Future Cruise Deposits—What’s Not to Like?

Worst part of a cruise? Hands down, Disembarkation Day. If you’ve cruised before, you know that feeling—the pit-in-your stomach recognition that your long-awaited vacation is over.

And the only antidote is to plan another one—fast. That’s what makes future cruise deposits so delicious. For the uninitiated, that’s where you put a deposit down on your next cruise while you’re still on one.

The way it works differs by cruise line. For Royal Caribbean, you actually book your next cruise onboard and put down a deposit. With Princess, you put down some money and then choose a cruise later.

There are a number of benefits to the future cruise deposits (FCD):

Low deposit – Deposits are often much lower than what you’d put down if you booked back on land.

Sometimes a great rate – Booking onboard (and early) can often get you a better rate for your next cruise.

Refundable deposit – Find out later that you can’t go after all? You’ll get your deposit back—all of it. (That is, of course, unless you’ve paid for the whole trip and you’re in the penalty period.) Note that the period of time this applies varies by cruise ship.

Onboard credit – FCD promotions often come with onboard credit, which you can use for specialty dining, excursions, drink packages, internet access, onboard shopping and more.

You can keep your TA in the loop – You can still work with your travel agent. When you put down the deposit, simply give the sales rep. your travel agent’s name. Your agent can continue to help you on the rest of the trip arrangements, and he/she can get commission from the cruise line. Just be sure to let your travel agent know that you’ve booked a cruise or put down a FCD.

You’ll get it in writing – Once you put down a FCD or booked a cruise onboard, you usually get a confirmation in writing—either in your stateroom before the end of the trip or via email.

To get a FCD, simply visit the ship’s onboard future cruise sales office. Note that it’s the busiest toward the end of the trip.

There’s no limit to how many FCDs you can have—one cruisecritic.com poster said he was sitting on six of them!

Which speaks volumes. With a low deposit—refundable, no less—what’s not to like? You can end your trip the same way it began—by looking forward to your upcoming cruise!

Disembark Without Distress

If you can’t walk off, you’re bringing too much stuff, says my suddenly wise travel companion.

The backstory: his big black bag—which looks like hundreds of other big black bags—was nowhere to be found in the cruise terminal on Disembarkation Day.

By the time we hooked up with the bag-taking couple, they were already at the airport. Our stuff nearly ended up in Maryland. We live in Florida.

Your bags could end up in Maryland too. Or Timbuktu. If you think it can’t happen to you, just peruse the forums on cruisecritic.com. It seems no matter how many pink pompoms or ruby red ribbons you put on your luggage, some folks can still think the bag is theirs.

And so, we’ve begun to, as the cruise lines call it, “walk off.” For the unfamiliar, this means that instead of letting the crew take your bags the night before the cruise’s end and delivering them in the terminal, you take them all with you when you leave.

What we’ve discovered is that there are many joys to walking off, such as:

A peaceful night before. The evening hours before Disembarkation Day used to be, for us, a panicky packing marathon, as we scrambled to get the bags into the hallway by the deadline. Now there’s no deadline and much less stress.

Smiling through the Disembarkation form. That dreaded form seems to show up earlier and earlier in the cruise—you know which one I mean—it asks how you’re going to get home so you can be scheduled for departure. It’s wonderful to check off the “walk off” option.

Leaving when we want. You don’t have to gulp down breakfast, drag your carryon to the theater and sit around impatiently waiting for your number to be called. You can just eat and get off the ship.

App it and it’s even faster. If you’re leaving from Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades or Miami’s Seaport Cruise Port, do the Mobile Passport. Simply download it before the cruise from Play Store or Apple’s App Store to do part 1. You do part 2 when you’re about to leave the ship. It’s easy and you’ll breeze right through Customs.

Once you do walk off, you’ll always walk off. It takes some of the edge off what is already distressing—the end of your wonderful cruise.

The Best Way to Relax on a Cruise?

Find one with a private island on the itinerary.
 
You’ll find yourself transported to a tropical oasis that you have all to yourself (well, along with a few thousand of your fellow passengers). A whole hassle-free day to savor the sunshine, dig your feet in the sand or float face up, while your cares drift away to sea.
 
Or jet ski, water slide, zip line or craft shop. Photograph the flowers. Walk the paths. Chow down or booze up.

However you choose to spend it, a day at the cruise line’s private beach offers the ultimate in relaxation and a chance to spend the day your way.
 
Here are quick takes on some of the cruise lines’ private spots:
 
Mahogany Bay—When we’ve stopped in Roatan in the past, we’ve docked in Coxen Hole, a poor, but interesting port city. On our recent Caribbean Princess cruise, however, we were surprised to find ourselves instead sidling up to the pier at Mahogany Bay, created by Carnival, Princess’ parent company. Carnival and NCL also make stops here.
 
Hibiscus, palms, and other tropical flora and foliage frame the path from the pier. Hang a right for a short walk to paradise. The pool-like blue waters are calm and clear. You can laze in padded loungers on the beach or try one out that sits on the water. Rent a paddleboat, kayak or snorkel.
 

There are restaurants and bars selling seafood and jerk chicken, and from a stand on the sand, a fellow sells coconut water, shell and all.
 
Or if you’re not in the mood to do the walk, there’s always the chairlift. Yes, you read that right. A seat in the sky but with no snow below. Instead, there are sweeping views of the bay, beach and ship. For $14, adults can do it all day long (for kids, it’s $8).
 
If you hang a left off the ship, you’ll find shopping, more restaurants and bars. The centerpiece is the craft market, where you can buy reasonably priced wooden bowls and the like in mahogany, watch cigars being rolled and purchase for the road, taste locally made rum and chocolate, or browse fine jewelry or the usual assortment of kitschy knickknacks.

Mahogany Bay and Labadee dock, which is a plus for both. It makes it a snap to bop on and off the ship as many times as you want.
 
Labadee—When you’re in Labadee, you have no clue you’re on Haiti. Surrounded by lush green mountains, Royal Caribbean’s private hideaway is a sprawling slice of heaven, with nook and crannies so that you never quite feel the crowds.

In fact, it’s so large that signs point out the way to its several beaches, myriad water sports and walkways.
You can get your hair braided, have a massage, play volleyball or do the aqua park. Swing in a hammock, hike the trails.

There are restaurants and bars, and the many souvenir vendors make sure you know they’re there too. Bargaining is both welcome and expected, and there are inexpensive souvenirs made in Haiti as well as China. Bring money, though, because like Mahogany Bay, your sea card won’t get you anywhere with these merchants.
 
Labadee is used by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships.
 
Princess Cays—Princess’ special island in the Bahamas has a long, lovely beach, with sections to the right and left of the pier, both with waters that are good for swimming and snorkeling, plenty of sandy stretches and padded lounge chairs in the sun and under the palms.

For your own personal space, you can rent one of the colorful air-conditioned beach bungalows. Six hours for four people will set you back $249.95.
 

There’s kayaking and sailing, restaurants and bars, a sprinkling of craft vendors along the left beach, as well as a craft market tucked away not from the pier entrance. To get into the market, though, be sure to bring your driver’s license, because just a sea card and smile won’t be enough to get you past the guard.
 
Also, note that Princess Cays is a tendered port. While only about a 10-minute ride from ship to shore, given the number of people always waiting to board, going back and forth multiple times isn’t really feasible.
 
No matter which of these three islands you end up at, if you’re lucky with the weather, you’ll no doubt be tearing yourself away at the end of the day to make it in time for sail-away.
 
Musing’s Top Tip: For a ton of info on what to do, what to see and videos on both, what weather to expect, where there’s wi-fi and much more in Roatan and other port stops, check out cruiseportinsider.com.

Photos by RJ Greenburg

Pre-Cruise Prep—What Line Does it Best?

Not that you need any help getting pumped up for your upcoming trip, but the cruise lines do vary quite a bit in what they tell you once you’ve put that deposit down.

 
And of the lines we’ve sailed with most recently—Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity—my first prize for pre-cruise promo goes to Princess.
 
Communication from Celebrity and Royal Caribbean was spotty and all about driving revenue with drink packages and excursions. Celebrity, however, gets kudos for being the only one of the three lines to still offer to send you color adhesive luggage tags. (For RCI and Princess, you have to print up your own and staple or tape them to your bags.)
 
While Princess does its share of tempting you with ways to spend extra dough, it also works hard to inform and excite. Here’s a brief summary of what you can expect before you sail:
 
Princess’ patter begins early. The cruise line begins its email chats with you even before you’ve paid for the whole trip. The captain welcomes you onboard, tells you a bit about himself, and a column appearing in every email going forward gives an update of what you’ve left to do before the trip. Like submit final payment. Make sure your passport is up to date. And check in online.
 
Read, see and hear. About once a month and then sooner as you get closer to the trip, you get a message from a different senior officer. There are links to videos of your ship and the bridge web cam. Overviews of available excursions, which you can filter by price range and activity level. Descriptions of dining options with links to videos about the restaurants.
 
Let them entertain you. One especially useful email spotlights the entertainment—including what movie is actually being shown on your trip for Movies Under the Stars, the featured entertainers and song-and-dance production shows. There’s even a sample issue of Princess Patter, the onboard newsletter.
 
With all the hours we spend these days our eyes glued to a screen, I have to hand it to Princess for making what we spend online with the cruise line more than worth our time. And for giving us yet another reason to feel our vacation dollars are well spent.
 
Musing’s Top Tip: Family or friends curious about cruising but afraid to take the plunge? Consider Princess’ “Bon Voyage Experience.” You can bring your guests onboard on embarkation day and for $30 a person, they’ll get four hours of lunch plus wine, guided tour of the ship and souvenir photo. It might be a great way to get them to “yes” if you want to bring them along the next time you cruise. Reservations for this program are required, so see Princess’ website for more.

A Cruise Review: The Connie Anew

You never forget your first cruise. Like your first kiss, the memory sweetly lingers.
 
It’s those warm fuzzies that drew us back to Celebrity’s Constellation in December—eight years after she introduced us to a whole new way to travel.
 
But those were the days of midnight buffets and chocolates on our pillow. They’re long gone and the Constellation is a different place, run by the same—but yet a very different—cruise line.

The Ship: Wearing the Years Well
The Constellation has held up very nicely since its 2002 inauguration. Its upgrade and “Solsticization” in 2013 brought new beds to the cabins, refreshed carpeting throughout, new restaurants, bars and more. It’s a handsome ship, with a commanding marble staircase dominating

The marble staircase commands attention

the Grand Foyer on Deck 3.
 
One of the ship’s highlights is at the very back of Deck 10, what I call the “Teak Deck” for its upgraded picnic furniture (officially, it’s the “Sunset Bar”). The little patio, like most of the ship (including rooms and balconies), is now smoke-free, enabling all of us to enjoy the view of the stern’s wake without wheezing.
 
The ship is compact and easy to get around; we had the layout down in a day. Its relative smallness at 91,000 tons gave it an intimate feel, which, after many trips on larger vessels, was a nice change of pace.
 
The Entertainment: Mixing It Up
There’s been a big change in the daytime activities. Where once there were guest speakers, there are now “Life Enhancement” lectures on health and fitness. “Enhance Your Life Through Exercise” and “Happy Feet for Healthy Life” were some of the offerings.
 
There are also more pool and game show activities, as the cruise line works to appeal to younger cruisers. An officer vs. guest pool volleyball game made its debut on this trip, joining the usual “Newlywed Game” takeoff, “Battle of the Sexes” and “Liar’s Club,” which—a first for us—featured the ship’s captain on the panel.
 
Evening entertainment was good quality, albeit standard fare—Broadway-style shows, a comedian, violinist, magician and singer. Off-stage entertainment ran the gamut, from folk music to classical to rock and salsa.
 
The Food: A Turn Toward Ordinary
Alas, from this foodie’s perspective, quality was sacrificed for quantity. When we first took the Connie, the three-star Michelin winner Michel Roux was running the show and each meal in the main dining room was a gastronomical high. Today, the food is plain at best. Entrees ranged from good (there was a nice crispy breaded pork chop and decent tenderloin) to poor (one steak had a very strange consistency). Desserts are merely ordinary. Instead of the rich and decadent “Opera” pastry I enjoyed on Princess, for example, the Constellation serves up chocolate layer cake.
 
The ship’s buffet, the Oceanview Café, runs until 9:30 p.m. at dinner, but compared to buffets on competing lines, seems an afterthought. There are some nice features, such as made-to-order grilling (choice of steak, salmon, chicken and pork), stir-fry and pasta, good pizza and an ice cream bar with syrup and candy toppings. But the desserts seldom varied from puddings or cupcakes.
 
On the other hand, the breakfast and lunch buffets offered a huge variety. (Although sorely missing was the array of fabulous rolls we once looked forward to.)
 
The Extras: A Few Still Remain
Some of what earned Celebrity the reputation of a premier cruise line is still there—the welcome

Cool comfort for a hot day

champagne at embarkation, iced towels greeting you after a hot day at port, but we find it a changed cruise line, and the Constellation, a changed ship.
 
Those sailing on the Constellation for the first time will enjoy a smaller ship experience, quality entertainment and a crew eager to please. In short, a good cruise, but not a spectacular one.
 
Musing’s Tidbits: Ever wonder what’s in the ship’s lifeboats? Connie’s has 10,000 calories per person, water, signals, fishing tackle and seasickness pills, among other necessities. Except, alas, a bathroom.

Cruising Alaska 101

This week, I’m going to switch gears and talk about Alaska. With most of the country in a deep freeze, probably the idea of Alaska as a destination is not top of mind right now. But if you’ve been thinking about it at all for coming warmer months, better act now. The season is short and cruises fill up fast.

Cruising in Alaska is not a topic where I have a lot of experience; admittedly, I’ve only done it once. But, I thought it would be worth devoting a posting or two to sharing what we learned to help if you’re planning one.

Which Cruise Line?

The biggest decision we were faced with once we committed to abandoning our therapeutic Caribbean trip for the more exciting Alaska one was: which cruise line?

We decided to go with Princess, which was reputed to be the reigning cruise line in Alaska. One key reason is that the cruise line has been doing it for a long time. And while we didn’t take advantage, Princess has a number of wilderness lodges and cruise-tours that allow you to see more of the state. Holland America is the other cruise line that is particularly strong in Alaska, with many of its own cruise-tour offerings.

Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay?

Glacier Bay at Memorial Day

The next major decision was, Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay? We spent weeks researching these two itinerary choices and in the end, it was a cruiser’s comment in Cruise Critic that nailed it for me. He had said something to the effect of “I’ve been to Glacier Bay and now I can die happy.”



Glacier Bay's blue-ice glacier

Now while that’s rather dramatic, I believe we made the right choice. It provided unparalleled scenery that’s given me a new perspective on our 49^th state. Another reason to consider Princess: it’s one of the few cruise lines with coveted permission to travel through the spectacular park.
 

When to Go?
The books and travel agents told us:

Spring—if you want less rain and clearer view of the mountains
Summer—if you want more wildlife
Fall—if you want fewer crowds

My advice is to forget it all—go when you want. I say that because we chose spring and had rain or overcast skies for six out of seven days.

How to Get it All in One Suitcase?
We live in Florida, so when we Caribbean cruise, we just drive to Ft. Lauderdale. That means we can pack just about anything. It was a whole different ball game going to Alaska. The more we read about what to bring, the more we wondered, how the dickens do we get all that in one, 50-pound suitcase? Here are a few tips to tackle that what-do-I-pack dilemma:

·       Jeans at dinner. Really. Surprisingly, the Alaska cruise was more casual than the ones in the Caribbean and I was astounded to find folks showing up in the main dining room on casual nights in jeans (at least on Princess). After a few days, I joined them. If the cruise line didn’t like it, it didn’t let on

 

·       It’s what’s outside the ship that counts. Here’s another big difference between Alaska and Caribbean cruises: you’re in Alaska to see the scenery and wildlife. Invest in cameras, binoculars and comfortable clothing

·       Think simple, basic and warm. You can skip the bathing suit, cover-up and flip-flops. The suntan lotion and sun hats. All you need are jeans, shirts and a coat. A few nice outfits for formal nights and if you want to get out of those jeans once in a while. And that’s pretty much it

The Alaska cruise got us out of our comfort zone and I'll be forever pleased we did it. If you’re on the fence, I urge you to give it a try because it will be a unique, truly memorable experience. The scenery is otherworldly, the ports are Hollywood-cute and the shopping is a blast (salmon jerky, anyone?). But, just so you don’t get shocked—there’s a Del Sol and Diamond International in Juneau!