Early or late

[JohnDS]

Sorry if this has been discussed' but is it better to book early or late with rci? I know disney seems to only get more expensive as time goes by, just wondering what the trends are with royal caribbean.

 

[valiamo]

Sorry if this has been discussed' but is it better to book early or late with rci? I know disney seems to only get more expensive as time goes by, just wondering what the trends are with royal caribbean.

It all depends on the cruise that you want to book. RCCI "usually" starts at a mid-range/stock price, it is held this way for a couple of months, if there is not a lot of excitement on the cruise, they do a quick price drop and then after a month or so do a price increase. Sometimes it is much higher than the original price. (source my DW was a Cruise TA).

As an example I booked the Oasis for 1 year out, there was a nice price drop middle of March (20%), and I was able to trade up to a JS vs the Balcony for a small price difference. A week later the price jumped to 10% over my originial purchase price. I feel I have made a good deal, and am happy with were I am currently priced at. I am constantly watching if there is a drop in the JS price, because I will take advantage of it.

The only price I am really interested in, is the total price 1 day before my final payment is due (75 days out or so), because I want to be sure I have the lowest price locked in, before final payment is due.

We use a site called Cruisefish to monitor the pricing on the cruises we are taking or interested in and they will (for a small fee) send you e-mails when the price drops or gasp increases..

Popular dates, and major holidays always seem to increase in price as they get closer. Non-traditional dates go up and down as the Cruise companies try to fill the cabins.

 

[Summerl30]

I am not sure. We always book a few months out. I am more concerned about getting a good flight price and need to book the cruise first.

 

[txga]

We booked in January for June cruise. In March when kids sail free offer was out, I looked at rebooking. The prices had gone up significantly, so I still got the better deal by booking earlier. I would have paid more by waiting till March, even with KSF. I should add that in our case we had 4 inside rooms.

 

[CMDTA]

I've always done the late one. There are usually fewer kids and it's a little more laid back.