When to buy and Who to buy from

Being the caring and sensitive couple we are, my wife and I are thinking of visiting our grandkids in Louisiana next February. OH LOOK !! There happens to be a cruise leaving from New Orleans and we have never been to the Carribiean. Is it better to book now or try to wait for 'last minute' sales? I also remember from our cruise 3 years ago there were several web sites to check cabin availability and price. Any info would be much appreciated.

Thanks J & J & J & J & J

I would look for what you want now at the best price, then if something better came along you could always cancel, just make sure you do it by the date you could get all your money back. DH and I booked in Aug 04 for a 10/05 cruise... good thing because it's been sold out for months, also were able to get the cabin we really wanted:) . Happy sailing!

You can book early or right up to a week before a cruise. but if you chose that you may not get what you would like in a cabin. Now we have booked up to a year in advance because we wanted a certain cabin and certain deck. Heck I have signed up for a cruise that is next May 3, 2006. And also if you book early the price is usually cheaper.

marilyn

I would look for what you want now at the best price, then if something better came along you could always cancel, just make sure you do it by the date you could get all your money back. DH and I booked in Aug 04 for a 10/05 cruise... good thing because it's been sold out for months, also were able to get the cabin we really wanted:) . Happy sailing!

Be sure to get the TA's cancellation policy in writing (at least an e-mail). Fees can vary from $0 on up.

That way, if your original TA with cannot match a better price you later find with a different TA, you'll know if the cheaper cruise fare will be worth paying the TA's fee to cancel and rebook with the cheaper TA.

There are many things that make a TA "right for you". But if all else is comparable (price, service, convenience), it's best to book with a TA that does not have a fee for cancelling so you can get a cheaper cruise fare if available later.

I'd vote for booking now, also. Hopefully, you will find what you want now, before the $$$ goes up or the cruise is "sold out".

I booked our Alaska cruise a good year ahead of time (the price only went down $50 for a short period of time) and then went up siginificantly. We got the cabin we wanted though. This time I booked our cruise in mid-December for a mid-October cruise. The price did go down after I booked for a couple of weeks (about $70 per person), but again I got the cabin I wanted. I like to choose my own cabin (mid-ship for less motion) as my husband and I do suffer from motion sickness sometimes. If you are totally open to a date and cabin assignment, waiting and watching the internet might get you your best price. Keep in mind though that some destinations fill up very quickly and certain cabin types (cheaper inside and balcony) might be gone early as well. It seems Europe and the New England/Canada cruises fill up pretty fast because there aren't as many ships with those itineraries. Alaska has a huge number of ships going there now, and I suppose it's because of its popularity. I book early to get the date, itinerary and the cabin I want and still get a good price. If I were more open on these, I might wait and chance it that I will get a better price if the cruise doesn't fill up before I get my reservation in.