When we were planning our first cruise, I had so many questions. I lived on cruise forums, I asked others who had cruised, and I even called the cruise line to get my answers. So, I thought I would make a blog post with some first time cruising questions. I am going to do another post with some more in-depth questions and answers but for now, I am going to hit on a few of the important questions.
You have decided to take a cruise, but now you need to figure out when is the best time book? I am very into planning, it is one of the reasons I became a travel advisor. I love to plan and book cruises – any vacation really, not just cruises, but since this blog post is about cruises we will address that. My advice is to book as far in advance as possible. The cruise lines typically open their schedule about 2 years in advance, and I tend to book as soon as they open the schedule. I know, I know, not everyone knows their schedule that far away. But, as soon as you know you are able to go away on a certain week, I would book. The reasons for booking as soon as you can is typically the prices start out lower and only increase in time. If for some reason you see a lower price or a certain deal come out – like an increased onboard credit (which is money the cruise line offers you for booking) or a lower price, you just contact me and I get the new price reflected on your cruise fare! So you are not out anything! The second reason I like to book as far out as possible is that you get your choice of staterooms. I always recommend choosing a stateroom that is mid-ship. I find that I have somewhat of a sensitive stomach and mid-ship is the best location of the room that has the least amount of motion. Plus being disabled I like to be close to an elevator. It is very important for me to be close to the elevators. My husband takes the stairs everywhere when I am not with him – it’s his way of justifying all the food he eats – but for me the elevator is important. So I like having my choice of rooms and booking early enables that choice.
So, booking as far out as possible gets me the lowest price and the best location.
The other question that is a big one is What stateroom type should I book? I always recommend an outside room, at the very least an ocean view or balcony room, if you have extra money a junior suite is a wonderful treat. I understand you will feel that you will only be in the room to sleep, but that typically is not the case. Having a balcony is a wonderful place to lay in the sun and read, just relax on a sea day when the pools get crowded or having your own spot to just lay and relax is so worth it! Also, the majority of the balconies have a small table and 2 chairs so having breakfast delivered on a port day and having room service bring breakfast as you are pulling into port is a wonderful way to start your day! By booking early you can secure a great price, so having a balcony or ocean view room won’t cost you an excessive amount and it is well worth it!
When we went with our four children, we had a junior suite and the girls had an inside room – it enabled us to get the best of both worlds – the kids had an inside room for sleeping and changing clothes – and they lived in our room and had access to our balcony. We just had guest services make up some extra keys so they could come and go as they pleased.
My oldest daughter is taking a cruise with some friends in a few months and she booked a balcony room, she felt that the balcony was such a draw and she loved it and would not cruise without a balcony anymore. I guess 4 teenage girls sharing a small inside room was enough to deter her from doing it again. 🙂
This is the inside room my four teenage girls had, it does sleep 4. The bunks come down from the ceiling above the other 2 beds.
This is our room we had a Junior Suite, it was perfect for the 6 of us to hang out, it became the best spot to get ready for dinner. There is even a walk-in closet, which my youngest used to get changed in.
Very relaxing lounge chairs, having a balcony is priceless!
There is a handy table to have room service breakfast on while you pull into new ports.
One of the other important questions is Why should I use a travel advisor when I can just book online myself? There are many advantages even if you are a super-duper planner like me. It is best to use a travel advisor especially for cruises and one of the main reasons that you should use a travel advisor is On Board Credit. as a travel advisor, each and every person who books through me will get onboard credit! That is money that you have to spend on the cruise, you can use it for drinks, shore excursions, and even a spa treatment! Hey – it’s your cruise, pamper yourself or your loved one!
The OBC (onboard credit) is on top of any special deal the cruise line may give you so if they have a deal of say, $100 OBC and I, as your travel advisor, give you $150 OBC you now have $250 to use for whatever you want on the cruise. You can get a fashionable bag, clothing, jewelry, a tuxedo rental, anything you would want to purchase. Just remember this amount is typically non-refundable so make sure you use it on the ship. The other reason that you should use a travel advisor is that we have typically been to where you are going and we have taken the cruise line accreditation classes so we are well versed in all things cruising and we can give you first-hand knowledge of the best places to eat, visit and where you should not visit. Also, when you book through a travel advisor we are here for you every step of the way if something goes wrong at the airport or there is something that you need help with when you are away I am just a phone call or text away. I am here to help you have a stress free holiday. I am here to protect you. I can help you in every way possible.
Sometimes planning a trip can be overwhelming and we are experts in this field, it is what we do. I would love to help you!
The other reason to book with me is that my host agency (TPI – Travel Professionals International) is one of the 2% of Travel advisors that belongs to a group called Virtuoso. The group Virtuoso is a luxury travel group that gives many different incentives with travel, for example, the possibility of free room upgrades, wine in your room at check-in, not into wine? How about chocolate-covered strawberries? The possibility of prepaid gratuities, extra OBC among other perks. Also, we buy cruise rooms in a “block” and what that means is on some popular cruises we buy a group of rooms at a discounted price and pass that discount on to you! Each cruise or vacation booking is different so please ask me what extra benefit you could get!
The last thing I would like to touch on the cancellation policies. I know sometimes life gets in the way and sometimes something happens that you have to postpone the trip. So, what is the cancellation policy? Well, you are in luck in this area, they have a generous cancellation policy. Majority of the cruise lines have roughly the same policy so for the purpose of this post I will use Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise line’s policies
Royal Caribbean is as follows;
90+ days away from departure your money is fully 100% refundable
89-57 days out you will lose your deposit. (which typically is $100 – 250 p/p depending on your length of cruise)
56-29 days out the cruise line retains 50% of your cruise fare
28-15 days away 75% of your cruise far is non-refundable
14 days and closer no refund.
Disney Cruise line is the following;
90+ days out 100% refundable
89-56 days away you will only lose your deposit
55-30 days out 50% of your cruise fare is retained
29-15 days away 75% of your fare is non-refundable
14 days and closer it is 100% non-refundable
If you choose to purchase insurance and I highly recommend that you do. The above dates do not apply to you! Purchasing insurance is a wise investment, I suggest that you get insurance to protect your vacation dollars. It is a very small price to pay to make sure you are protected. The host agency I am with (TPI – Travel Professionals International) uses Allianz insurance, they are a wonderful company to work with, I suggest you use them because they cover the entire trip, if you purchase insurance through the cruise line, you are only covered for the cruise fare. When you use Allianz you are covered for the entire holiday, from the second you leave your home to the day you return. So it will cover things like lost luggage, missed connections, being airlifted off the cruise ship if something tragic happens to you and so much more. It will also cover your cruise fare and airfare as well if you need to cancel your vacation, so it is a very good investment to have just in case something happens and you need to postpone your special holiday you are not losing your money even if you are 12 days out it does not matter!
I am going to post more on this at a later date, there are so many questions to cover and this is just a few of the questions that we touched on, I did not want to post too long of a blog post. If you have any specific questions you want to be answered, please let me know in the comments below or send me a text at 905-807-7737 or an email at Kathleen@PlentyofSunshineTravel.com
