Is waiting to buy cruise tickets for short term(1 to 3 day cruise) cheaper than buying future sailings?

Sometimes that will work but we have found that they sell out and Can not get on the ship. You have to really watch and try to get them when you think they are the lowest. I have found booking really early has pay off for us. We are going on a cruise in about 6 weeks and we booked a long time ago, it has now gone up about 300.00 a person. So be careful how long you wait.

I agree that your best bet with cruise lines is to book far in advance. You can sometimes get a good last minute deal, but if you need to fly to the port city where the ship leaves from, you will probably end up spending any savings on the airline ticket, as their prices depend on how full the plane is, advanced purchase requirements etc. If you book the cruise well in advance, your chances of getting a super saver fare on an airline is much better.

In most cases you get the best rates by reserving well in advance. Generally cruise prices go up as the sail date nears and also the options for cabin choices goes down. Many cruise lines will list prices and "early booking discounts".

4 days are the same as 3 day cruises,

the 3 days are on the weekends and that is the easiest time to fill the ship.

look for yourself their are lot of 4 days for under $250 at act Carnival and even some for $200

http://www.carnival.com/FindCruise.aspx

(just look by price)

and the quality is of Carnival is great, I get treated like a princess by the staff, and the food is 5 star

While it's true you can get some great 'last minute deals' (my fave site for best deals in next 90 days is vacationstogo).

BUT, my understanding is if you book a cruise in advance and the price comes down, YOU deserve a credit of some sort.

Sometimes it works and sometime is does not, it depends on the demand on a particular sail.

You look here for the last minute sailings!

<a href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-2215926-8331182%22 target="_blank" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.cruisedirect.com';return/ true;" onmouseout="window.status=' ';return true;">Last Minute Cruises</a>

<img src="http://www.ftjcfx.com/image-2215926-8331182%22 width="1" height="1" border="0"/>

Good luck!