Cruise prices?Where do they come from? How do they work?

Although some may believe cruise lines “charge what they like” when it comes to pricing up their cruises. There is actually a very straight forward explanation of where they come from. Supply and demand! Or as some like to say fluid pricing! This concept basically means that if a cruise is going in three weeks, has only sold 50% of its capacity, then the cruise lines are going to drastically drop its prices or vice-versa.....
 Unfortunately, it’s usually the latter so a bit of straight forward advice I give to my clients is that, if you have one cruise /ship in mind, then book early for the best price to avoid disappointment. There may be a very slim chance the cruise may go down if the cruise has trouble to sell, but it is very unlikely especially if the cruise is going in peak times, i.e August, Christmas etc.


For all those bargain hunters, who don’t mind where they go, when they go, and are generally looking for the best deal, then a late deal may be for you. Just be aware these deals are few and far between, and usually, by booking on a late deal means sacrificing, choosing your cabin/ a good location / parking and onboard credit, but you will get a better price. However I ONLY recommend going for a late deal if you can go at a drop of a hat and meet the above criteria. For the other 99% of the time booking early is by far the best option.

So what happens if you book a cruise early and you find out the cruise is now cheaper three months down the line? Unfortunately not a lot. If you book Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Azamara, they do offer a price promise, so if the prices goes down and you see the price has gone down they will reduce your cruise ,ONLY IF, the new royal Caribbean deal stipulates you can do so. Some new deals are for new bookings only, or senior citizens or other restrictions. All other cruise lines you have to pay the price you originally booked at. If you ask someone in the industry, they will give you the explanation, when you buy a TV from Currys and see the price has gone down, you would not go back after and want the new price, so why with cruises?

The best thing to do? Think long and hard before you commit, as once you have paid deposit or balance that is that, and your cruise is booked.