When do you book a cruise?

[funhouse8]

When do you book a cruise?

Ok, I found the cruise line, ship & dates. Now what do I do. Do I wait for specials or book asap. The week I am going is NYE 06. I know this is alot more expensive but It's also my BD and thought it would be fun. If I book now and the rates go down can I get in on the discounted price? The cruise line is RCL. Help please. Thanks, Gina

 

[huey duey & luey]

We booked our May 2006 cruise about 13 months before in april 2005

 

[minniecarousel]

Since I'm no cruise expert, I rely on the good folks over at www.cruisecritic.com for guidance. Just register over there and ask your cruising questions. (I think as long as the price is up for the cruise, you have nothing to lose by putting a deposit on the cabin you want early.)

 

[icebrat001]

i second the cruisecritic think, if i'm not on these boards, i'm on those boards.

Book when the price is right, but don't count on a reduction of price. Some TA's will lower your price if the price of the cruise lowers.

Goodluck

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Some of the cruiselines will give you a shipboard credit if the price on the cruise goes down. I wouldn't work with a TA unless they were willing to keep an eye on prices for you and help you out.

NYE is of course a fairly heavy travel period. I think in this case, if the deposit isn't terribly big, early is better than later. Especially if you want to be able to pick out your cabin.

 

[tinatark]

Yes - check cruisecritic.com for info - their board rules will not let any of the members there give out their TA names - I use Kim at www.kimskruises.com She is awesome - we've booked 6 cruises through her, by far the best prices. You can go to cruisecompete.com - enter your cruise and the TA's there send you their best quotes via email. I tried that for the cruise we booked with Kim for April 06, Kim is still the best price out there!

 

[LynnTH]

Before you book I would check prices all over the place. We have a local travel agency here (Hobbit Travel) and they are by far the cheapest for cruises. (and I researched and got prices all over the internet and called many differnent travel agencies) If I were you I would call them and see what prices they have to compare. They do alot with the cruise industry and can get better rates. Their website is www.hobbittravel.com. We went last year on RCCL on their Adventure of the Seas and flew into San Juan. The total was $1200 per person and that included airfare that is usually around $600 just for that. No one else could touch that price. Doesn't hurt to check.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Not August or September.

 

[icebrat001]

Yes - check cruisecritic.com for info - their board rules will not let any of the members there give out their TA names - I use Kim at www.kimskruises.com She is awesome - we've booked 6 cruises through her, by far the best prices. You can go to cruisecompete.com - enter your cruise and the TA's there send you their best quotes via email. I tried that for the cruise we booked with Kim for April 06, Kim is still the best price out there!

What a small world! I use Kim as well. I second the idea to use Kim to book your cruise, no one has ever beat her.

 

[Beth76]

If you know what you want I would go ahead and book now--you don't want to lose the cabin you want and it's refundable until 60-75 days out. If you don't have a TA, book directly through the cruiseline. If you book through the cruiseline, you can always transfer your booking to a TA, if you find one. A good TA, will watch for any drops in price and credit you as needed. I will also suggest checking out cruise critic.

 

[sweet angel]

Are you talking about NYE from 2005-2006 or from 2006-2007. I would book now, as generally speaking prices go up the closer you get. If they go down, you can always ask for an adjustment. If you wait for last minute deals, you may get a good price, but a crappy cabin. You take your chances with what's left.

I find cruiselineforums.com to be a friendlier place than cruisecritic.

I would LOVE to be on a cruise for NYE!

 

[bicker]

There are a lot of factors, of course. One thing to keep in mind though: If you're planning on cruising from a port where there are far fewer cruises than passengers wanting to cruise, you're best bet is to book as soon as the cruise line makes the cruise available for booking. This is the case, I believe, in most Northeastern US ports. With a port like Miami, however, you are sometimes better off waiting, or at least it isn't as critical as with, say, New York.

 

[minnie56]

A cruise is at it's cheapest price when the sailing is first released. Especially when it's a holiday sailing. In most cases if the price drops, the cruiseline will either refund you the difference or offer a free upgrade in category if you prefer.

Go for it now!!

 

[PrincessTori]

The company I always book our cruises through will credit back to us, or price adjust before final payment, if the price drops below what it was when we booked the cruise. We always book far out, if possible, because we pick exactly what cabin we want. So I never wait to book. I book as soon as the bug hits us. Some times as much as a year and a half in advance

I also recommend cruise critic as well. I've been on their boards for a few years now and have always picked up a wealth of information.

 

[sweet angel]

You can also try cruisecompete to see what kind of prices you can get. I booked originally thru them, but then had to change my ship and got a better deal directly thru RCI.

 

[minnie56]

RCL is one of the easiest to deal with as well with price adjustments etc..

I have had them credit back dollars 2 weeks prior. Book asap to handpick the cabin that you would most like.

 

[Kimberly]

Cruises fill up VERY VERY fast. I remember the cruise I went on with my parents when I was 16 (It was a Crystal Cruise, sorry DIS!), but I remember my parents booking it well over a year in advance. Cruises are wonderful too, especially the ones with lots of on shore excursions.

Disney Cruise Line is actually always in the top 5 best large luxury cruises every year.

Quick question: Where does Disney mostly cruise out of? Just wondering if they do it all over the world instead of just in the Caribbean.

 

[sweet angel]

Quick question: Where does Disney mostly cruise out of? Just wondering if they do it all over the world instead of just in the Caribbean.

They primarily leave from Port Canaveral in Florida. They had a couple of repositioning cruises this summer though.

 

[Pugdog007]

I agree with those that say book as soon as you can. However, I didn't find "deals" with any TA, including those mentioned here. For RCCL, I found the prices pretty much the same everywhere I went. That being the case, I chose to book locally so that I had access to "real people" if needed.

 

[DawnCt1]

I book as soon as I know my dates and then I watch the prices myself. I use Cruise.com and they are very good about returning any extra $$ that I may have paid if the price goes down. I like a "guarantee" category. I don't know where my cabin is but by the time its assigned, its always better than what I was willing to pay in the first place. I booked a Q guarantee and moved up to M and then when M went on sail, (from $73 to $428) we got a full refund of the difference.