Book Now or Book Later?

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Let's assume that the concept of failing to plan a cruise vacation is out of the question entirely.

Of course, you want to go on a cruise!

With the new trend toward non-refundable or at least partially non-refundable deposits, crazy world events, and the inevitable concerns about either missing a great deal or seeing a great deal after you book, you might feel a bit of angst about putting down a deposit.

Waiting to book might result in you not getting the ship and sail date you want, or perhaps missing the perfect room.

And what about air?  If you don't lock down a cruise, then you can't book your air, and then you have to deal with that additional concern of finding a good itinerary and price combination later.

Just remember, you don't need to make this decision in isolation.

I talk to people almost every day about vacations, and I have helped them make the correct choices for their circumstances.

I watched a new George Clooney movie yesterday, Ticket to Paradise, in which the Balinese wedding ceremony required that "it must be the right place.  It must be the right time.  It must be the right circumstance."

That applies to booking vacations, too.

What can help ease your mind to the prospects of booking early?  As a general rule, if a better promotion becomes available up until the final payment due date, I can usually switch your reservation over to that promotion for most mainstream cruise lines.

On some mainstream cruise lines like Princess, Celebrity, Holland America and Royal Caribbean, you can choose "flexible air," which allows you to cancel or change your air until final payment is due on your trip and often until 46 days before travel is scheduled to begin.

So, even a non-refundable deposit isn't as damning as it may seem, unless you legitimately have concerns about whether you will go on the cruise when the time comes, in which case you should ask yourself why you don't simply book a refundable deposit?

The answer to that is that refundable deposits often result in the cruise costing a bit more, and in some cases, quite a bit more.

Another way to ease your mind is to buy travel insurance, which always seems to be a good idea these days.

Booking early allows you to choose the exact cruise you want, and the earlier you book, the better the selection will be.

There is only one reason to wait to book, which is if you want to book at a few weeks before the cruise embarks, whether because you didn't realize you had the time and money to go or because you intentionally want to book at the last minute in hopes of saving money.

There are sometimes lower prices within the last 6 weeks before a cruise embarks, but that is usually because the room selection is sparse, or air availability is poor.

The bigger risk of waiting for a last-minute deal to book is that life will often make other plans that will create conflicts on your calendar.

Over the years, I have had many people tell me they will book a last-minute deal.  Most of those folks never pull the trigger for one, often because it turns out to not be the right circumstance or the right time, even when I contact them with the exact deal for the exact place that they said they wanted.

So, when is the right time to book?

I would say that if you know when you definitely want to go (not just a stated "maybe" that is really a "not likely" to impress your friends going on the same trip), book early and either lock in the best room or get a less expensive "guarantee" where the cruise line assigns your stateroom later. 

That's basically a strategy of pick a room or pick a price.  Just keep in mind that with a guarantee, if you are particular about a specific room location, such as not by an elevator or by an elevator, mid-ship or aft, high or low, then you lose control over that choice when you book a guarantee.

You also may lose amenities, such as with Norwegian Cruise Lines, which sometimes advertises "free at sea" amenities in conjunction with "lead rates" that are actually guarantees that by default do not include those amenities.

I can help you sort through the choices to find the right one for you personally, keeping in mind that the final choice is always yours.