Best time to book, Tips and Advice

Normally i have just booked a Cruise and then dont bother looking again at the price, but this time i was subscribed to offers during the booking process, so get the latest deals etc.

Booked a trip around NZ early next year with an online travel agent, thought I got a good deal with on board credit, but then received an email, new promotion and now the saving is a lot more, so called the travel agent to ask, can I move to the new deal as all I have paid so far is the deposit and balance isn’t due until about 3 months before we go, is it possible? Short answer is no, well I can but I need cancel the existing booking which incurs a fee and then re book and I would lose half the on board credit, so for a few dollars saving just not worth the trouble, but then agent says be aware prices may well keep dropping as the Cruise gets closer, so just how far do or can prices drop??? But really for future reference is their a “Sweet spot” as it were when booking these things like 3,4,5 months out, or when they first get released etc?

Also is it better to book direct with the Cruise Company’s, got told by someone I work with that although you may pay a bit more, if prices do drop and you ask, they will drop down the amount you pay on the final payment if it is before that, after its too late, and fair enough, also said, more chance of an upgrade when booking direct should they be doing such, which apparently does happen.

Unfortunately, every cruise is different as one cruise will drop dramatically and the same itinerary the next week will stay up or even increase in price. It is all about supply and demand, if the demand is high the prices go up, if the demand is low the prices keep dropping. It may also be that differing cabin classes behave differently on the same cruise, such as Balconies going up and up and suites dropping.

We like to book about 12 months out if the cruise is one that we really, really don't want to miss. Booking that far out we've never seen the price reduced below what we've paid before the date of final payment. And booking so far in advance we get the cabin of our choice because that's something that's important to us. The stress of waiting for a guaranteed cabin would not be good for us :eek:

But if you're looking at cruises around the islands or NZ you can pretty much book right up until a few weeks before and get a good deal. We've done that a few times and landed a good well located cabin. Probably not advisable in school holidays though.

Normally i have just booked a Cruise and then dont bother looking again at the price, but this time i was subscribed to offers during the booking process, so get the latest deals etc.

Booked a trip around NZ early next year with an online travel agent, thought I got a good deal with on board credit, but then received an email, new promotion and now the saving is a lot more, so called the travel agent to ask, can I move to the new deal as all I have paid so far is the deposit and balance isn’t due until about 3 months before we go, is it possible? Short answer is no, well I can but I need cancel the existing booking which incurs a fee and then re book and I would lose half the on board credit, so for a few dollars saving just not worth the trouble, but then agent says be aware prices may well keep dropping as the Cruise gets closer, so just how far do or can prices drop??? But really for future reference is their a “Sweet spot” as it were when booking these things like 3,4,5 months out, or when they first get released etc?

Also is it better to book direct with the Cruise Company’s, got told by someone I work with that although you may pay a bit more, if prices do drop and you ask, they will drop down the amount you pay on the final payment if it is before that, after its too late, and fair enough, also said, more chance of an upgrade when booking direct should they be doing such, which apparently does happen.

I tend to book directly with the cruise line if I'm booking a long way in advance. Princess, in particular, allows you to refare without penalty although you might lose some perks if you initially booked under a special promotion.

You have to look carefully at the online TA conditions. Yes, you'll get OBC but changes may cost you, as may cancellation. Some smaller TA's do offer great service but you have to find one of those first.

So far I haven't noticed a sweet spot for prices, as Mic said it depends on how the cruises are selling. Some cruises get dearer. some may drop for a while then go back up..