Best time to book

[jbtyler927]

Hi! It has been many years since I have sailed RCI. Do they ever offer the beverage package as part of a booking? I am not sailing for quite some time so I would like to wait to book until that special if they do. If not, what special do you think gets you the most bang for your buck? TIA 😄

[Clarea]

There is no way to predict when will be the best time to book. Best to book now and keep checking for price drops and/or better promos.

[davekathy]

I always book with a TA. Once I see an itinerary we like I check to see what perks the TA is offering for that Cruise. If it's to our liking I call the TA and give her/him our specifics and book it. Sometimes two years out. Then I just monitor the Cruise for a possible price reduction.

Edited December 6, 2015 by davekathy

[ken_nyc]

If it is a newer or a very popular ship I would book about a year out for the best price and keep checking for price reductions until final payment.

[Viv0828]

I think when you book has to fit your lifestyle. We like to be flexible so we book 2 to 4 months out. Sometimes if the ship is fairly empty we get great deals; sometimes if the ship is fairly full we don't.

 

From what I've read, booking a year or more out seems to give folks the best financial bang for their buck, but that is not something we are comfortable doing.

Edited December 6, 2015 by Viv0828

[Desert Cruizers]

Best time to book is as soon as the dates open. We have found better pricing then to wait. When I know we will cruise a given year I watch for the opening dates. I usually do my searching ahead of time, knowing ships move around but will still search itinerary & ship to see which cabin and deck will be the best for us.

[SPacificbound]

For us it is as soon as possible. :)

[Caljmann]

There is no way to predict when will be the best time to book. Best to book now and keep checking for price drops and/or better promos.

 

How do you take advantage of these promos? Currently trying to upgrade with a current promo and am being told I need to cancel my current booking and pay 400 bucks which basically defeats the purpose?

 

Thanks

[goodycruising]

How do you take advantage of these promos? Currently trying to upgrade with a current promo and am being told I need to cancel my current booking and pay 400 bucks which basically defeats the purpose?

 

Thanks

 

They are talking booking in USA. We come under different rules over here. I look forward to the day when we buy the same product for the same conditions as those in the cabin next to us. It is absolutely rubbish.

[Clarea]

How do you take advantage of these promos? Currently trying to upgrade with a current promo and am being told I need to cancel my current booking and pay 400 bucks which basically defeats the purpose?

 

Thanks

I know folks from the UK that use US travel agents to book, and therefore avoid cancel/change fees. I know that does not help the present situation, but it may help for future bookings.

[Philly Steve]

As others have posted, we also book about a year out for best cabin selection then check for price drops.

 

We have always had to purchase a beverage package separately.

[LuCruise]

Hi! It has been many years since I have sailed RCI. Do they ever offer the beverage package as part of a booking? I am not sailing for quite some time so I would like to wait to book until that special if they do. If not, what special do you think gets you the most bang for your buck? TIA

 

We booked Dec 2014 for a cruise in April 2016. At the time the deal was 'buy 1 get 50% off guest 2". They seem to have this "deal" on and off but when we booked guest 3 and 4 were close in price to guest 2 so overall we got a good deal. I've been monitoring the prices weekly for most staterooms on our cruise and although they have had this deal, guest 1 is a lot more and also guest 3 and 4 are a lot higher. Earlier this year they also offered a "free beverage package" deal BUT they raised the prices significantly for all guests so the total cost wasn't worth it.

 

When I compare the cost of our cruise today to when we booked a year ago, prices have gone up by $1100 - $1900 (and that doesn't include the Junior Suite which went up by $3477 in the year). Also, some staterooms are sold out in our cruise for 4 passengers (i.e. Promenade and Central Park Balcony). And traditional early dining booked up a long time ago if that's important to you.

 

Final payment is end of Jan so perhaps prices will drop then...but unless you want to chance it, I would book as soon as you can. If prices drop before your final payment, then you can always call in and get the new deal (but you will lose any current extra promos from your original booking such as OBC). If prices rise, then you are already locked in at your lower cost that you booked.

Edited December 7, 2015 by LuCruise