"How low can you go?" is the cruise price question for December, the slowest selling month every year.
11.26.12
December is a cheap
time to cruise
Looking out into 2013 I do not see a lot of bargain cruise prices, yet, but the early weeks of December are always notorious for slow cruise sales. Now I am seeing some deep discounts if you are ready to book within two weeks, but even if not, it is always interesting to see how low prices can go.
A lot of experienced cruisers know how fluid cruise pricing can be, that the price of any given cruise will change all the time based on what the market dictates. In fact, whenever I write articles like this I have to re-check the prices just before I go to print.
The science of "pricing power" is vastly important to cruise lines. For example, it is much harder but
Once you see a great reduction, you must book it then. No time to think about it as they disappear in a flash. I booked one in Dec. and the deal was gone in less than 2 hours.
Just saw another for January, but didn't book it even though the price was slashed. It would have been cruise and itinerary for the 4th time for me.
I jumped on the 1/20/13, Carnival Glory, cruise because the rate was low and there was an aft balcony available. We had just got back from Asia and my wife was saying she wanted more time to just lay in the sun. So I booked it. We have been to all of the ports and will probably stay on board in Grand Cayman but for the price it will give her what she wants.
Take care,
Mike
__________________ Cruisemates Community Leader/Moderator
"There is a great difference between being well traveled and just having been to many places." ~Me
We went to Florida to see our daughter off - she's in the Navy was leaving on her 6-month deployment to Okinawa. We got down there on Sunday, Dec 2nd, and decided the next day to go on a cruise leaving on Friday, Dec 7th. It was a 10-night cruise on the HAL Noordam and there were only 6 cabins available, but the price was ridiculously cheap and we got a great oceanview cabin for the same price as an inside cabin.
If you can afford to leave on the spur of the moment and don't have to worry about the high cost of last minute airfare, sometimes you can get some great deals. But at the same time, you can't plan on it happening - sometimes the do and sometimes they don't. So if you want a specific cabin on a particular cruise on a certain date, best advice is to book as early as possible as that could be the best rate and watch for any specials.
Pete
__________________ 45 Cruises & Counting! Favorites: Paul Gauguin to Tahiti: Uniworld River Cruises in Europe; any of the Celebrity Solstice-class ships; Holland America for 12-nights in the Baltics & Russia; RCCL for 14-night Greek Isles, Turkey, & Croatia; Holland America for 14-day Alaska cruisetour; 10-night Canada/New England cruise; 21 days in Hawaii including a 7-night NCL cruise; Oceania for 25 days in Asia; & 3 months touring Europe by train. And many days spent in all-inclusive resorts!
Once you see a terrific reduction, you need to book after that it. No time to take into account it since they disappear super fast. I scheduled one inside Dec. and the offer was gone in less than 3 a long time.
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