🛳️ When to buy a cruise - Carnival Celebration Sept. 20 2026
Don't wait. Buy immediately if the price history shows only increases.
Cruise fare history … Visit ProCruiseTips.com for over a thousand tips on planning, buying, preparing, and enjoying your cruise!
Follow our 1 - 2 -3 analysis to make smart decisions on when to buy.
Post Mortem
As of July 17, sailing pricing has been flat as predicted and is not expected to drop. The recommendation to buy on June 2 - which we did - was CORRECT.
Intro
Location and date are fixed as we’ll already be in Miami mid-September. Our last search for a weeklong cruise sold out the cabin class before we could buy. This Carnival Cruise Line 7 night sailing is our next choice.
The Carnival Celebration Eastern Caribbean cruise leaves Sept. 20 from Miami for 7 nights with stops at Nassau (Bahamas), Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Half Moon Cay (Bahamas), and Celebration Key (Bahamas). We’re focusing on Balcony pricing.
1. Seasonality
Chart from Vacations2Go
The chart from 6-2 shows seasonal pricing as balcony cabins drop from $1,168 in June to $600 in October.
The nearest sailing in 2 weeks is sold out.
2. Target sailing - Sep 20
First Look - June 1
The chart covered 21 months of pricing from Sep 24 to Jun 1, 3.5 months before sailing.
Prices steadily dropped starting about a year before sailing.
Next Look - July 17
Since First Look, aside from the rise in suite pricing, the other classes have continue to be flat.
3. Comparison sailing - Jun 15
Initial cruise release
The cruise was scheduled almost two years before sailing. Pricing was flat after release.
There was a slow but steady decrease in pricing from Jun to Dec 2025, 7 months before sailing.
A few months before sailing
The June 15 sailing is the same ship and itinerary as our target with the closest departure - 2 weeks - to the time of initial writing.
Starting early January, 6.5 months before sailing, pricing was flat (except for Mini-Suite).
Prices continue to be flat or slowly rose and began selling out in some classes 2 months before sailing.
Analysis
Final payment date - 90 days before sailing
There was no significant price change after the final payment date. So late discounts are not expected.
Recommendation
Current price for 2 (booked) - $1,202 total (Balcony) - $172/night from Vacation Steal, 9% off retail.
Buy now (June 2). Per the comparison sailing, price decreases are not expected and may go up. Plus cabin classes may sell out. While cabins are available, it’s better to book now when more desirable locations are free.
Disclaimer
All sailings are different. Pricing and availability can change for many reasons. The use of a comparison sailing is suggestive - not predictive - of a target sailing’s price trajectory. Our analyses are intended to only show one way to interpret price changes and provide an informed best guess recommendation. Regularly watch your sailing pricing to ensure it responds as expected.