The news recently broke about Norwegian Cruise Lines cancelling most of their sailings early into the New Year. This followed the decision from other cruise lines to do the same. I only mention Norwegian because that is who we have our next booking with for May 2021. About a week before that happened we received an email indicating that instead paying for our cruise 120 days in advance of sailing, as was the norm, we would pay in full a mere 60 days before our scheduled cruise. Further still, if we decided to cancel between the dates we pay and 15 days prior to sailing we would get a future cruise credit for the full amount. This was welcome news for a number of reasons, but mostly because I was not ready to make a decision in January. I am ever hopeful for spring of 2021.
That being said, cruise lines are working hard to attract folks back to cruising by offering itineraries well into 2023, sales on fares and add-ons and perks galore. My advice is to book now and book often. Even if you are not sure when you will feel secure enough to travel again there are numerous and proven benefits to booking your cruises well in advance.
A newly announced itinerary often has the best price. This is done to test the waters and attract a number of early bookings before demand increases the price. Some of the cruises I currently have on the books were cheaper when I first booked them then they are now, even on sale. For example the cruise we have scheduled for May was booked in December of 2019, pre-Covid, and we still have the lowest price.
Check back regularly once you have a cruise booked to make sure you continue to have the best price. Many lines have sales around the holidays, like Black Friday. Also watch for when there is a deal on the deposit, such as 2 for 1 or a reduced amount. These are great when booking really early because you do not have as much of your money tied up.
Review your cruise lines cancellation policy carefully before booking early. If the price of the cruise goes down and you want the lower price you may have to cancel and rebook. Generally speaking this is not an issue. One of the reasons I love Norwegian is they just redo my bookings at the lower price. For example, I booked an 18 day cruise for February 2023 back in July when it was first published. Since then the cruise has been on sale for a cheaper price twice and I have gotten the reduced fare both times, to the tune of over $1700 in savings. The same cruise is a much higher price now even though it is still over 2 years away.
When rebooking you may find the perks are not as good as the ones under your previous deal. Calculate the cost benefit analysis between the lower price and the actual cost of the services without the add-on offer. I also recommend including everything in the price when comparative shopping such as port fees and taxes and daily service charges as it ensures you are comparing the true costs. This is also beneficial if you want to cancel with one cruise line to book the same, or better, itinerary with another.
To get a true sense of the value of a price divide the cost by the number of port days, not just days aboard. Cruises that seem like a good deal may be mostly sea days. Although there are benefits to staying on the ship and relaxing, if you are traveling to see as many sites as you can then this formula is essential.
If you have flexibility around when you can travel booking in advance is an even better idea because you can change the dates to find the same cruise at a lower price. Early spring and later fall are usually much cheaper for the same itinerary in peak season.
Even after the final payment has been submitted don’t be afraid to call your cruise line when the price goes down again closer to your sail date. They will not refund but I have been able to secure a percentage of the price difference in an onboard credit, or even a stateroom upgrade.
I book online or by calling the cruise line directly and speaking to one of their agents. Doing this on my own gives me the control to make the changes I want and when I want. It may seem intimidating at first, it was for me too, but the more I am my own agent, the better service I get for my time and money. We still use a travel agent for booking flights.
Cruise lines want your business. Even though prices are not as low as they used to be despite the advertised sales I still recommend booking now. Follow the cruise you want to get those lower prices when and if they happen, or relish the fact that you had paid the lowest price available.