Thread: Cunard - book early or late deal

We are thinking of cruising on Cunard in November 2011 would it make more sense to book now or wait for a last minute deal. We have no preference as to where on the ship we would be in fact we go for a guarantee cabin rather than a selection anyway.

What would you recommend, I am Scottish so every pound is a prisoner in our house

J and A

I booked on a transatlantic Cunard trip once ( had to cancel so I never took the trip). It was a time limited special offer e-mailing since I was on their mailing list. It was maybe 6 months before the cruise. It looked good about 30% lower than their normal price. As I kept monitoring the price ,it went back to the normal price and never fell again, so in that case it would have been a mistake to wait till the last minute.

It's hard to say to someone "across the pond" book now because here in North America we have the option to cancel the booking before final payment is due with no penalty. Meaning our deposit is returned. But in Britain the rules are different and you lose your deposit.
I guess my comment would be are you absolutely sure you can take the trip? Because that would dictate whether you should book early.
If you're flexible as to cabin locations, etc. then you would probably be happy booking last minute.
I tend to book in advance since I like a certain range of cabins and I don't have to worry about the cancellation penalty.
Hopefully Lanky Lad can weigh in on this since he lives on your side of the pond and has Cunard experience.
Linda

Originally Posted by JUSTAND

We are thinking of cruising on Cunard in November 2011 would it make more sense to book now or wait for a last minute deal. We have no preference as to where on the ship we would be in fact we go for a guarantee cabin rather than a selection anyway.

What would you recommend, I am Scottish so every pound is a prisoner in our house

J and A

Hi, it's one of those questions that's hard to answer. I usually book early and most of the time it pays off.

I think the general rule is if you want a particular cruise, book early and take the chance the price might drop. You might get a great deal if you wait to the last minute, but then again you might not. If the price does drop you can hope for an upgrade.

Can't you book through a US travel agent ?

Tony

P&O we are not allowed to book in the States, and I'm sure Cunard would fall in that category Both line mainly sail from the UK..

Originally Posted by Norman

Tony

P&O we are not allowed to book in the States, and I'm sure Cunard would fall in that category Both line mainly sail from the UK..

too bad

BTW I started posting my cruise report. I will check your entry for each day to see if I can tie it in somehow, with the weather at least

Is a US agent cheaper, Scottish you know cant help it

Andrina

Andrina, a lot of times a US agent is cheaper and will also add some perks such as onboard credit, paid gratuities, wine, etc.

Also, in the US folks can cancel without penalty right up to the time of final payment. From what I understand, folks in the UK cannot do that.

Andrina as someone just up the road from you, well just over an hour or so in Warwickshire, we find its US prices to be three times cheaper than the UK. Prices you pay in US you still have a tax added unlike UK where its all included but its still a lot cheaper.

We got $150 on board credit on our last cruise also.