Differences in prices..when to buy, when to wait??

[jasperado]

Hello everyone!

Im new to cruising, waiting to go on the first one, so am gleaning all the information I can about ships, customs, requirements et al....

Do the prices for cruises always fluctuate?? I ask this because I have realised that seasoned cruisers sometimes book their next cruise whilst enjoying their present one. Is there a monetary advantage to this. The reason I ask this is because the cruise my DH and I are booked on has risen by £250 each since mid January, and as of 1st march, the OBC of £95 has been withdrawn, making the cruise £700 more expensive if I wished to book the same cruise and cabin rating. How on earth do you know when to buy, or for how long to wait. I welcome feedback and experiences please, because if I really get into this cruising malarky, will I book the next one whilst still on board?.

Thankyou

[daiB]

Hello everyone!

 

Im new to cruising, waiting to go on the first one, so am gleaning all the information I can about ships, customs, requirements et al....

 

Do the prices for cruises always fluctuate?? I ask this because I have realised that seasoned cruisers sometimes book their next cruise whilst enjoying their present one. Is there a monetary advantage to this. The reason I ask this is because the cruise my DH and I are booked on has risen by £250 each since mid January, and as of 1st march, the OBC of £95 has been withdrawn, making the cruise £700 more expensive if I wished to book the same cruise and cabin rating. How on earth do you know when to buy, or for how long to wait. I welcome feedback and experiences please, because if I really get into this cruising malarky, will I book the next one whilst still on board?.

 

Thankyou

 

 

Excellent question.

 

But I do not think there is an excellent answer. It depends on so many things. The cruise, the time of year, the ship, the cabin required, your flexibility the phases of the moon etc ect.

 

One tip. Book early or book late, try to avoid the middle unless you see a very very good deal. Early means within a couple of weeks of the bookings opening in April.

 

If you get hooked .......you are .......doomed.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[gadabout60]

I have only discovered cruising in the last 3 years or so and am now looking to book cruise number 7!

 

The one thing I would say about you booking while on your first cruise is that you won't yet know what you like about the ships. If you stick with P&O you have the choice of adult only or family friendly. Then you need to work out whether you like big ships or smaller ships! And of course there are lots iof other companies.

 

Personally I would go on this cruise and then analyse what you liked and didn't like and then work out what you want to do next!

[mollymoomoo]

Still considering booking the 14 night cruise on Ventura on 23rd April. Never cruised with P & O before, only Thomson. The price has been constant since I started to look and when I phoned P & O they said there are still plenty of cabins left.

 

Do you think the price will drop further in the next few weeks?

 

Thank you :)

[BrianI]

Six weeks before departure seems to be a good time to book so give it two or three weeks more. If it's correct that there are many cabins left, then prices will drop. Keep checking the price daily. I believe it's Wed or Thursday when they make the price changes.

Brian

[mollymoomoo]

Thank you Brian. P & O also said there are only 5 children booked onboard, which suits us fine! We will keep checking prices and hope it doesn't suddenly jump.

[clivep]

I agree with Brian that 6 weeks out seems about right at least with these Ventura sailings. I've been monitoring them to try and ascertain P&O's current late saver pricing model.

 

I've seen the late saver price go up as well as down. It all depends on the number of available cabins and the number of weeks until departure.

 

The Ventura 19th March came in with a late saver price of £999 (all prices for 14 day balcony cabin). This then went back up to £1099 then £1199 before coming back to the current £999.

 

The 16th April sailing was £999 the week before last but went up to £1099 last week.

 

The 23rd April sailing is currently £1199 but I would expect this to come down to £999 in a couple of weeks time.

 

If you want to brave it out until the very last minute then prices can tumble further but then you may find no availability at all.

 

I was sure our Adonia cruise to the Baltics last October was not going to sell out but succumbed 3 weeks before departure as I wanted to make sure of getting the shareholder benefit OBC. We paid £999 for the 16 day cruise (balcony cabin) but this dropped to £799 during the last week before sailing.