How early is too early to book with Carnival?

[iheartmarshall]

Hi everyone! Long-time lurker here, but a new poster :)

My fiance and I are already planning a cruise for our first wedding anniversary, which will be in late April 2014. We've settled on Carnival's Western Caribbean itinerary and the Glory, but we're not sure when to book.

Since we are still 13 months away, it feels a bit early to book but at the same time, we want to allow ourselves plenty of time to make payments and afford what we truly want. This will be our first cruise so I'm not sure if itineraries/ships usually change or if they are pretty set in stone this early on. Is it okay to book this early? If not, when is the best time frame to book (12 months +, 8 - 10 months, 6 months, etc.)?

[Mrs CruisinCritter]

We usually book our cruises 12-18 months before the sail date. The earlier you book, the better chances you have of finding the lowest rate. We also like to have time to pay off the cruise and save up plenty of money for the trip down and back. Rule of thumb: If you find a ship, sail date and a rate that you are happy with, book it!

Just be sure to read the terms and conditions for the rates that you are looking at to make sure that you are happy with the restrictions if there are any. Early Saver rate is typically lower and allows you to get the price difference if the rate drops below what you paid at any time before the ship sails, but it also has penalties if you need to cancel or change your ship or sail date.

[Megan_Strick]

It's never to early!! I usually do about a year out. The farther out the less I have to budget each month.

[<3 2 Cruise]

We book as soon as we find a cruise we want. My personal experience is that we have cancelled or changed a few, and when booking Early Saver you lose money everytime you do that, so I quit booking Early Saver. I book whatever rate allows me to pick my room and get my money back if I have to cancel. That is my own preference though. I have book a lot through Early Saver and been able to reduce my rate.

 

Either way, go ahead and book the cruise. Then you can start your countdown clock!!!

[Colorado Kat]

We usually book 2-4 months out, but that is due to vacation schedules and timing. I always wish we booked early enough for the early savers, so we cold get price drops and on-board credit, but it just doesn't happen.

 

Go ahead and book now, and enjoy the anticipation.

[iheartmarshall]

Thank you for your feedback! I'm happy to know I'm not crazy for thinking of booking this early and that many of you book this early as well. A lot of it has to do with cost, really -- we want to get the most out of the ship and the ports without breaking the bank and booking this early and making payments seems like the best option for that. Guess I'll have my countdown ticker up soon! ;)

[CdrescherRBL152]

We always book as early as possiable. Gives more time to pay off the cruise, plus the largest choice of cabins. And then of course is a little known secret I found out the first time it happened to us. If the cat. of cabin you booked fills up and Carnival needs to upgade a few latter, the upgades get offered to those who booked the earliest first.

[stargate fan]

Hi everyone! Long-time lurker here, but a new poster :)

My fiance and I are already planning a cruise for our first wedding anniversary, which will be in late April 2014. We've settled on Carnival's Western Caribbean itinerary and the Glory, but we're not sure when to book.

Since we are still 13 months away, it feels a bit early to book but at the same time, we want to allow ourselves plenty of time to make payments and afford what we truly want. This will be our first cruise so I'm not sure if itineraries/ships usually change or if they are pretty set in stone this early on. Is it okay to book this early? If not, when is the best time frame to book (12 months +, 8 - 10 months, 6 months, etc.)?

 

The earliest we have booked was 441 days out, and the soonest was 106. The good thing about booking early is the choice of available cabins. As time progresses, you can watch for price drops and contact the person with whom you booked to get the cruise price adjusted, depending on which rate you use.

 

Moral of the story-it's never too early to book. To me, the planning and researching are part of the fun of cruising.

[stargate fan]

We always book as early as possiable. Gives more time to pay off the cruise, plus the largest choice of cabins. And then of course is a little known secret I found out the first time it happened to us. If the cat. of cabin you booked fills up and Carnival needs to upgade a few latter, the upgades get offered to those who booked the earliest first.

 

We've never been offered an upsell nor an upgrade in 11 booked cruises.

[CruzerDeb]

Booked the one I'm still waiting on (83 days!) 450 days out. Seems like forever!

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

Never too early. Take advantage of the early saver fares.