When is the best time to book a winter caribbean vacation to get the best deals?
January 18, 2009 · Print This Article
Travel asked:
My family 2 adults 2 children (4 and
like to head to the caribbean (Cuba, Mexico, DR) for a week usually in late January or early February to an all inclusive resort. I have been trying to determine whether it’s better to book now or wait until closer to departure time to get the best deals.
one travel
My family 2 adults 2 children (4 and
like to head to the caribbean (Cuba, Mexico, DR) for a week usually in late January or early February to an all inclusive resort. I have been trying to determine whether it’s better to book now or wait until closer to departure time to get the best deals.one travel
During Hurricane season, cruises go for $500 for a week
Monday-Sunday.
The best time is in September, and October.
This is high season for the caribbean, so waiting may not be good. Resorts, especially all-inclusives, sell out and I don’t know that they lower their rates if they don’t. An additional problem is that even if they give you $100 off, you’ll lose that in additional plane fare for waiting as airline tickets are cheaper further out and you don’t want to book plane fare without someplace to stay.
Call the hotel and ask what their rate guarantee policy is and what their cancellation policy is. This way if the rates drop after you’ve book, you may be able to get them to match that rate.
Good luck and have fun!
I’m a travel agent and I’ve been doing this for about 5 years. From my experience the best time to book a trip for Jan or Feb is now. I always get calls from people looking for last minute trips, thinking they are going to get a great deal, it’s simply not the case. Airlines sell seats in, what they call classes of service, this does not denote first class or coach; they take all the coach seats and sell them in different groups, the first group being the cheapest and the last group being the most expensive. Knowing this the earlier you book a trip the less expensive it will be, typically, there are some exceptions although few. Hotels don’t discount their rooms if they are not full in a particular week, if the hotel has a history of being empty during a specific month they will release discounted rates, but these rates are usually offered through out the year. So, in short, the sooner you can book the trip the higher chance of getting a good deal.
The best time to book a vacation to Dominican Republic is now because in February is Carnaval time and the air fare goes sky rocket. Waiting closer is only going to get higher because you have the holidays and alot of people go back home.