..perhaps it is the TA you are using trying to get you to book

we have seen price changes from day to day on Oceania. While we've cruised with them , since the Baltic has only a 3 month prime season, unless you book far in advance or are willing to cruise the shoulder months of May and September, our experience was that their prices kept rising as it got closer to the sale date and cabins continued to be higher in price or sold out.

we have seen price changes from day to day on Oceania.

Interesting

I guess once I book I am not checking daily for price changes

my cruise in July is still the same price as when I booked it in March

same as my Dec 2017 cruise that I booked in Aug 2017

some do go up/down closer to sailing but no so much like the early years

If you are just looking for available cruises then you should browse around using a private browser window.

When you browse around normally, you will leave all sorts of digital trails behind and the booking websites

will sniff this up causing prices to go up. Try to clear cookies for that website and try again because most

likely the booking site sees that you have been there yesterday and thus it upps the prices.

This online fare adjusting that Desdichado62 describes does fit with my experience of finding the best fares when I picked up the phone and made a call, rather than looking online, where my electronic footprints are surely muddy as can be.

I need to get me one of those private browsers!

People don't usually discuss with others onboard what they paid for their cruise..just like on an airliner....just not a topic of conversation....too many variables.

This online fare adjusting that Desdichado62 describes does fit with my experience of finding the best fares when I picked up the phone and made a call, rather than looking online, where my electronic footprints are surely muddy as can be.

I need to get me one of those private browsers!

It's not a specific browser. Both Firefox (new private window) and Chrome (new incognito window) has the feature.

This online fare adjusting that Desdichado62 describes does fit with my experience of finding the best fares when I picked up the phone and made a call, rather than looking online, where my electronic footprints are surely muddy as can be.

I need to get me one of those private browsers!

Work with a travel agent - this is their specialty and they may save you even more money. I always do!

Its the same with airline tickets.

Just clear your browser history (or what its called) before you book.