When is the best timeto book a trip to NYC?

Hi all,

One of my friends at work has asked me to help her out and look at budget holidays to NYC for her honeymoon next May. She cannot afford to spend a lot but her fiance has always wanted to see NYC. Do you know whether it would be cheaper to book a trip this far in advance or would she be better waiting til nearer the time to geta cheaper deal? Which are the best websites to look on? Ihave used Expedia in the past and found them pretty good for discounts ifyou get the flight and accomodation from them. I would love her to have a special honeymoon. I have been to NYC once before and have booked togo again as I love the city so much!!

Thanks guys!

When is the best timeto book a trip to NYC?

In my opinion, the BEST time to visit New York is in the fall - October seems to be perfect. It is right after the summer rush and right before the Christmas craze. Also many outdoor places may still be open in early October and the weather is usually pretty good.

As for the CHEAPEST time to visit New York - That would be late January through March. The weather is cold, unpredictable and the days are short. But the rates on hotels are often lower and the city goes out of its way to attract people to fill the rooms and the tourist destinations. (See The Gates.)

When is the best timeto book a trip to NYC?

Also - As for which sites are better - It%26#39;s always a toss up. Hotels.com can be good, as is travelocity.

If you are looking for a trip last minute, lastminute.com is terrific in my experiences.

Late September, early October is my favourite time to go. The weather is perfect. December/ Christmas is also a great time but is the most booked up, most expensive, and most crowded.

For hotels, I like to use quikbook.com and book early and then monitor the site and if something cheaper comes up you can cancel and rebook.

For airfare, I usually don%26#39;t book too far in advance and as soon as I see a price I like I book it.

Ok, obviously changing the time of year is not an option as it%26#39;s for a honeymoon. May airfares are fairly average at about 拢300-拢400 pp with airfare I would just keep checking til you get a deal - I don%26#39;t think there is any advantage to booking them now - They%26#39;re coming out about 拢450 at the moment for May. Somebody mentioned a budget airline which is starting to fly from Liverpool - they were offering good deals and if you can get there easy might be worth checking out www.flyglobespan.com - they don%26#39;t start flying til the end of May though. Another tip is to not book flights that fly out on a Fri or Sat (maybe even sun) as you pay a premium.

As well as flyglobespan try:

www.continental.com/uk (Manchester, London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow)

www.britishairways.co.uk (Manchester, London)

www.americanairlines.co.uk (London)

www.unitedairlines.co.uk (London)

www.virgin-atlantic.co.uk (London)

www.deltaairlines.co.uk (Manchester)

www.flybe.co.uk (Manchester)

As for hotels, if they%26#39;re on a budget and looking for decent budget accommodation I would book something fairly soon as budget accommodation is in demand. If you book something that is cancellable then if you find a cheaper deal near the time you can change over.

Personally I always book flights and acc seperately, it%26#39;s often cheaper and I prefer dealing with hotels/accommodations direct. Most of the time I find it%26#39;s cheaper this way too.

Hope this helps :)

Louise

In my mind I thought you were asking when would be a good time to ';go'; to NYC but I see now that you were asking about ';booking'; Sorry about that.

Anyway...May is my second favourite time to go to NY : )

I think Air India, or is it India Air flies through London, I know someone who flew them from New York to London for cheap.

I agree that booking a package deal early on is actually not the way to go -- unless you find one with a no penalty for cancellation or changes, which is rare; they usually require full payment up front. The exception, of course, would be if you%26#39;re now seeing a knock-out deal which includes a hotel you [or in this case, they] will be happy with.

Some hotels/reservations services don%26#39;t show availability this far in advance. But here%26#39;s good news: Radio City Apartments IS accepting reservations for May 2007 -- and depending on the particular dates, it looks like a studio suite will be $155-165 (84 - 89 GBP); a true 1-bedroom with separate living room will be $199(108 GBP). These are not swish accommodations, but definitely clean %26amp; comfortable, come with kitchen facilities, and are in a terrific location.

Plus, no deposit is required and you can cancel a reservation there without penalty up to 48 hours before your scheduled date of arrival. But I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;d want to cancel -- this is truly one of Manhattan%26#39;s best values :-)

Forgot to include the URL for RCA:

http://www.radiocityapartments.com

Thanks for all your help guys, I%26#39;m determined to help my friend get the honeymoon she deserves!!!