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My Personal Reasons to Book A Cruise Early

Written by T.I. Cruiser on December 4, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Some of the best prices in the cruise industry are often found by booking early but other than the financial implications there are many additional reasons why it may be necessary to book your cruise early in order to have the perfect vacation.

Booking to Get The Cabin I Desire:

The first cabins to sell out will be the cabins with the best locations, the least expensive and the most luxurious. If you plan to get connecting staterooms during Easter break or a balcony on an Alaskan Cruise, book early. Due to the limited availability of these and other “special” rooms, the only way to get them is to book very early. If you don’t want a room above the disco, book early. If you are someone that will become violently seasick if you aren’t in the center of the ship, you should be talking to a travel agent right now instead of reading my blog. It comes down to this; if you are particular about your accommodations, you can not afford to wait any longer than necessary. The difference between enjoying a dream vacation or a nightmare at sea can come down to your choice of cabin.

Time Sensitive Cruising:

Every cruise ship that leaves port has passengers on board celebrating a special occasion. Whether the occasion is a wedding, anniversary, graduation or birthday they all have one thing in common, they needed to be planned. If you are taking a cruise to celebrate a special occasion, it is imperative that you book early. There is nothing that will spoil a cruise honeymoon more than compromise. If you have decided you want an aft wrap around balcony and have to settle for an inside cabin above the disco it is probably because you didn’t book early enough.

Special occasions aren’t the only kind of time sensitive cruising. Many of us can only vacation certain times a year. The industry I work in requires that my vacation is “blacked out” three months out of the year. Likewise, parents traveling with children can only travel during certain parts of the year without pulling their children out of school. So, if you are planning a family vacation during the high season it is of the utmost importance to book early because some cruise lines have limits on the total number of children per ship, as well as limited cabins that accommodate three or more people. If you don’t plan accordingly there is a chance that you will not be able to take your first choice of cruise.

With cruising becoming more popular, each year it is not unusual for cruises to sell out months in advance. If you need to take a cruise during a specific window or want to go to a popular destination, book early or run the risk of missing the boat.

Here are some other reasons why it makes sense to book a cruise early. Some of the other reasons have financial benefits, some are more geared towards helping you book the cruise of your dreams. All of them are valid and useful.

Allows you to get the excursions you want- it is not unusual for some of the most highly desired excursions to sell out before the cruise sets sail. Since you can usually reserve excursions as soon as you book your cruise you will have a leg up on the competition when it comes to booking that must see tour.
Gives you a chance to save up- if you book your cruise a year in advance, you will have more time to save money to use on the cruise. If you book far enough in advance, it is quite possible you will have the trip and all expenses paid off before you even step onto the ship.
Your friends can give you gifts- One of the hidden values of booking early is the ability to have friends and family buy you things to make your cruise even more enjoyable. In the past, I have received drink coupons, excursions and massages as Christmas and birthday presents.
Potential Cabin Upgrades- In order to fill up the entire ship it is often necessary for the cruise lines to give away free upgrades. Although the exact formula for determining who gets a free upgrade is kept secret, it stands to reason that the earlier you book the better your chances are at being upgraded.
Last minute airfare is expensive- the further out you book your cruise vacation the longer you have to find a good deal. Booking early takes the power away from the airlines and puts it back in your hands.

While everyone knows the financial benefits of saving money on the price of your cruise, there are many other reasons to secure your cruise as soon as you can. As you can see some of the reasons for booking early give you an opportunity to save even more money on your cruise vacation while some give you the ability to plan the cruise you want. No matter what your motivation may be, it is easy to see why it makes sense to book your cruise early.

How Booking Early Can Help Save You Money

Written by T.I. Cruiser on December 3, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Typically, when itineraries are first posted the cruise lines will list what they believe are the best prices. In some cases, they will indeed be the best prices. However, the last thing a cruise line wants are empty cabins so due to supply and demand prices on individual cruises will fluctuate. Booking early gives you the upper hand when it comes to finding a cruise bargain, it gives you time. This extra time allows you to take advantage of the fluctuations in the price of your cruise. Booking early extends the amount of time you have to bargain before final payment is due, allowing you to play the cruise market.

What do you mean by final payment?

Final payment is the date when your cruise must be paid in full. Usually final payment is due about 60 days before sailing. Note: sometimes a travel agent will have a final payment date earlier than the cruise lines (7-10days) to accommodate those paying by check.

The final payment date is always the same amount of time before the cruise no matter when you book. For example if your cruise is leaving October 1st final payment will be the same whether you book January 1st or September 1st the difference is those who booked January 1st will have several months to search for bargains before final payment is do. Those who booked September 1 will have to pay the entire amount at the time of booking. Don’t underestimate what those months can mean when it comes to saving.

How to take advantage of momentary downturns in the cruise market:

Cruise ship prices are all about effective inventory management. What I mean is the cruise line has an idea of how fast a cruise ship fills up. When the ship bookings experience a downturn, prices will be lowered. If sales for a certain cruise ship exceed expectations, prices may rise. The purpose of these corrections is to maintain cruise-booking equilibrium. These price adjustments happen both frequently and constantly. In fact, it is perfectly normal for cruise ship prices to change several times a day. The problem is your cruise line or TA probably won’t tell you about them. However, if you take it upon yourself to monitor price of your cruise, booking several months in advance means you won’t need to worry that the person sitting across from you at dinner got the same cruise for half of what you paid.

The price you book is the maximum you will pay. If you notice a drop in price all you have to do is call the TA or cruise line and you to will receive the price drop. Cruise lines are forced to honor the price or else people would just cancel and rebook before final payment, which would create chaos. While it used to be possible to get adjustments in the form of OBCs (on board credits) after final payment, those days are long gone. Final payment is when most (if not all) cruise lines stop granting price adjustments. Note: if you booked an inside cabin and find out that balconies are now going for the same price if you call the cruise line or travel agent and explain the situation it is still possible to get upgraded to the better room.

So, as you can see even though cruise lines set the opening price at what they believe will be the lowest price, passengers ultimately determine the price point. Even though booking early does give you a great price on a cruise, ship happens and sometimes prices will fall. Planning ahead gives you the best chance to go on your dream cruise for the cheapest possible price.

When Should I Book My Cruise

Written by T.I. Cruiser on December 2, 2008 · Leave a Comment

When is it a good time to book a cruise?

The answer to that question can be complex. You have to take into account things like time of year, which itinerary and what ship you plan on taking. Ideally you would book your cruise when it is announced, unfortunately that isn’t always possible. However, the best answer is generally to book “as early as possible”.

Although you can find great combinations of pricing and cruise options available 6 months before you cruise when we are talking early we mean over a year in advance. Cruises are announced about 12 to 18 months before they set sail, so if you plan on booking early you may want to start planning at least a year in advance.

Booking a Cruise During the Busy Season:

Popular cruises will obviously sell out before other sailings so if you are planning on holiday or spring break cruising you should aim to book as soon as your cruise is made available. Typically cruise season is divided into either two or three parts; high season, low season and shoulder season. The high season is the most popular time to cruise, the low season is when demand is lowest and the shoulder season lies somewhere in between. These seasons will vary depending on region but here is a short overview of some of the more popular cruise regions:

Alaska: The Alaskan cruise season is a short one, running only from May through September. If you have a specific reason for going on an Alaskan cruise, you can narrow your time frame. If you are trying to make your cruise as affordable as possible, then you should choose the shoulder months of May and September. If you have children that you are traveling with, the school year may limit you to mid-June through mid-August. The longest and warmest days are in June and July. As you can see, each month has its own unique benefits.
Bermuda: Bermuda cruise season runs from April to November. Just be forewarned this is also Atlantic Ocean hurricane season. Most cruises to Bermuda only stop in a couple of ports so (although rare) any hurricanes in your area could severely affect your cruise. Bermuda high season is considered the summer months of June through August. The shoulder seasons are the month of April, May, September and October.
The Caribbean and Mexican Riviera: Typically, the high season in the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera is late-December through mid-April. Typically, the winter is the driest weather in the Caribbean and the coldest weather in the United States. The holiday season as well as spring break is especially popular times of the year. The off-season starts in late-April and runs through mid-December. In addition to cheaper rates, you will also enjoy a less crowded atmosphere.
Hawaii: Hawaii only has two seasons summer and winter. Summer lasts from May through October and winter is from October through April. The peak season intersects them both. Typically, the high season is from mid-December through mid-April. Shoulder season in Hawaii lasts from mid-April to mid-June and again from September through mid December. The irony is the shoulder season is the best time to cruise to Hawaii in almost every aspect.
The Mediterranean: Cruise season in the Mediterranean lasts from late March to November, although a few ships do cruise the region year-round. The high season is May through August with the shoulder season being March and April as well as September though November.

These are meant more as guidelines for the cruise season. The actual peaks and valleys of each region are a lot more complex than what is shown. As a rule if you are planning a cruise during the high season always book early. If you are cruising the shoulder or low season, you can afford to procrastinate a little more.