Sale? When is the best time to book?

Wondering IF Carnival posts sales on (summer 2019) cruises. When is the best time to purchase or does the price remain the same? Do they do Black Friday sales?

Thanks 🏝

Best time to book is as soon as you are somewhat sure of your travel dates and the cruise you want. Some rate codes are flexible but some are not. It's best to not select the more restrictive rate codes when booking far out. We always try to book at least 6 to 8 months out but I would like to book a year out. I usually book when deposits are low so that I dont lose much if I cant make it. My 3 cruises for 2018 were all booked under the 50 special deposits and we were able to get best room selection. Also for my Thanksgiving cruise I booked early and the prices have increased tremendously from what I got. My other family members just booked last month and they are paying a lot more than what I paid. I also pay over time so I pay for them monthly and I am paid off at the due date without having to come up with a lump sum. I still watch for price drops too.

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If picking the exact cabin you want is important to you then you should consider booking 8 months to a year out (or even earlier). There will be deals like the $50 deposits or some on board credit but the prices you initially see are likely not going to get any cheaper. Check around on different sites and remember to clear out your browser history.

We always book at least a year out when they have reduced deposits. I always see the price increase, rarely ever seen it decrease. If it does decrease by anything, I fill out the price protection form and get that amount in OBC.

Wondering IF Carnival posts sales on (summer 2019) cruises. When is the best time to purchase or does the price remain the same? Do they do Black Friday sales?

Thanks 🏝

Hi

With cruise lines (all of them) the term "sale" is not used in they same way as other businesses.

You have to follow the prices of cruises you are considering to understand if they are higher or lower than yesterday.

The cabins are priced according to supply and demand. Prices don't go up or down uniformly across the line for any cruise line. In fact they don't even go up or down uniformly across the different cabin categories on a given ship. The price for one cabin category on a ship can go up while another cabin category can go down.

Do your research well in advance of your planned travel, and book as soon as you feel comfortable that you will indeed be able to make your sailing date. When possible try to book with a "rate" that allows you to benefit from any price drops. Make sure you understand any penalties or restrictions that are in place for that "rate" that you booked with. Before doing anything that you are unsure of, ask on the cruise line specific threads of this site. Many book as far as a couple of years out, so looking and booking now for next summer is not too early.

The prices in summer are almost always high, just because most families can only travel when school is out. For best prices (in the Caribbean), if you can, sail dates in late Nov. and early Dec. as well as Jan. & Feb. are as low as you will likely find.

Also you should seriously consider insurance.

hope this helps

have a great cruise

Sales on Carnival are anything but. Good advise above

The last two trips I booked were both booked within 60 days. I got great deals by being flexible and lucky in searching. I look frequently so I have a decent understanding of what is a true “deal” and what is just marketing. There is no tried and true method other than look often, be somewhat flexible and hopefully you will catch something at just the right time and get yourself a deal.

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You have to learn to watch prices over time. It used to be that $100 day pp was a good price for a balcony...I would say that is creeping closer to $110 pp for a week. Holidays, special cruises, school breaks etc can run 50% or more higher. Look at the prices of the cruises you are interested in over several months and you will get a feel.

It used to be that you saw price drops frequently...not so much any more.

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The best time to book is when the itineraries are first released, under Early Saver. Then, either prices go up in which case you’ve locked in the lowest price, or prices go down and you request a price match.

The best time to book is when the itineraries are first released, under Early Saver. Then, either prices go up in which case you’ve locked in the lowest price, or prices go down and you request a price match.

Just for clarity, no matter what rate you book you are locked in at the lowest price and if you book any other rate besides early saver you can still get price drops up until final payment date.

Bill

From my experience, the earlier you book, the better the rate. As others have stated, you can monitor the rates over time to see if the price goes down. Over the last several years I have only booked one cruise where the rate dropped later on. All the others increased over time.

Another option if you are flexible and/or live close to a port, is to book a cruise at the last minute. You can get some great deals when a ship is close to its departure date and there are still a lot of cabins available.

The economy is strong, they aren't slashing prices as much. The early saver with the OBC included is usually your best bet and watch the prices. If you don't, there's actually a chance your room may sell out. I have a cruise that is 4 months away, and I was going to wait. The type of room I wanted is already gone. I'm glad I bought it.

The economy is strong, they aren't slashing prices as much. The early saver with the OBC included is usually your best bet and watch the prices. If you don't, there's actually a chance your room may sell out. I have a cruise that is 4 months away, and I was going to wait. The type of room I wanted is already gone. I'm glad I bought it.

prices out of Galveston are certainly higher this year. Last year the 14 day partial panama had some deals, this year its been sold out for what i think is weeks and now i think the 14 day in January is also sold out.

I paid more for my Vista cruise, mostly because Vista cost more than Freedom and my cruise roomie said she thought she would prefer a newer ship so I went along with it ... but I too paid more than I usually pay. another date we looked at has gone down, but the date my roomie said she could do has gone up.

The cruise after thanksgiving she said her flight this late to book would be $400 is why we had to rule out the other date for Vista that was a good price.

i did see a good price for sept 23 on Freedom, but i couldnt take it last minute i already booked the dentist for next wednesday, so Ill have to wait for the date we booked.

i didnt think of it as being the economy stupid, but thats probably it, the prices this year are just up higher than they were last year. (and so is my hotel price last minute in Galveston).

Wondering IF Carnival posts sales on (summer 2019) cruises. When is the best time to purchase or does the price remain the same? Do they do Black Friday sales?

Thanks 🏝

Since Carnival 'guarantees lowest price', booking ahead through a Carnival Personal Cruise Planner(PCP) we've found the best way, and we book early to get what cabin/area of ship we prefer!

We've already booked 2 journey cruises, B2B on the Legend next Sept. cause we wanted what we wanted if that makes sense!;)

The only time we book short is when we get a bonce back offer from the casino!;p

Just for clarity, no matter what rate you book you are locked in at the lowest price and if you book any other rate besides early saver you can still get price drops up until final payment date.

 

Bill

I think what they mean is typically prices are lower when the itinerary first comes out. Then the price increases over time but if it drops you get the lower price. Even if you book 6 months later, you will have the lowest price as the price continues to go up. If for some reason it drops slightly, then you get the lowest price.

This is how we book as well.

The industry is booming right now, no need for a true fleetwide price cut. What you will see are variations which range from lower fares to slightly higher fare which come with a variety or upgrades or OBC's.

We have gotten our best deals right after final payment date. But this requires some flexibility and off season planning. I don't think that would work for summer or other high season weeks.

The industry is booming right now, no need for a true fleetwide price cut. What you will see are variations which range from lower fares to slightly higher fare which come with a variety or upgrades or OBC's.

oh yea i forgot about the sale. when i booked there was one price lets say $500 pp, but i could book at $525 pp and get $50 obc for the cabin, lol, so you paid $50 extra upfront but could get obc.

what a sale.

I havent seen any real sales that are actually lower fares in carnival rates for a long time

the only sales are things like lower deposit, stuff like that, but to me there are no advertised sales that are real. Like they send me a email that says 20% off or some such, and i look and all it is is the regular early saver fare, nothing off.

sometimes i get sucked into looking when i get a email for a sale, and i always feel like they are saying "made you look, made you look, you fool"

Just for clarity, no matter what rate you book you are locked in at the lowest price and if you book any other rate besides early saver you can still get price drops up until final payment date.

 

 

 

Bill

Just for more clarity, you will rarely, if ever, find a rate cheaper than Early Saver. Except for Guarantee rates, but those run the risk of getting stuck in a cabin with a less than desirable location. And I don’t believe you cannot price match under those rates. At least I know you can’t with Pack & Go rates. They specifically state they are for new bookings only and do not include Early Saver price protection.

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