Would You Take The Chance? Wait for Booking After Final Payment Date?

[CeeCee59]

We are looking at the April 24, 2018 LA to Vancouver 3 day cruise and want to stay in a balcony cabin. Checking on the Princess Website, there appears to be a large number of cabins available. Would you take the chance and hold off on booking until after 90 days before sailing, or book now? I'm hoping for a reduction in price. Is it possible that there are enough guarantee cabins booked that these open cabins would disappear?

[Sea Hag]

I think it's definitely possible that the balcony cabins you want will disappear after final payment. If you'll only be happy with a balcony, I think you should book one now while you can. If you'd be happy with any cabin at all, then you might get a great deal after final payment.

[BJS]

We are looking at the April 24, 2018 LA to Vancouver 3 day cruise and want to stay in a balcony cabin. Checking on the Princess Website, there appears to be a large number of cabins available. Would you take the chance and hold off on booking until after 90 days before sailing, or book now? I'm hoping for a reduction in price. Is it possible that there are enough guarantee cabins booked that these open cabins would disappear?

Best to book now and watch for price drops if you want a certain cabin. Unless it is a new booking only you can get the reduction but if new bookings only would have to cancel and re-book assuming this is before final payment. Prices may not drop anymore after final payment than before if the ship is not booking well.

[GUT2407]

Depends. Why not book now and re-fare if there’s a price drop prior to final payment.

[Jersey42]

We have gotten very good deals by waiting to book after the final payment date. But it has worked for us for the following reasons:

- we did not have our heart set on a specific ship or date

- we were pretty flexible with our cabin

- we could drive to the port

[geoherb]

When there's one particular cruise I want and the price is acceptable, I'll book it. Most of the time, though, there are several different cruises that fit our schedule. I'll set up a spreadsheet to track prices. I've booked the majority of our cruises after the final payment date.

 

I doubt there's that much demand for a short repositioning cruise. Prices will probably drop after the final payment date. But with prices so reasonable now, I'd still go ahead and book if I had my heart set on being on this cruise. There's not that much room for prices to fall.

[MCC retired]

Prices now may have Promo's like OBC, Tips, Dinners .

After Final you may see better rates but without the extra goodies and cabin selection , or

possibly no selection at all .

[vegasgal47]

We are looking at the April 24, 2018 LA to Vancouver 3 day cruise and want to stay in a balcony cabin. Checking on the Princess Website, there appears to be a large number of cabins available. Would you take the chance and hold off on booking until after 90 days before sailing, or book now? I'm hoping for a reduction in price. Is it possible that there are enough guarantee cabins booked that these open cabins would disappear?

 

 

 

I would highly recommend booking now especially if you want a balcony.

 

 

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[Tweedy]

Many of the 3-day cruises from LA to Vancouver are sold as “Cruise n stay holidays” where they may have a few days before the cruise in Vegas, Laughlin or LA area then are bused to the terminal to finish their vacation and sail home to Vancouver. I would say if you are wanting this cruise in a balcony cabin, then book it while you can. The packages do often sell out.

 

 

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[DrivesLikeMario]

For this particular cruise - definitely wait! I wouldn't say that on others but for this one, yes.

[CeeCee59]

For this particular cruise - definitely wait! I wouldn't say that on others but for this one, yes.

 

Can you give me a reason why this one would be different for you? Also, if I put a hold on a booking, would that give me some "protection" to getting the cabin I want?

 

I am playing a bit of a game of chicken with myself. We already have air booked - spending a week in Las Vegas then three days in Long Beach. We need to be back in Vancouver to fly home on April 27th. I usually book well in advance and get as many perks as I can, but for three days I'm okay will no perks. The main reason I want to complete this cruise is that it will move me up to Platinum which will be nice for our Hawaii cruise that is already booked for April of 2019.

[BJS]

Can you give me a reason why this one would be different for you? Also, if I put a hold on a booking, would that give me some "protection" to getting the cabin I want?

 

I am playing a bit of a game of chicken with myself. We already have air booked - spending a week in Las Vegas then three days in Long Beach. We need to be back in Vancouver to fly home on April 27th. I usually book well in advance and get as many perks as I can, but for three days I'm okay will no perks. The main reason I want to complete this cruise is that it will move me up to Platinum which will be nice for our Hawaii cruise that is already booked for April of 2019.

 

The hold on a cabin expires in a few days without payment of deposit.

Sounds like any 3 day cruise before April 2019 will work for you and if this one is sold out of balcony after final payment you will be OK with it....wait and see what happens and then next time you will know what to do if this comes up again.

[Wishing on a star]

At first I was thinking, this is the first cruise leading into Alaska, Which is WAY to early to worry about fully booked Alaska cruises beforehand.

 

I am wondering if that many people really would want to add that cruise onto the cruise before it???

That would be the question.

 

When we sailed Alaska, we booked a very specific BETTER ocean view cabin, and would not have been happy to not get one in that section. I did not cancel before final payment, but when the time came, yes, we could have cancelled, and that cabin might have still been available to book at the Drop and Go fair.

 

Due the nature of this better cabin, and the very limited number of these cabins, we didn't take the risk.

It would have been kind of like wanting an AFT balcony, and hoping some were still there.

 

For such a short cruise, would you really save all that much by taking the risk??

Hhhhmmmm????

 

When is your final payment, again?

[CeeCee59]

I think that final payment is 90 days before - so that would make it January 23rd

 

We aren't looking to go on to Alaska - we live in NW British Columbia and can get to Alaska very easily and our topography is basically the same so not on my bucket list - lol.

 

What we are really doing is looking to get back to Vancouver so we can fly home (flight booked already) and rather than take a flight, take a cruise. Worse comes to worse, we just fly back - or accept something other than a balcony as I don't think that they will sell out based on looking at available cabins.

[Wishing on a star]

Right now, there are a LOT of cabins available on this ship.

Maybe wait until closer to final payment to see if that changes.

 

Also, even though this is a shortie, are there many on a roll-call here, who can report when they see upgrades being offered.

That might also show when Princess is beginning to offer upgrades and begin to place Guarantee bookings.

[Wishing on a star]

Also, when I just went to see what was available, there does not seem to be any promotions or sales on this sailing...

And, the notice pops up that THIS IS A NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT.

 

When and if you decide to book, that deposit might be locked in.

[Iamcruzin]

Can you give me a reason why this one would be different for you? Also, if I put a hold on a booking, would that give me some "protection" to getting the cabin I want?

 

 

 

I am playing a bit of a game of chicken with myself. We already have air booked - spending a week in Las Vegas then three days in Long Beach. We need to be back in Vancouver to fly home on April 27th. I usually book well in advance and get as many perks as I can, but for three days I'm okay will no perks. The main reason I want to complete this cruise is that it will move me up to Platinum which will be nice for our Hawaii cruise that is already booked for April of 2019.

 

 

 

With that said you better book it.

 

 

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[tanyaewa]

My guess is that even if the price does drop it will only be a hundred or so dollars. Is it worth it not getting a room to finish your travel? That being said... it’s only 10days to wait. I’m sure there will be a room...but what if it ends up costing more?

[Wishing on a star]

This ship is WAY undersold right now.

And, I would bet that they are looking to Drop and Go fares to try to fill up the ship.

 

That being said, even a good price drop would probably be $100.00pp or so at most.

That would be a 30% drop in fare.

 

PS: I would rather cruise than fly!!! But, if one of the main purposes of this is to reach Platinum, I would look at the benefits and make sure that they have that much value. Maybe WIFI, boarding before general lower levels....

 

OP mentions already having Hawaii booked... I would want to look into the benefits of getting FCC while onboard, and use that to rebook Hawaii, if that is a possibility.

[CeeCee59]

Our Hawaii cruise already used FCC and we booked under the sip and sail so no way would I rebook that cruise. We are only one cruise away from Platinum - so this one would take us to that level. We have done this three day cruise before and have always enjoyed it. I think I will take the chance and hold off (while checking daily to see if there is a massive last minute rush to fill cabins). Thanks for all input - I will let you know if my gamble paid off.

[Keith1010]

My experience is that the lower price rooms and higher price room as well as those in nice locations go first.

 

Sometimes by waiting your choices are very limited and you may have missed out on some of the lower price rooms.

 

Keith

[Clarea]

I would not wait if you really want a balcony.

[jb008]

I don't recommend this, but you could also book a courtesy hold right before final payment and be prepared to let it expire but at least you have an "offer on the table" for a day or two so you know what you can compare against.

 

I used a courtesy hold late on a Friday booked online to hold a cabin and price while I scrambled to get my TA (hard to reach on the weekends) to make sure I could get the sale fare. I also was told by a Princess rep, take it with a grain of salt, that courtesy holds set to expire over the weekend will not actually release until late in the afternoon Monday - I didn't test it but that's what they told me <shrug>.

[paradiselivin1]

Wait. It's worth it to make Platinum so take whatever's available. Does it really matter where you are on the ship if you simply want to get back and make Platinum status on the ride??

[CeeCee59]

Well my waiting paid off. Got the cabin we wanted (Caribe deck balcony - aft) and an 8% price reduction. I would only have done this after thoroughly researching how many cabins were available, checking obsessively every day to ensure that there were no last minute group bookings, and being willing to take a "less desirable" cabin. So now to join the roll call! Happy sailing folks.