Best Time to Book a Cruise...............

[pomlover]

We want to cruise to Alaska in Late May or early June. When would be a good time to book the cruise? Do the cruise lines offer better deals the closer the cruise is? Say within 90 days? Or does the price go up? We will also be cruising with kids. Appreciate all the help anyone can give us!

[Travel Time]

I would be checking out Princess Cruiselines right now...they have some great deals on right now...I know cause I have booked with them.

[pomlover]

Thanks. I will see what they have to offer.

[cb at sea]

The longer you wait, the fewer cabins you'll have to choose from! If location/cabin type is important, book now!

[pomlover]

Cabin isn't really that important. But we will be booking soon. Thanks!

[rubytue]

If you are willing to gamble, I'd count back 70 days from the first cruise you want to take and book the next day. My gut says that with the economy going the way it is, there will be lots of people not making their final payment and the ship will open up the next day, then the cruise line will discount it to fill it up. The only shred of data I have to support this is noticing on my last cruise (two weeks ago), a bunch of cabins opened up a couple days after final payment was due. I believe it was 6 in my class (which was a very limited class - BD on the NCL Jewel. Only a handful of cabins on one deck).

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

the sooner you book you lock up that room

[Smokeyham]

We want to cruise to Alaska in Late May or early June. When would be a good time to book the cruise? Do the cruise lines offer better deals the closer the cruise is? Say within 90 days? Or does the price go up? We will also be cruising with kids. Appreciate all the help anyone can give us!

 

One thought is to book your cruise now, then watch the fares on a regular basis to see if they go down. If they do, then immediately contact your Travel Agent, or the cruise line, to have your fare lowered.

 

You could also gamble on people not making their final payments because of the continuing decline in the economy. I suspect this is more likely to happen with a longer (i.e. more expensive) cruise.

 

Good luck!

[5HappyCampers]

We booked for Alaska inside passage back in January with Princess. We did it directly with Princess because they were offering a 2for1 deal and we needed two rooms. We selected inside cabins for a triple and double that were side by side and on a upgraded deck location and got the whole trip for $2865.00 total. That is only $573pp. I just checked their website and they are now selling the triple for what we paid for the whole trip!! We only had to put a deposit down and will be paying the balance in a couple of weeks so it allowed us to save some money these past couple of months to be able to pay it off. Generally, we are "last minute" people, but since we like connecting rooms or side by side which is hard to get last minute, we booked early this time.

[lovemylab]

I book out as far as possible. All of my cruises have been with RCCL and since they honor price drops there isn't much of an advantage for me to wait.

 

Every cruise I have booked has increased in price the closer I got to the sailing date.

[rjm1cc]

I do not think anyone knows the answer as it probably changes with market demand.

Start looking now and if you deceideto book now be sure to read the fine print on how you get a lower price if it drops. My guess is that the best price is after the final payment is due for the early bookers. You will run the risk of no room but that might not be much of a risk this year.

[mom2girls]

I try to book as soon as I can. I booked my upcoming cruise 9 months ago. The price has only gone up since I booked. So, I'm glad I booked it when I did.

[Iluvmypuggle]

Every cruise I have booked has increased in price the closer I got to the sailing date.

 

I always notice that with the cruises I've been on. I love watching the price go up so I feel like I really got a deal! Doesn't that sound a little stupid? lol. Oh well, it's the truth.

[geoherb]

I've booked our last five cruises and our cruise next week after the final payment dates. We have gotten better deals doing that. Even next week's cruise was priced better after the final payment date and it's during a prime spring break week. It sold out quickly soon after we booked it.

 

The secret is to be flexible with your desires. Some cruises go up in price after final payment, but lately more have gone down. Last fall, I was tracking prices on several holiday cruises. The price of one went up. The rest came down.

 

If you have your heart set on a particular cruise, go ahead and book it if the price is right for you. But it can pay off waiting if you can be flexible.