It’s never too early to book.

When I started working in this industry (14 whole years ago), you could barely book a cruise 18 months in advance.

Fast-forward to 2013 and in the last few days, Crystal Cruises have announced their 2016 collection of cruises.

Carnival have sailings available to book up to the end of 2015 and many others are following in their footsteps.

It also seems that the further in advance you can book your cruise, the better deal you tend to get.

With a lot of cruise companies using scheduled flights, it’s no surprise really.  Scheduled flight prices increase the closer to the date you get which in turn, pushes the overall cost of the holiday up.

In most cases, gone are the days of a last minute cruise bargain – particularly in school holiday times and especially over Christmas and New Year and we, as agents, are finding it more and more common to have to advise customers looking for that ‘late deal’ that there simply is nothing left!  On the odd occasion there is something available, it doesn’t tend to be exactly what the passengers are looking for and as Cruise Specialists, we pride ourselves in being able to meet and exceed our customers needs and expectations.

Celebrity are currently offering free drinks packages on selected 2014 sailings departing from the UK (offer ends 31st July 2013) saving you up to £900 and many other cruise lines offer incentives to passengers that are looking to book early.

It definitely seems it’s the way the industry is going.

My advice would be, follow the trend, book early and get the best deal possible and have longer to pay off your holiday before the balance is due.

Happy Cruising!!