I want to take my son on a cruise in early March. Is it ok to wait until January to book it? It's out of a smaller port and there are only two options on the date I want to travel (not flexible because it's spring break). And I want a balcony cabin. Can I get a better price now? Or do they typical sell out closer to the date? I know it kind of depends but is there a general guideline?
Post by parisinthespring on Nov 20, 2014 21:28:29 GMT -5
I don't know if this is universal on cruise lines but on both RC cruises I have been on the prices dropped before we sailed. I called and they have us the difference in on board credit, and were even able to upgrade us while saving us money. So I would ask that question and book now.
Because it's a spring break cruise, you probably want to book now. It is a very popular time to cruise and more than likely the price will keep going up. Plus if you book now you can get a better selection on cabin location.
Also, I don't know how other cruise lines do it, but Royal Caribbean usually will honor price drops up until final payment is due. If there are price drops after final payment most of the time you can upgrade to a higher category. For example, if you booked a balcony at $800pp and after final payment the price of a suite dropped to $800pp, you can usually upgrade for free!
I would recommend going to cruise critic and going to the specific board for the cruise line you are considering booking to find out their policies.
I don't know if this is universal on cruise lines but on both RC cruises I have been on the prices dropped before we sailed. I called and they have us the difference in on board credit, and were even able to upgrade us while saving us money. So I would ask that question and book now.
If it is past final payment on RCCL/Celebrity you can only upgrade. They no longer give you OBC for the difference. Prior to final payment they just adjust the price as long as it isn't a restricted fare.
For booking now -- it is a real toss up -- depends on ship and itinerary. As you want to go during Spring Break if the price is something you are willing to pay - book it now. You can watch the pricing for December and get it adjusted if it goes down. Check the cruise lines' websites for specials --send a pricing request out on Cruise Compete, also see what CruiseCon, vacations2go, Costco, Expedia, etc are offering as incentives to book with them.