when to book

[dianaore]

I am just starting to look into a cruise and am wondering how far out to start booking a crusise and are there better times of the year to book for the best deals.

Diana

 

[mommasita]

DCL works with tiers..Once a first price is out, and they sell out of the tier, they raise the price, and up and up and up..

Very rarely does it EVER come down...They only have 2 ships, and almost always sail at full or near full capacity..

The simple answer is to book As soon as you know your dates....

 

[dianaore]

thanks for the advice...since this is my first step in planning I need all the help I can get or better yet the Manual for Dummies!

diana

 

[Buddy Bear]

You probably want to consider the 2007 season which the rates for that will come out in (hopefully) the near future. The rates will the best when they are first released and it gives you plenty of time to pay it off.

 

[myboysmom]

I agree totally with mommasita, the sooner the better. We booked our 2006 cruise back in October of 2004. My hubby thought I was totally nuts, our TA told us this would be considered the "early booking discount" but she didn't know how much that would eventually be. As of the first part of this week our cruise (Spring Break 2006) was listed at $2,609 more than what we confirmed at. He now thinks I am totally brillant

If we were just thinking about going next March today, we would not be able to afford to go at all. Even the Cat. 12 (the lowest cat. we would fit in) is more than what we paid back in Oct. 2004.

 

[kcashner]

There is no downside to booking early except that your deposit is tied up. You have locked in what you expect to be the best rates. If by some chance your rate comes down...or there are FL resident or military rates announced that you qualify for, DCL will adjust your balance to reflect the new rate IF YOU ASK. They will not automatically give you the refund or reduction. A good TA should track these things for you, but it never hurts to keep your eyes open too.

Generally, the best rates are the farthest in advance and/or the "off season." This is September/October and January.

If you are considering a land/sea combination, you need to price out doing it as a package vs. doing it separately--it is frequently cheaper to do it separately. Keep reading here...get the Passporter...there is a lot of info available.