How Far In Advance Do You Book Your Cruise?

[dmk]

• more than a year in advance
  
• more than 6 months in advance but less than 1 year
  
• between 3-6 months in advance
  
• less than 3 months in advance
  
• other(Please explain)
  

[sassystyxfan]

I have booked our next cruise while on the ship (a year in advance), but most times through my TA between 8-10 months ahead.

[chessbriar]

I don't have a set date I book by. I booked in January for April 2005 less than 3 months, January for October 8 months, and January for April 2006 over a year

[bluehorizonlover123]

I always like to plan ahead. The rates are usually lower if you book a year in advance. You can always cancel if something comes up.

[Shaco]

The new Celebrity pricing policy has drastically changed the way I buy cruises. I used to book my next cruise while on a cruise, then come home and look for the lowest price for that cruise. Can't do that anymore with Celebrity.

[Perki]

We always go the end of April/beginning of May and I usually have my cruise booked September-November year prior due to better choice of rooms available, pricing is usually lower and can start saving my pennies that way too! (tee hee)

[Tatka]

Out of our 4 cruises

 

First 2.5 - 3 months

Second 9 months

Third 2.5 months

Forth 10 months

[geoherb]

We booked our most recent cruise six weeks before. We weren't particular about the itinerary or cabin. I kept watching prices on several websites and finally found a good deal on the Century for Christmas and New Year's. The other cruise lines in the running were Princess and HAL.

 

Right now, our summer plans aren't firm. I keep thinking another cruise to Alaska would be nice. But if nothing turns up, we'll head to Seattle to visit relatives and then rent a car and drive down the coast.

 

The most in advance we've booked a cruise was nine months. It's hard for us to plan our work schedules any further ahead.

[Druke I]

I like to book out about a year and one-half. Perhaps would book farther out if schedules were set earlier.

[Lois R]

Hi:) I am in the "Other~Please Explain" Category.

 

Sometimes I book way ahead, and now with such a great new boss I can book much closer in too:D .

I booked my Constellation cruise while I was on the ship (2 months ago), booked for Dec 2005. So that would be a year.

I was supposed to be going to Bermuda in May but had to cancel. Instead I am going next month on CENTURY:D . I just booked that one on Feb 2~sailing March 12.

[D&L]

We will book our March 2007 cruise this fall if the reservations are open. March 2008 will be our 25th anniversary and we are planning to do the Tahitian Princess in FP. Too early to think of 2009.

[dragonlady]

For our first cruise, we fell into this deal on a Mercury cruise from our local port, so no air fare. We jumped on it. The last two bookings we were trying to book months in advance, but these other deals came up, the boss said okay on the time off and we were booked for less than two months away...

 

Dragonlady

[dmk]

We used to always book while on board a cruise so we can have the credit. However, with the price of cruises going up, we are now booking as soon as the new itineraries are out. That seems when the cruises are the cheapest. We are set for 2006 and now are waiting for 2007.

[jdlewis]

We booked our first cruise about three months ahead, found a great deal and had never been on a cruise. As per usual we fell in love with cruising the minute we got on the ship so booked our Panama cruise while still on our Alaska holiday.

 

We booked 18 months ahead so we could nab one of the FV aft corner and will be enjoying our huge balcony as we cruise thru the canal.

 

Three weeks till we leave for Ft Lauderdale!!!!!:p

[fllcruiser]

I booked my Century 2/19 just two weeks ago, my Sun Princess 3/19 a year in advance and Ryndam 6/26 in December.

[FLJudi]

We love the aft cabins, so book our cruises as soon as they are available to snag one of these on the Vista deck on the M class ships. Booked a year in advance for last year's Constellation British Isle/ Norwegian Fjords cruise and booked last June for this year's Millennium Med cruise. No verandas are now available on our sailing, and inside cabins are $1,000 more than we paid for our aft cabin with the huge balcony.

 

FLJudi

[cruizparrot]

We booked our first cruise, which was last year, about nine months in advance. Our next cruise is to Hawaii on the Infinity in October, and we booked that one 13 months in advance. I'm glad we did, the prices really went up after we booked, and we got a great cabin. I was surprised how much the price increased and how quickly the balcony cabins sold out. We have friends who would like to go with us, and they can't go because they waited too long to book the cruise.

[kelmac]

I selected the six months to one year, however, I just booked the Millennium for next year's spring break (March 26, 2006). :rolleyes:

 

Five cruises coming up in the next 13 months--"Life is Good!"

 

 

Kel

[donnaw]

We just booked 8 months in advance which is our longest. Depends on mood, cruise and price. Dh booked 8 days in advance when I said that if I didn't get away I was either A) quitting my job or B) getting a divorce! That one was with 2 teenagers in tow! We try for a 3 month window but have found that we just have to watch for the opportunity and grab it when we can. Now I have 8 months to drive him completely up the wall with what will we do and what will I wear! This should really be fun!

[shofer]

We ususally book 6-9 mos in advance to get the cabin we want. In October 8 of us family members booked a roundtrip LA to Hawaii cruise for 1/06. We did this to get the best price and the cabin selection. I had read that the Hawaii cruise this past November was sold out the previous February except for suites! Now our catagory of 2-c is sold out last month. So I guess it was wise to book so early.

[mahdnc]

We tend to book way in advance because we usually have a specific ship, cabin, itinerary, and sailing time in mind.....We booked our upcoming Horizon cruise 15 months in advance to get the cabin we wanted during our kids' Spring Break vacation. Our two cruises prior to that were booked 19 months (Infinity--wanted an FV during the week of my birthday) and 14 months (Galaxy) in advance. We actually booked the Infinity cruise while we were on the Galaxy.

 

Of course because we cruise every other year, we have the luxury of planning that far in advance.

[caxxandra]

* other (please explain)

 

I started checking cruise out in november but got the cold hand from ta´s in sweden since it was soooo early, didnt have to book yet,

and oh, ´what a problem the flights cant be booked and so on.

 

In january I found the perfect TA who helped me, I even changed the dates around a couple of times and no hard words from her.

 

So now we're getting married the day before i stockholm, then flying to Orlando and the world of the mouse, duck and other animals then fly down to Miami to enjoy our lovely cruise.

Then back to Miami and spend Christmas!

 

I cant wait!!!

It's my first cruise.....

 

Thank you so much everyone for being around and inventing this board!

 

Sandra

[Desertbelle]

I picked other because it really varies. Most of the time we book a year or more in advance....this gets us good prices and good cabins. But, on occasion, we just see something great come along, or an celebration comes near and we think, what the heck, let's take a cruise, and we find ourselves booking something just a few months out.

 

Our very first "real" cruise (we did a Windjammer cruise previously) we booked on a Thursday and left Sunday, 3 days later. Can't get too much more spontaneous than that! :D

[Char]

We booked our first cruise, which was last year, about nine months in advance. Our next cruise is to Hawaii on the Infinity in October, and we booked that one 13 months in advance. I'm glad we did, the prices really went up after we booked, and we got a great cabin. I was surprised how much the price increased and how quickly the balcony cabins sold out. We have friends who would like to go with us, and they can't go because they waited too long to book the cruise.

Hey cruizparrot :D

Which sailing in October are you going on--the 9th or the 23rd? We have a nice roll call going for the 23rd. If you are on our cruise come on over and join us! Here is the link to the most recent page--then you can go back and read from the beginning. Cruise Critic Message Boards - Infinity October 23, 2005

[newmexicoNita]

It's amazing how many book months in advance. We don't know what we are doing tomorrow much less a year from now. Actually we usually book about 4 months in advance, but because it's a wedding, we are booking our grandaughters cruise in Dec right now. NMnita