How far in advance do you have to book?

[Conradfam13]

I am trying to take my family of 4 on a cruise for Easter/Spring Break in April 2011. How far in advance do I need to book it in order to get an interior room with 2 uppers? My boss at work won't let me submit any vacation requests for next year until late December. Will that be enough time?

 

Thanks in advance

 

J. Conrad

[Cuizer2]

I am trying to take my family of 4 on a cruise for Easter/Spring Break in April 2011. How far in advance do I need to book it in order to get an interior room with 2 uppers? My boss at work won't let me submit any vacation requests for next year until late December. Will that be enough time?

 

Thanks in advance

 

J. Conrad

 

If you need a cabin that sleeps four (quad) for Easter 2011, then I recommend you put your deposit down now. At worst you will have to cancel, which means you will lose whatever interest you would have received if you left the money in the bank.

 

Make sure the final payment is not due before you have to turn in your request. Also, if using a TA, check on cancellation policies. You might have to book directly with the cruise line to avoid a TA's cancellation fee.

 

Nonetheless, quad cabins, especially during Easter vacation, are hard to come by, so I would get the deposit (which is fully refundable if you cancel before final payment is due) in now.

[Littlebeachlover]

Welcome fellow Charlottean! With Easter/spring break being peak travel season I would book just as soon as possible in December. If you have no cabin preference or deck (other than an inside with uppers) I would think 4 months out should be sufficient.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I would put down a deposit now!! Easter cruises with families fill up fast. And since you need a cabin for 4 -- they book up quickly.

 

You can always cancel the cruise if after you discover that your vacation time doesn't co-incide with the cruise.

 

Just check with the cruise company you book with if they charge a feee to cancel the cruise.

[griffy116]

Book now through a TA or RCCL. You only have to put down the deposit and it's returned if you can't get the vacation time you want for the cruise. We just had to cancel for my Mom and Sister's cabin. We had booked for next summer and they decided to cancel. All they had "invested" was the deposit and it's fully refundable. The later you wait, the better the chance that you can't get an interior cabin for 4, or 2 interior cabins that connect with 2 in each.

[Conradfam13]

Thank you all for the information. Does anyone know if I put down a deposit thru Carnival's website if it's refundible if I had to cancel?

[Schoifmom]

Don't forget to purchase "cancel for any reason" insurance ... that way you have minimized your risk. The only thing you would lose (I think) is the cost of the insurance, which you should have anyway.

 

With Carnival, the cancellation policy really depends on which fare type you choose.

[Cuizer2]

Thank you all for the information. Does anyone know if I put down a deposit thru Carnival's website if it's refundible if I had to cancel?

 

Don't forget to purchase "cancel for any reason" insurance ... that way you have minimized your risk. The only thing you would lose (I think) is the cost of the insurance, which you should have anyway.

 

With Carnival, the cancellation policy really depends on which fare type you choose.

 

If you book early saver the deposit is not refundable. If you book at the regular rate the deposit is fully refundable.

 

If you are going to buy cancel for any reason insurance there are a few things to keep in mind:

 

1) Cancel for any reason insurance is expensive.

2) Cancel for any reason has a 25% deductible (you only recover 75% of what you lost).

3) Since the deposit is fully refundable up until final payment, there is no reason to purchase cancel for any reason insurance until final payment is made.