When to booK????

[sunnydelyght]

Hello

 

We are first time Royal Caribbean cruisers, and would like to know if there is any better time to book? Re: early discounts for booking early? or time of year.

 

Thanks

Ahead

[Cigar King]

I'd say you should book when you find a cruise that you feel is priced right. Sometimes they go up, sometimes they go down. I try not to worry about it to much, figuring it will even out in the end. The important thing is that you get the cruise you want at the price you want.

[39august]

Usually the earlier you book the better the prices. Most cruise prices tend to rise. There are also usually some lower prices after the final payment is due on many cruises. But if you have to fly to the port, those airline prices are usually higher closer to flight date, so there is no advantage as far as total price for air and cruise is concerned. Also, if you wait for last minute lower prices, not all catagories will be available. For instance, on most cruises Grand Suites and higher sell out first. I agree with Cigar King. Find the cruise you want at a price you like and book it. If the price goes down before final payment, you will be allowed to adjust to the lower price.

[will773]

This is a tough question. It's impossible to know what the price will do. I agree with the first poster; find a cruise and book it when you feel it is fairly priced, that way you feel comfortable with what you paid, and you can be done with it.

[bouhunter]

Those three previous replies sum up the best advice you're going to get!:)

[pjnj40]

My friend gave me this advice if you ever looking for a cruise.

1 prices between months of May or June to September the prices will be insane(usually when kids are out of school)

2 September to May the prices are cheap except any holidays including valentine day

3 I prefer winter cruising this way you can get the last summer blast before you go back into miserable winter

4 Most important on deciding the pricing, my friend said cruise should be between 100 to 120 per day per person after all the taxes and port charges are done. If you can get less then this it a bargain.

 

I did one time book a cruise the night before sailing and got a cruise for 7 days to bahamas at 299 then taxes comes to 500. This is way less then 100 a day. If you really into bargain pay attention to all the sale they are gonna do . it might be worth it.

[PantherFan]

Your $100-$120 per day number depends on what type of cabin your talking about. Balcony, Oceanview, or Inside. Suites are definitely above that

[monicajay]

So many factors contribute to pricing. If you provide more info as to when you want to travel, where you would like to go and what ships you are considering, you will get a lot of more concrete information.

 

We booked our next RCCL about 400 days in advance. Well worth it to get the amazing aft balcony for a special anniversary. Even if the price were to drop you would never find the cabin I got. ;)

 

See.... lots to consider when asking this question.

[PeterPan]

Generally speaking, here is what I have found:

 

Cruises during Spring break and Summer tend to go up in price from the time they are posted. Rarely will there be any huge drops after final payment.

 

Cruises during the peak hurricane season are generally less costly when posted, but I have never booked one so can't comment on whether they tend to rise. Probably dependent on how well it is selling.

 

Cruises between Thanksgiving and Christmas tend be pretty cheap when they are posted. They then rise as cabins begin to sell. I have seen price drops after final payment pretty regularly. Again, depends on how well it is selling.

 

Holiday cruises are VERY costly when posted. Sometimes they drop, sometimes not. All depends on how well the cruise is selling. (See a trend here??:p)

 

I usually book VERY early. I have not been upset over any price changes that occur after I book. They usually rise.

 

Generally, suites sell out pretty quickly (except for JS). Probably because there really aren't that many of them on a given ship.

 

So, there you have it. Probably completely meaningless! :D I will continue to book VERY early to get the best choice of cabins. A deep discount later may result in an opportunity to upgrade.

[NYCRUISR]

As early as possible. Particularly on newer ships.

[sparky-elpaso]

I'm another "as soon as you find something you like" person. Booking earlier means a better selection of cabins. And if the price drops before final payment date you can call and get the price break. Also, if you qualify, keep an eye on the "over 55" rate. DH and I got a $1,300 pp drop on the first leg of our Australia/NZ b2b and $1,000 pp on the 2nd leg.

[sunnydelyght]

Hello

 

Thanks for the info thus this far. To give some more information on what and when. We are looking for Jan - Mar 2013. Balcony, Allure of the Seas. In the past we have cruised on Carnival, Princess, NCL, and Costa and we have always found early booking discounts but have not yer seen anything advertising for Royal Caribbean.

 

Thanks again for your input.