Best time to book upgrades

[tallgirl97]

Recently my parents surprised the extended family by announcing they'd like to take us all on a cruise. We've chosen an itinerary for a Summer 2020 sailing and booked interior cabins for the family to lock in a good price while we decide what else to do.

 

There's a chance that some of us might want to upgrade to ocean view/balcony/separate staterooms for the kids. Aside from the fact that certain types of rooms will eventually sell out, is it generally better to book these upgrades sooner or better to wait a bit, to pay the lowest upcharge on these options? Or will the upcharge fluctuate up and down as various promotions come and go?

 

Thanks.

Edited January 12, 2019 by tallgirl97
clarity

[navybankerteacher]

The market in unsold cruise ship cabins is no more predictable than the New York Stock Exchange.   You might upgrade now and see prices continually slide —- or you might wait, and see prices continually go up.   Best bet is to track prices, and availability, for a while;  when you see a deal that you think is good AT THAT TIME, go for it, then stop tracking prices.

[iancal]

You have bags of time.  Keep watching for any price decreases in your target category that serve to make the ugrade less expensive or free.  If this occurs be prepared to act immediately, cancel the old and rebuy into the upgade.  We have seen price decreases last for one day and be gone by the next morning. Sometimes because of sell out, sometimes because of pricing decisions by the cruise line.

[Elaine5715]

Part of it depends on the cruise line and the conditions of your original booking.  There may be additional fees added for the options to pay for upgrades.  

[Ashland]

4 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

The market in unsold cruise ship cabins is no more predictable than the New York Stock Exchange.   You might upgrade now and see prices continually slide —- or you might wait, and see prices continually go up.   Best bet is to track prices, and availability, for a while;  when you see a deal that you think is good AT THAT TIME, go for it, then stop tracking prices.

The OP isn't cruising until 2020...why would they stop tracking prices? I recently booked 3 cabins for a family cruise in 2020 and will continue to check....Happy with what I got...but no harm in seeing if I can do better....right?

[Joebucks]

9 hours ago, Ashland said:

The OP isn't cruising until 2020...why would they stop tracking prices? I recently booked 3 cabins for a family cruise in 2020 and will continue to check....Happy with what I got...but no harm in seeing if I can do better....right?

 

14 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

The market in unsold cruise ship cabins is no more predictable than the New York Stock Exchange.   You might upgrade now and see prices continually slide —- or you might wait, and see prices continually go up.   Best bet is to track prices, and availability, for a while;  when you see a deal that you think is good AT THAT TIME, go for it, then stop tracking prices.

 

I agree with both comments. Everyone is looking for the "insider knowledge" of when is the best time to book. There really is no thing. The cruise business is supply and demand. While I would undoubtedly agree that the price will change before now and then, it could go either way. I've had luck in the past keeping on eye on a cruise until it fell. I've also seen some that don't budge and some that sell out certain rooms fairly quickly.

 

In my opinion, for what you want to do, I would watch for a few months. As soon as it dips below what it currently costs, jump on it. Again, just my opinion.

[SRF]

It also depends on the market where you booked.

 

For the US market, for most cruise lines, if prices go down, up to final payment, you can call and get the price drop.

 

Other markets do not allow this, they require you cancel and rebook, which may have fees involved.

[dkjretired]

We are very proactive and being retired check prices a couple times a week. We have received some great upgrades.

[iancal]

When is the best time to book??  When your target price hits.

 

IF we book ahead, we too are proactive in checking for price decreases, category consolidations.   We often book inside the final payment window-final sale no changes.  If our price hits, we buy.  We ensure that we deal with a TA does not charge for repricing, cabin changes, or cancellations. 

 

Once we believed our pre-booked ship was undersold.  The prices kept dropping.  We cancelled just prior to final payment and rebooked later, inside the final payment window, at a substantial saving to our most recent  pre-booked fare.

[George C]

6 hours ago, dkjretired said:

We are very proactive and being retired check prices a couple times a week. We have received some great upgrades.

Totally agree , we do book early but keep checking prices , last cruise my grand suite on rccl kept going down , and we kept getting reductions, was able to eventually book a owners suite for original price of our grand suite this was on Oasis. 

[MicCanberra]

Agree about checking prices regularly or have one of the price checking sites do it for you. Supply and demand will be the determinant on whether the prices will rise or fall, a unique type cruise will likely to keep rising as demand will be high. A regular run of the mill cruise will need to compete and therefore prices may drop or stay low for longer.

[SRF]

I use a TA that checks for price drops for me.

 

 

[MicCanberra]

That would work as well.

[tallgirl97]

Thanks everyone. So it sounds like it's anybody's guess! I've heard that cruise prices tend to go up as the departure date draws near (recognizing that this is a generalization, and some do indeed go down); was just wondering if the differential on upgrades tended in the same direction. Looks like I'll have to monitor to see what happens.

 

Much appreciated!

[MicCanberra]

They do tend to go up as final payment approaches but once reached, they tend to drop. This is a generalisation though as there are anomalies. As stated before it is Supply and demand, not many cabins to sell the prices rise, lots empty they fall.

[SRF]

Never mind

Edited January 14, 2019 by SRF

[NantahalaCruiser]

On 1/13/2019 at 4:12 PM, tallgirl97 said:

Thanks everyone. So it sounds like it's anybody's guess! I've heard that cruise prices tend to go up as the departure date draws near (recognizing that this is a generalization, and some do indeed go down); was just wondering if the differential on upgrades tended in the same direction. Looks like I'll have to monitor to see what happens.

 

Much appreciated!

If:

1- you are booking in the US

2a- you want to upgrade from an inside cabin to say a balcony cabin and are willing to pay the current price, then you should book it now rather than waiting for a cheaper price since the price may go up and you could lose a good deal by not booking now; and if the price does go down you will be able to get the lower price prior to final payment date by merely having your fare repriced.

2b- you would like to upgrade to a balcony but are not willing to pay the current price, then you should wait and book the balcony if and when the price drops to a level that you are willing to pay.

Edited January 16, 2019 by NantahalaCruiser