When to book March 27 cruise?

[Jules~Marie]

My husband and I are thinking about going on the March 27th sailing out of Tampa. We have some time off from work and we haven't been on a cruise in 2 years, so we're seriously considering it.

 

Questions are:

 

Will the price drop at all before the cruise? I've been tracking the prices and they haven't changed at all. I don't mind paying the price it is now, but I'm not sure if this is the best deal or not.

 

What should we expect on a short cruise? We've only been on 7+ day cruises, so this shorter cruise & smaller boat is kind of making me nervous. I also think it's during some college spring breaks, and it's going to Cozumel, so I suspect it will be a party cruise. (Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm just curious about what to expect).

 

Should I book through the website, or would I benefit from calling Carnival directly? Normally, I do everything online, but I wonder if calling will get any discounts/upgrades?

 

Thanks for any and all advice! :)

[xitappers2bx]

I'm just going to answer in red after each question...

 

My husband and I are thinking about going on the March 27th sailing out of Tampa. We have some time off from work and we haven't been on a cruise in 2 years, so we're seriously considering it.

 

Questions are:

 

Will the price drop at all before the cruise? I've been tracking the prices and they haven't changed at all. I don't mind paying the price it is now, but I'm not sure if this is the best deal or not.

 

Quote possibly not, especially if the ship is nearing fully capacity. if the price is good for you now, i'd book it now. it could very well go up in cost. i booked my cruise for this month in january, and the price has gone up and down, and is now back to being more than when it was when i booked, and it's about 10 days out.

 

What should we expect on a short cruise? We've only been on 7+ day cruises, so this shorter cruise & smaller boat is kind of making me nervous. I also think it's during some college spring breaks, and it's going to Cozumel, so I suspect it will be a party cruise. (Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm just curious about what to expect).

 

a short cruise on the smaller boats aren't bad at all... my first cruise was on the sensation 4 night and it was a blast. they're still massively huge ships, and it's still a good time. but it probably will be a party cruise, but that just means you'll have more reason to let lose and have fun.

 

Should I book through the website, or would I benefit from calling Carnival directly? Normally, I do everything online, but I wonder if calling will get any discounts/upgrades?

 

if you call carnival, they will give you the exact same price as if you booked it on their website. the only way you could hope to get a discount of some kind would be to book through a third party website or through a travel agent who might offer OBC or something to help build loyalty (I only use a TA, it's always been a positive experience, and i tend to be able to book a few hundreds dollars cheaper than the ccl website shows, but you're so close to the sail date there may be nothing incentive-wise even from a TA)

 

Thanks for any and all advice! :)

[sunnydaygirl]

My husband and I are thinking about going on the March 27th sailing out of Tampa. We have some time off from work and we haven't been on a cruise in 2 years, so we're seriously considering it.

 

Questions are:

 

Will the price drop at all before the cruise? I've been tracking the prices and they haven't changed at all. I don't mind paying the price it is now, but I'm not sure if this is the best deal or not.

 

What should we expect on a short cruise? We've only been on 7+ day cruises, so this shorter cruise & smaller boat is kind of making me nervous. I also think it's during some college spring breaks, and it's going to Cozumel, so I suspect it will be a party cruise. (Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm just curious about what to expect).

 

Should I book through the website, or would I benefit from calling Carnival directly? Normally, I do everything online, but I wonder if calling will get any discounts/upgrades?

 

Thanks for any and all advice! :)

 

 

Try googling last min cruise sale and see what pops up. I try to stay away from cruises around spring break for that reason. The last one there were passengers put of the ship. Damage done in the kitchen area. Too much alcohol available for some I guess. But having said that I've always enjoyed a cruise no matter the days. I may choose to stay on board a day just so I can have the day at sea experience more often.

Back to price, at this point it may be the lowest it will go and your only option for deals is the perks TA's offer as incentives to book with them. Sounds like you are ready. Just bookhave fun

 

 

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[Jules~Marie]

Thank you for the replies. It's settled, I'm booking tonight! The price is great as it is, so why not?! After the year we've had (and its only March-eek) this cruise is much needed. I can't wait. :D

[LeisaH3067]

If the price is right, I would book it now and not wait. We have always done better using a TA but it's always been in the form of some perk such a on board credit. I don't know if you will find that this close to sailing though. I wouldn't worry too much about it being too much of a party atmosphere. Sure that is more common on the shorter cruises but I believe most colleges have had their spring breaks by then. What you probably will find is more families as that is spring break time for schools, at least here in the Midwest. Enjoy your cruise :)

[runner15km]

Call a cruise travel agent,the cruise price will be the same but most times the ta will offer some perks.

[Freedom2014]

We booked our march 22 cruise last month and the price has only gone up...

[MzMelissa26]

Same here...booked a few weeks ago for 30th... within two days those French door rooms were gone and interior is now higher

[xitappers2bx]

Thank you for the replies. It's settled, I'm booking tonight! The price is great as it is, so why not?! After the year we've had (and its only March-eek) this cruise is much needed. I can't wait. :D

 

YAY!!

 

i just did the same thing in january for a cruise that leaves in 9 days... sometimes you just gotta say screw it, we're going on vacation.