When the Middleman Makes a Difference

Here’s the disclaimer: I’m not a travel agent. I’ve never been a travel agent. I have no friends or family who are—or have ever been—travel agents.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’m going to talk about why you might want to book your cruise through a travel agent.

Since the launch of the internet, there’s been much said about the declining value of the middleman. And truth to be told, I’ve been travelling for decades and never used a travel agent. But cruising is one type of travel where we’ve really benefiting from using one.

Here’s why:

 

·       They’re knowledgeable. Particularly if you pick an agency that specializes in cruising. They can help you on everything you need to know from shore to ship and back again

·       They’ve got special privileges. Make a reservation directly through the cruise line and expect to pay your deposit right away. Many travel agents will give you several days to pay—they will even give you an extension

·       They give bennies. Always ask what shipboard credits are available. To be competitive, travel agents will give you shipboard credits, free meals in specialty restaurants, pay for your trip insurance—but you need to ask; they won’t volunteer

·       They can tell you when the price goes down—and get it for you. On one of our first Celebrity trips, several weeks after we booked, the price came way down. Our travel agent called and got us the lower price

·       They’re an emergency contact. If something should happen on your cruise, it’s nice to know you have someone to contact who knows how to work with the cruise lines

·       They provide personal service. A travel agent we worked with for many years called us after every trip to find out how it went. Who else does that?

But, you should also know—

·       They’re paid by commission. Always do your own research to make sure you’re getting guidance unbiased by their paycheck

 

·       They offer opinions. Sometimes, what masquerades as fact is really opinion. Or based on their own particular experiences. For example, we chose May for a trip to Alaska because a travel agent told us we’d see the least amount of rain. Okay, to be fair, they don’t control the weather. But it rained or was overcast six out of seven days (more on our Alaska trip in a later post)

While we feel like we’re near experts on Caribbean cruises at this point, we still use a travel agent. And for ease, peace of mind and more than a bit of help, we suggest you do, too.

The Ebb and Flow of Cruise Pricing

Here’s the short of it: cruise pricing is complicated. And somewhat of a mystery. It seems to ebb and flow based on a whole host of factors. It’s taken us 13 cruises to even begin to understand it.

Okay, maybe we’re slow learners. But, I thought I’d share what we now know so your learning curve isn’t as painful as ours was:

·      If it’s too good to be true…Let’s discuss “come-on” pricing. You know what I mean—the ads offering cruises for $250. There may indeed be an option for that price, but I can just about guarantee it’s not going to be the best room on the ship.

That being said, do watch for cruise promotions. The lines run them fairly frequently and you can reap some savings.

If you don’t know anything about how cruise pricing works, here’s the 101 version:

o   Room types. There are several types of rooms. Here they are, from the cheapest, up:

§  inside room (like a dorm room but without the windows)

§  ocean view room (same dorm room but with porthole)

§  verandah room (same room as above but with balcony)

§  mini-suites/suites (in general, hotel-sized bedroom or larger)

§  premium suites (some are as big as apartments, called such things as “Grand Suite or Family Suite”)

o   Categories. Within each of these room types are categories that vary in price. Categories are usually determined by location on the deck (the middle is most expensive because there’s less ship movement) or other reasons

·      First in saves most. We’ve found that the best prices and greatest choice of rooms are nine months to a year before the trip leaves. The difference can be dramatic. Here’s an example: we booked our upcoming December 2013 trip on Princess back in February of this year. The price now for that same trip? Double 

·      Last in also saves—sometimes. You save a bundle if you book last minute, but only when the ship isn’t filled. It’s hard to guess when this is going to happen so you do take a chance if you gamble and delay

·       Book and still save—What many people don’t know is that once you book, if the price comes down (and it’s before final payment time), you can get your trip for cheaper. Your travel agent will have to do that for you, which is one reason that using an agent is a benefit. More on the benefits of a travel agent coming soon

·       Guarantee of a good rate—The lowest rate is often reserved for the “guarantee” rooms. This is where the cruise line will assign you a room, rather than letting you choose. You may luck out—I’ve heard stories of people who have been given much better rooms than they would have chosen. But, then, there’s always the chance that the reverse could happen…

·       Holiday rate is highest. If you can avoid the holidays, school vacations and other peak times, you’ll get a better rate

·       More ways to save. If you’re a member of one of the cruise lines’ loyalty clubs (i.e., you’ve sailed on them once before), you can usually get a discount. Make sure that when you price trips you indicate on the website that you’ve cruised with the line before. Discounts are also often available (varies by cruise line), for:

o   Veterans

o   Florida residents

o   Seniors

 

If you take some time for planning and are mindful of the above, not only will you save some dough (which you can apply to a future trip, of course!), but just think of the satisfaction you’ll get when you learn your stateroom neighbor paid twice as much as you did!

 

Getting Off to a Great Start

Many of us consider ourselves lucky if we get a whole seven days off in a row. With vacation time so precious—and the money invested in a trip so hard earned—every moment of that cruise counts.

In this week’s posting, I’m going to share a few tips on how you can get your cruise off to a really great start:

1.     Board early. Veteran cruisers know that regardless of what time the cruise line says you can board, you can usually get in earlier. My travel agent advises noon; I’ve heard of some folks who show up as early as 11. You may ask, “What’s the rush? I’m going to be on board a whole week.” You’d be surprised how fast that week goes. (A certain cruise line—who shall remain nameless—likes to give out disembarkation documents for you to fill out the second day of your trip)

 

2.     Enjoy a leisurely lunch. Some ships have their dining room open for lunch on Embarkation Day. All of them open the cafeterias. Check out the food, then check out the ship; see #3

3.     Learn your way around. I can almost guarantee that after a week onboard, you’ll still be getting lost. Don’t miss the chance to get started on this early

4.     Meet your room steward. If you get onboard before 1 or 1:30, you may not get into your stateroom right away. I admit it’s a pain to drag your hand luggage around, but the room will

A Princess verandah room on Embarkation Day

open up soon enough. Room stewards usually come knocking on your door pretty soon after you get into the room. This is your chance to get your room as comfy as possible for the week ahead. Some things you can ask for:

·       Wine glasses (for your wine or theirs)

·       Bathrobe (some lines, such as Princess, make them available on request)

·       Thin blanket (why they use heavy duvets on Caribbean voyages are beyond me)

·       Different pillows (the ships usually have an assortment to choose from)

·       Empty frig (if you don’t want to be tempted by those $8 M&Ms)

·       Mattress pad (Princess has the hardest beds we’ve slept on)

·       Water and/or ice every day



The main dining room on Celebrity's Solstice

  5.  Check out your dinner table. Get into the dining room and find your table. More than half the times we’ve requested a table for two, we’ve found ourselves assigned to a table for four. Or eight. The first few hours of the trip is your best opportunity to get the table you want 

    6.   Make reservations. If you want to eat at a specialty restaurant, get into Holland America’s hands-on cooking class or into coveted shows on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis or Allure, and haven’t booked them from home, better do it now, before it’s too late

7.     Sign up for Cruise Critic’s “Meet and Mingle.” If you haven’t been to www.cruisecritic.com, don’t delay. It’s a must-visit for anyone who cruises. If there’s one of their “Meet and Mingle” events onboard your ship and you didn’t sign up ahead of time, ask Guest Relations when it’s planned. We’ve been to several and they’re well worth it. The best event took us on a tour of the different categories of rooms

8.     And a few more things. Sign up for beverage packages, spa treatments, make special dietary requests, make sure your onboard ship credit has been applied to your account, plan your excursions…The one thing you can’t do is gamble. Those itching to get to the slots will have to wait until the ship pulls away into international waters 

9.     Hurry up and have fun! Do all the above, and you’ll be good and ready for that Mai Tai at the Sail Away party. And for your cruise to really get underway!

A Passport Postscript

If you read last week’s posting about how your passport must be still valid six months after you get back from your trip, you know that I’ve been anxious about getting my renewed passport in time to make an early December trip. Good news: I just got it on Friday. I’m thoroughly impressed with the government’s efficiency; it took only two weeks to get it processed and into my hands. Now, I wouldn’t recommend you cut it as close as I did, but this should be some comfort for those of you who do.

 

 

 

The One Thing You Absolutely Must Know Before You Cruise

There’s a reason they tell you to always read the fine print.

I’ve had a reminder on my desk for a while now to renew my passport. Heck, I was in no rush; it wasn’t expiring until April.

Then last week, perusing Princess’ website to get psyched for my upcoming trip, I saw it—not in neon, but buried deep in the section for “Booked Passengers,” in the FAQ. It says: “Many countries require passports be valid for six months after the completion of your travel. Check your passport to verify it will be valid for this period of time.”

Huh?

I read the two sentences again. And again. My trip was in six weeks, but my passport was not expiring for four months. You’re telling me it’s not valid enough?

Confused, I searched “The Oracle,” my sister’s nickname for the Internet, and confirmed that most countries require that your passport be valid three to six months after you return home. I did a quick check—Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean—probably to cover all the bases, require that your passport be valid six months from the day your trip ends. And this applies to trips to the Caribbean, as well as other parts of the world.

How could I have missed this after 13 cruises? One thing was clear, I couldn’t waste much time trying to figure it out—if I didn’t do something fast, I wasn’t getting on that ship!

I cannot understand why this rule is not displayed in red 30-point type all over the cruise line’s website and documentation, but, alas, it is not. So, I thought I’d spare you finding out the way I did by sharing this information. If you’ve got a trip coming up and your passport is expiring in less than six months from the day you come home, you have only two choices:

·         Update your passport right away—If you’re two weeks or less from your trip, you can pay extra to expedite it. If you’ve got more time, you can pay the regular fee ($110 and if you want it overnighted, another $12.85).

Here’s the process, assuming that all you’re doing is updating an expired passport (i.e., and haven’t lost the passport or changed your name):

1.    Fill out the application on the U.S. government website and print it out

2.    Get a new passport photo and staple it to the application. If you’re a Plus or Premier  AAA member, you can get the photo for free

3.    Include your expiring passport

4.     Attach a check

5.     Put all of the above in a large envelope and mail it to address on the government website

6.     Cross your fingers that you get the new one back in time

·         Get an original certified birth certificate—For travel to the Caribbean, in lieu of a passport, you can show a certified birth certificate and government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license. And if you're married, your marriage certificate. If you don’t happen to have your birth certificate, go to the website of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Vital Statistics of the state where you were born. Somewhere on the site they’ll tell you a fast and easy (though not cheap) way to get it

I did both of the above for my upcoming trip. Now past the point of no return—we’re in the penalty phase—I’ll be quaking in my flip-flops every day until one of these comes in. Wish me luck!