New to Norwegian. What is the best time frame to book in order to get your best deal

[Yodalicious]

We are close to the NY ports, and we are thinking of booking an August/early Sept cruise to either New England or Bermuda....We can book last minute or lock it in now..   We are looking to get a balcony or low level suite.  At what point do they normally cut off sales.  The destination is not the point, we just want  a nice getaway!  The most important thing is leaving and returning from NY/NJ port 

[davencl]

33 minutes ago, Yodalicious said:

We are close to the NY ports, and we are thinking of booking an August/early Sept cruise to either New England or Bermuda....We can book last minute or lock it in now..   We are looking to get a balcony or low level suite.  At what point do they normally cut off sales.  The destination is not the point, we just want  a nice getaway!  The most important thing is leaving and returning from NY/NJ port 

I can only state my experience.  We booked a Mexican Riviera cruise on Feb. 26 2022 for Apr. 3, 2022.  Very good fare.   Probably because the ship is only about 60% full at most.   The argument one might make for booking now is the cost of fuel.  However that doesn't mean NCL wouldn't add a fuel surcharge.  Bottom line for me.  If it's just a getaway last minute cruise deals can be pretty good if you don't care much about the itinerary.    On the other hand if you're looking at a particular date not sure if last minute deals are always plentiful.  I'm sure others with more experience will be commenting.

[MeHeartCruising]

I book (and put down a deposit) as soon as I am ready to pick a date and the price is decent enough that I would pay it.  Sometimes a year in advance.  NCL lets you "reprice to the current promotion (with the current perks)" right up until the final payment due date of the cruise.  So about every week, I do a mock booking to see if the cruise price has dropped.  If it has, I make sure I'm happy with what the included perks will be (they may have changed with the new promotional pricing).  If I'm still happy, I call NCL and ask them to reprice to the current promotion.   Very easy to do.  Just make sure you know what the new perks will be.  Previous perks do not carry through.

 

In fact, I called yesterday and got a $450 price drop for an October cruise.  The terms of the Free-as-Sea perks had changed a little bit since I originally booked, but nothing that would keep me from wanting to save $450. 

 

In some cases, NCL will do this reprice ONCE after final payment.  They will not further reduce the price, but they may credit 1/2 of the price difference to your onboard account for onboard spending.  It is not a guarantee that they will do this last reprice, however.

 

In a few cases, I have decided on a cruise closer to cruise time.  Prices are often very good.  But it all will depend on how popular the cruise is at that time.  It varies. In these cases, you pay in full at the time of booking and getting a later price reduction would only be for 1/2 of the price difference, and not guaranteed.

Edited March 10, 2022 by MeHeartCruising

[casofilia]

When everything is aligned: the date , the itinerary, the price you are willing to pay.   Don't wait for a price drop "just in case".  

[deliver42]

I book asap when the cruise opens up. I get choice of cabin. and if the price does go down, I can reprice.

[Yodalicious]

Thanks for all your replies!
 

[MoCruiseFan]

5 hours ago, Yodalicious said:

We are close to the NY ports, and we are thinking of booking an August/early Sept cruise to either New England or Bermuda....We can book last minute or lock it in now..   We are looking to get a balcony or low level suite.  At what point do they normally cut off sales.  The destination is not the point, we just want  a nice getaway!  The most important thing is leaving and returning from NY/NJ port 

There is no such best time.  Its all based on supply demand and what is going on in the smoke filled board rooms at NCL in Miami.  The longer you wait the slimmer the choices of cabins becomes.  Remember that you always cancel and rebook at any pointy u to final payment if you find a better deal.  IF the cabin type, location, deck that you want is still available you can sometimes get the fire sale prices after final payment.