How "last minute" is "last minute"

[Chardo]

I live in South Florida, and could theoretically hop on a cruise anytime.  No flight or hotel needed.  Have passport--will travel, so to speak.  Are there truly "last minute" cabins made available, or are the so called last minute deals weeks or months before sailing?

[Essiesmom]

Most cruise lines allow you to book the day before. With Carnival you can call on the morning and sail in the afternoon. Whether the fare is a bargain or not is a matter of opinion. Also if you are planning to sail solo the availability disappears. EM

 

[thinfool]

Other reports are that no 'fill up the ship' deals are to be had.  Unsold cabins are given to employees at seriously reduced rates.  Or to their families/relatives.

If you really want to book something last minute I suggest that you find a TA who will work with you to make it happen.

[EatonDoolittle]

I just got an email from Celebrity with some "Selects" - that's what they call their last minute deals.  There were dates offered in late November and early December. 

This particular offering was for several short 4 - 5 day trips from Ft Lauderdale, which do not interest me, so I cannot comment on whether or not the pricing was attractive. 

 

Your best bet would to be to sign up for promotional emails from all the lines that interest you, that way if they are offering any last minute deals, you'll get a notice. 

Princess also used to send them, called "Drop and Go", but I have not gotten them in some time. 

[2flacruisers]

We have don 10 days out on some, as we also reside in Fla...it's one of the wonderful perks of living here!

 

[Jeremiah1212]

The Exciting Deals are about as discounted as you will see under normal circumstances. They hover around final payment date but right now there are a few into March. Taking advantage of MoveUp bids seems to be the preferred route versus fire sale prices very close to the sail date. 

[ldubs]

The cruise we just completed we booked 6-8 days before embarkation.  Got a reasonably low fare, but nothing like the deal of the century.  

[dolittle]

Just did N.C.L. from New York two weeks ago. Booked at 10:00 P.M. Friday sailed that Sunday price was not great. A few years ago booked Sat. for the next day at a great price. 

[Chardo]

10 hours ago, ldubs said:

The cruise we just completed we booked 6-8 days before embarkation.  Got a reasonably low fare, but nothing like the deal of the century.  

That's more or less what I'm looking for.  A cruise next week, give or take, at a normal or discounted price.

[Woody14]

From a cruise line perspective where there is the most possibility of price fluctuations is anytime after final payment date.     Once the final payment date is reached most cruiselines new rules no longer do pricematching or price drops so if you are looking for deals then it can happen.   However is the cruise sold well it can go the other way as well and prices could be very high.   

All that said my most last minute was 5 days before (I have to fly to the port so 48hrs is not practical). 

[Hlitner]

There are two answers to the OPs question.  When we think of "last minute" bookings it is about booking inside the final payment period (after the final payment is due).  Years ago there were many opportunities for those in Florida to book a cruise, up until the day of the cruise.  They could do this through various Florida travel/cruise agencies and, in some cases, and in some cases simply show-up at the port.  

 

But these days, cruise lines do not generally have anything to do with "walk ups."    There are logistic and security reasons.  And cruise lines now use several different methods to get rid of unsold inventory such as giving last minute deals to their employees and/or making a voyage accessible through the travel industry "interline" system.  Many cruise lines also work through various casino organizations (like "Players Clubs") to fill unsold cabins.  Cruise lines also offer deals to certain cruise/travel agents (sometimes called "fam cruises").

 

Hank

[crystalspin]

On 11/8/2023 at 12:32 PM, Chardo said:

I live in South Florida, and could theoretically hop on a cruise anytime.  No flight or hotel needed.  Have passport--will travel, so to speak.  Are there truly "last minute" cabins made available, or are the so called last minute deals weeks or months before sailing?

Serendipitously, Holland America emailed me "Last Minute Cruise Deals" on Thursday, Nov 9. There were 20 cruises available, with 10 from FLL (7 RT/FLL and 3 TransAtlantic leaving from FLL). The dates were from Nov 24, 2023, to Apr 13, 2024.

[sparks1093]

Each line is going to handle the "filling the ship" issue differently and that is what you are looking for, discounted prices because they are trying to fill the ship with those last remaining cabins. How much of a discount you will receive will also vary. I've seen steeper discounts on the longer cruises within the final payment window, but I've only looked at possibly booking 2 to 3 months before the cruise. The only way to judge how good of a deal you are getting is to look at the same ship/itinerary 6 months to a year prior to the cruise you are considering. Most lines allow you to do a faux booking so that allows you to do an apples to apples comparison. 

[Zach1213]

My wife and I both travel for a living, which results in both a huge amount of frequent flier miles (and hotel points) + a generally unknown schedule. So, when we do cruise (or do any kind of vacation), it's usually within less than a week of booking. We've seen some deals, but not consistently.