Is there a better time to book?

Just wondering if anyone has a feeling for if there is a better time to book price wise? Being Cyber-Monday would today be a good time?

We would like to go on an Alaskan cruise in June 2016.

As is commonly discussed here, if the price goes down prior to final payment, in the vast majority of times, HAL will give you the new, lower fare. So, there isn't really a "best" time to book.

It really depends on your goals. If you want a specific cabin, you should book early enough that there's a good selection. That's usually what we do. On the other hand, if you don't care about cabin as much as price, you'll usually find lower prices after final payment is due, which is typically 75 days out.

There are also relative bargains certain times of the year. For example, the Caribbean usually costs less for the early season sailings, excluding Thanksgiving. There are similar dynamics in place for other destinations that have longer seasons. You won't usually find super deals when the cruise is a highly desirable one-off, like HAL's Voyage of the Vikings.

Thanks POA and CruiserBruce for your thoughts and opinions! I booked today and we are now all set for June 2016. Happy sailing to you! :)

Thanks POA and CruiserBruce for your thoughts and opinions! I booked today and we are now all set for June 2016. Happy sailing to you! :)

Check your fare from time to time, and watch here for when people post about promotions. We were able to add Explore 4 (Pinnacle Grill dinner, Canaletto dinner, and Signature Beverage Package + $300 OBC) to our 2016 cruises with no price increase a few months ago. Then, during National Cruise Month in October, we got another $300 in OBC.

My sister in law is astute when it comes to watching prices and she was able to save us about $625/couple on a Celebrity Cruise we have booked. It pays to keep an eye on prices and specials.

Have a great trip!

POA1 -- are you handling your own reservations? I'm guessing you are by the "We were able" phrase. Sooo --

Exactly how to you get/add these credits/deals? Or a reduced price when you see it? Do you have and go through a PCC?

I discovered (after the fact) that at one time AFTER booking, the prices on a Princess cruise we subsequently cancelled anyway, had dipped for a short time such that we might have saved $1500 (!) spread over four people in two staterooms... but I didn't know how to handle it, if I HAD seen it!

Up until that cruise, and the one I'm arranging this week on HAL, we were never in a position of having the booking far enough out to worry about price decreases.

POA1 -- are you handling your own reservations? I'm guessing you are by the "We were able" phrase. Sooo --

 

Exactly how to you get/add these credits/deals? Or a reduced price when you see it? Do you have and go through a PCC?

 

I discovered (after the fact) that at one time AFTER booking, the prices on a Princess cruise we subsequently cancelled anyway, had dipped for a short time such that we might have saved $1500 (!) spread over four people in two staterooms... but I didn't know how to handle it, if I HAD seen it!

 

Up until that cruise, and the one I'm arranging this week on HAL, we were never in a position of having the booking far enough out to worry about price decreases.

No, we use a travel agent. We leave it to him. Bear in mind that these trips are months and months in the future. I don't know how it would work if the price dropped after final payment. The agency we use happens to do a lot of business with Holland America and Celebrity, so that might help as well.

There are some people on the site who use a HAL PCC and who were able to get the extra benefits too. The key thing is to watch the prices and the promotions. There is a site that's good for monitoring prices and alerting you, but sadly it's one that cannot be named here. As far as watching for promos like Explore 4, you can probably find out by keeping an eye out here or checking the Holland America site.

We've found that sometimes you can get a better deal easily. Other times you may have to give something up. We lucked out for our 2016 cruises. Last year we didn't do nearly as well.

Thanks for reply.

I couldn't stand the suspense and booked this afternoon, by myself. I called and made some changes to the "hold" I put on two cabins in the middle of last night, including what deck and staterooms they were! I changed the first one's dining option to agree with the second one (early fixed), and got them linked so that the "table for four" would be the four of US! not two each at separate x4 tables, which is what I was picturing. And then put the deposit down for both.

I guess if I see a price drop, I'll just call up again. If I have a problem THEN, I can always ask to be assigned to a PCC.

Check your fare from time to time, and watch here for when people post about promotions. We were able to add Explore 4 (Pinnacle Grill dinner, Canaletto dinner, and Signature Beverage Package + $300 OBC) to our 2016 cruises with no price increase a few months ago. Then, during National Cruise Month in October, we got another $300 in OBC.

 

Have a great trip!

I am surprised that an additional $300 was added - for National Cruise Month -,unless because of a price drop?

I am surprised that an additional $300 was added - for National Cruise Month -,unless because of a price drop?

They were running two promotions at the same time and both could be added to a booking. I also took advantage of both promotions for my upcoming Alaska cruise.

Some people use a service that alerts you if there's a price drop, e.g. Cruise fish dot net. (Type cruise & fish as one word.). I've never tried this since I usually book within the final payment period.

Just wondering if anyone has a feeling for if there is a better time to book price wise? Being Cyber-Monday would today be a good time?

 

We would like to go on an Alaskan cruise in June 2016.

Kind of going back to the original post, and I realize the OP has booked, but I don't think there is a better day of the week or special holiday to book. Supposedly there are better days of the week to book air travel, buy cars, and so on but my experience is that generally that doesn't apply to cruises. By that I mean I don't think I've seen lower fares on say a Tuesday versus Saturday or whatever combination of days you want to insert. It's bad enough to worry or have to think about how far out or how close to a sailing you book much less the day of the week. Of course there's always the TA who might have floating or periodic incentives but that's a subject for a different thread and probably a different board since we can't discuss specific TAs here.

I am surprised that an additional $300 was added - for National Cruise Month -,unless because of a price drop?

Nope. Straight up added $300 OBC. It applied to an early season Alaska on the Nieuw Amsterdam, which already had Explore 4. After National Cruise Month ended, the price went up about $100/pp and stayed there since.

The second cruise was the week before Christmas 2016. It had no perks at all when we booked, which was as soon as the Winter '16 Caribbean opened. (We're a planning people.) During National Cruise Month, we added Explore 4 (Signature Beverage Package, Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, and $300 OBC for a suite.) Because it was National Cruise Month, we were able to get an ADDITIONAL $300 OBC. The price of the cruise hasn't changed since we booked.

We also have the Carnival stock OBC (Only $100, because both cruises are a week.) We won't have a problem using the OBC in Alaska with all the interesting excursions. The Caribbean might be a problem. I hope everyone likes Holland America souvenir T-shirts. We can pick up hellalotta them. They're often 2 for $20 around the pool. (Special deal! Today only!)