What are the disadvantages to booking at the last minute?

[dingdong70]

Hi -  thinking about booking a very last minute cruise on Celebrity Edge for next week or the week after as a surprise birthday present for my mum.

Just wondering what the potential downsides to booking last minute will be?

- Obviously less choice of cabins!

- I'm assuming many of the best excursions will have sold out.

- Is dining a problem or do you just make reservations onboard if you want to do the select option  (we'll be in Aqua class so will have the Blu option but would be keen to try the others)
- Is there anything else special onboard that can be booked in advance that we might miss out on   (e.g. magic carpet dining?)

Never travelled on Celebrity so not sure what the pitfalls to a late booking might be.   Or am I just worrying unnecessarily.

 

Thanks!

 

 

[MISTER 67]

We booked a cruise a day after Hurricane Ian hit us last Sept 27, that was the 28th and we cruised 2 days later on the Infinity to the Caribbean. We had to get out of town as we had no power or internet, recharged the phone with my car, good thing we still had cell phone service otherwise we would been stuck at home without any services. We had just enough gas to get us to Ft Lauderdale about 160 miles from Punta Gorda. No problems at all with booking, if we waited one more day we would have been out of luck as Celebrity will not book a day before a cruise. We had a great cruise and by the time we returned home our electricity, cable and internet were all up and running.

As far as excursions and reservations for other things, we are in our late 70s and hardly get off the ship anymore so I can’t answer the concerns you had in that regard.

Edited May 12, 2023 by MISTER 67

[NeroliGirl]

We are booked on the Edge on the 20th May sailing (that might be one of the cruises you were looking at).

I've just looked at availability for excursions - there are 83 excursions listed in Plan my Cruise, and of those 16 are sold out and 14 have limited availability (ie between 1 and 8 spots left). That still leaves over 50 excursions with availability (although admittedly they are probably towards the pricier end).

Availability for the Speciality restaurants is also looking good - I did a few mock bookings and there was availability across most nights and most times.

So I think even booking this close to sailing you won't be missing out on too much.

The 20th sailing will close for bookings on Thursday I believe.

Your difficulty might be getting flights to Barcelona this close to the date. The following week would be worse as it's school half term.

Good luck with your choosing!

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

2 hours ago, dingdong70 said:

Hi -  thinking about booking a very last minute cruise on Celebrity Edge for next week or the week after as a surprise birthday present for my mum.

Just wondering what the potential downsides to booking last minute will be?

- Obviously less choice of cabins!

- I'm assuming many of the best excursions will have sold out.

- Is dining a problem or do you just make reservations onboard if you want to do the select option  (we'll be in Aqua class so will have the Blu option but would be keen to try the others)
- Is there anything else special onboard that can be booked in advance that we might miss out on   (e.g. magic carpet dining?)

Never travelled on Celebrity so not sure what the pitfalls to a late booking might be.   Or am I just worrying unnecessarily.

 

Thanks!

 

 

If you're curious what excursions are still available for the cruise you're considering, you can use my tool to view the cruise planner prior to booking.  That way it's not a guessing game.  I've often heard they hold back a few spots for booking onboard and that applies to dining and shore excursions, but that's never guaranteed.

 

[jwlane]

2 hours ago, dingdong70 said:

Or am I just worrying unnecessarily.

Yes.  

[Shiba_Lover]

I think a last minute surprise cruise works be such a great gift, that even if you missed out on and excursion or specialty restaurant, that would not matter.  The main focus would be the cruise and spending time with your mom.  So much else to do on the ship and in the ports.  What a great surprise!

[Pinboy]

38 minutes ago, jwlane said:

Yes.  

Agree 100%-- the only disadvantage could be room selection, or, on the other hand there might be last minute cancellations which could benefit you.

"Never travelled on Celebrity " ---Ok-FYI :

Being in Aqua class, you have a dining room exclusively for Aqua class guests , which provides an any time dining option. You are still able to go to the MDR ( Main Dining Room ) or book Specialty dining ( extra charge + 18% gratuity ).

Regarding " the best excursions "--- there really is no such thing as there are many to choose from and not everyone is interested in the same one. 

LOL--- Unless you are looking for Belly Flop or Who Can Drink 9 Bottles of Beer in Less than 3 Minutes contests, you will enjoy Celebrity as we have for many years.

 

 

 

[deultgen]

We regularly cruise last minute and are generally very happy.  

 

For us, the only occasional problem is when the only available last minute rooms in a category (like a balcony) is only being sold as a "guaranteed room".  When the last 2% of rooms are rooms nobody else wants that can be a problem for some people.  An "obstructed view" balcony, a room above a late night club, a room below the pool deck, or a room below the treadmills would be difficult for some people.  

[phoenix_dream]

IMHO the only real disadvantages besides cabin selection are airline flights, which if available, may be very expensive.  I would check that out first, especially for overseas flights.  Same for hotels for a day or two before the cruise.  Very popular, smaller excursions may be sold out but that wouldn't stop me - there are always some open and if not you can book a private tour or find something on land when you disembark.  Some specialty restaurants may be sold out for prime times but available for very early or late, and sometimes there are last minute cancellations.

[Cruise till you drop]

I would also have to say airline flight costs for last minute could be high