book early or late

[june1]

Is it better to book early or wait for the possible last minute sales? Has anyone had luck with the last minute sale fares? Are there good discounts by booking way ahead? Thanks, June1

[ChefPeg]

I always book early so that we can our choice of cabins available. I don't like to wait until the last minute. It's fun planning and knowing you really are going.

Plus, I don't think all cruise lines offer last minute "deals". Viking does a 2 for 1 once in a while but the space is limited and sometimes the ship is full by the time you get to book. We considered them but the deals are to close to sail away to get a good price on air.

 

Everyone is different, I would pick my itinerary and go from there.

 

Good luck!

[tban]

we have been on several river cruises and always booked early to get the best discounts. Once, "early" was not early enough and our date of choice was already sold out. River cruise boats are much smaller than the oceangoing big cruise ships you might be used to and therefor they sell out pretty fast. We are making reservations a year in advance to get our date and have our cabin choices; and this is not too early. I never heard of last minute sales for river cruises - at least not for the popular itineraries.