Rachel, You may have noted we are using BA. The schedule worked well for us. We don't prefer BA but we use it a fair bit. I move Chase points to BA which most often happens instantly. BA has a policy that is fairly well known by bloggers , etc. that they release seats that can be purchased with points at 355 days before the flight date. One issue with BA is that they always charge some fee for each ticket also if you want seats assigned you need to pay for those as well. You can use points for the seats in lieu of cash. When you are doing your own air for a cruise you usually know your required schedule so it is not too risky to book so far ahead.