How far out do you arrange a cruise?

I am looking at a cruise for next March and wondering if I should book now or wait until after the current sale is over. Is the “Ready set sail” deal that good?

It’s on the statendam and I’m also wondering when that ship is ready?

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It’s on the statendam and I’m also wondering when that ship is ready?

You first have to decide where you want to go and on what ship. Then you look at the price and if it seems good to you at that time, book it and never look back!

Price fluctuations can drive you crazy and it is very difficult to predict at any time whether prices will go up or down. Great prices with non-refundable refunds, so-so prices with some benefits thrown in, higher prices with no benefits, flash sales, on and on ... Book at a price you feel comfortable with and live with it. :D

I am looking at a cruise for next March and wondering if I should book now or wait until after the current sale is over. Is the “Ready set sail” deal that good?

 

It’s on the statendam and I’m also wondering when that ship is ready?

 

 

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I'd reserve now (make sure you get a fare with a refundable deposit). If the fare goes down or you see a better perks deal (I think Explore 4 will probably be next), you can refare. We like the free grats offered with Ready, Set, Sail, and we also saved $650 on the fare of our next cruise (plus kept our existing OBC) when we refared last week. We gave up Explore 4, which doesn't do a whole lot for us, so we only lost the drinks package and a dinner at the Pinnacle Grill. We now have a much better deal for us.

In my opinion, the cyber week sale in November has always been the best promotion for what we want. There's usually free grats and some OBC involved. But if I find another cruise I want to book, I'm not going to wait until then to do so. Again, **make sure you get a fare with a refundable deposit.**

Everyone is different. Plus, everyone has different time constraints and preferences.

Some book months, or even years ahead to get the specific cabin location. Others wait until inside the final payment window to book. Sometimes just a few days before embarkation.

Our preference is never to book very far in advance, most especially on the highly competitive Caribbean, Med, or Alaska runs. Others just like to get it booked and forget about it after that.

Thanks for the responses!

Are the Ready Set Sail and Explore 4 sale similar? About how far apart do they schedule the sales?

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Just be careful regards the promotional fares, they are not always the lowest cost option. Depends on how much you drink, eat in speciality restaurants etc. I always put together a forecast cost for the total cruise for the available fare options.

The most recent version of Explore 4 included the signature beverage package (we just don't drink very much so not much benefit for us; YMMV), dinner in the Pinnacle Grill (value=$39pp), reduced deposit (we use future cruise credits so not useful for us), and reduced fares for 3rd and 4th person in the room (there are two of us so.....). For us, Explore 4 isn't so exciting. For others, the SBP alone is worth it. For any promotion, you must evaluate what the offered perks are worth TO YOU and how they affect the cruise price. The cruise price sometimes but not always goes up to cover the perks. You can always ask for a fare quote with no perks included as well.

If you have sailed on HAL before and have a Mariner # always compare that discount with any promotions you are considering. We recently booked a November cruise with a refundable deposit, and our past passenger savings was almost double what we would have received if we had taken the current "Ready, Set, Sail" promotion.

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I tend to book 6-12 months out. I usually have 2 FCDs (future cruise deposits) onhand, so that makes booking far out very easy and convenient. Once I find a deal I like, I book it. If something else better comes along, I can always cancel the first cruise and reuse the FCD on the new one.

I figure it this way - once I purchase a FCD it basically is not doing anything except waiting for me to book a cruise. So, why not book something with it, and if the cruise works out, great, if not, cancel and reuse the FCD on a different cruise. Plus, once I have something booked, I can always refare the cruise if I find a better deal/promotion on it AND I get to keep my cabin (outside of the cancellation penalty phase of course).

There is no set rule for when to book a ship. Personally we have booked cruises from as little as 7 days before the cruise to nearly 2 years out. We generally only book far out for itineraries that are somewhat unique and that we think we be popular. Booking far in advance might also be a good idea if you have very specific cabin requirements (such as a Signature Suite).

I will admit that over the years our last minute bookings have generated some of the most fun. Last year I walked into our kitchen while DW was cooking (her hobby) dinner and told her we were going on a cruise "next week." Without missing a beat she asked, "what kind of clothes do I need to pack."

Our last minute cruises have often happened because I will see some amazing pricing. We have cruised for less than $50 per person/day in balcony cabins on some of these last minute cruises. The trick is to be flexible (with dates, cruise lines, ships, and even itineraries) and be willing to make a commitment in minutes. We are registered with many excellent high volume cruise agencies who send us e-mails about all kinds of cruises including last minute deals. Many of the best deals are restricted by the cruise lines "no advertising or public postings" and are quietly offered by various agencies. We have never seen any of these great last minute deals sold directly by any cruise line.

Hank

We book as soon as they come out, And monitor the price

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Usually we are adding a cruise to land trip and sometimes book within a week or two of the cruise. Last cruise was South America. We built a land trip around the cruise. So that we booked about 3/4 months out. That is about the furthest out we have booked in many years. The price was right, the ship was right. Otherwise we may have just made our land arrangements and hope to snag a last minute offer.

You’re on a ship? Book! You’ll likely get extra perks.

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I booked both cruises showing below, over a year in advance. The Alaska trip was under last year's Explore4 and I jumped on it because I could get the FIVE rooms-in-a-row that I wanted (on the lower promenade "boardwalk"). It's fun that my group of ten will all be able to drink their 15 drinks a day including specialty coffees, etc., without thinking about paying for them at the end of the cruise. Free grats would have also been nice, but with the requirement of specific rooms, I wouldn't want to wait for a different promotional!

I also got a very nice deal on a very nicely positioned stateroom on the RCI cruise next December.

We wanted two staterooms across from each other so we booked a year in advance with a ta. I watched the sales and promotions and called the ta every time I saw a price drop. On the two rooms the rates went down over $1000 and she was able to adjust our bookings accordingly. We also qualified for promotion as they came up.

I’m booked for April 2020 :p

Furthest out we've booked: 23 months

Closest we've booked: 3 days

Average: 5 or 6 months

Our next cruise we booked about 16 months out. The price has gone up since then by $2200, that's for the cheapest cabin. It does pay to shop around.

If we're on the ship and have a cruise picked out and scheduled in our mind we'll book it. But usually it's 1.5 - 2 years out, or as soon as the itineraries open up for sale. For popular itineraries it's longer because we know what we want and are willing to book very early to get it. We always book cancel for any reason insurance so the long lead time is not as big a worry.

We book as soon as the itinerary we are interested in becomes available which 1 1/2 to 2 years away.

That way we get the cabin we want.

We book as soon as the itinerary we are interested in becomes available which 1 1/2 to 2 years away.

That way we get the cabin we want.

We are in that same window.

I have found that the last several years I have booked great deals within the final booking window. That's how I am on a Baltic cruise this summer instead of the trip to California I was planning. Twice now, I have gotten unbelievable deals to Europe. I am willing to be somewhat flexible on cruise line, especially on a port intensive cruise. My last Europe deal was for a Mediterranean 12 night cruise on Princess with an oceanview room for under $1000. My Baltic cruise on HAL is a similar deal. When I looked a year out, they were over twice the price.

I am looking at a cruise for next March and wondering if I should book now or wait until after the current sale is over. Is the “Ready set sail” deal that good?

 

It’s on the statendam and I’m also wondering when that ship is ready?

 

 

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We tend to book our cruises when we are on cruises .Therefore,there is no set time.

For us, it truly depends where we want to go. Certain itineraries are only offered a couple of times a year (South America, Asia). We booked those cruises about 18 months in advance. I diligently watch the pricing and on those two cruises I watched the pricing go up and up. By the time we left the cost was thousands of dollars above what we paid.

On the other hand...for cruising the Caribbean - other than booking a year in advance so we can cruise over Thanksgiving, we usually book the Caribbean on a much shorter lead time. We just booked a 1 week Princess cruise about 60 days before the actual cruise. Of course, we live about an hour from the port so making airline reservations doesn't play a role in our decision making.

Helen