So 2019 to 2020 cruises will be well on sale by this time next week and a question quite often asked is what is the benefit to booking so early?
We are all different and normally will be looking to get from our cruise memory and experiences something different to the next person.
If you want a particular cruise, cabin, dining time, maybe it’s a group celebrating an occasion then these are good reasons to book early.
Others want the best price possible and will wait for a late deal, this is great if there are loads of cabins left for a deal to be offered and you are happy to forfeit the benefits of booking early.
Here are those early booking benefits.
- Specific cabin – Late bookings are generally offers where the cabin is allocated a couple of weeks before sailing and you have no say on deck or position – if that isn’t for you then you may as well book early because specific cabin bookings dont vary that much. Also if you need an accessible cabin or a family cabin in the school holidays, it’s best to book early as these do sell out.
- Deposit and better flexibility, often cruise lines do low deposit offers and also offer greater flexibility to amend bookings should anything change in your circumstances. Late bookings are generally 100% payment and no amendments.
- Fly Cruise – bookings – although cruises can get cheaper, flights actually tend to get more expensive so again book early to guarantee flight prices and times.
- Ameneties – All sorts of offers on early bookings, free parking or coach, onboard credit or even drinks.
- Dining – some people are very picky about their dining time and often late offers dont afford you a choice.
- Suites – Very rare you see a late offer on a Suite.
Royal Caribbean’s offering for 2019 cruises, especially out of Southampton are really well priced but they haven’t offered any extras like drinks etc. However if you do book during this early booking period you are allowed to amend to a different promotion down the line, you won’t pay an amendment fee, just the increase in fare. So for example if they do offer free drinks down the line for an increased price, you have the option to keep your lower price or swap.
Quite often Royal Caribbean will offer the best prices early then start adding extras such as free drinks but little do those know who have not been checking prices quite often the price of a cruise with a free drinks package is alot more than the deal offered early doors. As the saying goes and quite often is true ‘nothing is free’.
All in all it’s really down to personal choice, if you are really flexible, dont mind which dinner sitting you have, not too fussed about position of cabin etc. then you are in a position to wait until the price is one you are happy to pay but if these things are important to, pop a deposit down and take the stress out of it.
Oh and the deposits start from £1pp.