Best time to lock down a cruise?

We recently disembarked on a Princess cruise that visited St. Thomas and Puerto Rico. Seven evenings. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The crowd was older than we were. We are in our fifties. I was astounded to see a sizable number of children and several adults in their 20s. There isn’t much for youngsters to do on Princess. Anyway, a few days ago, Princess sent me an email informing me of a special that expires today and offers up to 40% off with a $99 deposit. intended to take a 4–10 night cruise. Which line matters is irrelevant. I will not participate in Carnival. Although I would have preferred to travel to the Mediterranean, I would have been content to travel to the East Caribbean from Puerto Rico, the West Caribbean to Mexico, Belize, or Honduras, or the West Coast from Los Angeles to Cabo, Mazatlan, etc.

completed the Hawaiian island cruise as well.

Viking was investigated, but they are already sold out through 2025.

Is it better to reserve a stateroom now or to wait till nearer the holidays?

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The best time to book is always now, as I just mentioned in another discussion. Booking currently has no drawbacks, unless you reserve a nonrefundable rate that cannot be changed (which, as far as I know, doesn’t apply to any of the big lines). Congratulations! You got a great deal if you book now and the price goes up. Good news! You can call to get the price adjusted if you reserve it now and it drops. The only drawback is that if you wait, the cost will increase.

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Black Friday deals are typically found on add-ons to existing reservations, such as drink packages and excursion packages. Take it if the price seems reasonable right now.

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Make a reservation as soon as possible. If the price drops, you can always keep an eye on it and give them a call to reprice. If you’d rather, a TA can handle this. The overall trend is for prices to increase with time.