How early do you typically book flights for a cruise?

[missingyou]

Hello!  Trying to decide how far out (how early) to book flights for a cruise out of Port Everglades Fort Lauderdale scheduled for January 20, 2025.  Haven't flown since 2006 so not really sure when to book our flight.  Afraid if we book too early the flight could be cancelled or changed.  If we book too late we will pay more for our flight than we need to.  We want a direct flight since flying isn't my favorite thing in the world to do, so I know that limits our options.   Definitely want to fly in 1 or 2 days early use to be safe.

 

Any help is appreciated.  I know this may seem like a dumb question but its been nearly 20 years since we have flown so I am sure things have changed quite a bit.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Tom and Ingrid]

Timing is tricky. The airlines have "figured out" how to constantly be tweaking their rates due to supply and demand, so there really is a perfect time anymore.

 

We generally book international flights starting 6 months in advance.  Inside the US, where flights are shorter (usually) and many more options, we'll just sort of look at prices and book a couple or three months out.

 

Mostly, it's our "get all the logistics ironed out" mentality, and not really a "there is an optimal time to book" sort of thing.

 

Pittsburgh probably doesn't have quite the choices we get near me, but you should be able to look over the options for your flight, and get an idea of pricing.  If it seems reasonable, buy it. If not, put an alert on it and watch for fluctuations.  Florida in Jan, though, ought to have a good variety of flights available from the Northeast for all the snowbirds escaping the cold. 

[Liao]

7 minutes ago, missingyou said:

Hello!  Trying to decide how far out (how early) to book flights for a cruise out of Port Everglades Fort Lauderdale scheduled for January 20, 2025.  Haven't flown since 2006 so not really sure when to book our flight.  Afraid if we book too early the flight could be cancelled or changed.  If we book too late we will pay more for our flight than we need to.  We want a direct flight since flying isn't my favorite thing in the world to do, so I know that limits our options.   Definitely want to fly in 1 or 2 days early use to be safe.

 

Any help is appreciated.  I know this may seem like a dumb question but its been nearly 20 years since we have flown so I am sure things have changed quite a bit.

 

Thanks in advance!

You’ve answered all of your questions, book now, get it secured, relax and it’s all done, no more to worry about.

[drakes2]

5 minutes ago, Liao said:

You’ve answered all of your questions, book now, get it secured, relax and it’s all done, no more to worry about.

Book as soon  as flights come out especially international. I've got a med cruise next May and direct flight is quite inexpensive compared to what I paid this spring as I only booked the cruise 6 weeks from sail date and got dinged on the airfare.  

[Jim_Iain]

I don't think there is a perfect time and there are pro's and con's of booking early and late.

 

I booked a first Class air for Nov 29 of this year (Thanksgiving Weekend) and got a rate of $550 pp. This week got notified of a flight change by 1 hour 44 minutes getting us home 4 hours later than originally scheduled.    Delta will not allow me to change to an earlier flight for free as the departure is less than 2 hours as theri policy requires.   

 

The ticket is refundable but the rates have gone up to $800-2,200 per person.  I guess we just have to put up withe the change -  still shopping and hope to see a price drop.

 

As a took I use Flights.Google.Com and setup alerts.    If you check you will see the range of prices and setup alerts for price change

[drakes2]

7 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I don't think there is a perfect time and there are pro's and con's of booking early and late.

 

I booked a first Class air for Nov 29 of this year (Thanksgiving Weekend) and got a rate of $550 pp. This week got notified of a flight change by 1 hour 44 minutes getting us home 4 hours later than originally scheduled.    Delta will not allow me to change to an earlier flight for free as the departure is less than 2 hours as theri policy requires.   

 

The ticket is refundable but the rates have gone up to $800-2,200 per person.  I guess we just have to put up withe the change -  still shopping and hope to see a price drop.

 

As a took I use Flights.Google.Com and setup alerts.    If you check you will see the range of prices and setup alerts for price change

I booked my April TA flight on the Ascent this year on February 29th FLL to Barcelona. The one way flight cost me $1647 CAD direct could have saved $200 by doing a layover but not worth it. Last week booked another TA for next April followed by an 11 night Mediterranean ending in Rome. I can book Air Transat for $598 direct or Air Canada for just over $2K. I feel the air transat will fill up quickly.  

[skatelady]

I believe if you book with Flights by Celebrity you can cancel with no penalty up to final payment date.  I book as soon as bookings open - 330 days - and then set up a Google alert for price changes.  With the crazy pricing these days I haven't found a better rate in the last few years.

[Lena11033]

I think it depends for me.

 

My flight for the UK next month I bought in November - since then I've had two changes and now getting home 2 hours later than planned but I got a good price for business class (I keep reminding myself better to have more time for connections in Toronto even though I'll be tired)

 

My December cruise I bought a month ago when there was a deal on points for a flight so I paid $150 for the flight.

 

Now I have a cruise in April and November next year both on new ships, one is a couple of weeks after maiden voyage and the other is the maiden voyage. I probably will wait a bit longer than normal just in case of delays

[KKB]

1 hour ago, missingyou said:

Hello!  Trying to decide how far out (how early) to book flights for a cruise out of Port Everglades Fort Lauderdale scheduled for January 20, 2025.  Haven't flown since 2006 so not really sure when to book our flight.  Afraid if we book too early the flight could be cancelled or changed.  If we book too late we will pay more for our flight than we need to.  We want a direct flight since flying isn't my favorite thing in the world to do, so I know that limits our options.   Definitely want to fly in 1 or 2 days early use to be safe.

 

Any help is appreciated.  I know this may seem like a dumb question but its been nearly 20 years since we have flown so I am sure things have changed quite a bit.

 

Thanks in advance!

We nearly always book as soon as we book the cruise, or as soon as they open the dates we are looking for. We always fly in at least a day before domestic cruises & 2 days before international.

We nearly always fly SWA domestically so changes are easy to make at any time if prices drop. And if they change the flight, then I can choose another one that day (which might be more expensive!) at no charge.

Other airlines have better cancellation policies than they used to--you COULD cancel if you find a much better deal & rebook, tho that would leave you a credit that you must use w/in 1 year of booking, typically.

I like things booked;  I have certainly saved us a few $ booking, tho rarely it is a big difference. 

I try to book refundable hotels (so generally direct) so I can change those as well.

[gcornell]

I book all my domestic and international flights the day they are released (330-355 days in advance of the return).  We generally fly business class for flights over 4 hours and get the bulkhead economy for flights under 4 hours. I then set up Google alerts for price changes. Not once have the fares gone down since I’ve been doing this.  In fact, on several trips the fares were 2-4 times more expensive just a few months out which, for 4 tickets, is thousands of dollars and in a few cases tens of thousands. Plus I always get the exact seats I want. 
 

Keep in mind my kids are in school so our travel windows are limited and popular. 

[Mr. Click]

Pre-COVID I used to book 6 to 9 months out for the best fares.  Today I tend to think 3 to 6 months out depending on the destination.  Going to FLL  in January is a pretty high demand time so if itw as me, I would book it now.   

 

Schedules change all of the time. It used to be quaterly, now it seems to be monthly so  pick your flights now, get them locked in but keep on eye on the schedule for any adverse changes.  The rule of thumb for a free change seems to be 2 hours but it never hurts to call if you are close.  American and Spirit both have non-stops from PIT to FLL but just be aware that Sprit upcharges for everything, even a carry on.  Look at the bottom line before you book.

[ijscheer]

As a previous poster has pointed out, reservations on Southwest are cancellable (for SW account credit) and can be changed with no penalty.  So if the price drops (as may happen for a special sale,) you can cancel and rebook the same price, and receive a SW credit (not cash) for the fare difference.  

[FlorenceItaly]

We typically book BC internationally and FC Domestic.  I book when I find a price I am comfortable with and this is typically when first released.  I then continue to price watch and have received several airline credits this way IF there is a drop in price.  When I speak of BC internationally I am speaking of a one way through cruise line because I typically do a TA over.  I continue to price watch this as well, but it is not always easy.  For an upcoming Holland America Cruise even though I select BC it wants to only show me the economy pricing(SMH).  This is making it difficult to price watch, lol.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

3 hours ago, skatelady said:

I believe if you book with Flights by Celebrity you can cancel with no penalty up to final payment date.  I book as soon as bookings open - 330 days - and then set up a Google alert for price changes.  With the crazy pricing these days I haven't found a better rate in the last few years.

That is only true for most  flights , there was are some flights that you have to pay at time of booking 

but it tells on the website which flights you have pay right away 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I typically try to buy as close to when they are released as I can. BUT I keep an eye on prices and "change" if I can get a better one (and get a credit doing that).

 

BUT I just this past week changed a flight that was for November on United to use for my flight for my 7/27-8/4 cruise because I'd been booked on American, and with the possibility of a flight attendant strike by American, I wanted to be proactive since competitor rates will probably skyrocket if they enter the 30-day cooling off period.  So that was just outside of 1 month out. WAY closer than I like to cut it, but the pricing worked and I even ended up with a small flight credit. (Changed that American flight to February even though it has connections. I could still change that to next August if what I want to do there works out.)

[missingyou]

Thanks to all - this has been great information!  From Pittsburgh it looks like direct to FLL the only choice is Southwest or Spirit.   So it sounds like booking now is the way to go,  unfortunately Spirit doesn't have flights open for those dates yet.  

 

Again - much thanks!

 

[jlawrence01]

4 hours ago, KKB said:

 

We nearly always fly SWA domestically so changes are easy to make at any time if prices drop. And if they change the flight, then I can choose another one that day (which might be more expensive!) at no charge.

Other airlines have better cancellation policies than they used to--you COULD cancel if you find a much better deal & rebook, tho that would leave you a credit that you must use w/in 1 year of booking, typically.

I like things booked;  I have certainly saved us a few $ booking, tho rarely it is a big difference. 

I try to book refundable hotels (so generally direct) so I can change those as well.

 

We have found that booking through flight by Celebrity, we can save as much as 20-20% over booking our own.

 

However, that saving is easily offset by baggage and change fees.  So, we are like you and prefer to fly Southwest Airlines.  Generally, cruises are the second week of a four week trip so we hit the port 2-3 days early so flight cancellations are not an issue for us.

[drakes2]

7 minutes ago, jlawrence01 said:

 

We have found that booking through flight by Celebrity, we can save as much as 20-20% over booking our own.

 

However, that saving is easily offset by baggage and change fees.  So, we are like you and prefer to fly Southwest Airlines.  Generally, cruises are the second week of a four week trip so we hit the port 2-3 days early so flight cancellations are not an issue for us.

I always check booking on my own vs FBC and find I can save more on my own plus FBC doesn't even offer the airline I usually book with its Toronto to FLL. 

[jlawrence01]

1 minute ago, drakes2 said:

I always check booking on my own vs FBC and find I can save more on my own plus FBC doesn't even offer the airline I usually book with its Toronto to FLL. 

That might be true in Canada but that is NOT what I have found in the US.

 

I have not used FBC or CCL's version as it is so easy to find discounts through frequent flyer programs or discounted gift cards (via Costco or Kroger's).  And Southwest Airlines 2 free bags and generous cancellation policies make the cruise line programs unattractive.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

34 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

I always check booking on my own vs FBC and find I can save more on my own plus FBC doesn't even offer the airline I usually book with its Toronto to FLL. 

Who do you usually book with ? 

[smartwife]

6 hours ago, missingyou said:

Hello!  Trying to decide how far out (how early) to book flights for a cruise out of Port Everglades Fort Lauderdale scheduled for January 20, 2025.  Haven't flown since 2006 so not really sure when to book our flight.  Afraid if we book too early the flight could be cancelled or changed.  If we book too late we will pay more for our flight than we need to.  We want a direct flight since flying isn't my favorite thing in the world to do, so I know that limits our options.   Definitely want to fly in 1 or 2 days early use to be safe.

 

Any help is appreciated.  I know this may seem like a dumb question but its been nearly 20 years since we have flown so I am sure things have changed quite a bit.

 

Thanks in advance!

I usually fly AA because we take advantage of their points program. I have found prices and points go down about two weeks before a particular date. You can wait later to book, if you can be flexible. Non-stops are more likely to go quickly. FLL has many flights daily…January is not particularly tourist season… I’d start watching prices and snag them when prices drop or they have a sale! 
 

The more you save the more you travel!!!

[DaKahuna]

7 hours ago, missingyou said:

Hello!  Trying to decide how far out (how early) to book flights for a cruise out of Port Everglades Fort Lauderdale scheduled for January 20, 2025.  

 

 I have already purchased our airline tickets for our cruise in April of 2025. 

 

I like purchasing early to make sure we get the seats we want on the plane. 

[Purplsmurf]

We usually book ours about 60-90 days out. That’s when we find them the cheapest.

[drakes2]

41 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Who do you usually book with ? 

Recently I've been using Porter to fly to FLL.  They don't have a middle seat and service is always great.  For my TA next year using Porter again as we sail out of Florida to Rome.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

5 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Recently I've been using Porter to fly to FLL.  They don't have a middle seat and service is always great.  For my TA next year using Porter again as we sail out of Florida to Rome.

Wife used Porter to fly to Calgary and enjoyed the flight 

I did look at Porter for our November TA but they only have a 8 am flight out of Orlando, we would have to spend a night in Florida after the cruise to use Porter 😱