Sometimes It Pays to Book Early......

[Merion_Mom]

Explorer June 2011. Six -1/2 months out, and all staterooms in our category are sold out.

There are one or two other categories sold out also.

 

Six and a half months out is long before final payment................wait and see how many of those cabins are available the day after.

 

:)

[FloGaleRNTX]

I figure I should book the cabin I want, and then pray for a price drop, but I have picked the cabin I want, and if I don't get a drop, I am still happy with my cabin and my cruise!!!

[The_Big_M]

Was thinking of opening a similar thread, for the same reason. My nearest upcoming cruise which I booked earlier has gone up double, then went down slightly with most cabins gone and is now sold out.

 

Another one booked a few months back has doubled in price, though still with decent availability.

 

And another one has gone up 3 times over the past month, though is still over a year out.

 

There was a reason management were positive in their last quarterly results...

[iluvcruzin]

I echo the few who say booking later is best. I've landed great deals booking about 60 days out when they are trying to fill the ship. And if the lower categories are booked up, going guarantee I've been lucky too. Inside price for a balcony assignment.

[sailnsee]

there certainly isn't any "right" plan-we play it by ear....have an upcoming JS for 589-booked several mo. ahead and now there is one for 899--but last yr. 3 wks. before a 10 day Med. we got 2 Gsuites for the same price as our D1's(1099)! Ya never know(O:

[Poorplaya]

There are so many threads about trying to secure the best price. Well, we are so smart to have booked early.

 

The first week of our back to back would be $500 more and the second week has all suites and balconies sold out. In addition, our Jet Blue flights have doubled in price since we purchased.

 

We've booked last minute for September cruises and had good luck but for February cruising we're going to continue to book early.

 

I know we booked our cruise for december 12th in March and our balcony has gone up nearly 300 since, I know I got the best price I could have at the time, i'm sure glad I booked when I did.

[Shooraq]

I think it pays to book early when you are booking during the "high season" and it pays to book last minute when you are booking September (hurricane season).

 

So true. Typically off-season crusise, like hurricane season or certain times in the winter, will yield price drops.

[marci22]

So true. Typically off-season crusise, like hurricane season or certain times in the winter, will yield price drops.

 

On my Easter break FOS cruise, we got about $1400 in price drops. On my summer IOS cruise, we got over 2k in price drops. After final. The prices right before final, although there was a lot of inventory, went up, lending credibility to those who say the prices go up and up. That works until after final.

 

Off-peak yields price drops too, but not the ridiculous drops you get when you book a cruise that starts off higher in price than an off-peak cruise.

 

And I shouldn't forget the July Ex cruise to Bermuda a few years ago that dropped $1100 after final (for 2 rooms. I cancelled, paid a penalty, and still saved $600)

[Shooraq]

The 3 times that cruises dropped price for me have all been in hurricane season or between December-February. And these were either Monarch 3-nighters to the Bahamas or a southern caribbean trip out of San Juan in December.

 

You really have to keep in mind the specific ship, the itinerary, the time of year and the need for a specfic stateroom. For me, I can make do with an inside or a balcony, as long as it's center ship for my semi-seasick hubby. I never go during high season. Majority of my cruising is done in January/February (3-nighter since I am a tax preparer, can't leave for a whole week), May, September-October (another 3-nighter), and early December. Next year, it's late May for Europe on Vision (shoulder season, way cheaprer with still reasonable walking weather) and early December on Oasis (cheap while avoiding hurricane season). Vision prices went way up and the insides sold out!

 

Again, it's all about planning. I always have to factor airfare, so that makes a difference. Can't do last minute cruises, so planning early typically never fails for me!

[Shooraq]

On my Easter break FOS cruise, we got about $1400 in price drops. On my summer IOS cruise, we got over 2k in price drops. After final. The prices right before final, although there was a lot of inventory, went up, lending credibility to those who say the prices go up and up. That works until after final.

 

Off-peak yields price drops too, but not the ridiculous drops you get when you book a cruise that starts off higher in price than an off-peak cruise.

 

And I shouldn't forget the July Ex cruise to Bermuda a few years ago that dropped $1100 after final (for 2 rooms. I cancelled, paid a penalty, and still saved $600)

 

Good point on the off-peak. It's why I study prices sometimes a year before to understand pricing better. For instance, I was going to book a European cruise for May of 2011, say myabe Italy or Spain. The prices were crazy, and then I saw a grtea deal on a european cruise in late May for only $512 per person for an inside. I booked as soon as the 2011 cruises were available and haven't regretted my decision. The insides went up to over $1000 and are now sold out. I can only hope that maybe I'll get an upgrade if they don't sell any higher level category, but I'm happy with my cheap room to Europe.

 

It totally is a guessing game. If I lived in Florida and had more than 2 weeks vacation, and didn't work in a bank that you have to set your vacation waaaay in advance, I would try last-minute bookings. But for me, I lock in what I am comfortable with, recognizing that I hope it won't drop considerably and hope for the best. :) (also helps that I typically get cheap rooms and not strive for balconies and higher unless they drop in price.)

[volleyballmom87]

On our next cruise we booked the room we thought we could tollerate for a price we were willing to pay. Since then we have changed rooms several times to give us more room. We went from 1 inside to a LARGE OV room and now we are in 2 inside cabins. Price changes have been minimul and now our 20yo DD has her own cabin. This will make all of us more happy! (she is kind of a slob and we are not). :p

[kborth]

Booked Rhapsody for next year before the announcemant came out, so I am hoping I got a good deal