Deposit or Wait?

We're eyeing an Arabian Coast cruise on Celebrity for November 2017. I saw the huge price drop on the Suez Canal cruise for this year and just wondered if the experts on the Middle East board would recommend waiting until after final payment to book this itinerary? Or is the Arabian Coast cruise quite popular and we should be depositing? I'm keeping an eye on this year's cruise to see what the price does but just curious what you think. I don't think air is to much of an issue after final payment as Emirates have two flights a day out of Seattle.

I'd be waiting--as much for the political situation as anything else.

If it gets serious, cruise will be cancelled.

If it doesn't get serious, but "looks" serious on your paranoid-news-channel-of-choice, other cruisers will bail out and prices will go down.

I'd be waiting--as much for the political situation as anything else.

If it gets serious, cruise will be cancelled.

If it doesn't get serious, but "looks" serious on your paranoid-news-channel-of-choice, other cruisers will bail out and prices will go down.

If this is 26th Nov on Connie, it's all very local in the Arabian Gulf (Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Dubai) - far enough away from the Iraq / Syria / Oman / Turkey / Egypt etc problems.

Yes, the Middle East generally is more prone to flaring up than most parts of the world but I'm not aware of any particular current political problems in those ports. :confused:

Assuming the OP can cancel penalty-free I don't see a reason why they shouldn't book now. They can cancel if issues arise, or cancel & re-book if prices fall. The risks only start with any commitment to booking flights ( a downer if the cruise is subsequently cancelled by Celebrity) or with the arrival of final payment day.

Just MHO as always ;)

JB :)

Thanks John. I definitely didn't think there would be trouble on that itinerary just the whole perception of the Middle East may have prices plummeting. I'm going to hold off until late September and see what happens after this years sailing's final payment before deciding.

I have been to Israel and Egypt -- during the Six Day War -- but never to the Gulf. So when I saw a Celebrity cruise doing a Gulf/Southern India cruise over Christmas 2017 (with fireworks in Dubai), I jumped.

Two considerations: I wanted to get a certain cabin. Also, while Celebrity prices ordinarily are quite stable, the longer you wait you may be subject to a peculiarity of the market, i.e. these cruises, I believe, depend heavily on bookings by expats living in the region.

Another twist is this: I subsequently booked a 14-day Celebrity cruise to the Caribbean because it visits all the ABC islands -- Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao (with an overnight in the latter) -- as well as Barbados and St. Maarten and some other ports.

I went for a Sunset veranda because of all the credits and sweeteners. Those prices have gone up.

If you want a good price, wait until after final payment.

Right now, the Go Big promo is for sailings up to June 2017.

When they extend it to include your cruise, the rates will increase.

If the perks don't matter to you, it'll be less expensive if you book after final.

I am a coward. When we did a cruise from Venice to Fort Lauderdale I knew that the repositioning season would offer lots of last-minute bargains. But would I get cheap flights? I did not want to take that risk.

I have five cruises booked between now and March, 2018, three requiring international flights and one domestic. By booking early I can grab excellent flight deals when they come available.

In the end it probably balances out pretty much. But recently I have gotten outstanding sweeteners. If I can get prepaid gratuities and $500 from the travel agency and then also stockholders' credit, that's fine by me.