How “last minute” can you book a cruise?

[schmoopie17]

Waiting until the last minute will not get you a very good choice of cabin. Most likely a guarantee, on which case you have no choice. 

 

We're looking at early 2026 cruises (not on NCL) and already the majority of them have very slim pickings left...and it's still 18 months out.

[The Traveling Man]

6 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Waiting until the last minute will not get you a very good choice of cabin. Most likely a guarantee, on which case you have no choice. 

 

We're looking at early 2026 cruises (not on NCL) and already the majority of them have very slim pickings left...and it's still 18 months out.

NCL, like many other cruise lines, recently has been sailing most itineraries at capacity or very near it.  Many of these cruise start filling up well in advance, such as the ones you mentioned.  Just after the return to sailing in 2021, though, the ships were much less full and bargain shopping frequently paid off.  Occasionally, though, you may still encounter a cruise which, for some reason, just doesn't attract as many early bookings as typical.  There are still last-minute bargains to be had, they're just fewer and further between.

[Capitan Obvious]

It is very surprising to see this topic on Cruise Critic. One thing you can easily learn about folks here is that no one wants to be "last". 😉

[Distinctive-Destinations]

47 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Waiting until the last minute will not get you a very good choice of cabin. Most likely a guarantee, on which case you have no choice. 

 

We're looking at early 2026 cruises (not on NCL) and already the majority of them have very slim pickings left...and it's still 18 months out.

I don’t understand this post either.

 

If I book a cabin the day before, and there are ten cabins left, why could I not pick one of the ten?

[schmoopie17]

5 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

I don’t understand this post either.

 

If I book a cabin the day before, and there are ten cabins left, why could I not pick one of the ten?

You're assuming there are ten (or any) left. If not, you're most likely getting a guarantee.

 

My point was availability is already scarce 18 months out. If you want to play cabin roulette and hope there's a cabin that will be available (and suitable) at the last minute...good luck.  Go for it...

 

Edited June 17 by schmoopie17

[Distinctive-Destinations]

Just now, schmoopie17 said:

You're assuming there are ten (or any) left. If not, you're most likely getting a guarantee.

 

My point was availability is already scarce 18 months out. If you want to play cabin roulette and hope there's a cabin that will be available (and suitable) at the last minute...good luck.

Your point here isn’t relevant to the question. I (and seemingly you also) book well in advance, but that isn’t the topic.

 

Why would it be only a guaranteed cabin if booking the day before? You’ve lost me on that.

 

 

[Asawi]

4 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

 

If I book a cabin the day before, and there are ten cabins left, why could I not pick one of the ten?

I have booked a few last minute (although not quite THAT last minute) cruises with very few rooms left where it has not been possible to choose room. They have been guarantees, and room has been assigned later. Sometimes a couple of days later, sometimes later than that. Anyway, it has not been possible to choose. Not for me, not for my PCC. 

 

[Distinctive-Destinations]

2 minutes ago, Asawi said:

I have booked a few last minute (although not quite THAT last minute) cruises with very few rooms left where it has not been possible to choose room. They have been guarantees, and room has been assigned later. Sometimes a couple of days later, sometimes later than that. Anyway, it has not been possible to choose. Not for me, not for my PCC. 

 

Okay thanks, that seems like an actual reasonable answer. 

[RocketMan275]

27 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

I don’t understand this post either.

 

If I book a cabin the day before, and there are ten cabins left, why could I not pick one of the ten?

Even if you could have your choice among the ten there is no assurance that any of those ten are good choices.

Then there is this, the cruise line may not wish to disclose which cabins are still available. 

[Distinctive-Destinations]

24 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Even if you could have your choice among the ten there is no assurance that any of those ten are good choices.

Then there is this, the cruise line may not wish to disclose which cabins are still available. 

The quality of the room is irrelevant to the question.

[RocketMan275]

9 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

The quality of the room is irrelevant to the question.

Of course it's relevant.  If none of the available cabins are suitable, that is the same as having no cabins available.

[Laszlo]

My wife and I met a couple on the Escape in 2018 who were from NYC. They lived a half dozen blocks away from the cruise terminal. They saw cabins were available the night before our cruise, packed their bags and arrived at the terminal at 9am and got a balcony cabin. They would do this a few times a years. I didn't realize you could buy a cabin at the pier, maybe they were just yanking my chain

[njhorseman]

9 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Security clearance from whom?  The government, CBP, does not see the passenger manifest until 60 minutes prior to sailing, so they have no idea who has booked, or when.  Some cruise lines do run bookings through a sex offender database, but that is not mandatory, and I don't believe there is any "timeline" for doing this.

I'm not sure if this is still the case, and I have no intention of digging trough the Federal Register in an attempt to find if and when the regulation changed, but IIRC at one time there was a regulation requiring cruise lines to submit a preliminary passenger manifest to DHS three days prior to the ship's scheduled departure. However, that was just a preliminary manifest, and as you state the final manifest does not have to be in DHS's hands until 60 minutes prior to sailing. As a result someone could book a cabin up to a couple of hours prior to sailing if the cruise line's internal procedures permit it.

[ColeThornton]

17 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

I didn't realize you could buy a cabin at the pier, maybe they were just yanking my chain

 

 

You can't purchase a cruise at the pier during boarding.

[njhorseman]

31 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

I didn't realize you could buy a cabin at the pier, maybe they were just yanking my chain

 

 

12 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

You can't purchase a cruise at the pier during boarding.

 

Years ago you could and it was not uncommon to do so particularly in Florida ports where there are a lot of retirees with no particular time commitments who live within a short drive of the various ports. 

I know that NCL used to allow you to call the morning of a cruise to see if there was any availability and if there was you could book on the phone. I don't personally know about being able to just arrive at the pier in NY, but since it definitely was allowed in Florida ports by at least some cruise lines, it's certainly possible that it could also be done in NY.

 

The COVID pandemic cruise shutdown brought down the final curtain on that practice...if it even survived that long, and I don't think it did.

Edited June 17 by njhorseman

[Distinctive-Destinations]

45 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Of course it's relevant.  If none of the available cabins are suitable, that is the same as having no cabins available.

The original poster asked how late you could book a cruise, not how late you could book a cruise AND get a suite (or balcony, etc).

 

I’d think it would be self-explanatory that anyone booking a cruise last minute can only book what is still available.

[RocketMan275]

16 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

The original poster asked how late you could book a cruise, not how late you could book a cruise AND get a suite (or balcony, etc).

 

I’d think it would be self-explanatory that anyone booking a cruise last minute can only book what is still available.

And, if nothing suitable is available, then it's too late to book a cruise.

For example, if only solos are available, a couple is out of luck.

[Travelling2Some]

2 hours ago, Asawi said:

I have booked a few last minute (although not quite THAT last minute) cruises with very few rooms left where it has not been possible to choose room. They have been guarantees, and room has been assigned later. Sometimes a couple of days later, sometimes later than that. Anyway, it has not been possible to choose. Not for me, not for my PCC. 

 

We have encountered this situation too.  Twice when we asked about booking last minute we were told we would have to accept a guarantee.  That is always a deal breaker for us.  PCC called back the next day and said we could choose but we would have to pay quite a bit more for the same category just to be allowed to pick from the available cabins.  The idea of paying more for the same cruise just rubbed me the wrong way so we declined.  I don't know if this is a consistent policy with NCL but we are not brand loyal and there are "plenty of ships in the sea".

[Candy Apple 12]

Here’s an example I just pulled up for a cruise embarking from Italy tomorrow. It’s just after 11 PM in Italy right now. 
 

 

[schmoopie17]

2 hours ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

 

I’d think it would be self-explanatory that anyone booking a cruise last minute can only book what is still available.

Exactly...and if no cabins are available for choosing they may assign you a GUARANTEED cabin. Which was my point from a hundred posts earlier. 

 

It's not rocket science...or even cruise ship science. Although @RocketMan275 might disagree 😁

Edited June 17 by schmoopie17

[Ellis1138]

Just adding to this as if the question was "How “last minute” can you book a cruise?"

 

I have to book at least 3 days before the sailing, otherwise the NCL Access Desk can't get my accomodations ready.

[IrieBajan54]

The latest I have booked was on a Saturday for embarkation the following Tuesday on the Gem out of New York City about a year or two before Covid-19.

 

I'm Latitudes Diamond and the majority of my bookings have been after final payment and I would say 98% have been guarantees. I've had no issues with staterooms assigned to me.

Edited June 18 by IrieBajan54
correction

[Etta1213]

17 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Security clearance from whom?  The government, CBP, does not see the passenger manifest until 60 minutes prior to sailing, so they have no idea who has booked, or when.  Some cruise lines do run bookings through a sex offender database, but that is not mandatory, and I don't believe there is any "timeline" for doing this.

A TX cruise travel agent told me a felon in the US can book a cruise, but the cruise line will likely call about a week before sail date to say that the felon will be denied boarding.

[Etta1213]

On 6/16/2024 at 5:51 PM, DorothyB said:

I'm close to the port and if I could get a good deal . . . 

You might have fun browsing around on Cruiseplum.

[DorothyB]

3 minutes ago, Etta1213 said:

You might have fun browsing around on Cruiseplum.

I am very NCL specific at this point - I like the "casual" and now am up to platinum so some perks there.  I'm in Houston and no NCL cruises leaving Galveston until October.