# Best Time to Book Mediterraean Cruises



## Jwerking (May 3, 2009)

My daughter is getting married in late Aug 2010 and decided she wants to go on an Eastern Mediterrean Cruise - probably about 10 days so she has time to do a few days in Rome, Venice, or Athens - depending on ports.  She wants a balcony unit.

We have never ever cruised before -so don't have any clue about the whole process.  I have perused the threads here and note that it is not always a great value to trade a week for the cruise thru RCI unless it is a very low value studio unit.  Also, have done some internet searches and talked to an RCI Cruise rep. 

Anyway, when is the best time to book for maximum savings and availability?  Does it matter if we use RCI or a travel agent in person locally?  Don't know if we would feel comfortable using a site such as Cruisecompete  - since we don't now what we are doing or even using an online website.  Was on SmartCruiser today and it seems to have a good website - but will not let you pick a cabin - will be assigned upon arrival it said.  Is this standard - since it is their honeymoon, it would be nice to PICK a cabin in advance so you are not located under the dining room and hear all the chairs being moving around, etc. 

Any advice would me most appreciated. 

JOyce


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## MULTIZ321 (May 3, 2009)

Joyce,

www.cruisecritic.com is to cruising what Tug is to Timeshares.  A lot of good info on that site to help with your decisions.

Did you see the "Booking Cruises" Sticky at the Top to the Tug Travel Section?


Richard


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## Passepartout (May 3, 2009)

We've taken a few cruises. We generally book through www.vacationstogo.com their rates seem good. We've always been able to choose a cabin class, but not always the exact cabin. Usually they will guarantee a couple cabin class upgrade if you'll let the cruise line assign it. On most large ships, the kitchen is below the dining room, so you won't be under it, especially in a balcony cabin.

We particularly enjoyed a Costa (mid price European line) Venice to Istanbul with many ports including those you mention, except Rome, which usually isn't on E. Med. cruises. 

September/October is beautiful in E. Mediterranean. not too hot, school is going, so crowds are smaller and lower prices.  

I just did a quick search, and came across this at vacation to go (see above) then enter 11252 in the 'lookup' window. A little off the beaten path. We've been to all these ports and I think it's a good combination of history, geography and interesting cultures.

Sounds like a wonderful Honeymoon to me.- When you book with the cruiseline, that's usually good for an upgrade and a bottle of champagne too. Just ask.

Jim Ricks


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## LynnW (May 3, 2009)

I have already booked our Mediterranean Cruise for Sept 2010 on princess through kimskruises.com She had the best price of all the online TA's that are recommended here on Tug. Last time I used buycruises.com.

Lynn


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## Linda74 (May 4, 2009)

I have done two cruises through Cruise Compete and was able to pick my cabins....
If you book with the cruiseline directly, (RCCL or Princess) and the price goes down, they will refund your money......
August will be very hot in the Mediterranean....late Sept. would be better.....


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## lvhmbh (May 4, 2009)

I absolutely second cruisecritic.com and check out www.cruisedeckplans.com so you can actually see what the cabin will look like and the size, etc.  Be aware that some of the sizes on the cruise lines  website will be "approximate" and some will fudge by putting the balcony down in the square footage.  I used to be a cruise travel agent (in a small way) and I have researched alot!!! 
You can read the expert reviews of the different cruise lines and the readers reviews of the ships in that line.  I would do that to make sure that the cruise line and ship are a fit for the couple.  Linda


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## btcctomtb (May 4, 2009)

For August 2010 cruises in all of Europe There are 29 options 10-14 days 63 options 7 days or longer right now. It is to early for promotions on these cruises although early prices are usually very good and do always seem to go up. I also recommend that you check out cruisecritic.com. 

A few things important to first time Eastern Med. Cruisers Barcelona and Venice are the easiest ports to get to and from, Rome/Civitavecchia is an additional $185 For round trip transfers per person.

If you end up booking a cruise that is not round trip example Venice to Barcelona be sure to book air as 2 one way tickets.

As someone mentioned above their is a benefit of booking direct with cruise lines or a good travel agent rather than booking from a website if the prices do drop they will honor the new rates up until 60-75 days prior to cruising. 

As far as an T/S exchange for a cruise does not usually get you any better of a deal than you can get anywhere else.


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## Jwerking (May 7, 2009)

Linda74 said:


> I have done two cruises through Cruise Compete and was able to pick my cabins....
> If you book with the cruiseline directly, (RCCL or Princess) and the price goes down, they will refund your money......
> August will be very hot in the Mediterranean....late Sept. would be better.....



LOL - I told my daughter that exact same thing - but it fell on deaf ears.  They are getting married in Milwaukee - hopefully by Lake Michigan if the weather cooperates.  Thus, it is pretty much only guaranteed to be warm there thru mid-Sept - so they picked Aug 29th 2010.


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## Jwerking (May 7, 2009)

btcctomtb said:


> For August 2010 cruises in all of Europe There are 29 options 10-14 days 63 options 7 days or longer right now. It is to early for promotions on these cruises although early prices are usually very good and do always seem to go up. I also recommend that you check out cruisecritic.com.
> 
> A few things important to first time Eastern Med. Cruisers Barcelona and Venice are the easiest ports to get to and from, Rome/Civitavecchia is an additional $185 For round trip transfers per person.
> 
> ...




Thank you all for the great advice and suggestions esp booking with a travel agent or the cruise line directly to get a better rate if prices fall.  I assume we have to watch the prices and notify them when this occurs - is that correct? 

Great money saving tip about Venice and Barcelona also versus Rome at departure port.  Since the entire family spent an week in Barcelona last summer, they will pick Venice.  Wow, we loved Barcelona - what an awesome city!  

Joyce


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## LynnW (May 7, 2009)

I'm happy to hear the cruise we picked was the right one! We are cruising from Barcelona to Venice. Hope to spend a little time in both locations before and after the cruise. I joined cruisecritic before our Panama Canal cruise in Nov and have learned a lot.

Lynn


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## dougp26364 (May 7, 2009)

The best time to book is now. Why now? Because one of the great things about cruise lines has been, if the price drops, all you need to do is call the cruise line and ask for your rate to be adjusted and they'll give you the new lower rate. However, if you wait and the price goes up, we'll, you'll have to pay the higher price. 

We always book the cruise and itenerary we want as soon as we know what we want. Then we'll watch the prices on a regular basis and, if it drops, we make a call to get the price adjusted. 

If you book directly through the cruise line this works best. No middle man to have to call and play phone tag with, hoping they call the cruise line before the price adjusts again. The problem is, you obviously are new to cruising and, it might be good to have the help of an experienced TA who's been on several cruises with different cruise lines. To that end the traditional TA in your community would be preferable to an online TA that you don't know. With a local TA, you know their hours and, if you can't reach them by phone you can always drive to their office when/if you need to make a change or catch a price reduction. Yes they might be a little more expensive than an online wholesaler like Vacationstogo.com but, there's somone you can talk with who can help guide you through the process and hopefully into a cruise that fits you needs and budget best.


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## btcctomtb (May 8, 2009)

Jwerking said:


> Thank you all for the great advice and suggestions esp booking with a travel agent or the cruise line directly to get a better rate if prices fall.  I assume we have to watch the prices and notify them when this occurs - is that correct?
> 
> Great money saving tip about Venice and Barcelona also versus Rome at departure port.  Since the entire family spent an week in Barcelona last summer, they will pick Venice.  Wow, we loved Barcelona - what an awesome city!
> 
> Joyce



It is correct most Travel agent will not tell you if the price drops but if you see it online for much less than what you paid you should call to have rate code switched. I would recommend booking early. Pay only the deposit amount and watch the rates. 

Also watch vacationstogo as they post every possible promotion offered by every cruise line on their site. Rates or promotions change often on cruises. They offer resident rates for U.S. States and Canadian Provinces, over 55 Rates, Military Rates, Interline Employee Rates, and many more.

I have booked cruises so cheap that commision was only $26. Most travel agents do not seem to want this business but to me it is a return customer. 50% of the clients I book never check rates after booking and if they pay all up front neither do I. If they pay a deposit I will check rates 5 days prior to final payment and almost 75% of the time the price has dropped or they qualify for a promotional rate. Many clients watch rates online and call if they see a big drop in fares and I switch rate codes.

This being said Most cruise lines will not honor rate code changes once inside penalty for cancelling. A few will honor if you upgrade. It is such a fun business to be apart of. Carnival has a new promotion going on now that if you book early they will guarantee the rate up to 2 days before sailing. This promo comes with alot of restrictions but awesome prices.


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## beejaybeeohio (May 8, 2009)

btcctomtb said:


> If you end up booking a cruise that is not round trip example Venice to Barcelona be sure to book air as 2 one way tickets.



You could try this option, but you can also book what is called OPEN JAW where you fly into one city and out another.

I would go with whichever type of ticketing is cheaper.


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