We recently wrote about Close-In Bookings: Too Late To Book For Spring? In that story, cruise companies told us that folks were booking closer to their departure dates than in years past.
While the norm was book a year or more in advance, the trend now is booking for departures less than a year in advance, with many booking their cruises only six months or less before their sailing dates. Why the change? We asked our readers in a survey that appeared in last week’s newsletter.
More than 70 percent of those surveyed preferred to book their river cruises not more than 12 months in advance. Some said they simply “don’t like to decide too far in advance.” One reader told us, “We wait for last-minute deals, unless there is an itinerary we are particularly interested in.”
Eric, last name withheld, wrote: “We travel a lot and usually have a major international trip in queue when we are booking the next one. Also, airlines (especially Delta from where we live, PDX) will not let you book more than 11 months in advance. All of this contributes to determining a total trip cost estimate. Then we decide if we want that large expense in the next 6-12 months. So, right now in January 2025, we have a Douro River cruise booked for late March 2025, which we booked back in September 2024. We did get the deal and the cabin that we wanted and the flights at a reasonable cost (just six months in advance). Also, we are looking at booking another trip for September-October 2025, so we are nine months or so in advance of that potential trip. This seems to work for us.”
One reader told us: “I just don’t know what I want to do a year in advance, and once I find a cruise I want to take, I am too anxious to wait a whole year!” We get that.
Another said that “health issues could crop up before the sailing date so we could end up loosing a lot of money.” A have a friend, age 90, who says he doesn’t by green bananas, joking that he doesn’t know if he’ll still be around when they ripen so why take the risk?
Of those who book a year or more in advance, one wrote to us: “[We have a] history of planning ahead and getting confirmations/price benefit surety. However, the advantage of booking well ahead, and a pricing advantage with it, seems to have gone. My perception is that new release sales, 9-15 months out, are overtaken by better offers much nearer the cruise departure time. If I book a year early with confirmations, I want a clear price advantage over promotions or last minute deals. Is that occurring?” Cruise companies, are you reading?
Others have no choice but to plan ahead: “I have to ask for time off from work, so I need to know well in advance when I will need time off. We also need to save money to pay for the trip.”
Another says he takes advantage of “early-booking discounts, getting the preferred dates and room.”
Our survey did not sample thousands of river cruisers, but from what we’re seeing and hearing from readers and cruise companies, the trend does seem to reflect a later-than-normal booking window.
4 Responses
We just like to plan ahead for vacation and especially with only 25 dollars deposit (minimal) with our preferred cruise line. Most important is the final payment date as long as that is remaining as usual, not requiring any earlier payment, that would work for us.
We still book over a year in advance most of the time. We buy insurance based on the deposit so we’re not putting that much out. AmaWaterways doesn’t require final payment until about 90 days prior to cruise. Christmas Market cruises on AMA were sold out for 2025 more than 1 year in advance. So we’re booked for 2026. The Gems cruise for late April, 2025 also sold out about 11 months in advance. We did get the date and cabin we wanted.
I can see where folks don’t like to “pre-plan” vacations, but at 84 that’s what my wife & I do. For instance, we booked the Snake River with All-American Cruise Lines last July for the cruise this coming June. Two days later that cruise was sold out. Plus, if one wants a certain stateroom (I get motion sickness on occasion and always want a balcony stateroom near the front of the ship), the longer one waits, the less choices are out there. We always get travel insurance (learned the hard way – COVID got me and we had to cancel a cruise and got burned – no refund!). The insurance is fairly cheep, and worth every penny. Just my two cents worth!
I find that booking an expensive trip causes me concern about in the event of having to cancel. I know we can purchase pricey cancellation insurance but this is another added cost to the vacation. Just curious, if I don’t purchase insurance and lose all my money, do they sell my spot to someone else? I don’t understand why they can’t provide me a full refund if they do sell it.