OBB For Unsure Future Plans?

[MrWhizzard]

I need some advice for booking a 2021 Alaska cruise. For various reasons, we'd like to go the last week before the kids start school in the fall. This is often the week of Labor Day, but is sometimes the week before that, and I never know for sure until January.

We're on a cruise next month, and one strategy would be to get a placeholder booking that I can then use to book the right week once I know when that is. But I think the prices will be quite a bit higher by next January. Another strategy might be to OBB what I predict will be the right week, and then move it in January if I'm wrong. Or, could I just make two OBB's, one for each of the possible weeks, and then cancel one of them in January?

Thanks for any insights!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I need some advice for booking a 2021 Alaska cruise. For various reasons, we'd like to go the last week before the kids start school in the fall. This is often the week of Labor Day, but is sometimes the week before that, and I never know for sure until January.

We're on a cruise next month, and one strategy would be to get a placeholder booking that I can then use to book the right week once I know when that is. But I think the prices will be quite a bit higher by next January. Another strategy might be to OBB what I predict will be the right week, and then move it in January if I'm wrong. Or, could I just make two OBB's, one for each of the possible weeks, and then cancel one of them in January?

Thanks for any insights!

You are limited to one future cruise booking onboard (with onboard booking perks). You can book two cruises, but only one of them will get the onboard booking perks.

You could book the week you think it will be, and move it, if it's incorrect. I believe you would still pay the prevailing price for the new cruise, however, so there's no savings over just booking a placeholder onboard and then selecting the correct sailing date to apply the placehoder to when you know it.

 

[Mommb]

The value of booking a cruise onboard and moving it if necessary is that if you guess correctly, you will get the fare as of when you initially book. If you guess wrong, you get the same fare as if you booked a placeholder. So, booking a specific cruise has a possible up-side and no down-side versus booking a placeholder (except for a possibly higher deposit).

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The value of booking a cruise onboard and moving it if necessary is that if you guess correctly, you will get the fare as of when you initially book. If you guess wrong, you get the same fare as if you booked a placeholder. So, booking a specific cruise has a possible up-side and no down-side version booking a placeholder (except for a possibly higher deposit).

If you move a cruise reservation to a different cruise you get the price the new cruise was when you booked the first cruise? I've not heard that before. It was my understanding, since it's really a cancel and new booking, you get the prevailing price that the new cruise is selling at. Now whether you can apply the onboard booking perks to that new cruise, I don't know.

I know, if you later change categories on the same cruise that you've already booked, you are locked into the prices the new category was when the original booking was made.


EDIT: In re-reading what you posted, I see you're not saying what I thought you were saying. You said what I did, the "downside" is, if you book a specific cruise while onboard, and then have to move it, the cost of the "other" cruise (the other optional week) will then be whatever the prevailing rate is.

But, yes, if OP guesses correctly, he/she is locked into the price on the day originally booked.

 

[MrWhizzard]

You are limited to one future cruise booking onboard (with onboard booking perks). You can book two cruises, but only one of them will get the onboard booking perks.

Ahh. I had misread (or misremembered) some other threads about being able to book two staterooms, but I see now that those would have to be on the same cruise. Thanks for clarifying this.

The value of booking a cruise onboard and moving it if necessary is that if you guess correctly, you will get the fare as of when you initially book. If you guess wrong, you get the same fare as if you booked a placeholder. So, booking a specific cruise has a possible up-side and no down-side versus booking a placeholder (except for a possibly higher deposit).

So just to make sure my other assumptions about this are correct: I'm assuming that I can cancel an OBB up until PIF date (~120 days for a non-concierge 7-night cruise?), with no penalty or loss of deposit, right? And similarly, there's no penalty for switching to a different cruise within the same time frame, and the 10% OBB discount will still apply if the new cruise is eligible?

Thanks for the help both of you.

 

[MomOTwins]

I'm assuming that I can cancel an OBB up until PIF date (~120 days for a non-concierge 7-night cruise?), with no penalty or loss of deposit, right? And similarly, there's no penalty for switching to a different cruise within the same time frame, and the 10% OBB discount will still apply if the new cruise is eligible?

Yes and yes. You will have to call to change the cruise--can't be done online--and make sure specifically say you want to change it but keep the OBB discount (NOT cancel and book a different cruise).