Prices seem to be lower in early December. Why?

[Teamv]

I am pricing out cruises for the 1st or 2nd week of December, 2013 and see that for many of the ships we are looking at (Liberty eastern, Dream western and many of the older ships) the price is lower at that time, compared with prices in mid or late November. Maybe this week is slow being that it is pre-Christmas? Just wondering if I am missing something that would impact sailing that week? Or maybe I should stop trying to understand Carnival pricing! :confused: Thanks!

[put me on a ship]

The first two weeks of December are not high sailing periods, so prices are always lower! We almost always go the 2nd week.

[MommaBear55]

Not many people travel between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

[gimpysfamily2]

Not many people travel during the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas so prices are lower during that time. Supply and Demand.

[LizzieTrowbridge]

I don't think you are missing anything. Like you said, it us before the holidays and just isn't a popular time to cruise. Take advantage of the lower prices and enjoy your cruise!

[Greatescapes]

Dec, Jan and Feb are usually lower fares and good times to go. It is the off Season.... Sometimes during Hurricane Season end of Aug, Sept and into Oct the prices are lower also.

[tiggerman101]

I always cruise between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The prices are crazy good at that time. My best deals have been during this period. If you can, wait it out and book last minute. You will find some amazing bargains.

[ready2cruzagain]

Simple answer: cruiselines have a hard time filling the ships during this time so they lower the prices.

We always sail the Saturday after Thanksgiving right up until before Christmas. We can usually snag a great price on a b2b2b during this time.

[Seago2]

Most people are half out of their minds with holiday parties and shopping, etc etc etc. How I would loooooooove to skip the craziness of that season and magically be on a cruise ship, believe me! But- no way could I plan so far ahead that I would be all shopped and wrapped AND ready and packed.

[Teamv]

Thanks everyone for the fast replies. We are going to book today! I would love to wait for a last minute deal Tiggerman but we have to fly to the port so have to book ahead. With the prices for the cruise it looks like our airfare will be at least twice the cost of the cruise! Thanks again.

[irishnyc]

Almost any vacation destination is cheaper those weeks. We are taking advantage of empty, cheaper Disney the week after Thanksgiving.

[tiggerman101]

Thanks everyone for the fast replies. We are going to book today! I would love to wait for a last minute deal Tiggerman but we have to fly to the port so have to book ahead. With the prices for the cruise it looks like our airfare will be at least twice the cost of the cruise! Thanks again.

 

I understand. I fly to. If you are sure about it then do Early Saver. If not and you don't mind a very low risk gamble, book a low catagory and move yourself up as the prices drop. They will go very low as time goes on. What ship/itinerary are you looking at?

[Topo Gigio]

Sometimes you can get good prices in September too because of hurricane season.

[mek]

And the first few weeks in January, after the week that has New Years in it, are usually great for low prices.

[ScottsSweetie]

We booked 5 day last minute cruise last year the 2nd week in December. I was so stressed when we got back to get all of the Christmas stuff finished!

 

We have planned a 7 day cruise this year for Dec 8-15, but knowing it ahead of time will let me plan accordingly, and not be so crazy trying to get everything ready!

 

As others have said, lots of people don't travel during this time - they are saving vacation time for the holidays, they have no money at this time of year, etc. Also, for a lot of people, they love cruising when there are not many kids on the ship - not many people will take their kids out of school during this time of year.

[Sparky2]

And the first few weeks in January, after the week that has New Years in it, are usually great for low prices.

 

On our first cruise (2003) we went the Sunday after Christmas, but I would never do that again. I had to "bust my butt" to get ready for Christmas.

 

However, mid to end of January are also quite reasonable. After that, the prices continue to go up.

 

We like to cruise the last 2 weeks of January because Christmas is over, house is back to normal, and we're happy to get out of the cold.

[mondello]

I booked Valor/Glory B2B a year in advance under Early Saver for the first 2 weeks of Dec. Got a small price drop after about 6 months and a couple more price drops as they cut fares to fill the ships.

We sailed out of Miami and enjoyed great weather both weeks while everyone else was at work/school.

[mek]

We booked 5 day last minute cruise last year the 2nd week in December. I was so stressed when we got back to get all of the Christmas stuff finished!

 

We have planned a 7 day cruise this year for Dec 8-15, but knowing it ahead of time will let me plan accordingly, and not be so crazy trying to get everything ready!

 

 

It can be crazy, but when I take a cruise between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I just make sure I have everything completely done for the holidays before I leave. We did a Thanksgiving cruise to Hawaii a year ago and I had all of my decorations up before we left so when we returned, all I had to do was unpack and we were ready for everything. The key is to have it all done - even if you have to do it much earlier than normal.

[Eeyoregon]

The first few weeks of December are slow travel times for all aspects of the industry. You can get great deasl on cruises, Las Vegas stays, Disney World vacations, etc. if you go the first few weeks of December.

 

It's the lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas and great deals and low crowds are to be had. :)

 

Happy Sailing!

 

Gina

[deladane]

I have sailed the 2nd week in November and the 2nd week in December, and I got great deals on both of those cruises. I booked them both in September so I'd have enough time to get decent flights too. One of the best parts about cruising then is that there were hardly any children on the cruise because they were all still in school :)

[larkz]

I sail between the week after Thanksgiving and just before Christmas because I like the contrast in weather at home (freezing) and weather in the tropics/subtropics. Also, as noted, the prices are great.

[OCruisers]

It's "The Holiday's" for many so the timing doesn't suit most.

 

For another time of year ... "Repositioning Cruises" are a very good value!

 

LuLu

~~~~