How Early Do you Book a Cruise?

[RooFlyer]

but that is the downside of booking too late, whats the downside of booking too early?

I assume holding cost of the money.

I'll say; I have maybe $15K in pre-payments out the door ATM and another $8K due before I'm next on board.

 

[p--and--t]

, I was sick to death of seeing the same people sitting in the same seats eating the same foods,

I know people cruise for different reasons, but I don't cruise to watch what other passengers do, where they sit what they eat or even meet other passengers.

I'm there for the ports and the balcony and a comfortable bed. Who is on board and what they eat it is irrelevant. I could go 14 days without speaking to another soul except the cabin steward. So 200 or 6000 passengers is irrelevant except the 6000 passenger ships don't go to many ports I want to go to.

My AMS-BUD was one of my best sailing experiences. Followed by sailing around the Galapagos (90pax)

We often forgo an included lunch if we have better things to do like sightseeing the place we paid mega to get there or eat local food

In more than 100 days of sailing only ever ate lunch on board while in port once. I'm ashore trying the local stuff.

 

[Pushka]

I know people cruise for different reasons, but I don't cruise to watch what other passengers do, where they sit what they eat or even meet other passengers.

I'm there for the ports and the balcony and a comfortable bed. Who is on board and what they eat it is irrelevant. I could go 14 days without speaking to another soul except the cabin steward. So 200 or 6000 passengers is irrelevant except the 6000 passenger ships don't go to many ports I want to go to.

My AMS-BUD was one of my best cruise experiences.



In more than 100 days of sailing only ever ate lunch on board while in port once. I'm ashore trying the local stuff.

You'd be surprised, maybe not, the number of people who have to get back to the ship to have lunch.

 

[p--and--t]

You'd be surprised, maybe not, the number of people who have to get back to the ship to have lunch.

On occasion I haven't had dinner on board; filled up ashore and not hungry on return. Let's face it the food on many ships leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Pushka]

On occasion I haven't had dinner on board; filled up ashore and not hungry on return. Let's face it the food on many ships leaves a lot to be desired.

On the next cruise there's an overnight stop. Many are vacating the ship for the night and staying in Kyoto. The port is Kobe and others are planning a Kobe beef dinner offshore.

 

[drron]

The downside of booking too early can be cancelled cruises. We had 6 separate voyages booked for 2025,26 back at the end of 2023. All have now been cancelled.

 

[RooFlyer]

You'd be surprised, maybe not, the number of people who have to get back to the ship to have lunch.

A friend of mine met friends of theirs when a cruise docked in Hobart. Showed them round the town. Suggested they repair to somewhere nice for lunch. Declined - friends wanted to go back to the ship 'because lunch is paid for'. Unbelievable.

 

[Quickstatus]

friends wanted to go back to the ship 'because lunch is paid for'. Unbelievable.

Friend runs a lodge in the Snowy Mountains. He had a bus group one time. After that he wont do bus groups again because they spent very little extra at the bar on top of the prepaid half board

 

[Quickstatus]

nce. It wasn't an unrealistic expectation

Sure, but it created a problem in trying to right a wrong - like toy described, by opening the door to unrealistic expectation claims.

 

[Pushka]

Sure, but it created a problem in trying to right a wrong - like toy described, by opening the door to unrealistic expectation claims.

Sure. Booking a heavily marketed visiting multiple christmas markets while cruising up the Rhine River (that is more expensive than other river cruises) should never lead one to expect they might see multiple Christmas markets while sailing up the Rhine.

Christmas on the Rhine - 2024 Itinerary - Amsterdam to Basel | Viking®

Immerse yourself in the spirit of Christmas as you journey through storybook villages. Sample tasty yuletide treats and regional delicacies as you browse colorful stalls for handcrafted ornaments and unique gifts. Admire the twinkling lights of Cologne and revel in the merry atmosphere of the...

www.vikingrivercruises.com.au

 

[Pushka]

A friend of mine met friends of theirs when a cruise docked in Hobart. Showed them round the town. Suggested they repair to somewhere nice for lunch. Declined - friends wanted to go back to the ship 'because lunch is paid for'. Unbelievable.

I can understand it when porting in a port where you just were wary about the freshness of the food. Hobart?