when to buy tickets//Westerdam questions

[jvalentine]

Hello All!

 

I new to this board and wanted to ask some questions to all of you cruise experts! My husband and I would like to take the Alaskan cruise out of Seattle next June on the Westerdam. When is the best time to get tickets? I'm looking at rates for this June and they look great...should I expect something similar for next season? Is it fairly reasonable that the rates will drop from what Holland America is posting now for June 2009? Also, this will be an anniversary cruise for us. What room recommendations do you guys have for the best viewing up there? I, like everyone, want to get the most bang for my buck and want to make sure I'm informed. I appreciate all of your help!!!

 

Thanks!

Jacquie

[sail-a-bration]

Hi, I am not an expert, I have only been on 4 cruises. A travel agent is your best resource, and I registered with a few online websites and get their emails. I have found that prices are best almost a year out, but I seem to get really good deals about 4 months before departure time. It seems to go up around 90 days away, then drop about 3 weeks before departure, but you usually get the hard to book cabins in undesirable spots on the ship. I did that once, right next to the engines and port jets, the room shook like an earthquake when ever we came into a port and loud:eek: I like this website alot and it has great links to online agents and agents that are members are very wise and helpful.

[Krazy Kruizers]

If you have a specific cabin category in mind, book now. The suites and balconies sell out very quickly and the rates never seem to go down for them. The suites and balconies are great for viewing the glaciers.

[vbmom87]

I think it is different from cruise to cruise and year to year. We booked last September for this coming June. We took advantage of two price drops. (Saved a total of $600 for the two of us). The last price drop was the beginning of March. Most TAs will adjust your price for price drops up until final payment is due. This is something you need to ask your TA. Some charge a fee to make a change, others do not charge a fee. With one of our price drops we did have to cancel and rebook. That means you may or may not get the cabin you originally booked. I have to agree that if you really have your heart set on a particular category and cabin, then you should book it early. With HAL you get your money back if you change your mind before final payment, so all you have to lose is the interest you would have made on the money in the bank.

 

Although I have read frequently that the best and worst cabins go first, I am not sure that was the case with my cruise. Shortly after final payment HAL's website showed no cabins at all available. Then I read that a particular online agency get all the "leftover" cabins from HAL to sell. I checked it out and sure enough, they were the only online agency I could find that still showed availabilitly on my cruise. Currently, it is showing only cabins that are balconies as available. The interesting thing I found was that they are only showing cabins available as part of cruisetours. If you look on this website for just the cruise, it shows no availability.

 

One advantage of buying at the last minute is you can get some good prices. I found a price of $405 for an inside on a Princess cruise that is coming up soon. If you are flexible with dates, last minute can be good. However, flights will likely be more at the last minute.