Book Now or Wait?

We're ready to book a July northern Europe cruise on Explorer. However, I've noticed that this particular cruise is not selling well at all. It's got a unique itinerary, in that it starts in Oslo and ends in Southampton, and doesn't get any farther east than Copenhagen. I don't know if that's the reason, but 40% of the rooms are still available.

So the question is: should I hold out and wait to see if there's some sort of special offer forthcoming? There were some 3 category upgrades offered recently on Explorer Med cruises. Essentially these allowed you to book a Concierge cabin for Veranda prices.

On our last Regent cruise, some special offers were added on after we booked. Our agent was able to get some, but not all of them, added to our booking. We'd probably get a Concierge room, and would like to book more than six months before departure. But I'm torn between getting it done now and waiting to see what happens.

From a personal perspective if you are not very specific which cabin you want or location you want I would sit on the fence for now.

However if you have specific requests I would book now.

Due to work commitments and planning well ahead we have to book well in advance, but it you have nothing that would make you plan ahead it would be fair to wait and see. Jean.

From a personal perspective if you are not very specific which cabin you want or location you want I would sit on the fence for now.

However if you have specific requests I would book now.

Due to work commitments and planning well ahead we have to book well in advance, but it you have nothing that would make you plan ahead it would be fair to wait and see. Jean.

Just curious, how close to departure can you really book and still have a chance at excursions and specialty dining?

Just curious, how close to departure can you really book and still have a chance at excursions and specialty dining?

It depends upon whether you are booking a concierge or above suite or not Once excursions open for booking, some fill up fast. Below are the booking guidelines:

Excursion Reservations:

Concierge and above - 240 days prior to sailing

Lower suite - 180 days prior to sailing

Dining Reservations:

Concierge and above - 90 days prior to sailing

Lower suites - 75 days prior to sailing

We have booked a cruise late and had a heck of a time clearing the excursion waitlists since most people booked their excursions 6+ months prior to the cruise.

We book as far in advance as possible - not worrying about price drops as this don't happen often. And, if the ship is fairly empty and the price reduces, you can cancel and rebook the cruise at the lower price.

The key to a lot of this is having the right travel agent. While some people use TA's that they have worked with for years, if they do not specialize in cruising (specifically luxury cruising), you could get misinformation, miss out on rebates, on board credits, etc.

Hope that this helps!

We just booked (two weeks ago) a cruise that leaves on 17 December 2018. We manged to get a place on every excursion we wanted and speciality dining on the nights - if not the times - we wanted. Mind you the cruise still seems to have about 70 empty cabins, so I guess that's factor.:cool:

We just booked (two weeks ago) a cruise that leaves on 17 December 2018. We manged to get a place on every excursion we wanted and speciality dining on the nights - if not the times - we wanted. Mind you the cruise still seems to have about 70 empty cabins, so I guess that's factor.:cool:

Think you may have meant 2017 since December 2018 is over a year away. If this is a Christmas cruise, it may also be a factor.

Hope that this helps!

It helps a lot! Thanks!

Think you may have meant 2017 since December 2018 is over a year away. If this is a Christmas cruise, it may also be a factor.

Oops, too true. Brain must be addled due to last minute preparations:o:o

How do you find out how many cabins are still open?

How do you find out how many cabins are still open?

You can get an idea of how many suites are left by doing a "fake" booking online (Regent website). You don't complete the booking but can select suite categories and they will show up to 6 or 7 suites even though there could be more available. There is also a website that we can't mention on CC where you can find exactly how many suites are left.

It is important to note that some itineraries are fully booked over a year in advance (a good example is itineraries to Australia/New Zealand). If you are booking the Mediterranean or Alaska - even the Caribbean, you can book late - no big deal.

Thanks, Travelcat. I'm not real active on this site but have enjoyed your comments.

Thanks, Travelcat. I'm not real active on this site but have enjoyed your comments.

Thanks so much.:D

How do you find out how many cabins are still open?

There's a certain credit card ("don't leave home without it") whose travel website allows you to book cruises. The booking process shows you every available cabin in each category. So I keep a spreadsheet, and update it every Saturday, that tracks how the cruise I'm interested in is selling.

Oddly, the price went up $100 per person on Jan. 1 even though there's well over 100 cabins unsold.

Thanks, Travelcat. I'm not real active on this site but have enjoyed your comments.

You'll find that TC is a wealth of information on these boards.

I see that you're in COS - we lived there for 20 years, just relocated about 5 years ago - was back for a conference last October, I was surprised to see how much it had grown (although I shouldn't have been). I don't miss the dry air or the wildfires but man, I do miss my skiing...

Welcome to the boards.

Bill,

We're in another draught in COS with fire danger high very frequently. We live in the foothills so we keep a bag packed. Evacuated for a week and barely spared in the Waldo Canyon fire. Even so, we love it here! Thanks for saying hi.

John

Bill,

 

We're in another draught in COS with fire danger high very frequently. We live in the foothills so we keep a bag packed. Evacuated for a week and barely spared in the Waldo Canyon fire. Even so, we love it here! Thanks for saying hi.

 

John

/BeginHijack/

We left right after the Waldo Canyon Fire - not because of it, but it made the decision easier. We had some friends who lost their homes. My first house was just a quarter mile from the fire. Hay man, Waldo, Black Forest...scary stuff.

I was there off and on from ‘81 to ‘90 and moved there full time in ‘93. Left in late ‘12 for Louisville and ended up here in SC. It was a bit of a culture shock, to be honest, but I’m actually getting used to humidity and oxygen in the air again.

I do miss my skiing, though.

/EndHijack/