When to book

[rmmm]

I took an Alaska cruise this past June (which I booked in April). On the ship I was talking to a woman who was cruising for the first time. She had booked a year in advance and paid more for an outside cabin than I did for a cabin with a balcony. My question is this: I am interested in the new (2010) 14 day Alaska cruise. I am a teacher and can cruise at any time between the end of June and the beginning of September. I am a person who is just happy to be on the ship -I don't need to have a specific cabin category (although I did love my balcony on this last cruise) to make a cruise a lovely vacation. My question is this: do I wait (like I did this time around) to see what happens with the prices? I am assuming that new itineraries are very popular.

[jtl513]

IMO the AK prices have pretty much bottomed out, and as you say, the new itineraries will be popular. The Early Advantage brochure we recently got shows nearly everything in AK at $200 pp less than "Original Fare". Since you're not particular about your cabin, I'd say book early and change later if there's a significant price drop.

[GmaPajama]

The general rule seems to be book early if cabin and location are important to you. Otherwise, wait and watch. Just don't wait too long ... popular itineraries tend to sell out. :)

[martinchem]

I agree, the prices in Alaska were awesome for late bookings this year, the best rates I've ever seen. The economy is upticking and less ships will be in Alaska next year certainly making me believe the prices will increase and stabilize. I'd book now if you see prices you like, then call in and have the price reduced if they do go down.

[skankycat]

Most people seem to think that prices bottomed out this year; the cruise lines took action to protect their profit margins and decreased the number of ships sailing the Alaska route in 2010. The expectation is that cruise prices will hold steady if the economy is indeed improving.

Last minute bargains to fill the remaining open cabins happen most years, but there's no promise. It's a gamble. (We booked Memorial Day weekend this year for an August cruise and got a verandah for less than oceanview rates. I'd never count on that again. It was luck plus the bad economy.)

If you're sure you want to sail, you may want to sign on while you can.

Your guess is as good as any one's.