Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Advantages of Booking Early

It's astounding how the cruise business has changed within the last 2 1/2 years. Just a short time ago before the economy went into the tank, people booked their cruises six months to a year out. Now, a lot of people are waiting until the last minute to book. Some of this is because of the uncertain economic times; after all, many people don't know whether they will still be employed a year from now or what will happen to their portfolios. But let's face it, the cruise lines are encouraging people to book late because the cruise deals just keep coming. Everytime I open my email I get besieged with offers about the "cruise deal of the century."


Regardless of all the deals, here are three good reasons why you should book early:

1. The most desirable staterooms are usually booked early. If you really want a balcony stateroom located mid-ship on a deck that doesn't have public areas directly above or below it, you won't find it at the last minute. At the last minute, you're more likely to find interior staterooms or staterooms that aren't particularly well-located -- i.e. above the lounge, under the pool where you can hear the deck chairs being moved early in the morning or near the elevators.

2. Be sure to book early if you're planning to put three or four people in a stateroom because not many of the staterooms accommodate more than two people. These staterooms book quickly, especially for cruises in the summer and during the holidays.

3. If you're planning to cruise with family and friends, you should book early if you would like your staterooms to be located next to or near one another. It's a lot of fun to book balcony staterooms and suites that are next to one another because on many ships you can open up the balconies between staterooms and have a good time. If you wait too long, your staterooms could be all over the ship.

If cruise fares go down between the time you book and the time you make final payment, fares can be adjusted.

2 comments:

  1. Nice of you to explain that waiting until the last minute may be a crapshoot for savings, but it can also lead to much more limited choices. I wasn't aware of this -- so appreciate the practical advice.

    Thanks,
    Clay

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for giving us information on what
    are the advantages of booking cruise
    early. I didnt knew most of the things.
    last minute cruise deals

    ReplyDelete