Book early or wait?

[LMaxwell]

Looking at an itinerary for December 2015; 1 year and 9 months from now. The itinerary has just been released so prices are "base". It's not a steal, it's not too high. I guess I could book and just wait to see what prices do? I will be taking a cruise before then (still over a year out from 12/15) so could wait and at least book on board for the reduced deposit and nominal OBC credit. Not seeing any come on offers from TA's for this cruise yet either.

[Valiamo]

Now that is one looonnnnngggg time to wait for a cruise to arrive. The prices always seem to have a neat roller coaster effect, going up and down and seeming to then stable out near the end, with a quick drop just before the cruise date to get rid of the remaining cabins. It is always a gamble that you can get the room you want at the price you want. I know that I have locked down my cabin choice, was able to recently upgrade wiht minimal cost, and we are just awaiting for a sale to lock down a cheaper price. BUT... I am happy with my current price, and a future sale would just make me much happier.

[TropicalIslandGirl1981]

I just booked mine, March 2015 and my T.A gave me $100 OBC and will refund me the difference if there is a price drop prior to the final PMT is due. I booked early because I want the room to choose from. Having open availability is a prime decision for me. If you're not pick on the deck level or stateroom then you could wait if you wanted to. I think it's just personal preference.

 

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[edjny]

We book most of our cruises soon after they are announced. We recently booked a Cruisetour in Alaska (Jul 2015), a B2B to Quebec City (Sept 2015) and will be booking a couple of 10/11 night cruises to the Southern Carribean (Feb/Mar 2016) on our next cruise in about a week.

 

Doing this is a no-lose deal. I get my choice of the best cabins and usually the lowest prices. Should anything happen in the future, I can easily cancel and get my downpayment back or call up and take advantage of a price drop or discount. :cool:

 

But, we are always looking for a short term deal that shows up. Just a couple days ago, we found and booked a 5 night cruise on the Liberty next month (Apr 21st) that went for $364 P/P (with senior discount) for a D2 Balcony.

[beerman2]

Agree if your want particular deck/cabin it is better to book early. New to RCCl so learning how to watch for price drop.

 

Carnival's web is much easier to do that , but I'm also OK with what I am paying for my cabin on RCCL.

[SamFritz]

My advice is to book as soon as you can and then watch regularly (2-3 times each week) for a price drop.

 

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[Ourusualbeach]

Another vote for book it now.

 

I just booked Dec 2015 and Mar 2016. Got the cabins I wanted and now can sit back and hopefully catch a price drop.

[molly361]

When in December? If it is the first part prices usually come down on cruises between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

That said I would probably still book now and watch prices. You can always cancel right before final payment and gamble at that time for a price drop.

[dealer9296]

I traveled last December and prices were very cheap just before cruise on Liberty with the exception of Christmas week and New Years.

[fred111]

We needed six cabins next to each other for a Thanksgiving cruise in 2015 so we already booked. I will keep looking at the prices. If they go down, we will get the reduction.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I agree that booking now is the best option. But, with the new rules/incentives for booking onboard vs using an open booking certificate--at least look at those to see if you feel you want to wait to book onboard. OBC for suites is very nice.

 

Unless you are looking for a particular cabin there should be availablility when you cruise with more than a year out for the cruise you want to book.

[edjny]

Agree if your want particular deck/cabin it is better to book early. New to RCCl so learning how to watch for price drop.

 

 

It is easy to do. I get to the initial booking page for the cruise I am on and save it on the 'favorites' line of the browser. Here is an example of the page I mean for our cruise to Bermuda. Just click the 'Book' button, check any discounts you might be eligible for and continue to the next screen that shows the current rates with any discounts you selected included. If the number is lower than what it was for you when you initially booked the cruise, it is time to call RCL (or TA) to claim your reduced price up to Final Payment Date. But, some of the reductions or discounts only last a short time, so you really have to check the prices at least once a day to be sure to catch them. BTW, it really is quicker to do than to try to explain it... :)

Edited March 23, 2014 by edjny

[SadmanCruiser]

My policy is to book when the cruises are released in a room I am happy with and at a price I am happy with and then look for price drops or upgrades.

 

Last year on the Mariner Suez cruise we upgraded from a promenade to a junior suite for $49 each.

 

We booked the Oasis September transatlantic when it was released and watched the prices go up. Last week they dropped and we were able to take advantage of nearly $1200 in price drops.

 

Our Independence transatlantic in May has dropped (after final payment) so we took an upgrade from a promenade to an E2 balcony for $38 per person.

 

The Anthem transatlantic next year has doubled in price since we booked.

 

Pete

[SadmanCruiser]

We needed six cabins next to each other for a Thanksgiving cruise in 2015 so we already booked. I will keep looking at the prices. If they go down, we will get the reduction.

 

There is a site which emails you when the prices drop. It is a CRUISE site that will FISH for price drops. It has saved me thousands of $$$.

[courtneytko]

Thinking about booking on RCI how do price drops work? On Carnival you get an onbroad credit for the difference, is that the same?

[edjny]

Thinking about booking on RCI how do price drops work? On Carnival you get an onbroad credit for the difference, is that the same?

 

The key date is the Final Payment Day. That is 75 days before embarkation day. Before that, just call up RCL and ask to have the current reduced price applied to your reservation. After that date, there is no more reductions. But, if a higher class of cabin is available with a small increase in price, you can upgrade to the new reduced price for a higher class cabin.

[Ourusualbeach]

Thinking about booking on RCI how do price drops work? On Carnival you get an onbroad credit for the difference, is that the same?

 

Up until final payment they will refund your CC for any price drops. (Excludes sales limited to new bookings only).

 

After final payment there are no refunds or OBC's issued but if a better cabin is available for little or no difference in price you may upgrade by paying the difference. Again this excludes sales limited to new bookings only.

 

Above is only available for North American residents only.

 

Final payment dates

 

Cruises up to 5 days is 60 days

Cruises 6 days and over is 75 days

Holiday cruises are 90 days

Edited March 23, 2014 by Ourusualbeach

[SadmanCruiser]

Up until final payment they will refund your CC for any price drops. (Excludes sales limited to new bookings only).

 

After final payment there are no refunds or OBC's issued but if a better cabin is available for little or no difference in price you may upgrade by paying the difference. Again this excludes sales limited to new bookings only.

 

Above is only available for North American residents only.

 

Or Brits who use a U.S. travel agent;)

[LMaxwell]

Will discuss with the wife if she likes the intin. and then decided what to do. Hoping to book a 3 day weekend cruise this spring; would be nice to make the booking for Dec 2015 onboard that to at least take advantage of the reduced deposit. Large deposit out of pocket now for something so far away sits a little funny with me.

[TropicalIslandGirl1981]

You can get a full refund of its 75 days prior to sailing date. So if you have to cancel you can get your $ back. It's also smart to buy travel insurance. Well worth the $ if in an event something were to happen.

 

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[Hoopster95]

Will discuss with the wife if she likes the intin. and then decided what to do.... would be nice to make the booking for Dec 2015 onboard that to at least take advantage of the reduced deposit. Large deposit out of pocket now for something so far away sits a little funny with me.

 

Hi again LMaxwell, what itinerary for Dec 2015? Unless there's a specific cabin and location, I refuse to book anything until after final payment date. 80% of my cruises I book after the 75 day threshold. Many CC'ers have complaints of various price drops they were unable to get because they book early.

 

A waiver to this is itinerary & ship & cabin preference. Many early bookers got an initial "great" deal on Quantum booking this first week compared to today. My upcoming Hawaii cruise is pretty much sold out and has been for months so need to book early. My Vision cruise I booked JS 2 months out at a spectacular price about 1/2 when it first started.

 

My current Navigator cruise also booked about 7 weeks out (again after 75 day final payment) at about $200pp from where it's top price was. Having said that, about 2 months ago this sailing had a balcony sale, so balconies were actually much cheaper at the 4 month mark than they are today. You really have to watch the itineraries and know what popularity the stateroom class is getting.

 

Personally, I have always seen December sailings on sale, or price reduced, right after Thanksgiving. If you want to book early, how about booking an interior... if the prices go higher you have a bargain on your hands. If prices go lower you can upgrade for little or no $$ before final payment :)

[LMaxwell]

Serenade; 9 night. 12/14/15 - 12/23/15

 

Fort Lauderdale to the ABC Islands and Key West.