When is the best time to book?

[Leaning T Ranch]

Hello everyone. My husband and I are planning on cruising October 2005 to Canada/New England. When would be the best time to book? Right now, the prices are high. Any info would be appreciated.:confused:

[Guest nhrich]

If the price now, although high, is doable, book it now. That'll guarantee you the cabin you want, and will protect you from further price increases. These cruises are very popular, so the price could go up, and it could sell out. If the price comes down before final payment (or later, depending on the cruise line), your TA can get you the lower price.

 

Rich

Carefree Vacations

[Leaning T Ranch]

Thanks for the information.:)

[Host Caroline]

Right now there are rates as low as 899 for 10-night cruises for this fall.. If you are flexible in date and don't have a specific cruise line in mind, you can luck out on these "last minute specials"... I was a TA for a long time and there has never been a year when there weren't some good deals after final payment time (end July etc.). There are cruises from Boston, NY, Philly, Baltimore (have I missed any?) next year...Royal Carib and Celebrity are going to some sort of "no discounting except what we publish" policy as of 8/15/04 so if these are your chosen cruise lines, maybe it would be wise to book since there seem to be a lot of confusion re what this will mean.

[Leaning T Ranch]

I wish I could go this year but DH already has his vacation scheduled. :( So, we are looking to go next October 2005 with a few other couples. :) With the info I am getting, it looks as though I need to book soon. Hopefully, if the price comes down my TA will honor that price. Thanks everyone for your input. I just love all the benefical information you can find on the boards.

[irislady]

Last winter my husband and I were planning to go on the Canada/New England cruise this October with the open booking we got on the Coral last August, but hadn't yet booked it. My mom then booked a family cruise to the Caribbean in late July, so we decided to postpone the Can/NE cruise til next year. The Caribbean cruise was cancelled, so in July DH and I decided we would do the Can/NE cruise this year after all. I called our TA, and the rate she got us for a balcony cabin was several hundred dollars cheaper pp than the early booking fare would have been for the same category cabin, and quite a bit cheaper than the offers we had received directly from Princess. Our cabin is more forward than we would have chosen had we booked early but on the deck and side we wanted, and we're going a week later than we first planned. We don't mind either of those changes in light of the substantial savings. Also, we were planning to try PC dining this time anyway, but if we had wanted the traditional I think we would have been out of luck.

 

Before I booked another cruise to Alaska for next June I called Princess and asked them if we'd be locked into paying the higher price if they offered a special rate on our cruisetour as they did last year. The rep assured me that if I see a lower price or better deal from Princess I just have to give the info to my TA, and she'll be able to have the adjustments made for us. It seems like this may be the way to get the cabin we want plus the savings.

Shae

[sdf89]

I have always heard the TA can get you the savings when a price cut is found. But I have wondered if the TA has to take a cut in their original commission from the cruise line?

[Guest nhrich]

I have always heard the TA can get you the savings when a price cut is found. But I have wondered if the TA has to take a cut in their original commission from the cruise line?

Yes, the TA's commission is normally cut, but personally, I'd rather take the cut and have a satisfied client.

 

Rich

Carefree Vacations

[Teeara]

I am in the process of setting up a Cruise Critic group cruise to New England/Canada for the first week in October 2005. It will most likely be on the Golden Princess since it is the only ship that does Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The cruise will depart from New York and is an 8 day cruise. If this is an itinerary that interests you, please keep an eye open for it. I hope to have something set up by next week.

 

Theresa

[emilygrace]

We booked our Canada/New England cruise for next month LAST year when it first came out. In that year, the prices have only gone up. We only have 3 weeks to go and the prices are still higher than what we paid, plus a lot of the catagories are sold out. Book now and get the cabin you want. You can always get all of your $$$ back if you change your mind, but if you wait you might not get the cabin you want.

[SteveK51]

For our cruise to Canada/NE out of Baltimore, I have been watching the fares for the Grandeur since last September. The oceanview curises bottomed out in July. The inside cabins fell again last week.

 

I booked in late July an oceanview cabin and have seen the fares go up since then. But it was approzimately $400 PP less than earlier in the year.

 

"Your mileage will vary"