Cruise after Thanksgiving...Pricing?

[ccheng64]

My husband and I decided to go on a Caribbean or Bahamas cruise after Thanksgiving. This will be our first Caribbean or Bahamas trip so anywhere in this area all sounds fun to us.

Our current conditions are as follows:

1) Already purchased airline tickets - arrive at Miami at 11:52p on No 26 (Fri ), leave from FLL at 4:40p on Dec 5 (Sun).

2) Any cruise between this time frame will be ok. We prefer 7 day cruise, but 5-6 days are ok.

3) We have Carnival stock and Princess FCC. Crown Princess (Nov 27, Western route 7 days) and Ruby Princess (Nov 28, Eastern route 7days) are our preferred options. However, we wouldn’t be disappointed if we have to take Carnival, HAL, or NCL at the end.

4) We prefer balcony, but will not feel bad to stay in inside cabin. We are not picky on room location either.

5) We are trying to get the best cruise deal.

Our plan is flexible and there are so many cruises to choose from. We are having trouble to decide whether or not to book right now, or just wait for the possible flash sale after the final payment date.

Currently, the lowest Crown Princess balcony I can find is $559 with $75 OBC. The lowest Ruby Princess balcony is $689 with $75 OBC.

Is it possible the price will go lower after final payment date, since it is sort of low season after Thanksgiving?

Any comments or suggestions are highly appreciated.

Thank you!

[1 HappyCruiser]

Normally the cruises in the fall and after Thanksgiving up until Christmas are the cheapest time to go & prices vary due to supply & demand and if you see a price at this time that looks good I'd grab it now.

If anyone has an way of guaranteeing the best price I also would love to hear it.

[Coral]

That is a pretty good price on the Crown.

 

Usually I would say wait until final payment but I would tempted to get the Crown for that amount.

[Pia1913]

$559 for a balcony is a VERY low price. I would grab it now.

[kywildcatfanone]

You are almost at final payment now anyway, less that a couple of weeks. We are booked on the Crown Thanksgiving cruise, and hadn't planned to book this fall, but we couldn't pass up the price.

Those are good prices, I would probably go ahead and book. However, I would guess it is possible to see a price drop 2-3 weeks from now after final payment is due - it's the risk you take for waiting I suppose. I would be surprised that the price would change by more than a few dollars, so you have to decide how you want to proceed.

 

Mike

[big aft]

I booked the Crown Princess a few weeks ago for the Dec 4 sailing when it was $599 for a Balcony GTY. Upgraded to a BA on the Caribe deck. Final payment not due until Sept 20.

 

Happy with this, but I could cancel and book a week earlier and save $100, but may not get the same upgrade.

 

Prices may still drop but its a roll of the dice.......will stay with what I know.

[geoherb]

I'd go ahead and book the Crown at that price. It's less than we paid for an obstructed view cabin for the same cruise in March.

[krowek]

That is a good price on the Crown.... have fun on your cruise