The price of cruise holidays, rather like the stock market, fluctuates constantly. So choosing the right time to book can make a big difference to how much you pay for your holiday.
Let me give a couple of examples:
Let’s take a look at the Royal Princess, sailing from Vancouver to Sydney on September 25th. This 28-night cruise was first listed several months ago and has fluctuated between £1445 and £2092 (excluding the cost of flights). At the moment it is available at just 16% higher than its lowest price. Chances are that it will almost certainly increase in price. So probably a good time to book it.
The Crown Princess sailing from Vancouver to Vancouver on an 11-night cruise departing on August 25th, 2023. This cruise was first listed in June last year at a high of £1348. Currently available at just £784 this represents a great buy, saving you £564 on the original price.
A final example is the MSC Splendida sailing from Durban to Naples, 22 nights, on April 6th, 2024. It was first listed 4 months ago at £928. Prices fluctuated reaching a low of £815. At the moment the price is just £57 more than the all-time low, so again this is probably a good buy with prices likely to go up.
We are probably the only Cruise agency in the UK that monitor prices on a daily basis and pass this information on to our clients at the time of booking even if our advice is “don’t book this yet”! But do remember that these examples do not include flights. Since Covid and the war in Ukraine aviation fuel prices have increased dramatically resulting in substantial increases in flight prices. Fuel prices in the past couple of months have begun to fall but the same rule applies. Flight prices fluctuate on a daily basis and are almost impossible to monitor or predict.
Finally, as you will know if you have cruised. One of the first topics of conversation with your fellow passengers as you sit down to your first meal is “I paid so much for my cruise, how much did you pay”? The Cruise Pro clients are easy to recognize. They are the ones who leave the table smiling!!
Colin Wilkinson
Managing Director
