marne-c Posted November 22, 2017 #1 Share Posted November 22, 2017 My wife and I are long-time ocean cruisers, but not yet river cruisers. Our first river cruise will be on Ama Serena for ‘Enchanting Rhine’ in late August 2018. But we just received an Ama brochure for 2019 cruises, and we’re ready to book one now. The Danube river cruise we’re looking at for 2019 has lots of sail dates we’d accept, so selling out doesn’t seem to be an issue. From past ocean cruises, I’ve often booked future cruises on-board for great deals. But I’ve heard that for river cruises, far-in-advance bookings offer the best prices. And then there are the big February specials for ocean cruises. Do they happen for river cruises too? So when should we book???? —Marne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare pinotlover Posted November 22, 2017 #2 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Depends. Some lines gives you huge discounts for booking and paying far in advance. Just booking won’t get the discount, you must also pay in full to get the discount. Some lines give repeat customer discounts, if you book in advance of your first cruise, you may not qualify. If you book aboard ship, you will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucknmarilyn Posted November 22, 2017 #3 Share Posted November 22, 2017 (edited) AMA does have some Early Booking Discounts that seem to usually be the best option. I don't think you will need to pay in full early on them to get the discount. Edited November 22, 2017 by chucknmarilyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted November 22, 2017 #4 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Uniworld is running a sale on 2018 cruises, and you get a 30% discount if you book by December. You don't have to pay in full when you book. On top of the 30%, I got a 5% discount for being a past passenger, plus $125 off from the travel agency. It varies by cruise line, so it's hard to advise you as to what to do. As you're aware, river cruise ships are small, and there may only be a few cabins in your preferred category. Roz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw1776 Posted November 23, 2017 #5 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Varies greatly by cruise line. I booked a 30% off river cruise on Uniworld on sale. Way off their standard prices although a couple weeks into warmer weather than I'd prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Got2Cruise Posted November 24, 2017 #6 Share Posted November 24, 2017 River cruises don’t give onboard booking incentives like ocean cruise lines. Plus, the date you wish or cabin category might be sold out if you wait. Look into booking this weekend. I received some emails advertising Black Friday specials Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acwmom Posted November 24, 2017 #7 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Uniworld does give onboard booking incentives, but they may not beat their online offerings, depending on the time of year. Robin Sent from my SM-N950U using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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