Cruise Vacations - Booking Your First Cruise

The first step of your cruise vacations adventure is actually booking a cruise package.  What kind of things should you expect when booking?  Make sure to get all packages in writing before you pay any money to anyone or put down your deposit.  The key ingredient in booking a package is allowing ample time for your booking.  The earlier you start the better chance of finding a great deal on a cruise. 

Allow your travel agent to book your package and allow them to have a lot of time to do it.  Don’t rush them because the more time they have, the better the deal you’ll receive.  It really does take extra effort on your behalf to get the best cruise package.  If you decide to go through and Internet broker, make sure you get their contact information and the travel agent that is assigned to your package.  That way, if you do run into any problems, you can always contact him or her.  However, don’t expect better customer service from an internet company as you would a cruise agent. 

When booking, allow yourself some time at your disembark location so if you do run into some problems, you won’t be left behind.  Plan at least a day in advance and book a flight/hotel at your disembark location.  That way, you can relax and enjoy the sites around the city and not have to worry about missing your cruise ship. Another advantage of staying a night or two at your destinations is to allow your luggage enough time to meet you at the disembark point.  There are times when people lose their luggage and do not have enough time to wait for their luggage to show up.  This means they will have to leave all their belongings back at the airport, or try to catch up to the cruise ship later.   If you do not book through the cruise line and miss your ship, it will be up to you to find a way to the next port.  Missing the ship could ruin anyone’s vacation.  It’s preferable if you get an air and sea package together through the cruise agent or cruise line.  However, if you do decide to book your air separately, allow plenty of time to get to your air departure.  Typically it’s not a good idea to book any air flight around 12:30 as it might take a long time to disembark.  Any sort of delay when disembarking will leave you scrambling to the airport, or worse, miss your flight.  Also, if you do book your own airfare, plan on paying for transfer to the hotel and to the ship.  Air/Sea packages booked through travel agents include transfers and all itineraries for you.

Before booking your vacation, make sure to read all the terms and conditions and the fine print.  Sometimes there can be stipulations and additional fees that can be incurred before your disembark.  Ask your cruise agent about any of the terms and conditions that you do not understand.  Its better asking a stupid question then unknowingly agreeing to paying additional surcharges that are not necessary.  Also, if possible, try to book your vacation on your credit card and not with cash.  Credit card companies tend to have their own travel insurance and can help you if you have problems with financial situation while on ship.

You will have to put down a deposit when booking so plan on setting aside 20% of your total package for your deposit.  The rest is paid 45 to 60 days prior to sailing.  Even if you have put down your deposit with a cruise agent, you can always negotiate a better deal if one does come around.  You can cancel your first reservation with the agent and book through another company.  First make sure to read through all the fine print and see whether there’s a cancellation fee and how much it will cost to cancel your reservation.  Also, make sure that it actually is the best deal and to read through all of the package information before putting down another deposit.  Make sure you know how many additional fees are involved before you sign anything.  Port fees are generally added to the cost of your cruise and will be added to the cost of your ticket (kind of like airport surcharges).  This cost around $50 to $200 per person depending on the port and duration. 

Also, if you do see an upgraded room or higher level cabin category, make sure that the upgraded cabin isn’t in an un-ideal place.  Sometimes upgraded rooms are near the dance floor or bad location.