The Small Ship CollectiveI get asked all the time: when is the best time to book my small ship cruise to get the best price? Some of my clients book at first release. Some prefer to book closer to sailing with my preferred partner rates, which run below what's available online. Others use a combination of strategies to maximize the discounts available.
Unfortunately, there's a pattern in cruise pricing that most travellers never see coming, because by the time they notice it, it's already worked against them.
Carnival Corporation's own leadership has been explicit about this. On a recent earnings call, CEO Josh Weinstein noted that the company's booked position is “the furthest out on record,” with 2026 pricing already sitting at historical highs. AAA has projected a record 21.7 million American travellers will book an ocean cruise in 2026, a 52 percent increase over the past six years. Demand is not slowing down, and neither is pricing.
Expedia's own Wave Season research put it plainly through Melanie Fish, the company's VP of Public Relations: cruising is booming, and the smartest move is either booking early to lock in pricing and perks, or staying flexible enough to catch last minute discounts at the other end of the curve, if the sailing isn't fully booked. The middle ground, waiting without a strategy, is where most travellers end up paying the most for the least.
This matters even more in the small ship category. Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Explora Journeys, and similar lines carry far fewer cabins than a mass market ship, which means the pricing curve moves faster and the best cabins sell out sooner. I've quoted clients on their dream cruise at first release (Regent Seven Seas is currently booking into mid 2029 already, and demand is surging) and those who hesitate are always surprised at how quickly those initial prices change. One of my clients hesitated on a dream South America Grand Voyage and decided to book five months later while on another cruise, getting the onboard discount along the way. But even with that $5,000 onboard discount, the price had increased by $8,000 per person, and that initial price was no longer available to them, or to anyone.
Even my own 2029 South Pacific cruise has increased by $7,000 in the two months since I booked it, when that year's itineraries first released. With the final payment not due until late 2028, there's time for that money to work for me in the meantime, which makes the early booking that much smarter.
None of this means there's no such thing as a good last minute deal. There is, and I share those closely with clients who want that kind of flexibility. But after doing the math over the years, my own cruises and my top clients' cruises are now being booked at the time of first release.
What it does mean is that “I'll wait and see” is a strategy with a real cost attached, and very few travellers realize they're paying it.
Where do you fall: book early and lock it in, or wait and hope for a deal?
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