Best time to book cruise (Carnival)?

Question

I'm going on a cruise on May 18th as a honeymoon

Miami roundtrip

7 days on the Caribbean

Balcony Stateroom

right now I could get the cruise at $1700

Should I wait and get a last minute deal? or is this the deal I'm looking for? How far in advanced do the best prices generally show up?

I went to vegas right after new year, and 3 months in advanced I got a 4* hotel at $129 (which sounded like a good deal)... 10 days before the day of the trip it was at $89

So, I don't know how cruises work, what is the best time to get the best deal?

Answer 1

Taht seems a little steep.  Check out Smart Cruiser or last min deals.

Answer 2

I have been watching the prices of cruises for years, and I have found that you cannot predict the best time to book.  I've seen the prices of cruises go up just before sailing as well as down.

They try to anticipate demand and set the prices accordingly.

The best deal I ever got was at www.cruisecompete.com  try it and see what happens.

Answer 3

Today Carnival announced a special promotion for the month of March -- the "Funtennial" celebration.

Each week a new special will be in effect -- from onboard credits to cabin upgrades, plus anyone who books a cruise will be entered into drawings for free prizes.

If you're planning to book a Carnival cruise, wait until March and take advantage of this promotion -- you might even win the weekly grand prize of a free cruise in an owner's suite on the Imagination or Inspiration.

Cruise pricing is fairly difficult to predict -- if the cruise is selling well, the lowest pricing is when the cruise is first available for sale (about 1 year in advance).  If the cruise is not selling well, the initial  pricing will go down to fill the ship -- but once a certain number of booked cabins is reached, the price will go back up.

If you want a cabin in a specific area of the ship, it's best to book early to make sure the cabin is available.

Hope this helps and enjoy your cruise!

Answer 4

I'm a travel agent with YTB travel.  www.globetrottingspot.com

YTB won Carnival's Pinnacle award.

You might find some good deals on www.globetrottingspot.com

Answer 5

Too much. try www.amazingdiscountstravel.com

Answer 6

I have been on about 20 cruises with four different cruise lines, Princess, Norwegian, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.  I can tell you based on experience that you will always get the best price if you book very early and early means 9 to 12 months or more in advance. Almost all of the cruise lines offer early booking specials.   The closer you get to your cruise date the higher the price will be and you will not get a "last minute booking" discount if you wait longer.  If you are planning to cruise in May, you are in fact almost  within the window of 65 days before the cruise when final payments are due.

The price that you have quoted, $1700, is (in my opinion based on my experience) exceptionally high for a 7 day cruise these days.  I suggest a couple things.  First,  consider being flexible on your cruise date.   Either delay your cruise and go when there is a much better price, or consider going when there is a special. Many times identical cruise itineraries can very in price by hundreds depending upon the date.  Delay your honeymoon a few months and you WILL get a better price or a better cabin for the price you quoted.

The cruise lines have a link to whatever specials they are offering right on their home web pages.  Carnival and Royal Caribbean have the easiest web sites for finding specials. RC has a link to theirs highlighted in Red.

To illustrate what I mean, I located a "hot deal" on the Royal Caribbean site that will put you in a Junior Suite (with balcony) for only $1499 if you cruise to the Caribbean on November 24th out of Tampa, Fl.  A balcony cabin on that same cruise is only $1349.  

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis...

And here are some other options for Royal Caribbean:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis...

Even this 9 day cruise out of NY City on Princess May 26th is less than the cruise you have selected:

http://www.princess.com/pb/priceDetails....

And finally, take a look at the prices for this cruise on Celebrity Cruise line, a much better line than Carnival, if you delay until a later date:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/search/v...

You can see from this Celebrity itinerary how the price fluctuates by date for the exact same cruise.  And also almost all of the balcony/Veranda prices are less than you have selected.

Answer 7

As a travel agent the best time to book a cruise is a year ahead.  That will be the least expensive rate you can get.  You will also get your pick of staterooms.  If you have a good travel agent, like me, at the time of final payment he could ask the cruise line if there are any specials going on then.  

and if there is a special that is less expensive than your price he should give you a refund of the difference.

Travel agents do get faxes each day on what cruise line has a sale, so they are your best bet for good prices and great service.

Have a wonderful Honeymoon!!

Answer 8

All of your main travel websites (expedia, orbitz, etc) all have last minute cruise deals. My family in particular likes the website http://www.vacationstogo.com. We check it often and through there were able to find a great deal on a 5 day out of Tampa for more than 1/2 off. $1700 for 7 days is very high for Carnival. Celebrity I could see it, but Carnival, you should always aim for about $100 a day. Balcony will be slightly higher.

Answer 9

Try to talk to travel agent! Cruise Lines normally send faxes with tons of promotion news to all of its retail agencies. And/or make friend with any agencies then ask them to keep their eyes on deals for you.

Answer 10

$850 per person is a pretty good deal for a balcony room in May. It is unlikely you get a significantly better deal and there is always the possibility they will fill up. You don't indicate where you are coming from but if you need to fly in there are other considerations such as airfare, airport transfers and port charges. You might find that if you leave from port Canaveral that the airfare into Orlando is cheaper than Miami and thus you can spend more for the cruise. Port charges out of Miami are also higher than most other ports. Since this is obviously your first go around it might be a good idea to talk with a travel agent or a Personal Vacation Planner at Carnival. Agents make their money from the cruise line and not from you, but be sure you pick an agent well versed in cruising. Good luck and have a great honeymoon...and don't spend all your time in the room.

Answer 11

I see your concern. May is a good time to cruise. With Carnival u will get a good price because that is just before summer and it is not that busy as yet.

With Carnival there are some ships from Miami that cost more than others. The lowest price ship from Miami for 7 days is usually the Carnival Triumph doing an Eastern Caribbean itinerary. Sometimes Western Caribbean can be more expensive.  The Carnival Valor (from miami) is abit more in price. You also look at the Carnival Liberty from fort lauderdale, if you book early and is flexible with dates u could get a good deal.

I advise you to book as early as possible. With cruises, prices go up when cabin quantity goes down.

Answer 12

If you mean 1700 per person that is waaaay to high especially for Carnival.   For that price you can easily get Celebrity which is an overall better cruise, ie. food, entertainment, service, etc.  

If it is 850 p/p that is ok for a balcony.   If you have to go on a specific date (and that is quite apparent) I would not risk getting a better deal and then not getting a room at all.  

Now don't get me wrong; I like Carnival very well.   You get a great value for the dollar.  But there are better options depending on your budget.  

Book it now, don't wait.  But make sure you check with reliable on-line companies like www.crucon.com where you can find great deals most of the time.  

Congratulations and have a great cruise!