Thread: How long can I wait?

Yes, I do completely agree with Pete there is no reason not to book early for all the reasons he stated. However, that is easier said than done when you are getting ready to move to a different state, which involves selling your house, and my mom is doing that right now. So it seems obvious I can't book my first cruise when I want to. That makes me worry about this: What are the chances the cabin I want is already taken and/or the price goes way up when a for sale sign is in my yard? It makes me wonder how much longer I can afford to put it off. True, May 2013 is a long way off, but the fact a cruise I am interested in is already for sale, or seems to be as I have seen the prices for it, is concerning.

If you wait until the rest of the itineraries are released by next spring .... you might find a cruise you like even better.

Your mom is moving to FL? .. heck why not consider Oasis or a more upscale Celebrity cruise that to me would beat Princess and cost you less and you can drive to it. I much prefer all the things to do on Oasis over the more sedate style of Princess. I found Princess to me felt dated, and wasnt a fit for me, though its nice... just not much to do onboard.

Is the only reason you choose this cruise, because it was released early and fits your dates? It just feels like you are rushing into this possibly to me.

No one can promise one particular cabin will not get booked up early or even give you odds. Its always a roll of the dice.

Obviously, no one can predict what the price will do as there are too many factors impacting on whether it'll go up, down, or stay the same. But luckily, the deposits aren't all that expensive and this will hold your cabin until final payment due date (around 60-70 days prior to sailing), so at least you can lock in a price that won't go up (unless of course they add the fuel supplement or taxes increase). And you can always get a refund if you decide to cancel prior to final payment due date. Just keep in mind that the longer you wait, the more chances you have of loosing the cabin you wanted and the possibility of a price increase.

As to what flowers said about the Oasis, we were on the Allure and while I agree it has more amenities than Princess, the food is definitely better on Princess. They also don't have quite as many amenities because the ships are considerably smaller, so they usually attract a more sedate crowd. Families are more attracted to the Oasis-class ships due to all the amenities, so you get more kids onboard during peak travel times. While we thought the Allure was amazing, the food in the main dining room left alot to be desired. However, the specialty restaurants are very good.

Holland America and Celebrity are a step above these two lines - both offer excellent food and service, but they attract an older crowd, so for the most part they are even more sedate than Princess. But hey, that's what we like so these two are our personal favorites because they fit our lifestyle and requirements.

It really depends on what you're looking for, so all I can offer is to do your homework, gather as much information you can, and book as early as possible. Read the reviews but don't listen to recommendations because everyone has an opinion. As I say, what one person loves another will hate. So just because someone else loved a particular cruise or cruise line doesn't necessarily mean you will and vice versa. Bottom line is it's important for you to find something that will meet your needs, budget, and lifestyle.

Pete

I agree with what Pete says, in that if you put up the deposit now, it would lock in the price and the cabin and give you a chance to look around. With Princess you can always cancel up until final payment, so you have nothing to lose by putting down a deposit. Iv done that myself to give myself time to think about it.

Pete, I wasnt trying to steer the OP anywhere except to look at all lines instead of jumping on one cruise, just because its available.

So many terrific cruises out of Florida they could drive to.

Read read read and get lots of opinions. And sure put down a deposit on this cruise if you like it. No reason not to put down a deposit.

Flowers, there are several reasons I would rather fly bto Los Angeles than drive to a port in Florida:

1. My family loves Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Seattle enough to want to go back to those cities. My mom has been to Los Angeles before and wants to go back there. We have no reason not to be interested in going to all four cities in one week.
2. Our vacation style is seeing museums, gardens, mansions, aquariums, etc. in cties; hiking and taking guided tours in national parks; and walking on beaches. We never travel to relax and do nothing or shop until we drop - you can do all that at home - or spend many hours at beaches. So for us, Caribbean cruises would be very boring.
3. I want to get away from kids and used to work at a nursing home so I prefer old people. Mom is in that category and will see three little kids all the time when she is not on vacation. So we want to sail on a ship that caters to older people and has few kids onboard.
4. The ports within driving distance have few ships and itineraries - we will be near PC, Jax, and Tampa. None of those itineraries are to places we want to visit or on ships I would love.

As you can see, Wine Country Coastal is a no-brainer and booking a cruise out of Florida for proximity reasons really makes no sense at all. Got any more questions?

As a native Angeleno, I can attest to May not being beach weather in Los Angeles. I would guess it's the same for Santa Barbara too. Unless you like overcast, cool weather and don't intend to go into the ocean.

Of course, people don't usually go to SF and Seattle for the beaches.

Originally Posted by cruisin' chick

As a native Angeleno, I can attest to May not being beach weather in Los Angeles. I would guess it's the same for Santa Barbara too. Unless you like overcast, cool weather and don't intend to go into the ocean.

Of course, people don't usually go to SF and Seattle for the beaches.

Are you serious? That totally contradicts everything I read in travel books about weather in southern California - and my own experience, a warm sunny day in February in San Diego.

San Francisco has many attractions and is near Muir Woods, so water temperature up there does not matter. Seattle is not on the coastline, so obviously it has no beaches. I know that because I was there after a couple days at Olympic National Park and saw maps.

I will do some research on Santa Barbara to figure out how good its beach is in May and see what else is there that I Have not been to yet.

There are always exceptions to the rule when you are looking at climate. But there are averages and the general rule of what the weather patterns are.

Some climate info:
The main drive of the Southern California weather machine is the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific's current runs from North to South along the coast and is called the Alaskan Current. The water temperature ranges from the low 70°'s in late Summer to the high 50°'s in Winter. It is L.A.'s air conditioner.

Since the wind prevails from West to East for most of the year, the southeasterly flow over it keeps the climate moderate all year long.

The closer you are to this powerful BTU machine, the more you benefit from cooler Summer days and warmer Winter nights than you would if you were further inland.

Few people along the coast need or even have air-conditioning. It can be very damp and chilly along the coast even in May and June.

In late Spring thru June a phenomenon occurs called the Marine Layer. It is caused by the desert air, 100 miles East, heating up and rising, pulling in cool air off the Alaskan Current.

The air mixes and condenses overnight causing ominous Nubian skies every morning. Sometimes the Marine Layer can be so thick that it may drizzle or mist, but rarely is there a significant runoff of water. We call this period June Gloom. The cloud layer which can range from a few hundred to several thousand feet thick burns off from the heat of the sun from the East to the West, sometimes leaving the beaches hazy all Summer long.

Check out these web sites for more weather averages for LA.

Average High Low Temperature For Each Day

Los Angeles Weather Forecast, Climate, When to Go: Weather in Los Angeles Area, California CA, USA

The city of Santa Barbara, California (CA) lies between San Francisco and Los Angeles and offers a pleasant year-round climate, making Santa Barbara a popular holiday destination.

Summer weather in Santa Barbara is warm and dry, but June may suffer with early morning fog along the coast, locally know as the 'June Gloom', which usually disappears by midday.

Visitors to Santa Barbara will find that the months of July, August and September are the hottest months of the year with temperatures averaging around 75°F / 24°C, although higher temperatures may occur.

I think people get a misconception about a place, especially when they're just familiar with seeing it in movies and tv shows. LA would be a desert climate if it wasn't right by the ocean. We can get the ocean breezes even up here (I'm probably about 15-20 miles from the beaches as the crow flies...there's a mountain range between the Valley and the coast, though). In fact, even this week we've been having overcast mornings due to the ocean influence, but once the skies clear -- it can get up to the 90s or higher here (we've had temps over 115 in the past few summers between August and October). By the coast, it would usually be much cooler, even in the summertime.

Anytime I read someone talking about going to the beach before July or after October, I feel obligated to say that this is not the Caribbean or Hawaii. It could be warm enough to try out the beach in June, but most likely, aside from an early in the season heat spell, the sky will be overcast until afternoon and the water too cold to dip in one's toesies. If you go up the coast (Ventura, Santa Barbara, etc.), it will probably be even cooler.

Another thing to mention is that our climate here has been tending to get more tropical in the summer than back in the 60s when I was a kid. I don't recall thunderstorms except maybe once in several years. We still don't usually get them here, but to the north (the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita Valley), it's more prevalent in the summer (I can often see the thunderclouds peeking out from the Santa Susana or the San Gabriel mountains).

Most of our rain still falls between October and March. I imagine anyone visiting here last December wasn't too thrilled about all the rain at that time. When we were boarding our cruise on Dec. 22, there had been rain for about seven days or more straight. But those of us who live here were welcoming the rain as we were coming off a major drought, and going through water rationing.