tallperson

So I am a complete cruise newbie but am very tempted by the NY-Southampton crossing for returning back to UK in June or July 2014.

I am signed up for the Cunard emails so know next years sailings have just gone on sale. My question to people who have been there done that or who know how Cunard work in general is when should I book? There is only 1 sailing in June and 1 in July so do they get sold out quickly or do cabins go on sale much closer to the date?

We are a family of 5 so any savings would quickly add up!

lf1

We sailed from NY to Southampton last August. We took advantage of a sale which I think was offered in June 2012. I have only travelled with Cunard once, so I am afraid I can't help with the best time to purchase tickets. I think some of the cruise forums might be helpful.

I really did enjoy the crossing and it was nice way to unwind after the madness of the months leading up to my move.

jemima55

I did it three times. Cunard fares are usually reasonable, but you could also look on www.vacationstogo.com. To guarantee you get what you want you probably don't want to leave it too late. I watched carefully and never found any real "bargain bucket" fares. The most economical thing to do is to share cabins as one person alone would have to pay for a two person cabin anyway.

britwhore

I sailed on the same crossing as lf1 last year. We booked 5 weeks before we sailed because we're obviously mental.....

I found that calling them helped. I had been on their mailing list for a while because I had a feeling that was the way we were going to return to the Motherland (!) Luckily when we booked they had a sale on. I think it was $800 each (OH and myself) for a balcony cabin.

If there's a sale going on I say book it. Prices won't really go down much. I know they have BIG cabins for families and that usually works out cheaper. I would give them a call and find out the best deal.

Other than eating and sleeping we didn't really do much on the QM2 - but we were EXHAUSTED after a very frantic and emotional 5 weeks so it was a god send!

tallperson

Thanks for the replies.
At the moment the June 2014 price is $1289 per person for an inside cabin. At $800 I would book right now!
So I guess I will call them and see what they say and keep waiting....

britwhore

zoiks!!!! I would wait then. They usually have 2 or 3 sales a year.

Pombat

We travelled on the same crossing as Britwhore and lf1 last August and also booked in June. There were some amazing deals in honour of the diamond jubilee. We got 2 adjacent ( but not adjoining) balcony staterooms for around $4400 for the 4 of us. I don't know how the regular sales work. When we booked I shopped around but couldn't beat Cunard's own prices for that particular promotion. That may not always be the case. We thoroughly enjoyed the crossing and the kids keep asking when we can do it again.

Jerseygirl

I haven't sailed on the QM2 but I usually book direct with the cruise line. Then I keep an eye on offers...if you call the cruise line they will usually adjust the price to reflect current offers. Call Cunard and ask them what their policy is on price reductions after booking.