When to book a cruise?

Slade12

We're thinking of booking a cruise in February next year.  We've never been on one before and wondered when/how is the best time to book.  Are travel agents best or is it best to go the cruise line?  How long in advance should we book?

oldernonethewiser

The cruise critic website/forums might be useful for you.

I have a relative who has been cruising for years and prefers the Caribbean.  She books these with US travel agents at a much reduced cost and organises her own flights.

zagfles

As late as possible. We booked one last year at what we thought was a bargain price, the prices were going down and down, booked it 7 weeks before going but wished we'd waited longer as the price carried on going down!!

daveyjp

Which line? Which ship? Which destination? How long for?

In general either the day the cruises  are released for sale, but for Feb 25 you are probably too late, or the last few weeks before departure and be prepared for disappointment if nothing is available. 

If the trip involves flying you may have to sort your own flights if you book late and flights close to departure are expensive.

Slade12

daveyjp said:

Which line? Which ship? Which destination? How long for?

In general either the day the cruises  are released for sale, but for Feb 25 you are probably too late, or the last few weeks before departure and be prepared for disappointment if nothing is available. 

If the trip involves flying you may have to sort your own flights if you book late and flights close to departure are expensive.

We want to go on a cruise around New Zealand from Sydney.  We intend to book our own flights, but haven't done so as yet as we're still in the planning stage with dates etc.  We don't want to be disappointed so I expect that means booking at the same time as we book the flights. 

badger09

We did one of those in 2020 for 13 nights round NZ from Sydney 24 Feb just as COVID was sweeping the world. I booked 2 cabins, one balcony & one mini suite, on 20 June 2019 at a reasonable cost. Not very heavily discounted but still got excellent choice of cabins. 

Princess sail (or did then) every 13 days, alternating between clockwise & anticlockwise. PM me if you’d like any more info

joebob

I would be looking for the cruise now and if your happy with the price book it then you can book flights around it. If your going from Sydney be best having some days before in Sydney. whatever price you pay somebody will have paid less and will have great pleasure in  telling everybody onboard. Our rule of thumb is if its the itinerary we like and the price book it.

Archergirl

We did that last year but booked very early as it was what we wanted for a special birthday, if you get a late booking cabin choice will be limited and you may not get the offers like inc drinks and gratuities. We went on Celebrity Eclipse but Edge is doing it now. 

zagfles

Friend of mine goes on several cruises a year, his target is £200 per night for 2 people, ie £100 per person per night. So a cruise for 14 nights he'll look to pay no more than £2800 for 2 people after accounting for stuff like onboard spend etc. 

I used that method last year and we got a 14 night cruise for £3200 minus £400 onboard spend so bang on target, it hit that about 7 weeks before the date so I booked. Was a bit annoying seeing the price fall more as it got closer, it would have been about £1000 cheaper 3 weeks before!

But looking this year it looks like prices are not as good, looking at about £250-300 per night for 2 even for late deals. 

When booking it's always worth phoning them rather than doing it online as they can advise about cabins, they'll tell you any problems that have been reported eg noise etc. They can sometime negotiate on price. 

If you book a bog standard cabin the cruise line often phones you with an upgrade offer, this can be considerably cheaper than booking a superior cabin in the first place. So if you want a superior cabin but aren't too bothered, book the cheapest and wait for them to phone you! Personally I prefer an inside one anyway. 

Slade12

joebob said:

I would be looking for the cruise now and if your happy with the price book it then you can book flights around it. If your going from Sydney be best having some days before in Sydney. whatever price you pay somebody will have paid less and will have great pleasure in  telling everybody onboard. Our rule of thumb is if its the itinerary we like and the price book it.

Thanks, yes we plan on having a few days in Sydney before the cruise.  

Slade12

zagfles said:

Friend of mine goes on several cruises a year, his target is £200 per night for 2 people, ie £100 per person per night. So a cruise for 14 nights he'll look to pay no more than £2800 for 2 people after accounting for stuff like onboard spend etc. 

I used that method last year and we got a 14 night cruise for £3200 minus £400 onboard spend so bang on target, it hit that about 7 weeks before the date so I booked. Was a bit annoying seeing the price fall more as it got closer, it would have been about £1000 cheaper 3 weeks before!

But looking this year it looks like prices are not as good, looking at about £250-300 per night for 2 even for late deals. 

When booking it's always worth phoning them rather than doing it online as they can advise about cabins, they'll tell you any problems that have been reported eg noise etc. They can sometime negotiate on price. 

If you book a bog standard cabin the cruise line often phones you with an upgrade offer, this can be considerably cheaper than booking a superior cabin in the first place. So if you want a superior cabin but aren't too bothered, book the cheapest and wait for them to phone you! Personally I prefer an inside one anyway. 

Thanks, good idea to phone as well as looking on line, I'll do that.  I'd be too nervous to wait for 3 weeks before the trip before booking, but it would be a good idea if you could change your plans at the last minute.