HANDY TIPS WHEN BOOKING A CRUISE
Cruising is the fastest growing travel industry in the world and over 20 Million people set sail each year. While many seasoned cruisers know a lot about booking the best cruise, many newbies fall into the many traps when trying to book.
I no longer sell cruises, or work at sea and I have no affiliation with any cruise line, or travel agent. My role these days is purely educational. I assist agents in being better equipped to add value to their client’s holiday booking experience.
I originally entered the travel sales industry after having sailed over 1 million miles at sea, but more so as a result of countless passengers commenting on how their travel agent had let them down, or how they were not aware of certain things when booking directly with the cruise line.
The tips below are not hard fast rules, however they are more often than not an accurate guide to help you navigate the maze of the industry.
TIP ONE: Through an agent, or direct.
This question garners much debate among “experts” on social media so I am sure that this will be the most contentious. At the end of the day, like with any purchase, it is always best to ensure that you understand what you are buying. Whether you research and book yourself, or go through an agent, never book unless you are fully aware of everything.
If you have no clue about the destination, ship, itinerary or even what a cruise ship is, then it’s pretty obvious that you should book with a reputable agent. If this is the case, I suggest one that has a “bricks and mortar” address, where you can stop in for a chat and build rapport with them. This will help to alleviate pre-cruise stress about your adventure.
If on the other hand you’ve been on 50+ cruises, then I am sure you are comfortable doing it all yourself. My advice here though, is to still engage with a travel agent. By booking direct, or online yourself, you may get a great deal, but there is still a chance that a travel agent may have a group rate, or select sailing special whereby you can get an even better price, more on board credit, or a reduced deposit. Remember while most of us “dabble” online, travel agents spend all day, every day searching and learning what is available. They are constantly sent new specials and deals, so there is every chance that they can find a better deal.
With these things in mind, when I book cruises these days I start online by researching the ship and destination. I find the best price, then I go to an agent, advise them that I’ve been looking already and let them see what they can do. Personally, I don’t like to “Price beat” or waste their time, as I know how hard they work and how in most cases, their livelihood is based mostly on commission from sales. Having said that, they won’t get my business unless they can demonstrate that along with getting a cheaper, equal to, or close to price, that they will be of benefit should the shit hit the fan between paying a deposit and my departure date.
This is where a good agent is worth their weight in gold. They will go above and beyond to assist should the inevitable changes occur due to illness, or if something unforeseen happens. If they are friendly with their cruise line rep, they may even be able to get you an upgrade.
TIP TWO: Book as early as possible.
Travel agents have always said to book early so they can get the sale, however these days, its true. Almost all cruise lines put out their cheapest fares at the beginning. There is always an exception if the sailing is half empty, but more often than not, booking early will get you the best price.
In most cases, if you book early and a cheaper cabin does come up, you can re-book at the cheaper price, then get a refund on your original deposit. Its always smart to know what the cruise line’s cancellation policy is, in case a travel agent tries to tell you otherwise. If you have spare time to constantly surf the net looking for deals, then great. If not, let an agent do the hard work, so you can worry about how many dresses to pack, or whether to buy the drink package (I’m not even going into that debate).
TIP THREE: Get proper travel insurance.
Did I say that tip one would be the most contentious? This one is a close second.
One of the saddest days working at sea was when in Port Penang; Malaysia, four members of the ship were involved in a tragic jet ski accident. Three young female passengers and one male crew member were involved in a head-on crash. The crash claimed the life of one girl, her passenger had a broken pelvis and leg, the girl on the other jet ski had a broken collar-bone and ribs, while our male crew member was in a coma for three months. Thankfully the girls all had comprehensive travel insurance, so while this didn’t lessen the burden of losing their friend, it ever so slightly reduced the stress of worrying about their recovery.
There are so many horror stories that I have seen and had to deal with as a crew member, then agent, so I can’t stress enough the importance of quality insurance. Everyone is entitled to buy insurance as they please, but having had to deal with the various insurance companies over the years, I can tell you that there is a huge difference in policies. Please. Never choose insurance based on price. I too used to travel without insurance, but now I budget that into my trip costs. I know that in most cases, it is a cost that is never needed, but as my mother used to say, “If you can’t afford the insurance, you can afford to go”.
I personally only travel with the best. I don’t use credit card insurance, cheap online insurance, insurance connected to my government healthcare, or the insurance that travel suppliers like Webjet or cruise lines offer. The reason for this is simple. They don’t have the same level of cover. I am not bagging these companies. They provide excellent services in other areas however they don’t specialise in travel insurance. When it comes to insurance, the best companies are the ones who only offer insurance. Not banking, travel, finance, TV’s etc.
My two biggest tips for this section are to look at the “Ongoing medical” and “Cancellation” cover on the policy. In the case of the girls in Asia, every insurance would have covered them for medical in Malaysia, but only the best cover covered them for nearly a year of ongoing medical back in Australia once they were repatriated back home. In their case, the ongoing bill was in the tens of thousands, so without that specific cover, the bill would be theirs to pay.
So far as cancellation cover is concerned, this point is one that is rarely required but if it happens, you will pray that you are covered. In the case of the volcanos in Europe in 2010, or Bali in 2015, anyone who was stuck, would have lost money if they couldn’t make their cruise, or not make it to their hotels as a result of the flights being grounded. Travel providers helped where possible, but at the end of the day it isn’t their problem; it’s yours.
This would have meant a lot of money being lost by travellers’, unless their policy covered them for “Acts of god” or natural disasters. In many cases, this left travellers’ out of pocket. For those who did have the top cover, they had all cruises, hotels etc refunded, so while it wasn’t ideal, at least their finances weren’t ruined, with their lost holiday. This specific cover also covers you before you travel, should such an event occur in the days leading up to your trip.
TIP FOUR: The best cabin for you.
When it comes to seasickness, picking the wrong cabin, could scare you from ever sailing again. The lower down and more mid-ship you can get, the better. The reason for this is this position on the ship is not only at its lowest centre of gravity, but it is closest to the ships axis. In heavy seas, this will create the least amount of movement in your cabin and give you the best chance of not being seasick.
Most people want to be up high for the view, or to save their legs from countless stairs. On that note, without judging you, or knowing your situation, if you’re worried about stairs, unless you suffer from a physical illness, you need to use the stairs more than most people use them.
Seriously. We used to say that passengers put on an average of ten pounds on a ten-day cruise. They literally came on as passengers and got off as cargo. I too have eaten myself into a coma on board, so I now make a habit of using the elevator only if I am going from deck two all the way up to deck fourteen. Other than that, I use the stairs and I always feel better for it on disembarkation day.
TIP FIVE: The Port v Starboard myth.
The above photo is of course a reversed photo but it highlights the obvious fact that it doesn’t really matter which side of the ship your cabin is on and should not be a deal-breaker in booking a particular cabin. Some so-called experts will try to tell you that if the ship sails south on the east coast, that the starboard side is best. I always ask; why? To which they usually tell me, so they can see land. After I stop laughing, I explain to them that ships don’t sail close enough to land in most cases for you to get any benefit to this logic.
The obvious exception to this is parts of Alaska, depending on the itinerary. Other than that, there really is no difference between two cabins of the same category, on different sides of the ship. Even the argument of “But the ship berths on the portside in Cozumel” is laughable. Having docked at several of the same ports on many different occasions, I can promise you that there have been many times, where the ships have berthed back to front and therefore debunking that theory. Pick your cabin based on the type and location (Forward / Mid-ship / Aft) or where it is in relation to the ship’s amenities, not which side of the ship it is on.
TIP SIX: Things to look out for.
For some, location or possible disruptions won’t have any bearing on their cruise, but for others, it could “ruin” their experience, then we all have to read about it on Cruise Critic or on Facebook groups. If you’re prone to being easily upset, here are some things to look for in relation to your cabin’s location.
If you’re an early-riser, is the nightclub nearby? If so, the bass from the club could keep you up all night.
If you like to party all night, are you directly below the swimming pool? This could be a rude wakeup call if it’s close by, as vibrations may travel through to your cabin.
Is there a laundry, or cabin steward cupboard next to your cabin? A laundry (on ships that have them) is a place where people congregate and therefore, if you’re sleeping in, or having an afternoon nap, this will annoy the shit out of you. As for the cabin steward’s cupboard, the stewards are wonderful and do an amazing job, but with the constant moving of trolleys and people in and out of this space, it has the potential to be bothersome.
TIP SEVEN: Which cruise is best for me?
This all depends on your own personal situation. Again, it comes down to doing research, or finding a really good travel agent who can match you with the best cruise for you. It’s pretty common knowledge that Carnival are more party ships, Disney are very family orientated, Princess and Holland America offer traditional cruising, Cunard, Celebrity, Azamara and Seabourn are upmarket, Costa and MSC are geared to Italians and Royal Caribbean boast the “wow” factor.
What you may not know is that even within each cruise line, the type of clientele can vary from sailing to sailing. For instance, shorter cruises tend to attract younger people wanting to party and get away. This is even the case on Princess and Celebrity. The longer cruises seem to draw older and more sophisticated passengers. This is not always the case, but a general rule. Most people also know that Alaskan cruises will usually attract an older demographic than Caribbean cruises and in Australia, the South Pacific cruises have younger passengers than the cruises to New Zealand.
This is where research or a good agent is essential.
When working on the Tahitian Princess in Tahiti, I met two young guys on board, who were so annoyed at their agent. The ship was gorgeous and the itinerary was my favourite of all time, however, what their agent didn’t tell them was that 99% of the passengers on board were what we called, “Newly-weds or Nearly-deads”. The entire ship was filled with honeymooners and people over the age of 80. There’s nothing wrong with this, except the fact that these guys had no one they could relate to on board. Thankfully my entertainment team and I befriended them and we showed them all around Tahiti, but it highlights the fact that not every ship is suited to every person.
Work out the demographic of the ship, whether or not they will have no kids on board or lots of kids etc. If you’re a honeymooner you probably won’t care, because you will only leave your cabin for oxygen and food, but apart from them, it could make a huge difference in your cruise experience.
Alternatively, if you have kids then they will hate the cruise if there are no kids on board. This will in turn impact your holiday too. A good agent will either know these things, or find out if you ask them.
I hope that these tips have been helpful. If you want to read some of my other cruise related blogs, please visit jdmoorea.com/blog or check out my book “C.R.U.I.S.E” which dives deep into life on board a cruise ship.
