Book early or book late?

[vineyard]

I'm looking to book a cruise with NCL for July 2007. Is it more advantageous from a price standpoint to book now or should I wait?

[captstubing]

We have always waited till 4-6 weeks before the cruise and the price has always gone down.

 

It may also depend on the cabin grade.

 

We usually book an inside guarantee and always get an upgrade..

[Writeratsea]

We have always waited till 4-6 weeks before the cruise and the price has always gone down.

 

It may also depend on the cabin grade.

 

We usually book an inside guarantee and always get an upgrade..

It is also dependent on how popular the week of the cruise is. We booked the NCL Majesty in March for a Sept sailing. We got the room we wanted and had lots of choices if we wanted something different. I am not as concerned about price at that point because you can check the price up to the final payment and if the category you booked is reduced in price, you can get a lower price. Checking availability for that cruise now, I see very little available, no owners suites, just 4 of the 12 suites etc. And it is still nine weeks before departure. Instead of going down, the price was higher, probably because of fuel costs rising. When we sailed last year, they announced that the ship was sold out and that no upgrades were available. So you must also factor in the popularty of the week you are interested in. Your TA will know what weeks are popular and which ones might be lightly booked. Sometimes price is not paramount, getting the deck or room you prefer is.

NCL Majesty Aug 2004

NCL Majesty Sept 2005

NCL Majesty Sept 2006

[halos]

I just booked my first NCL cruise for Nov 2007

 

The price was unbelievable...which is why we booked it.

The whole secret is to find a TA that will honor price drops if they occur...then you can book early, get the cabin you want and just keep track of the price of the cruise as the days go by. If the price goes down, call the TA, get a ship board credit or an upgrade.

[jimswims]

Hi:

We just booked our Aug 07 cruise yesterday.

 

We usually book about 1 year in advance because:

 

Our TA will honor legitimate price reductions before the final payment is due. I was able to get this years (Aug 06) price dropped 2 times! Second, the ship we are going on (NCL Spirit), has very limited outside cabins for a family of 4, I think 9 total on the ship. This year we are in an inside...same ship! Third: My family has schedules that only allow us to travel certain times.

 

Booking early has worked for us and we have always been happy with our cruises, cabin selection, and price!

 

Enjoy your planning.

[marianneyaya]

I just booked the Spirit for my son for a cruise 3 1/2 weeks away. Tried to get a balcony, but they were sold out. However, he got a great deal on an outside.

IMO, last minute is best. But you must be flexible. If you need to plan around vacation time and have a certain destination, or need more than 1 cabin, I agree with the others...book early and watch for the price changes. Usually it drops a lot after final payment is made, at which time there is nothing the agent can usually do. I called my agent 2 weeks before my cruise last month because a much better cabin was offered at a much lower price than I paid. She was able to get me the better cabin, but for the price I paid. I was surprised & happy she was able to do anything!

But don't expect a reduction! It may not happen.

[98Charlie]

marianneyaya is correct about flexiblilty.

 

If you must plan around a specific time period or ship/cruise line/itinerary, I would suggest that you book early as long as the price is one that you can live with. There is absolutely no guarantee that any price will drop.

 

OTOH, if you have fewer restraints, get to know the market and watch several cruises. When the price is right (again, one that you can live with), hop on it. If the price goes down, consider it your good fortune.

 

Yes, check with the TA before you book to make sure that they will honor a price drop.

 

Charlie

[Mekamax]

Remember you can always cancel and get your deposit back within 75 days (something like that) so booking early certainly doesn't hurt. My ship and sailing has gone up since I book a month ago and we don't sail for 3 more months. The ship is selling out already - I watched and watched and when I thought that was it I booked - of course I can still cancel for the next two weeks. If you know what you want and will be dissapointed if you don't get it I'd vote for booking now. If it doesn't matter and you are flexible with ships and sailings then you can wait.... Debbie

[IrishKathy]

As stated above, I think time of year has a lot to do when it comes to booking early. I booked our 12/24/06 holiday cruise on the Star last December 29. The price of our AF mini-suite has gone UP $650 per person!!!!:D The only "bad" thing about that is that even if they offered an upsell, price-wise it wouldn't be worth it to us.

 

I think booking early lets you pick the cabin you want and will be happy with no matter what. You can always keep checking the fare and if it goes down before final payment you can get the price reduced.

 

Kathy