Better to book as early as you can or wait for gty or last minute listings?

[happytime]

I am interested in going on a cruise in January or February 2017 for 5 days somewhere. Currently I have a cruise on courtesy hold until Friday. I noticed prices went up today slightly.

So I wonder if I should take my chances for:

• a better price for the last minute cruise, say about 90 days or less from sailing date OR
• wait for the guaranty and hope for at least the guaranty I've checked out or better cabin, or
• go ahead and secure the cabin now.

Thoughts? Experiences?

Thanks for any and all responses.

 

[Shanti]

Only a minority of DCL cruises go GT, so I would not wait and hope for that. Might happen, might not. Secure the cabin now if you know you want that cruise, and check for GT rates as your PIF date approaches. If you see a lot of GT rates for similar cruises at that point next year, you then might to want to take the risk of cancelling & waiting to rebook. Be careful, though. It's a gamble.

 

[happytime]

I've never heard of a GT, though I've probably seen one or two. Do you have to be a Florida resident to get this offer, if it's offered?

 

[Shanti]

Yes, I was wondering about the GTY on Disney cruises. I did look at the thread about those you did go GTY and what they received. Was curious if the GTY price would be higher than they are now or reduced to entice someone to book last minute cruise.

GTY is different from GT. Not sure which you meant.

GTY categories show up when most of the cabins of a given category have been sold. GTY guarantees you a cabin in that category or higher, & some people book it hoping for an upgrade. If you book a specific cabin now & later want to switch to a GTY category, that's easy to do and does not require a cancellation. GTY fares are not discounts- sometimes they cost more. So just book now, & if GTY pops up, switch to that.

GT is a category that is more rare, and is a significant discount. It's usually only offered after the PIF date & requires a cancellation to change to that category. GT rates also have multiple restrictions for their use, but they can be a good deal. It's a risk to hold out for one, though, as it might never occur for that specific cruise.

 

[NS8VN]

I have some bad news... January and February 2017 are long gone

My thoughts are if you want to take a 5 day cruise in January or February 2018 then book it now. Only wait if you are willing to risk paying more or not taking the cruise. There is no guarantee they will offer discounted rates and there is no guarantee that the discounts will be better than what you can get today. So if you know you want to do it then I say lock it in now.

 

[happytime]

I have some bad news... January and February 2017 are long gone

My thoughts are if you want to take a 5 day cruise in January or February 2018 then book it now. Only wait if you are willing to risk paying more or not taking the cruise. There is no guarantee they will offer discounted rates and there is no guarantee that the discounts will be better than what you can get today. So if you know you want to do it then I say lock it in now.

I guess January/February 2017 HAVE come and gone. Oops! I meant '18. LOL

 

[cruiser21]

I am interested in going on a cruise in January or February 2017 for 5 days somewhere. Currently I have a cruise on courtesy hold until Friday. I noticed prices went up today slightly.

So I wonder if I should take my chances for:

• a better price for the last minute cruise, say about 90 days or less from sailing date OR
• wait for the guaranty and hope for at least the guaranty I've checked out or better cabin, or
• go ahead and secure the cabin now.

Thoughts? Experiences?

Thanks for any and all responses.

I used to always book GT rates. They were plentiful a few years ago. They're not a as plentiful this year. There were some GT rates on the 4 and 5 day cruises this past January. I believe even the Fantasy had a couple. I know this because I was considering booking one of these. Just an FYI you will see the most GT rates from Oct- Jan.

Just to add if you look at the GT rate thread there were over 25 cruises in Nov and Dec that had GT rates and 4 or 5 in January. The 5 night Jan 29 out of Miami had a GT rate that is the one I almost booked. Hope that helps.