When is the best time to book a cruise?

[KeithnRita]

We will second that!

[JohnG]

With the recovery of the cruiselines since 9/11, they are generally sailing full, and prices don't go down much near the sailing. In fact, any vacancies are selling at closer to brochure price than at a discount price the closer you get to sail date, especially Europe this year. They close out the sailing about 5 or 6 days before sailing so they can comply with requirements to turn over the passenger manifest to the homeland security people. The best bet to get the sailing and cabin type you want is to book early, up to a year in advance, and monitor prices, or have your agent do so, and request an adjustment if the price drops. Most lines will allow one downward adjustment if requested. I have our August, October, December, and June 2006 booked already.

[Lisa63]

None of the above. :grin:

We book about 6-10 months in advance, and we always select a specific cabin rather than a guarantee. As my husband is a teacher and our son is in grade school, we are restricted to school vacation periods. These cruises book up quickly and price drops are rare. We also require a cabin with three berths, which also narrows our choices (although not as much as in the past).

We also buy our airfare as soon as we see a reasonable price, again starting early. We already have our e-tickets for February 2006. They cost about 20% less than I had budgeted.

[jtutak]

You have to wait for the deals to come to you. I still cannot believe the price I just got. Than to top it off I got unbelievable airfare. :grin: :grin: :grin: