The best time to book a cruise is when you’ve already planned, chosen a cruise, and found a cruise fare that fits your budget and is a good value. But that doesn’t stop travelers from wondering if they could find a cheaper price if they waited to book tomorrow, next week, or next month.
I’d love to give you a magic day to circle in red on your calendar so you know for sure it’s the best time to book a cruise. The truth is, there’s no best day, but knowing a few things about how cruise lines price cabins and when they tend to run promotions will help you spot great deals. When you see a deal, you’ll know it’s the best time to book your next cruise vacation.
What is the best day to book a cruise?
Everyone wants to know the cheapest day to book travel — as if prices dropped steadily on Wednesday morning and rose again on Thursday when the sun came up. But that’s not the case.
It used to be lines like this Royal Caribbean And Carnival Cruise Line will offer mid-week sales on select cruises every Tuesday or Wednesday. These lines still occasionally offer flash sales, but they don’t always fall on the same day of the week.
During a particular cruise sales promotion, I have seen cabin prices fluctuate daily and I have seen them stay the same for a week. It all depends on how many cabins a cruise line has allocated to a particular class and whether or not those rooms sell out.
I can tell you that booking a cruise at the beginning of a sales period will be cheaper because there is the most supply. However, if the line sees that a certain stateroom class on a particular ship is not selling as expected, the line may reduce the price in the middle of the sales period.
The exception is any excursion that is anticipated and publicized, especially if it is a one-time or short trip, such as Great Lakes Cruise. The maiden voyage and inaugural season cruise of a Royal Caribbean ship or Disney Cruise Line Ships sell out like hotcakes on the first day of booking, and popular themed cruises book up quickly. Round-the-world cruises sell out in hours, even at $150,000 per couple.
If you have priority booking access to one of these cruises as a returning passenger or frequent flyer program member, take advantage and book your vacation the day the cruise goes on sale.
Related: The Best Credit Cards for Booking Cruises
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What is the best month to book a cruise?
If there isn’t a best day to book a cruise for the best price, you might think there is a best month. While you can find cheap cruises any month you search, I can give you some ideas about which months are more likely to have cruise discounts with value-added promotions.
The best months to book a cruise are January through March, when most cruise lines offer some kind of wave season promotionand from November to December, when Black Friday and Cyber Monday Promotions usually starts before Thanksgiving and ends several days or weeks later. You may be able to find a cheap cruise or a fare that is packaged with extras (like a free drink package, free kids fare, or reduced deposit).
Are you sure you’re getting the lowest fares and most freebies during these months? Of course not! Cruise lines sometimes raise prices before they go on sale, so those 30% or 50% off deals may not be as good as you think. Or, the cruise line may offer the best fares during a single sale at another time of year.
Whether the winter months are the best time to book a cruise depends on the cruise you want to book and how popular that cruise is that year. In a year when Alaska Cruise While they are very popular, January and February season promotions may not be very good because the lines don’t need to discount to fill cabins. But if Alaska cruise bookings are low, season promotions can be the best of the year because the cruise lines will pull out all the stops to fill their ships.
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What time of year is best to book a cruise?
I would say winter is the best time of year to book a cruise because it includes Thanksgiving weekend sales and wave season promotions. I can guarantee that your cruise line will offer some promotions during the winter, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best time to book.
If you want to book a single or family cabin on a Mediterranean Cruise In July, you may want to book much earlier than in January to get the most availability and the best prices. As I said before, great promotions and deals can happen all year round, including other holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.
How far in advance should I book my cruise?
All the talk about the best time to book a cruise begs the question of how far in advance you should book. The key to the answer is realizing that cruise lines adjust prices as cabins fill up (or don’t fill up) on any given ship and itinerary.
Cruise lines want you to book as early as possible. Not only do they get their cash sooner, in the form of your deposit, but they can rest easy when a ship sells out early, knowing they don’t have to work to get people to board and spend more money.
As a result, cruise lines often offer the best fares when booking opens to encourage travelers to book early. Cruises open for booking a year or more in advance. For example, starting in August 2024, I can book a cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line arriving spring or fall 2026, depending on the ship.
Related: 15 Ways New Cruisers Waste Money on Their First Cruise
Now, it’s possible that the itinerary I’m looking at won’t be popular, and the cruise line will drop the fare closer to the sailing date. Or, the itinerary will sell out, and the price will simply increase from the original price. I can’t know for sure, although I would guess that high-season sailings to popular destinations on a newer cruise ship are more likely to sell out quickly. Christmas and New Year Cruisehead suite and limited specialty cabins (like single and family cabins) also tend to sell out early.
If you ask me, the answer to the question “How far in advance should I book a cruise?” is as early as possible for the most popular cruises and cabin classes and at least nine months in advance for most trips.
Can I book a last minute cruise?
Yes, you can book a cruise at the last minute, but that doesn’t mean you should.
In the cruise industry, one last minute booking is considered any cruise purchased after the final payment is due, usually 60 to 90 days before departure. That means you pay the full price of the cruise at the time of booking rather than paying a deposit and paying the remainder at a later date.
Final payment day is a reckoning day for cruise sellers. It’s the last day that undecided travelers can cancel without penalty. When final payment is due, the cruise line has a more accurate picture of who’s likely to go on the cruise (because once you’ve paid, you’re likely to go, barring an emergency). At that point, the line can figure out whether the ship is comfortable (meaning it can hold prices steady or raise them because it’s not worried about filling the ship) or too empty (meaning it should run some promotions to get more people into the cabins).
If the latter is the case, it’s time to grab last-minute deals on cruise ships that don’t have sold-out cabins. But even if that last-minute cruise is cheap, booking last-minute flights or hotel reservations in advance of your cruise can eat into your savings.
For the truly procrastinating, the last day you can book a cruise before departure has changed over the years. Now, a cruise line can accept reservations just a few hours before departure, as long as there are still seats available and the ship’s passenger and crew lists have not been filed with the government.
In fact, most cruise lines will sell cabin availability the day before departure but limit or deny same-day bookings. Depending on the line, you may only be able to book a cruise within a day or two of departure directly with the cruise line’s reservations department.
It is advisable to book your cruise just a few days before departure for those staying close to the cruise port. You should also ensure that you have time to prepare all the necessary paperwork and make any travel arrangements.
How do I know I’m getting a good deal when I book?
Whenever you book a cruise, you’ll want to know whether the price you’re paying for your cruise vacation is cheap, average, or expensive. The best way to find out is to do your research.
Price tracking allows you to watch cruise fares rise and fall over time, so when they drop, you’ll recognize the price as a deal and be able to snap it up. This strategy works best if you plan to book early and aren’t too worried about the ship selling out immediately.
Don’t forget to keep an eye out for value-added promotions. For example, Norwegian Free at Sea Promotion currently includes six booking benefits (free drink package, shore excursion credit, special meals, Wi-Fi, extra guests and buy one get one free airfare).
If that sounds like too much math homework, I recommend you call travel agent. A knowledgeable cruise travel advisor can help you plan your trip and determine if current prices are good or if you should wait for a sale.
The last line
I’ll say it again: The best time to book a cruise is when you see a price and promotion that seems like a good deal to you. If you feel like you’re getting value for your money when you buy a cruise, go ahead and book that dream vacation. There’s no way to be sure that you’re buying when the cruise fare is the lowest possible price with the maximum number of included fares.
Sometimes you may be forced to choose between the cheapest possible fare and the one that offers the most value overall, considering the perks. Knowing when cruise lines are likely to run promotions can help you plan your strategy, but sales can happen at any time — and not all promotions offer the lowest fares.
Don’t try to outsmart the system, focus on planning the perfect cruise vacation that you and your loved ones will remember long after you’ve forgotten how much you paid for the trip.
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