Why are so many of you missing the boat?

It takes a lot to render me speechless but at this time of year I am well and truly rendered speechless several times a day. We are now well and truly into the school holidays and into August too now so really you would think that anyone looking to go on a cruise during August would have booked already. Not so!

Now, last minute booking has always supposedly been the way to get a good deal, although with the cruise lines holding their nerve this year and not dropping prices the bargains have been more difficult to come by and people who have traditionally booked a last minute deal have been disappointed to find prices not as keen as they were last year. That’s not to say that there haven’t been any deals at all this year, just more thin on the ground.

Last minute booking is fine if you are just a couple, you are flexible about your ports of call, location of cabin and dining time. The key word being ‘flexible’. We can always find you something, but if you have very specific requirements then you could well be disappointed. The cruise lines don’t work around you, you will have to fit in with them even if it does mean tweaking what you had in mind.

More and more now the cruise lines are offering better deals on cruises further into the future in order to fill up the cabins in advance so it might be worth your while looking at 2018 and 2019 now. For example, Royal Caribbean are currently offering a massive 30% reduction in price on their 2018 cruises along with free wifi. Even the January sales aren’t going to better that! We currently have exclusive pricing on MSC Magnifica who is sailing out of Southampton all next Summer. People are booking these thick and fast so people who have decided to wait for ‘a better offer’ are going to be disappointed as there aren’t going to be any cabins left let alone at a lower price.

What really stuns me are inquires for family cabins for cruises departing in the next month – really? There really isn’t anything we can offer you at this late stage, not only are the family cabins full, and have been for some long while, the ships will only take a certain number of children in each age group. My advice? Start planning for next year instead, especially as the offers are currently so good. You might be pleasantly surprised by the prices.

To avoid disappointment, don’t be a last minute Lucy folks, forward planning is the way ahead! Be like Dave in the photo above – he wasn’t a last minute Lucy and look how much he enjoyed the hot tub!

Happy Cruising Folks!