When can we expect the cruise lines to start posting their summer cruise schedules for next year? Trying to compare what is out there for next June. Thanks for your help in advance.

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Carnival has had theirs out there for quite some time - they like to do them about 18 months in advance.

Royal Caribbean and Princess usually put theirs out there about 12-14 months in advance. So they are just now being posted - I'm seeing several of them ready for booking.

You should see pretty much all of them out within the next month.

Pete

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Thanks Pete for all of your help. We are narrowing down our time frame for the trip. It is really hard trying to make sure everyone can make it at the same time. Then we have some who don't want to travel in the middle of the summer because of the heat. Phew! Exausting!
I saw what you meant about leaving out of Baltimore and Norfolk. Why is it so much more expensive?
In your experience what is the cheapest time to cruise? Best deals and such?

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A few years ago there were 5 ships leaving out of Baltimore; Celebrity Galaxy (which went out on a regular basis for years), the Carnival Miracle (which went out in the Spring and Fall one year and sold out every cruise more than 6 months in advance), the Holland America Rotterdam (which went out twice and sold out both times - this was one of our favorite cruises of all times), Norwegian Crown (which wasn't one of my favorites), and the Grandeur of the Seas (which also wasn't one of my favorites).

We were on the Galaxy twice, the Grandeur twice, the Miracle once, the Crown once, and the Rotterdam once.

Pricing at the time was a little higher than New York and Florida, but not too bad. They did, however, sell out on a regular basis. And then things changed. Everyone pulled out except the Grandeur. Don't ask me why, as I could not get a straight answer from any of our DSM's (District Sales Managers).

So, the question remains; why would they pull out of a market that sells out on a regular basis?

I think that part of the reason, and this is strictly my own opinion, is that first, the pier they used in Baltimore was really not equipped to handle cruise ships. The governor wanted to make improvements to encourage more ships to come into port, but never got what he wanted. They did change to another pier, but it's still not very good.

Norfolk, on the other hand, just opened their brand new multi-million dollar cruise ship terminal and it's beautiful. Holland, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean will be using this on a regular basis.

The second reason I believe is due to the extra amount of time it takes to transit the Chesapeake Bay. Norfolk is right on the ocean, whereas it takes 8 hours to get up the bay to Baltimore. It takes alot less fuel to leave from Norfolk instead of Baltimore.

Again, these are just my personal opinions, because I can't get anyone to give me more appropriate reasons.

As for prices, again I think this is due to supply and demand as well as extra fuel costs. There is very little supply in Baltimore and a big demand, so they are taking advantage of the market and getting a premium rate. And because it takes an extra 8 hours to transit the bay, they have to pour on the gas to get to ports that aren't as far away as Nofolk.

I've actually booked a family on a cruise out of Ft Lauderdale for 7 nights with airfare for less than it was going to cost them to take the Grandeur out of Baltimore for 5-nights with no airfare. Gee, which would you rather do?

As for when you get the best pricing, I posted a chart on another post that someone made up to show how pricing changed during the year. The best prices are usually in September - school is back in session and families aren't traveling. Plus, it's right in the middle of hurricane season. But that's when we like to travel as we get the best deals. We just make sure we take out the travel insurance and we've never had any problems.

Other times to get good deals are before and after holidays - everyone wants to travel during the holidays when schools are out, but not alot of people travel before or after. January is another good time to cruise.

Just stay away from any time when schools are out, with the highest prices being found (in order); Christmas/New Years, Spring Break, Thanksgiving, and Summer.

If you have to travel during the Summer, the later the better. Prices go up the 2nd week in June and stay there until the beginning of August. The last 2 weeks in August are much better.

And one last thought - book as soon as possible. The prices could go up and your price would be protected against increase. If they do go down, then your agent will be able to get the decreases for you. Plus, when you book early, you get your choice of the best cabins. Alot of people want to wait until specials are offered. But what if a special is never offered? Or if you get the special a couple of months before the sailing, what about airfare prices? Those almost always go up and the longer you wait, the higher they get. And if you're lucky enough to get a special, the cabin availability will be slim pickings.

And of course always book through an agent. They can be an invaluable resource. Their services are free and they will help you with any problems you might encounter.

Didn't mean for that to be such a long answer to your questions, but I hope this helps.

Pete

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Great answer Pete thanks! I never thought about fuel costs out of Baltimore and Norfolk. The ships likely have to travel faster to get to their destinations.My inlaws anniversary is over Memorial Day but I don't think they are opposed to going at a different time. I don't mind yanking my youngsters out of school but not so sure about some of the teenagers missing school. I also noticed that airfare from either Miami or Puerto Rico was pretty reasonable from Richmond. That might be an option as well. Have you ever had to cancel a trip due to a hurricane or other problems? How are the temps in the carribean in late August or September?

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We've been to the Caribbean at all times of the year and although the temperature does vary by a few degrees, it's acceptable any time during the year. I once went swimming in the sea in Cozumel during half-time of the super bowl game in January. It's always very warm and humid, with Summer only slightly more so. Rainy season is usually in the Spring.

As for flying into Miami, check out flights to Ft. Lauderdale as well. Often it's much cheaper to fly into Ft. Lauderdale and take a taxi to Miami - they're only 32 miles apart and we've shared taxis so that it only cost us $15 per person one-way. They also have shuttles available. Although sometimes the fares are fairly close, I've often seen fares as much as $100 cheaper to Ft Lauderdale than to Miami. And if you're in Richmond, you might check fares from Washington National and Dulles. I know it's an 1-1/2 drive, but sometimes the fares can be significantly different, while other times it's not worth the hassle. We had a big group from Richmond and chartered a bus to National - the rates for that time of year were well worth the bus ride.

As for hurricanes, cruise lines very rarely ever cancel a cruise entirely, unless they are of the shorter variety (3, 4, or 5-night cruises). They may alter the itinerary, and shorten or lengthen the cruise, but hurricanes are relatively short-lived, so it usually only affects an area for a couple of days. There are exceptions, such as when Rita went through Cozumel and destroyed the piers. Several ships cancelled Cozumel as a port of call, while others still went there and used tenders.

We've traveled in September many times and have only been affected a couple of times. 1-1/2 years ago we went out on the Caribbean Princess with a group of 9 of us. It was the 'party' cruise as my daughter was leaving for Navy bootcamp 2 days after we got back. We were scheduled to do an Eastern Caribbean itinerary, but because of a hurricane, the captain decided to do the Western Caribbean instead. No big deal. We just cancelled some of our plans and made new ones. Still had a wonderful time. (We also ran up a bar bill of $3600 on the ship!!)

But you have to be flexible and maintain an upbeat attitude - you can't control Mother Nature.

We once had a client who was scheduled to do a 5-night cruise out of Baltimore to Bermuda. Because of a hurricane going through Bermuda, the ship was diverted to Canada instead. Needless to say, there were alot of unhappy people on the ship, but my client said they had a wonderful time. So it often depends on your ability to handle unexpected changes and go with the flow.

Pete

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