twangster Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 EDIT - Title should read "When to sail to get the best price". This is for folks who have flexibility to sail anytime. Booking cruises far into the future almost always will secure the best prices and best choice of cabin. I've often thought of plotting this myself but then I found someone who already did. This is from 2012 and it is specific to interior cabins to the Caribbean but in my experience most other cabin categories track this and it repeats year after year. Want to sail when its cheapest? Want to avoid cruises with a ton of kids? Avoid those peaks. Source: https://www.cruisemarketwatch.com/articles/category/cruise-lines-market-share-marketing-research/page/2/ This research tracks my own experiences very well. Who doesn't like to save money on a cruise? Suite cabins can be an exception but often suite deals can be found in the same low periods simply because demand is lower. Lovetocruise2002, DunkelBierJay, Bob_KY and 3 others 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 This is the result of the unnatural integration of bots and dweeb-geeks. Just sayin'. MikeK, Bob_KY, DunkelBierJay and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted July 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 Just now, WAAAYTOOO said: This is the result of the unnatural integration of bots and dweeb-geeks. Just sayin'. 01001001 00100000 01110010 01100101 01110011 01100101 01101101 01100010 01101100 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110010 01100101 01101101 01100001 01110010 01101011 coneyraven and DirktheCat 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 I don't speak bot (or dweeb-geek) but I'm sure this is something utterly cerebral and profound. ...or maybe I've just been told to F* off. Either way, I'm good with it. Lovetocruise2002, Boston Babe, JLMoran and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 18 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: .or maybe I've just been told to F* off. Either way, I'm good with it He's got waaaytooo much time on his hands between cruises!! LOL Ray, WAAAYTOOO and Lovetocruise2002 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 I just booked mine when they had the free drinks package! That was me sorted and happy lol hayley_bopp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaleighTrout Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 I think a more specific question is when to book for the best price, knowing your preferred cruise date. For many, we have to cruise within those peak periods because kids are out of school or that is when vacation can be used. For example, I looked at some Caribbean cruises for August 2018 (to see if my deal was still strong), and the pricing is better than those same cruises for Aug 2019. The prevailing theory is always book early for the best price, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 I believe in booking early for the best price. November and December 2018 come on so I can book more cruises for 2020. Woohoo!!!!!! Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 Just now, Sweety said: Woohoo!!!!!! You are starting to remind me of a bot named @twangster!!! LOL Sweety 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted July 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 24 minutes ago, RaleighTrout said: The prevailing theory is always book early for the best price, correct? Yes. For the most part booking early yields best results but be diligent about checking the fares each time any sales or promos are announced. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 39 minutes ago, RaleighTrout said: I think a more specific question is when to book for the best price, knowing your preferred cruise date. For many, we have to cruise within those peak periods because kids are out of school or that is when vacation can be used. For example, I looked at some Caribbean cruises for August 2018 (to see if my deal was still strong), and the pricing is better than those same cruises for Aug 2019. The prevailing theory is always book early for the best price, correct? I am always in this situation where I have to work around the school calendar. 12 minutes ago, twangster said: Yes. For the most part booking early yields best results but be diligent about checking the fares each time any sales or promos are announced. ^^^This strategy has yet to fail me in all my years of cruising. I often book once fares are released and monitor from there. Baked Alaska and Sweety 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 2 hours ago, twangster said: I've often thought of plotting this myself but then I found someone who already did Thanks for this info twangster, pretty interesting. Low prices in the fall time frame (hurricane season) and high prices in the summer months. Seems to me the Caribbean is pretty hot in the summer. I guess a lot of folks don't mind that (Canada or Europe) or look forward to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 The data is from 2011 and 2012. A lot has changed (namely the introduction of the Price Integrity Policy) but it's still interesting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptTJ Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 I book early, then follow closely often repricing during any sales to ensure I got the best deal. Personally I’v had my best luck the first week of December. That graph is mighty neat tho! Sweety 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted July 13, 2018 Report Share Posted July 13, 2018 (edited) Just like" vote early and vote often," I book early and book often WITH A TRAVEL AGENT. . . rinse and repeat. That's the nice thing about RCCL versus Disney, is that you can do that. Since prices are not necessarily on a linear upward slant (hello specials/sales), like they are with Disney (rarely a sale or special unless you live in Florida, Canada, or Timbuktu), we actually have the opportunity to re-book, not only the cruise itself, but port excursions, spa appointments, and specialty dining. Definitely not on option on the all-inclusive, whether you want it or not, pay through the nose, Disney Cruise Line. Don't get me wrong, we last sailed concierge with Disney just 3 weeks ago and loved it. But man, it wasn't worth the price because we didn't do or use everything little thing we paid for in the "all-inclusive" Disney price. So yes, book early! And book/re-book often because you can! And yes, I check RCCL throughout the week. . . because it's like I take a mental cruise every time I log on. . . and it has paid off! Edited July 13, 2018 by Baked Alaska added travel agent suggestion Sweety 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alamode123 Posted July 13, 2018 Report Share Posted July 13, 2018 5 hours ago, twangster said: 01001001 00100000 01110010 01100101 01110011 01100101 01101101 01100010 01101100 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110010 01100101 01101101 01100001 01110010 01101011 I resemble that remark. Book as early as possible through a cruise specialist travel agent (like MEI travel). They check all the subsequent deals for you. Just got an email from Sharla last month about saving me $250. Sweety, Baked Alaska and twangster 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise-y Posted July 13, 2018 Report Share Posted July 13, 2018 6 hours ago, twangster said: I've often thought of plotting this myself but then I found someone who already did. This is from 2012 and it is specific to interior cabins to the Caribbean but in my experience most other cabin categories track this and it repeats year after year. Want to sail when its cheapest? Want to avoid cruises with a ton of kids? Avoid those peaks. Source: https://www.cruisemarketwatch.com/articles/category/cruise-lines-market-share-marketing-research/page/2/ This research tracks my own experiences very well. Who doesn't like to save money on a cruise? Suite cabins can be an exception but often suite deals can be found in the same low periods simply because demand is lower. The peak summer sailing dates probably skew a little to the right of this when sailing out of Europe, as most European children have summer holiday from around mid July to the end of August. And many European businesses take the month of August off. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 13, 2018 Report Share Posted July 13, 2018 15 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: ^^^This strategy has yet to fail me in all my years of cruising. I often book once fares are released and monitor from there. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accio7 Posted July 14, 2018 Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 I am really glad that I not only have a flexible schedule that allows me to cruise pretty much whenever and a strong dislike of travel to warm destinations in the summer. So, let’s hear it for Caribbean cruises in early December! It could not have been a coincidence that both of my cruises are scheduled on December 8th, 365 days apart from one another Thanks for the info, Mr. Twangster bot-dude twangster and Adriana 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yaya luvs to cruz Posted July 14, 2018 Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 I see that the best time to book is early December or take advantage of the Black Friday sales. I'm booked for January 2019, so I will be paid in full by Black Friday. How will that affect my rate? Will I still be able to get a reduced fare if available or once paid in full,am I done. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted July 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 Just now, yaya luvs to cruz said: I see that the best time to book is early December or take advantage of the Black Friday sales. I'm booked for January 2019, so I will be paid in full by Black Friday. How will that affect my rate? Will I still be able to get a reduced fare if available or once paid in full,am I done. Thanks. The graph depicted here is simply a comparison of rates over the year for the same cruise on different sailing dates. For example, an interior cabin for a cruise in early December is going to be cheaper compared to the identical cruise on the same ship if the sail date is over the Christmas holiday or New Years, regardless when you book it. In other words, when you sail versus when you book. I suppose my choice of words for the title wasn't ideal. CraftyCat05 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adriana Posted July 14, 2018 Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 1 hour ago, yaya luvs to cruz said: I see that the best time to book is early December or take advantage of the Black Friday sales. I'm booked for January 2019, so I will be paid in full by Black Friday. How will that affect my rate? Will I still be able to get a reduced fare if available or once paid in full,am I done. Thanks. When I recently spoke to an RC cruise planner and stayed I would reach diamond during my next cruise, he told me to call back after it and see about extra discounts. I said my final payment will be done already and he said a refund or credit would still be able to be done. I am assuming the same hold for a discount. At least worth a try to call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yaya luvs to cruz Posted July 14, 2018 Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 @Adriana @twangster Thank you. Adriana 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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