Best time of year to book and best pricing. What works for you?

[manmtnmike]

Hi fellow cruisers!!

 

Sooooo....I've got 2 cruises booked, both booked 8-12 months before sailings.

In checking current prices, both are going for 3 time as the price I paid!

 

Time of year for cruising and booking is the key for better pricing.

Notice we choose dates where kids are in school. Also, hurricane season provide great pricing.

We also avoid the gulf ports because of being limited in ulterior itineraries, if a storm is threatening.

 

Any other cruising wisdom??

 

Mike

[Essiesmom]

I'm a bargain hunter, not wedded to any cruise line. I get email specials from several and if something jumps out at me, I book it. EM

[Clarea]

Many variables, no one "best" time.

 

Some cruises book all the suites in the first day the itinerary is released. Some cruises are still lowering pricing on certain categories a week before the cruise.

[SuiteTraveler]

The best time to book is when you see a great deal for a cabin you want on an itinerary you want.

[CruiserBruce]

The best time to book is when you see a great deal for a cabin you want on an itinerary you want.

 

This!! It just takes research. There is no one "best" time.

[nhsails]

We book when itineraries come out, sometimes several different ones in same timeframe. Gives us a bit to weed out what's best for us. Also have a watch on some interesting ones and will check them closer to final payment. Has served us well over the years.

[Sequim88]

For unique itineraries (like transatlantics) and if there is need for particular accommodation (desire aft balcony or need wheelchair accessible cabin) then the ONLY time to book is the day reservations open up. We've had to book wheelchair cabins on transatlantics 18 months in advance on the very day (within hours) of first being able to book. Price can't be a factor. Several times we've been a few weeks later and found the accessible cabins were all gone already. No cruise for us. :loudcry:

[cjw928]

I book based on where I want to go and what ship I want to sail on and then pick the lowest price. Im more for hunting deals than absolute lowest price. I'll book a guarantee and then get an upgrade at the last min. I always book another cruise while on board, this way I get whatever perks they're offering and then if something changes i can always switch the dates or even the cruise itself. I did that this year. I booked a 7 day NCL getaway for this past jan but it cost way too much (I just wanted the $200 on board credit) so I switched it for a 9 day NCL Pearl cruise in dec that's going to places ive never been to before, and i saved money. I was able to book an msc divina cruise for this month with the difference.

[Geldhart]

Under North American rules likely best to book when they come out to lock In your price then watch for drops (if any).

 

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[manmtnmike]

Just remember... they have tightened the rules re. Obc ... when from the cruise line or TA it is no longer availble to cash- out the remaining amt at the end of your sailing.

 

 

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[iancal]

What works for us? We book inside the final payment window. We are very particular as to ship (more so than cruise line) and itinerary. We only book if it is a stand up deal. Otherwise we pass and wait for the 'right' one to come along. It usually does. The big plus is that we are retired so we do not have to concern ourselves with work schedules. When we worked we did have this issue to a certain extent but always managed to skate through it and book the right cruise at the right price for us.

 

But..we are happy simply to get on the ship and get a balcony cabin. We do not need to have specific XXX cabin on deck XX. Guarantee is fine with us. So far our expectations have been met/exceeded on every gty cabin that we have ever booked.

[OCruisers]

In Reply to: Best time of year to book and best pricing. What works for you?

The time of year we want to cruise is the best time of year for us.

When we see a cruise at the time of year with itinerary and ship we want, we book ASAP so well can get the type of cabin and location of our choice. :D