I just read a great article on Cruise Critic explaining why you should book your cruise a year in advance. It actually was a supportive article on what most Travel Advisors tell their clients. Book a year ahead for the best offers, availability and value. I agreed with most of what they had to say, so I am going to spin it off a bit and share what I consider to be, good and useful information.
Cruise Critic listed 9 reasons to plan ahead: Holiday Cruises, New Ship Cruises, Popular Cruise Ship Cruises, Short-Season Itinerary Cruises, Expedition Ship Cruises, Queen Mary 2 with your Dog,Luxury Ship Cruises, Themed Cruises, and Special Event Sailings. Below, I will offer my 2 cents worth of knowledge as to why I agree.
Holiday Cruises: Absolutely agree here, but regardless you will be paying a ‘Holiday Premium’ to cruise over Christmas and New Years. By planning ahead, you will get the best stateroom locations available, and have more time to pay it off. It is no surprise to anyone, okay a few people seem to be very surprised, that Christmas and New Years come on the same dates every year. It is easy to plan as far ahead as possible for these cruises.
New Ship Cruises: Yes, the thought of being one of the first sets of people to sleep in new beds or explore the new enhancements is very tempting. It is a big draw for some folks. But sometimes there are bugs or kinks that come with the first sailing or two, that might not happen down the road. BUT, to say you were the first one on is very alluring. I must admit I get to be one of the first on the U.S. inaugural sailing of Symphony of the Seas in November and I am tickled pink! Touche!
Popular Cruise Ship Cruises: These ships sell out fast. Like hot cakes! They are the most desirable ships due to limited suite, studio or family cabin availability. A common misconception is that most staterooms have 2 beds that can move together and a sofa/couch with a sleeper. Why can’t you put 4 passengers in everyone? The reason is the passenger count is governed by the lifeboat capacity if, God forbid, they need to evacuate the ship. That is why almost every stateroom is based on double occupancy. The cruise line is making sure there is enough space on the lifeboats if needed. As far as suites or studios, not all ships have them and they sell out quickly, so if you really want one, be flexible and plan as far ahead as possible.
Short-Season Itinerary Cruises: These are the Alaska, New England & Canada and Baltic cruises that have a season of 3 – 4 months out of the year. It is super important to plan a year in advance on these. With only a 4 month sailing window and hundreds of people wanting to sail the Inside Passage of Alaska, you have to jump on it as soon as they release itineraries. Which is happening sooner all the time. As a Travel Advisor, we used to be able to count on Alaska itineraries being released in September. Now the cruise lines are jumping ahead to late July or August releases. Bottom line, keep asking your Travel Advisor.
Expedition Ship Cruises: These ships have fewer than 30 cabins usually, and the destinations they sail to also limit the passenger count. And in some of the exotic places to go to like the Galapagos, Amazon River or Greenland, you have to plan around the season as well. You will benefit greatly by planning ahead here.
Queen Mary 2 With Your Dog: Yes, there is finally a cruise line that will let you take your pooch along. However, they will allow only 22 dogs onboard, so these sailings book up fast. How awesome would it be to take Fido across the Atlantic Ocean? QM2 even has kennels onboard for your dogs pleasure. I think it is pretty cool, and so do a lot of dog lovers. A minimum of a year ahead, more if you can plan it, would be ideal to secure your spots.
Luxury Ship Cruises: Just like their expedition cruise ship cousins, luxury ships are pretty small. Most have under 1,000 passengers, many hold less than 700. If you have limited flexibility and are set on a destination, you may experience a lot of frustration trying to get a cabin on a luxury ship. It is imperative on high demand itineraries that you plan as far ahead as possible. Some of these ships sell out within 3 weeks of going on sale. And some are booked sold up to 2 years in advance.
Themed Cruises: These are great ones to try to get on for fans of bands, racing or lifestyle cruises. When the company that books them opens up space, they are going to sell out quickly. And then you have to wait until next year. Or the year after. A lot of times, once you find out about them, it is too late, they are already sold out. If they are recurring sailings, like the KISS Cruise or the NASCAR Cruise, contact the promoter, get on the mailing list and call them as soon as the bookings open. Good luck!
Special Event Sailings: This is when you book on a cruise that is combining a popular event like the British Open or the Monaco Grand Prix. Since the events happen only once a year and most likely only 1 cruise ship is hosting the sailing, you must book well in advance. Not only will you be able to book your stateroom, the cruise line will be able to offer you excursions to or tickets for the event, that are not part of the cruise fare. Other special event cruises include Mardi Gras, Rio’s Carnival, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Cannes Film Festival, New York Fashion Week, the Australian Open and the Melbourne Cup. But you must book quickly!
I hope you see some of the reason we as Travel Advisors tell you to plan ahead. The bottom line is the further ahead you plan the better options you will have. Most likely you will get some nice incentive as an added bonus for booking ahead. And you have a longer period of time to pay the cruise off and budget for your vacation. I say that is a good thing!