How far in advance should you book your cruise?

This question has been asked a million times and to be honest, it depends on what you value for the trip.

If you have no flexibility and need a specific sailing, I highly suggest booking very early. At least 9 months out and preferably during a sale. Most cruise lines have bigger sales for Black Friday or over the winter (January through March). Cruise lines almost always look like they’re having a sale with a countdown clock running, but those sales just cycle through a handful of deals that pretty much get you to the same price at check out. Don’t rush to purchase because it says the sale ends at midnight, because a new sale will start at midnight. Focus on the big sales periods which are Black Friday sales and the winter sales. 

If you have flexibility, like if you can sail out of multiple ports, you likely have many options even if you have a set date range you need to fit into. First, check to see what your options are. If you have at least 2 sailings that you’d be interested in, start price watching before 120 days out. If these sailings are on multiple cruise lines it’s a bit more complicated than the same line, make sure you are using comparable rates. Not every cruise lines first page is including the same fees. Factor in drink package / internet package cost differences as well. At 120-90 days out, the final payment is required and cruise lines will start canceling reservations for people who didn’t make the payment. This is when they truly know how many cabins are unsold. Check the specific cruise lines for the final payment date, that is when prices may start dropping. Look at the cabin count in your category and watch to see if it’s dropping. If the count stays the same for a while, they will eventually drop the price. As long as there is still a bit of inventory left, I highly suggest holding out longer to see if the price drops. This is more likely to happen during offseason cruises (periods where schools are in session). The more flexibility you have with dates, the better deal you can get. If you can manage to hold out for a cruise that leaves in less than 60 days, you will most likely be able to get a great deal. But watch the cabin count just as closely as the price, because if it’s a popular cruise, the price will go up instead of down. 

If you have flexibility but are still reliant on the school calendar, it’s trickier because school break cruises are much more popular. Everything I said above is still applicable, but you need to be very careful about watching the cabin availability counts. These cruises are more likely to jump in price closer to sailing because of popularity. If you are flexible enough to cruise last minute (less than 60 days out), I highly suggest holding until you find a good deal because they do exist. Remember there are a ton of cruise options, so finding multiple cruises you’re interested in is a great way to score a deal.