What dictates price reduction in early bookings?

[Grumbo]

On the topic of "early" bookings........
How far out in advance can you book?
Does the discount decrease by time (meaning the closer you get to sailing, the more it costs) or is it by space available (meaning the more cabins rented, the higher the price)? or is it a combination and is there any type of formula or is it like how they get the filling into a Caramilk bar?
I see folks enquiring about Christmas 2004 cruises and know that is a premium time but do the prices go oup based on the time or space?
Cheers,
Grumbo

 

[jgalecpa]

The answer to your question, academically speaking and not as an insider, is that one leads to another. that is:

The closer you get to the sailing the more seats are filled. Supply goes down and price goes up.

The more popular sailings book up, and for them discounts disappear fast (or prices go up).

For less popular ones the opposite is true.

The Passporter guide tells very neatly the busier and slower seasons/sailins.


We booked in Nov. 2002 for xmas sailing 2003. Thought I was crazy for that early. Now six months later total price now quoted is about $1,000 more for same category, same sailing.

Xmas = Popular
Price = high
Discounts = disappear quickly

I know this sounds like a college prof. lecturing you, but that is what I a/m/do.

Jim

 

[Michelle]

DCL prices each sailing with a number of early booking tiers. As each tier fills (they assign a certain number of cabins to each tier) the price goes UP. It is based on how full the ship is, not on how far out you book. Of course, the further out you book the LESS full the ship is at that time, so generally the earlier you book the less the price you will pay.

There are peak sailing times and the BASE pricing for those is higher, such as holiday sailings, spring break and summer sailings.