Reasons to book your cruise early

When it comes to booking holidays, it seems there are two kinds of people. Those who love to plan ahead and those who love to wait out until the very last minute. When you’re booking flights or hotel accommodations, these can often jump down in price as demand to fill seats and rooms increases the nearer the dates loom. However, with cruising, it’s quite the opposite.

Booking your cruise early entitles you to a range of benefits that you simply wouldn’t get if you waited until the last second.

1. You get the cheapest prices

When new itineraries are released, it’s likely that they are showing the lowest prices for that sailing. These low introductory fares mean you can bag a great saving to spend on shore excursions or speciality dining.

2. You get the top pick of staterooms

Booking far ahead also gives you the best choice of staterooms and their locations. This is particularly important if you’re wanting to book a specific cabin or location, as the closer it gets to the sailing date the less choice there is.

3. You beat the demand for school holidays

For those wanting to get away with the kids during the school holidays, it’s common knowledge you need to book in advance to secure top choice. As school holidays are limited to specific weeks in the year, these are in huge demand for family getaways. Planning way in advance can help secure your family cruise ahead of the demand before prices rise and choice of dates and destinations are low.

4. You spread the cost for longer

If you’re booking your cruise as soon as possible, there’s much more time for you to pay off the full fare, spreading the cost for longer. Cruise118.com’s low deposits and 0% monthly instalments mean that not only can you secure your booking for less, but also pay monthly instalments on your fare at 0% interest, so you don’t have to fork out the full fare upfront as soon as you book your cruise.

5. You have something to look forward to

Booking well in advance also means you have plenty of time to get excited about it. Booking with a mere month or two to go doesn’t build much anticipation or time to update your holiday wardrobe! With more time to wait until your sailing, it also offers more time to research what you want to see and do in each port, as well as what you want to do on-board. And everyone loves having something to look forward to, right?

6. You get the first choice of shore excursions

If your plans involve a number of shore excursions or trips during your time in port, these are ideal to book early too. Wait until the last minute and you could risk missing out entirely. Shore excursions through most cruise lines can typically be booked pre-cruise, so you can plan out your day-to-day itineraries before you even step on-board!

7. You get exclusive perks

Booking early also comes with its own perks from the cruise lines themselves. Many offer discounts and incentives for early bookers such as free excursions, on-board spend, reduced flights or even hotel stays. It definitely pays to be organised!

8. You visit unique destinations

Destinations such as Alaska, Canada and New England, or regions of Asia aren’t visited year round and instead, offer prime months to visit for the weather and wildlife, amongst other things. Where destinations such as the Caribbean and the Mediterranean are pretty much year-round cruise regions, others are only visited for a few months of the year. If you’re keen to set sail to these lesser-visited regions, it’s always best to book early to ensure you get a place.

If you’re considering a cruise for next year or even the year after, don’t hesitate to take a look at our latest sailings for 2020 and 2021 to see what’s on offer and where you can sail.

Click the buttons below to see our deals for 2020 and 2021, and get in touch with us for more details on booking early and planning the perfect cruise.

You can get in touch with us either via live chat, email or by giving us a call on 0808 1234 118. No matter which, you can speak with our Cruise Concierge team who are experts in cruises and can provide award-winning expertise on your itinerary of choice.