How soon is too soon to book?

[saabgal]

Hi all you Alaska cruisers!

I am currently preparing to go to the Southern Caribbean for 12 days with my family of 5 for Christmas.

My oldest daughter is graduating HS June '06, and I was thinking our next BIG vacation would be right after that. We are talking about Alaska or the Mediterranean (although who knows how much the world will hate Americans by then). When do the rates and schedules become available for Alaska? For once I would like to plan ahead. This upcoming vacation was booked w/n 3 months of departure. I'm sure I did not get as good a deal as I could have with more time on my side. There really is no time for any upgrades to happpen now.

So, live and learn. I am going to plan early.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Joel1]

We planned our July 2005 Alaska cruise early and weren't able to book until this May. I understand that the cruise lines were a little later than usual in getting out their schedules - apparently they were assessing the worldwide political situation before deciding where to commit their ships. I would start looking early next year (March or so), but don't be surprised if you still have to wait a few months until all of the lines have their schedules released.