Nov / Dec Cruising

[sham_rock]

We're looking to take a cruise in Nov/Dec, just not sure which one. So many choices!! This would be between Thanksgiving and mid December, skipping the Christmas holidays.

 

Are prices likely to go down or are cruises likely to sell out?

 

Also do you have a favorite cruise this time of year or a suggestion of one to avoid?

 

Thanks!

[neverbeenhere]

Nov 25 to Dec 12th is a great time to cruise the Caribbean. Prices are generally quite inexpensive. If you are not stuck with Princess cruises then cruises from Miami and Fort Lauderdale are your answer. You can wait until the last minute to pick up a deal on possibly dozens of cruise choices from these two ports.

[Luke Dawg]

Hi,

 

We cruised Regal 2016 Thanksgiving weekend, prices went down considerably just after final payment in Sept. At one point under $600 for a balcony. Over 200 open balconies to fill. They did give us some OBC and an upgrade post final payment, but it did not compare to the price if we booked in Oct for the same trip.

 

Price drops are based on availability, its a gamble, prices may go up.

 

We are going on Royal same weekend this year, got a pretty good deal, final payment is 9/1.

 

Hope this helps

[JF - retired RRT]

That time of year, the airfare may cost more than the cruise. :confused:

[Luke Dawg]

That time of year, the airfare may cost more than the cruise. :confused:

 

Princess ezAir is $291 BOS to FLL round trip. We booked SW several months ago for $260

[sham_rock]

Thank you all for your quick responses!

Waiting is going to benefit is it sounds like, as long as we're prepared for our air to be higher.

Guess that's the benefit of not being tied to one cruise, we can choose what works best.

We're not tied to Princes either, they just have a few that appeal to us.

[jennybenny]

So many great cruises out of California, that should help keep airfare lower, if at all!

We do not usually book last minute cruises because we book our cruises when itineraries are released for cabin selection. Then we watch pricing. Sometimes I've gotten the price lowered, re-fared, other times it's remained the best price available up till cruise time.

 

I really enjoyed the California Coastal. We've done it twice now. Mexican Riviera is also great and leaves out of California.

 

There appear to be great prices available this year, Nov/Dec, but you can't guarantee that pricing will be the same next year.

 

Have fun cruise planning!

[JF - retired RRT]

Princess ezAir is $291 BOS to FLL round trip. We booked SW several months ago for $260

That's great to know!!

I'm looking at airfare for this November trying to get a feel for what it will cost in 2019 when we have a cruise booked and the prices climb dramatically after October. I'll be checking ezAir next year for sure.

[jb008]

We're looking to take a cruise in Nov/Dec, just not sure which one. So many choices!! This would be between Thanksgiving and mid December, skipping the Christmas holidays.

 

Are prices likely to go down or are cruises likely to sell out?

 

Also do you have a favorite cruise this time of year or a suggestion of one to avoid?

 

Thanks!

 

I like sailing mid-December. Prices are usually pretty good, and holiday decorations are starting to come out, but not too many kids since school's still in session. Tours and venues are all open and getting ready for peak season starting literally the week or so later. Those sailings are less likely to sell out by final payment, and I've had some pretty great deals after final payment, but it is a bit of a gamble. If you've got some flexible travel plans for early/mid Dec it's a less risky bet, and I use Celebrity (which uses a 90-day window) to get a rough idea for what "discount" fares might look like on Princess (and as a plan B since I'm happy to sail either line).

 

 

My historical numbers are getting a bit dated, but we did a mid-December 7-day on Celebrity Summit in 2014 in for something like $800pp including taxes and fees (I think prices got as low as $659pp on Concierge class, before taxes and fees), and we sailed Ruby Princess back in 2012 (departed Dec. 16th) for $1797.44 total, in category BG (Balcony Guarantee, sailed as category BA in Caribe 637).

 

If you go in bargain shopping versus having a ship/itinerary already in mind, you can probably get some great deals... Guessing here, but I wouldn't be surprised to see something like <$900pp for a balcony room or $500pp for an interior (before taxes and fees) on those pre-holiday sailings.

 

I'm also waiting to see what prices after final payment like before I consider pulling a trigger on our next cruise for this winter fwiw.

[john_galt]

All things equal, I book the cheapest date. The cheaper price generally indicates a cruise that's less likely to be afflicted with children or spring breakers. I like the dates between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the last dates before the ships leave Ft. Lauderdale for the summer. I book my air 11 months in advance. That's when the dates become available on the American Airlines website. I like to sit in a particular row.

[tanyaewa]

I have found our best deals on cruises in the dec 1-5 departure dates range. Both Caribbean and Mexican riviera

[geoherb]

We used to take a lot of cruises between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We've also taken a lot of Christmas cruises, but we won't be doing that anymore as long as our mothers are alive. DH feels too guilty about missing the holiday now that his father died and his mother is alone. (He's an only child.)

 

I would usually wait until after the final payment date to book. I liked to track prices of the various cruises that we were interested in taking in an Excel spreadsheet. Around the end of October seemed to be a good time to book, but we actually booked some cruises as late as after Thanksgiving and even into early December.

[Wishing on a star]

Hey, We are booked, with the Sundrenched Deals and an exclusive prev-cruiser Captain's Circle offer.

You can book now, and book your air if you see a good rate.

Final payment on these cruises is coming up very soon. So, you will be locked in to your booking after that... Or you could take the gamble that there will be fire-sale rates after price drop. There are still many cabins left on our sailing. But, the good ones, the cheaper forward ones, etc... are booked up. So you could just decide whether you are happy with the current fares, or want to risk waiting, based on how picky you might want to be about your cabin. Those last minute fares can be great! But, that can also really limit your cabin choice.

 

Example, we are a bit more picky, so we do put our name on a cabin well in advance, with a refundable deposit.

We had done that on our upcoming cruise, with Sip-and-Sail. But, the Captain's Circle Fares we saw made it worthwhile to give that up and re-book / re-fare.

 

The cruise you might pick would def. be up to you!!!

Eastern or Western? Which ports have you seen before?

We are not crazy about the stop at Jamaica, but we are booked on the Western for Grand Cayman and other ports.

[Wishing on a star]

PS: If you are new to cruising, and are not needing flow-riders and climbing walls on a ship... Def. recommend Princess!!!!

 

If you want the AFT Terrace pool area, you would want the Regal, and not Royal.