When is the best time to book a cruise?

This is a question I am asked on a regular basis by customers. If you had asked me 10 years ago I could have given a definitive answer, but over the last decade or so things have changed……and changed a lot! I remember the days back when I worked in a high street agency on the 2nd of January there would be a hoard of customers queueing round the block, brochures open at the ready. All the best deals used to be on in January – 15% off…25% off….50% off…..Buy one get one free! Sounded great, but usually we would find that the prices were inflated just to make the discounts look amazing.

The thing that got me thinking about this subject is the fantastic offer that Royal Caribbean have introduced for new bookings made from the 1st of August this year. They are offering an ‘all inclusive’ package which includes selected soft drinks, wines and beers PLUS gratuities.

Nobody can deny this is a brilliant offer and a great incentive to book a cruise during a time when traditionally the peak sales are slowly beginning to drop off until the next peak booking period. But what if you have already booked your cruise? Is there anything you can do to get the offer? In a nutshell….no! And for those people who did book before the offer began it leaves a somewhat bitter taste in the mouth.

The only way you are able to get the offer is to cancel your original booking, losing your deposit and re-book a new cruise. Is it really worth it??? For some people it HAS proved worth it as they tell me that they would get more from the drinks package & gratuities than the loss of their deposit. I have had some customers look in to this option only to see that their particular cruise has gone up in price so much (in some cases by £600 per person) that in fact they were better off booking when they did. I  also have some customers that looked in to cancelling, but then realised the best cabins on their cruise were all full.

I have to say I have taken calls from several customers unhappy that they can’t have this deal on their existing booking and I do understand that it’s extremely disappointing. I personally always have to book my holidays early and sometimes miss out on subsequent offers, so I really do know how it feels.

I have to say though that I often wonder….. if you bought a car for £10,000 and then the price went down to £9000 the following month, would you be speeding back to the dealership to demand £1000 back? Or if you bought a kitchen in June and then in August the kitchen company was giving away a dishwasher with the same kitchen would you be on the phone demanding they give one to you? It is exactly the same principle with the deals the cruise lines offer – you have to be in the right place at the right time.

So the answer to the question ‘When is the best time to book a cruise’?………I’m afraid I don’t have one. My advice is if you find a deal that you are happy with then book it and then invest your time planning to make the most of your trip instead of dwelling on what might have been. It’s pretty much pot luck. And I wish you all lots of it!