How far in advance do you book?

[bluejay555]

As a rule, do prices just keep going down the closer it gets to sail date? We have always booked far in advance but 2 summers ago, waited and booked just a few weeks in advance and got an amazing deal. Then last summer I was gonna wait it out again, but got nervous because we wanted a cove balcony and I was afraid they'd sell out. Now I'm wondering again.... do I wait until the last minute, or book soon for an early June cruise? (I've never done early saver and don't know much about it)

[mary80]

We have booked as far as a year in advance, and as late as two months. I always feel like we get the best deals with early saver, we always end up with a good on board credit. I would book that way every time if i could, but sometimes we just don't know that far in advance if we can go or not. It's really easy to get the credit. I've always checked the price almost weekly with a mock booking. If you find a cabin in the same category for cheaper, you fill out a quick form, and they reply to you within a couple of days.

Edited March 12, 2015 by mary80

[golfb4cruzing]

A year out for us is the longest. We also have some OBC by the time we leave. Being vets, we always get $100 OBC pp just for booking 7 day trip (on Princess). Then we watch the pricing and catch some drops along the way.

[snc_cam]

the cruise I am about to go on I booked 14 months in advance. We usually book about a year out for a cruise; gives us the opportunity to get a lower price. Though the price we initially pay for the cruise is still a good deal and if it stays at that price, we are happy. Which is what happened with the upcoming cruise. The price NEVER came down to what we initially paid.

 

We also try to book onboard to get the additional OBC for the future cruise. We like to choose the cabin so booking late would not give us that opportunity.

[ABQrobin]

WE have only been on 2 cruise and booked the first one 2 months out, the second one about 3 months out.

As far as selling out, yes, some rooms will sell out months in advance so room price will never go down. Other rooms may not sell out.

I would book that Cove balcony ASAP as those are great and will sell out.

[Cruisegirl6]

We normally take 2-3 cruises a year plus land based vacations but our main cruise (usually our main cruise is RC ship but would definitely add the Vista, the Dream and Magic in the list) we will book this out 12 months in advance, generally when we cruise our main cruise for the year we book up our next when we get home. We always book early saver so when the price gets lower it is honored even two days before a Carnival cruise. I have booked last minute cruises 3 weeks to 12 weeks before the cruise, these are usually our Carnival cruises that we just decide to get away. The problem in booking late, yes the rate usually does get lower depending upon the time of year (generally between December 1- May 31 and don't expect that to happen during summer months) but you are extremely limited as to the deck and cabin. If your the type of person that wants a certain deck, or to have a room somewhere specific on the ship then I suggest not to book up late. Since you want a cove balcony, I would book now.

 

I did book up a cruise for next year a year and half in advance only because the cruise line had an offer of offering us the complimentary ultimate beverage program and the cruise agency we booked with is paying our gratuities and giving us $100 shipboard credit. If we didn't get these perks I would book up after our cruise on the Valor this may.

Edited March 12, 2015 by lyndamr

[trvlgirlmq]

We book our main summer family vacations far out. Our upcoming May cruise was booked last July. We did book ES and have received over $900 in price drops. I like to choose our room so book early. We have booked our Vista cruise on opening day in January for Summer 2016 so about 18 months out!

[CookiePie]

I'm trying to figure out the same thing. We booked our April trip in Feb. We are taking another cruise this year in July and I want to get the best deal so I'm trying to determine if booking on board is worth the OBC or if I'd be better off waiting until about a month before the cruise to book it for more savings.....thoughts:confused:

[Cruisegirl6]

My daughter and her bf and father in law booked our upcoming Valor with the OBC deal, the rate DID get lower and because it was booked with the OBC offer, I was unable to honor the lower rate, which would of been 150 less per cabin and now they paying a higher rate and only getting back $50 OBC. I won't be booking OBC deals any longer.

[CheckersMidwest]

We usually book about January or February for a late May early June vacation. That's about the time we decide what we want to do for vacation. Sometimes we opt for a land based trip (gasp!).

 

If you wait until the last minute, you get great cruise deals , however, you run the risk of the category you want being sold out. If you have to fly, you'll have to pay market price for airline tickets too and not be able to take advantage of sales.

 

I also bought airline tickets back in February. I saved about $120 per person by catching them at the right time. (4 people = $480 in savings). We don't have Jet blu and not many southwest deals out of our airports, so normal airfaire to Florida is $460 each right now. I guess that's probably more why I book early.

[K&P Luv2Cruise]

We booked our Pride March, 2016 cruise last August !

 

Even at that far out, 'our cabin' wasn't available (4K with a view), so we booked into a different one. The rate we paid was already about $150. pp higher than when the cruise was announced, and it currently is $240. pp higher than we booked at. I can't see this pricing going back down to our original booking amount, and we are booked Past Guest this time instead of Early Saver.

 

It really depends on the cruise you are looking at (is it a longer journey, or to special/new ports etc) whether to book far out or short notice.

 

I did book one as a last minute a few years ago - we booked on the Wednesday, and sailed on the Sunday :eek: Everything worked out great, got a very good deal on both the cruise and the flights.

 

Best of luck !

[Jay Sam]

As a rule, do prices just keep going down the closer it gets to sail date? We have always booked far in advance but 2 summers ago, waited and booked just a few weeks in advance and got an amazing deal. Then last summer I was gonna wait it out again, but got nervous because we wanted a cove balcony and I was afraid they'd sell out. Now I'm wondering again.... do I wait until the last minute, or book soon for an early June cruise? (I've never done early saver and don't know much about it)

 

From my experience, 11 cruises, only booked one more than 6 weeks before departure. The early saver pricings are often times a bunch of bunk. Not sure how all the lines do this, but a friend got taken advantage of by Holland. You see, sometimes, juggling of the prices to avoid upgrades. I am sure Holland is not alone.

 

I live in Florida, so I can be more flexible than folks who live in other parts of the country, who depend upon airfare as part of the cost of the cruise. Saying that, if you are not traveling during a peak time, myself, I do not do the advance booking. I have found the best deals are 6 weeks or less before the sail date, unless you have your heart set on a particular ship/itinerary.

 

I am flexible, with usually 3 or 4 in mind. If my number one choice is not the price I want, I will shift to a different one. Most usually, my number one choice is the one that I end up with, and for the price I want.

 

My last 2 cruises I booked within 17 days of departure, and the prices were remarkable. One of them I had to fly to, so being that it was in an off peak time, even the airfare and hotel were amazing.

 

So, it all depends upon your flexibility, time of year and geographical locations in relation to where the ship is leaving from.

 

Just my feelings from what I have seen on booking time-line and prices.

[arby70]

We usually book a year plus ahead of time. I do early saver so I can get any other price reductions after I book.

[SFplusP]

We booked for April 25th about 3-4 months ago. Price dropped 2 times since then, by about $200 total. However, right now the prices are higher than we paid, and we are pretty close to sailing, so it is not getting cheaper for ours.

 

I would do early saver. Book, then go to fare viewer every day and check how much your cabin is (note fare viewer does not included taxes and fees, so you'll need to know how much your just cruise fare is). Every time the price is lower than what you paid, fill out a price protection form. If you are before final payment, what you owe is reduced. After final payment, you get OBC.

[bluejay555]

Thanks for the great info everyone! I need to educate myself on early saver, it sounds like.

[kona_wahine]

We book at least a year out. Living in oregon the airfare is an important factor. We can usually use a companion fare or ff miles to get a decent price.

 

As for ES, it works for us. Our cruise next month we have $160 OBC. There has been SS rates lower but we have an awesome lido balcony I wouldn't give up for the $100 or so OBC.

 

We are probably going to book a b2b on the breeze for next April while on our glory trip, just to get the extra OBC.

 

Plus, I like the planning, being able to make payments so it doesn't hit all at once, and making sure we get FTTF. :D

[SadieN]

We've booked anywhere between 4 days and a year before. The advantage to living near a home port.

[islandatsea]

Since you want a cove balcony I would book it asap since they are very popular. We usually book about 3 to 6 months out but this time we did book anywhere from 1 year to 2 years out. Wanted to get a specific cabin on those cruises.

[7upp]

The answer depends on the popularity of the cabin you'd like and whether or not you like to pick your own cabin. If you'd like a popular cabin, like a cove balcony, you should book in advance because they sell out. If you don't care where your cabin is, then you can book almost last-minute to get a great rate. There are pros and cons to consider.

[ray98]

4 months tops, usually less than 90 days.

[pe4all]

As soon as I know my school's schedule for the following year, I book my cruises. (teacher) I know the specific cabins I want, and grab them on an ES price. I usually get price drops. I booked my next Feb.'s President Week cruise while still on Splendor!

[soccersharon]

Booked the Vista repo to Miami 21 months out. Longest countdown ever! Normally, I book roughly a year out.

[winddawn]

As a rule, do prices just keep going down the closer it gets to sail date? We have always booked far in advance but 2 summers ago, waited and booked just a few weeks in advance and got an amazing deal. Then last summer I was gonna wait it out again, but got nervous because we wanted a cove balcony and I was afraid they'd sell out. Now I'm wondering again.... do I wait until the last minute, or book soon for an early June cruise? (I've never done early saver and don't know much about it)

If getting the best deal is most important to you, and especially if you are flexible about ship and embarkation port, last minute typically yields the best rates. However if having a certain cabin is most important to you and you see a rate for that cabin that you can live with, I would not wait because chances are that the most popular cabins will sell out.

 

Off season versus peak season also plays a role. Increased demand overall during peak season reduces the chances of getting a certain cabin.

[<3 2 Cruise]

Just booked 2 cruises. One in Nov 15. The other Nov 2016!. Wanted to be sure to get the interior Walkway Room and there aren't many. We typically book 1 - 1 1/2 years out. But we also book 3-6 months out if we find we have time to squeeze one in our schedule!

[BabyJacks17]

Since I don't live near a port & we are very selective on which cabin type / deck we like I always book at the very least 1 year out. 15/16 of my cruises has been booked Early Saver as well. Have I had to reschedule some of our cruises and pay the 50$ penalty? Yes, I believe 3x. However, the benefits of OBC that we have received far outweigh the penalties we have had to pay in on those selective times. For my family Early Saver is the way to go for us.

 

My upcoming cruise I have $730 in OBC, I wouldn't have been eligible for this had I not booked Early Saver. This is money I can use for excursions or towards another cruise as well. I may feel differently if I lived closer to a port but since I always have to factor in airfare, etc. this is the way I'll always choose to go.