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Helpful Tips for Booking A Cruise
When you consider how busy people are these days, it’s no surprise that booking a cruise is one of the most popular modes of travel. Think about it.
You will have 3+ days of pure bliss on a floating resort, practically any type of food you’d like, be treated like royalty by staff, participate in daily activities like Zumba and volleyball tournaments.
They offer trivia games, a casino, nightly entertainment from singers, ventriloquists, dancers, and musicians. You can be pampered in the on-site Spa, eat till your heart’s content, or burn those same calories at the full-service gym.
Add on the fact that cruise ships visit different ports, and it’s easy to see why this would be a very cost-effective way to get away from it all. I will admit that previously, I’d decided that my first cruise would be my last. Only recently, I realized that perhaps, I’d been too hasty.
If you prefer a relaxing, care-free vacation, you only need to show up to have the time of your life. Or you may want to relax, lounge around the pool and do nothing! Cruising may be the ideal solution for you.
That sounds lovely, but everyone knows that there are a billion cruise lines. How do I go about choosing the right one for me?
If you asked three people that same question, you would get three different answers. The answer is highly subjective and genuinely depends on the type of cruise you are seeking. Take Carnival Cruises, for example. They have a reputation for being a ‘party’ cruiser; however, when I was aboard the Carnival Liberty, there were 4,000 kids there.
The lovely thing is that I saw maybe two of them. Carnival has an excellent program for the youngsters that keeps them well occupied for the length of the cruise. Therefore, families should not be wary of booking with them. Singles should know that they will feel that they are almost on an adults-only journey.
My best advice is to decide where you want to go on your cruise. Every cruise has an itinerary – a precise route it will travel with port stop(s) along the way. These port stops will allow the cruiser to disembark from the ship and visit the area. Sample the native cuisine and enjoy tours where you will get to explore the island/city.
OK, I get that. So, when is the best time to cruise?
Once you have decided where you would like to go, you can use this handy guide to determine the best time to cruise for each destination.
Costs can are lower if you travel during that destination’s low season, so it’s essential to know when that occurs. Other factors to consider are weather conditions. For example, you wouldn’t want to book a Caribbean cruise during their hurricane season. Besides the obvious, your port itineraries have a pretty good chance of changing as a result.
Alright, I’ve decided when I want to cruise and where I’d like to go. How do I book it?
Contact a Travel Agent
As a newbie, you can’t go wrong by contacting a reputable travel agent. Travel agents work closely with cruise lines and are usually privy to little known and last minute deals that the general public is not.
Travel agents can provide guidance and advice from start to finish. As a result, they provide peace of mind like no other. I want to recommend three very experienced travel agents who will go above and beyond to ensure that you have the best cruise ever:
Monique Redman ([email protected]), The Travel Provider, was founded in August 2007 by a retired military – Non-Commissioned Officer, who possesses a smart way of researching information, truly enjoys helping and personally assisting people and seriously loves travel.
Monique specializes in group itineraries by assisting clients so they may enjoy the gift of travel seamlessly through professional and personalized consultation. The services provided are designed to improve any traveler’s quality of life.
Di’Mon Arnold UniqueHolidays+Cruises, LLC is a full-service travel agency based out of Hartford County, Connecticut. They specialize in cruises, luxury travel, group travel, Caribbean vacations, Orlando vacations, Las Vegas vacations, and special needs travel.
UniqueHolidays+Cruises strive to make travel simple, worry-free, and fun for corporate and leisure customers alike. They want your travel experience to be memorable in positive ways. “Your Travel Needs Are Our Priority,” and they are committed to making your travel dreams a reality.
Demitra Bryant ([email protected]) has been in the travel industry since 2005. As a Personal Travel Consultant at Harmony Travel Getaways, she can customize your itinerary to exotic locations.
Demitra has earned many travel industry accreditations inclu
She is also a certified Tour Director and Tour Guide through the renowned International Tour Management Institute (ITMI) located in San Francisco.
Booking a cruise Online with cruise clearinghouses
If you are somewhat familiar with booking a cruise and feel comfortable with booking online, you might want to try the online booking agent, Vacations To Go. You will find deeply discounted, last-minute fares.
Many options offer lots of perks like onboard credit (OBC), free specialty dining or beverage packages, etc. They offer plenty of incentives to book with them, so it’s a good idea to check them out.
Book directly with Cruise line websites
Like any business, it’s crucial to have a viable website presence, and cruise lines are no exception. Many deals are available on these websites, but it can begin to get overwhelming unless you have a specific cruise line in mind.
The one piece of advice that I would give if you choose to book directly with a cruise line or through a travel agent, you should wait until after “Final Payment” is due. Every cruise will require an initial deposit to hold your reservation.
A few weeks before you are scheduled to sail, they will ask for final payment. Once that is paid, it will take a small miracle to get a refund should the fare drop in price.
a word of caution
Therefore, I would caution you to check the fare price regularly before the final payment is due to see if they will refund the difference or provide an onboard credit.
If you aren’t particular about booking a specific type of room, you will find that you can book at very reasonable prices if you wait until the last minute.
A ship would much rather sail at full occupancy than not, so if there are empty rooms, they would rather sell them at a discount than leaving them empty.
Coming up next: Now that you’ve learned about booking a cruise, we’ll walk you through the on-site registration process once you arrive at the port and discuss how to hit the ground running on day one.
Great advice and an excellent overview of choices. I’m kind of addicted to cruise ships. I’m going on another one in two weeks in the Mediterranean. We love the AIDA ships. It’s a German cruise line, so everything’s in German, but it’s the best one I’ve been on yet.