Best time to book...

[Intent2smile]

Does Royal Carribean have any times a year that is a better time to book price wise?

We are looking to book our next cruise. Currently RCI has 50 percent off deposit, and OBC is about 50 dollars more than it was last week when I looked but the prices are about the same. The 50 percent off the deposit isn't a big deal, I would rather pay the full deposit and have to pay less later. Just wondering if there are times during the year that RC gives better deals than other times.

We are looking to book for late October/early November.

My understanding also is if we would book now and the price drops before final payment we can get the better price.

[Lionesss]

We book when on a cruise for the next cruise.

 

There seems to be no method to the madness of one cruise sale after another, and if it is really a sale, or they just raised the price.

 

Then we track the prices and get the best cost we can get.

 

DH checks RCI site and

 

I follow another site.

 

So far have gotten around $1000 reduction since we booked on board this August for our next August cruise.

 

Enjoy

 

We do

[knittinggirl]

Google 2017-2018 deployments, and check when they first post cruises. Most cruises start posting some time in February. Often you'll find the best price, and you have a better choice of room.

 

I got a JS on a Transatlantic the day they posted it and it ended up being $20 more than the balcony. AND it jumped about $600 the very next day.

 

I've had mixed results w/ the promotions. Sometimes they throw in extras, but they raise their prices. On the sister site, I almost got stuck w/ a room with OBC, drink package and gratuities, that was $500pp more added to the room package. We didn't think we could break even, so we had the travel agent get us the original price.

 

i managed to get 1100 (Aft JS Wrap) on a B2B by using this method.

Edited November 26, 2016 by knittinggirl

[Little Buddy's Mom]

The best time to book is when you find a cruise you want to take for the price you're willing to pay. :)

 

My understanding is, if your cruise goes down in price before final payment, you can get a refund as long as the price is not for new bookings only. I believe some have gotten shipboard credit. I've never had a cruise go down in price, so have never gotten a refund.

Edited November 26, 2016 by Little Buddy's Mom

[omyjamie]

i have found that usually the best time for promotions for cruise extras are in january, like extra on board credit, or free wifi, reduced drink packages, etc. but it doesnt mean the cost went down, it just means the extras are less (which is sometimes still worth having while paying a bit more for the cruise itself)!

[leaveitallbehind]

The best time to book is when you find a cruise you want to take for the price you're willing to pay. :)

 

My understanding is' date=' if your cruise goes down in price before final payment, you can get a refund as long as the price is not for new bookings only. [/b'] I believe some have gotten shipboard credit. I've never had a cruise go down in price, so have never gotten a refund.

 

If the price is reduced after you book but prior to final payment you will receive the lower price. We've not received OBC in place of price reductions - always the lower price. The only time I've ever seen the condition regarding for new bookings only is for price reductions after final payment.

 

Price changes after booking - up or down - are a common occurrence and it frequently pays to watch prices on booked cruises regularly. For example, our upcoming Navigator cruise in a couple of weeks had several price reductions post booking that resulted in a difference in our favor of 50%. This was unusual in terms of the amount of reduction, but we have had a number of cruises where we benefited from a downward change.

Edited November 26, 2016 by leaveitallbehind

[Canadian Tyler]

The earlier the better in my experience, and watch prices in the meantime.

[Nado44]

My experience is that there are two ideal time frames:

 

1. The first day itineraries are released and available for booking. (Best for TAs and holiday/summer cruises.)

 

2. The week prior to sailing. (Yesterday and 48 hours prior to sailing, one could have booked the 11/27/2016 7-night sailing on Navigator for $369/pp)

[kalliekae]

The best time to book is when you find a cruise you want to take for the price you're willing to pay. :)

 

My understanding is' date=' if your cruise goes down in price before final payment, you can get a refund as long as the price is not for new bookings only. I believe some have gotten shipboard credit. I've never had a cruise go down in price, so have never gotten a refund.[/quote']

 

 

This is what we do. We have a certain amount we are willing to pay for cruises to specific destinations. I watch the website religiously until I find the price we will pay for the room we want and then I book. We tend to book 6-14 months in advance so it's possible the cruise may have a price reduction or another perk added before final payment.

[SPacificbound]

For me the best time to book is when they are first released for sale.