Getting the best cruise prices has a lot to do with when and how you book it. There are always promotions or offers available, but how do you know if your price and promotion is the best one?
Compare Prices from more than One Source
Unless you have a trusted travel agent or consultant at a cruise line, who you know always gets you the best deal, shopping various sources can give you a clearer view of actual prices in the marketplace and allow you to gauge if a particular offer is the best one.
Best times to Book Your Cruise
Generally, there are 3 key times that you should try to focus on.
Wave Season
Typically, the best cruise pricing and promotions are offered during Wave Season which takes place during the first 3 months of each year. Cruise Lines count on a large percentage of their annual bookings to be done during this period to fill their ships. Offers will change throughout Wave Season and history shows that the cruise line’s best offers are available immediately following the New Year.
Book Early
Contrary to popular belief, you have a better chance of getting the best price when you book early, not last minute. Additionally, booking early gives you the pick of the best stateroom categories and locations. Early booking means at least 6 months in advance. If you book when the cruise lines open future itineraries, especially for high-demand sailings and ships, you will almost guarantee the lowest fare. An important point to mention, is that most cruise lines will allow you to re-fare your cruise if the price drops before final payment, so you have nothing to lose.
Book Onboard
Almost all cruise lines now offer the ability to book cruises onboard. The direct benefits do vary by cruise line, but generally, you will be able to take advantage of any current offers in the marketplace, so combing this with any of the other two booking windows I mentioned earlier can amount to one fantastic deal. Also, onboard bookings generally receive reduced deposits, onboard credits or other incentives.
Look for inclusions rather than just the price
You may not always be able to accurately compare specific cruise offers between sources because they may be packaged differently. Due to most cruise lines enforcing rate parity across all channels, the base pricing will typically be the same regardless of where you book. Travel agencies and cruise resellers routinely have exclusive promotions or offer value-add extras when people book with them. These extras can include drink packages, free pre-paid gratuities, onboard credits, free shore excursions and more. While it may be tempting to get these extras, if you find the price is lower elsewhere, maybe due to group rates, you’ll need to consider if you are getting the best value. For example, if you were planning on purchasing a drink package and you find a company offering it free with the cruise you want to book, it may make sense to book the cruise where it is included, even of the cruise price is higher.
Watch out for Restrictions
It is possible that the low rate or offer you found has some unique restrictions. For example, Royal Caribbean has recently introduced non-refundable deposits across their fleet. Booking a cruise under this type of fare has its benefits, but also its restrictions. The benefits on many sailings is a lower fare and an onboard credit if booked at least 6 months prior to departure. The downside is that any cancellation or changes will incur a $100 per person fee. Carnival Cruise Line offers similar lower rates with restrictions under their Early-Saver program and periodically other cruise lines offer limited-time sales where deposits are 100% non-refundable or full payment may required at time of booking.
Also Read: Royal Caribbean to Start Non-Refundable Deposit Program
Cruise Price Compare Websites or Apps
There are a number of websites and mobile apps that claim to be able to compare cruise pricing or alert you when the price on your cruise drops. These can be a good resource to use in addition to those described above. Where these services falter is their ability to factor in all of the variables such as number of guests, promotional pricing and in many case specific room categories instead of just “lead-in” pricing.
Check New Cruise Line Promotions
Cruise Lines add and remove promotions on a regular basis. Keeping alert to these new offers can put money back in your pocket. Unless you are within final payment or booked under a restricted fare, cruise lines will generally allow you to re-price your cruise to take advantage of a lower price that is part of a new promotion. There are some things to take note of when asking for these types of changes to your existing reservation. In almost all cases, you will be required drop your current offer and all of its inclusions, so if you were receiving an onboard credit or other extras directly from the cruise line, you’ll lose them. Also note if you received a reduced deposit at the time of your original reservation, you may be required to pay the remaining full deposit at the time of the change. These points alone could make changing not worth the trouble. Also, to get you the new price, some cruise lines will need to cancel and rebook you. This opens the possibility, although limited, that you could lose your current stateroom and even possibly any advance dining or shore excursion reservations. Lastly, if the cruise line made any changes or updates to their cancellation, deposit or other policies, your reservation will be subject to the new policies in place at the time you make the change.
