- As a thank you for booking with us we keep an eye on the price of your cruise and if it's ever less than what you paid (before Final Payment) we will automatically have it applied to your booking and let you know! We like to explain that as your travel advisors we have your wallet in mind, we want to find you the best deal for the best cabin on the best sailing and see out of all the offers available how many of them we can combine for you to get you the best deal (think of it like stacking coupons or promo codes). This doesn't always mean price reductions, it can mean extra onboard credit, exclusive offers or activities, or a handful of other benefits.
- Remember it this way, cruise lines are concerned about their bottom line. Online travel agencies like Expedia, booking. com, etc. are only concerned about a quick sale. We are concerned about your experience because happy clients are repeat clients and repeat clients refer us to others and help your business grow. And when our business grows we get access to more and more perks and benefits for our clients.
- Keep an eye on your final payment date on your invoice, if your reservation is not paid in full by that date it will automatically cancel with no refund of your deposit, but don't worry we will remind you in advance!
- It is important to inform the cruise line ahead of time of any special needs, medical needs, dietary restrictions, birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions so they can do their best to prepare. If any of these are applicable to you or your travelers and we have not already talked about them, please tell us now.
- After your deposit is placed and you have received your reservation number from us, log into your cruise lines' cruise manager website to learn about all your specialty dining and drink package options along with the cruise line offered shore excursions, wifi packages, photo packages, and more.
- Pre-plan, its cheaper to buy in advance than onboard
- Learn about gratuities, we recommend prepaying these to avoid an extra charge you might forget about on your onboard spending account.
- Prices for these onboard extras can fluctuate so keep an eye on them. They often go on sale around holidays. Check the cruise managers' extras shop often, they add new things, take things off, change prices, post packages, etc. It's always changing so check it often!
- Some of the larger cruise ships let you pre-book shows and events way in advance, don't miss this opportunity!
- The cruise line excursions are not your only option! Cruise Planners partners with Shore Excursion Group to offer you a wider variety of world-class excursions that guarantee you will arrive back to the ship before its scheduled departure time. So there's no reason not to look over their additional options and see how much money you can save on shore excursions!
- Check the cruise lines cruise manager website for dates when you can access your online check-in process to help speed up your shoreside boarding process. Online check-in is a mandatory step and is required to get your boarding pass, and luggage tags.
- You will be required to show proof of a negative covid test at check-in. Please refer to your cruise confirmation for more details about what tests are accepted and the timeline in which you must take the covid test. Please note that the fear of covid is not a reason travel protection nor cruise lines deem an acceptable reason for cancellation.
- Stock up on all toiletries you might need ahead of time and bring more sunscreen than you think you need. These items are available on the ship but will cost you a pretty penny.
- If you are nervous about seasickness get Dramamine patches beforehand so you don't overpay for them in a panic on board.
- This also applies to things like snorkel sets if you're an avid snorkeler, this way you don't have to pay to rent equipment in ports.
- Some cruise lines offer "Upgrade betting offers" these are totally up to you if you would like to take your chance on these. We request that you let us know you got one of these offers and we can tell you what it would cost outright to upgrade to the options they present you so you have a more informed idea of what it actually costs. Of course, they are going to upgrade the highest bidder, but they are grossly overpaying for an upgrade they could have easily paid much less for if they just did their homework.
- We personally do not like these "offers" as they just fish for people's gambling tendencies and exploit them for more money.
- Please also keep in mind when the term "Upgrade" is used in the cruise world it doesn't always mean interior to an ocean view or ocean view to balcony, or balcony to suite. There are many meta categories inside of each of these types of room types that help signify specific details about a room's layout, size, view, bedding configuration, location, and more. For example and Interior I1 is an upgrade from an interior I5 category stateroom, not always interior to an oceanview, etc.
- Join a Facebook group about your cruise brand and or your specific sailing date to chat and learn from other sailors.
- Research your ship, know all your specialty dining options along with all complimentary dining options like the main dining room, buffet, grab and go, room service (sometimes there is a charge for room service), and more.
- Also make notes where your drink packages include specialty items like the coffee shop, ice cream shop, juice bars, etc.
- Specialty dining restaurants come with a cover fee and require advanced reservations.
- No matter where you dine, it's all you can eat! Order as much as you want as many times as you want. Want 4 shrimp cocktails, fine! Three cheesecakes, you got it! (if a specialty item I.e. lobster has an upcharge your menu will list it)
- There might be at least one "Dress to impress" night in the main dining room where people will be dressed up. If this is not your style opt for the buffet or specialty dining that night instead.
- Some cruise lines let you bring wine on board, let's research this and see if yours does, an easy way to save a few $!
- You can arrive at the cruise terminal as early as 11 am (pre covid) please refer to your check-in documents for suggested times.
- Parking is available at most terminals for a fee, or you can find offsite locations cheaper than terminal parking.
- With covid procedures in place the cruise lines are being very strict about your assigned boarding times, so don't arrive hours before your assigned check-in time.
- You can bring onboard unlimited luggage at no additional cost, but pack sensibly.
- Before entering the terminal building you will see porters outside collecting luggage and putting them on large carts.
- It is recommended to tip these guys $1 per bag. If you do not give them your luggage you will be carrying it around for a few hours until your stateroom is ready.
- Make sure every bag has a luggage tag provided to you in your boarding documents, if you forget your tags or they rip off in transit the porters will have blank tags they can write your cabin number on when handing over your luggage
- Be sure to tip additional for this courtesy service.
- Before entering the terminal building you will see porters outside collecting luggage and putting them on large carts.
- Proceed into the terminal building for the security screening process, check-in verification, and your first vacation photo. Depending on if the ship is ready to welcome you aboard you will either be asked to wait for boarding or if you are lucky you can walk right onto the ship and start the fun! Follow all signs and instructions inside the terminal building and keep your documents out and ready.
- Staterooms might not be ready for a few hours after boarding, so bring your bathing suit and items you might need or want for a few hours in a carry-on until you get access to your stateroom or until your luggage gets delivered to your stateroom.
- Luggage is normally delivered before dinner and will be placed outside your door, so keep an eye out for it. Every floor and section has a cabin steward who can assist with locating your room.
- Remember to turn your phone on airplane mode BEFORE your ship leaves the dock.
- WiFi packages are available for purchase onboard if you don't book them beforehand.
- You do not want to come home to a large phone bill full of data roaming charges because facebook was running in the background!
- Once onboard, take in all the sites and get ready this is the best part! Run around and explore, start learning the ship and get a bite to eat usually at the buffet or Grab-and-Go, and go to the pool/bars.
- Everyone is going to head to the buffet and it's going to be a little chaotic, instead see if the main dining room is open for a much more relaxed lunch.
- Before the ship leaves the dock the Muster drill will be performed, this is a mandatory safety briefing in accordance with federal law, be aware that everyone must participate in this briefing. They are tracking to make sure everyone participates. Before covid, you went to a designated place on the ship based on a number on your Sea pass (your room key). Now cruise lines are creating digital versions of the muster drill that you can complete on your phone or the tv in your stateroom, then you just go to your designated meeting location and check-in.
- All cruise ships are cashless (minus the casinos) so you will use your sea pass card to make on-board purchases that will be charged to the credit card you put on file during the online check-in process.
- If you are interested in specific specialty restaurants or the thermal suites package at the spa make sure to go book those items at the corresponding areas asap. You don't want to miss out on those experiences because you forgot about them and now they are all booked up!
- Every night in your cabin will be the next day's activities, pack a highlighter to highlight all the activities you would like to go to. This is your vacation you can do everything or do nothing at all, whatever floats your boat! Also, check to see if your cruise line has an app to download, these have a digital activities calendar and are free to use onboard.
- There will be professional photographers everywhere and every night their backdrops will change, they roam around dining rooms, pool decks, ports, and activities trying to catch great photos of you. Sometimes they can be a little too much and you can say no thank you. But if you like the photo backdrop or who you're with, there is zero obligation to just take the picture! They will be shown in the photo studio and you can go check them out later and determine if they want to purchase them or not. They tend to be expensive but they also tend to be the photos people hang up and see for years to come.
- If you're having a wonderful time and want to do it again make sure to visit the Next Cruise desk. The cruise line representatives at this desk will help you plan and book your next cruise and the best part is we will still be your advisors for your new cruise reservation! They also have access to all our Cruise Planner exclusive offers, so you don't have to worry that you're not getting the best deal. They will often give you additional onboard credit on your current sailing and you're next sailing, along with additional perks as an incentive. This is a really good place to get a great deal!
- Make note of your ships all aboard time and local time zone before getting off the ship in a port.
- If you miss the ship and you don't have your passport in your pocket you're in for an experience you will never forget! The ship will not wait for you and they do not call you to find out how far away you are. It's your responsibility to manage your time.
- It is totally up to you if you want to carry your passport in your pocket when you get off the ship in a port. It's not necessary but heaven forbid anything were to happen and you miss the ship, getting home just became a heck of a lot harder! You would now need to travel to the closest US Embassy (that might be hours away) get an appointment to be seen, stay until that appointment arrives (could be days or weeks), prove you are a US Passport holder, wait for a new passport, then book flights and travel home. That's a lot of work, time, and costs out of your own pocket.
- On the last night of your cruise, you will receive an itemized invoice for all on-board purchases, if you have any issues go to the guest services desk right away.
- The line will be very long on the last day and the morning of departure, try to go very late at night or very early in the morning to not waste time waiting in line.
- Do not wait till you get off the ship, the process to discuss onboard charges once you are off the ship becomes very long and complicated, handle any issues onboard.
- If you did not prepay your gratuities (if applicable) you will now find them now charged to your onboard account.
- This is where you need to decide how you are going to disembark the ship in the morning. You have two options:
- Option 1 - Carry all your own luggage off the ship and be the very first people off the ship and through Customs. This is normally around 7:30 am, so it will be an early start to your day. Your breakfast would need to be at the buffet. This is our favorite option and best if you have an early flight or want to start your drive home quickly.
- Option 2 - Pack up all your luggage and leave it in the hallway the night before, the staff will take your luggage and you will meet up with it again right before you go through Customs once you are off the ship in the morning. You should find new luggage tags for your bags left in your stateroom.
- You will be assigned a waiting area to go to at a certain time in the morning based on your cabin number, everyone in that waiting area will disembark the ship together at the designated time. You might also be assigned a specific place to go for breakfast that will aline with what time you need to meet to disembark.
- Make sure to keep with you an outfit for tomorrow, your passport, toiletries, and anything else you will need for the night and for a few hours in the morning until you get your luggage back off of the ship.
- Venture to the Photo Viewing area to view and purchase any of the professional photos that were taken of you during the cruise.
- Take advantage of the last-day sales at the shops to purchase any items you saw during the cruise like a watch, shirt, or perfume this is when they will be the lowest price. This is your last chance to shop, the shops will not be open in the morning.
- Follow the departure instructions and announcements.
- If you want to get off the ship early, you can carry your luggage off the ship on your own and beat the rest of the ship to the Customs line.
- Grab breakfast and meet at your designated waiting space for further instructions if you are not doing early self carry off disembarkation.
- Your itinerary can change due to many factors including bad weather in port, civil unrest, and many more variables that cruise lines use to decide if visiting a port is still safe to dock and disembark at. The cruise lines reserve the right to change the sailing itinerary at any moment for any reason they see fit with no advanced notice and no options for compensation.
- So if you are going on an itinerary for a very specific port this is a major reason you need travel protection. If the cruise line changes the itinerary and notifies us in advance and you don't like the changes, without insurance you have limited to no options to change your reservation and more than likely will be stuck with the new itinerary.
- READ your cruise lines cancelation and penalty information on your cruise line information. They do not do refunds! Know what dates and what penalty percentage amounts apply to your cruise in case you have to cancel without travel protection.
- Most deposits are nonrefundable, without travel protection, if you need to cancel you lose your deposit.
- Some cruise lines are being nice right now and let us move money to different ship and sail dates, but this might now always be the case.
- Cruise lines pricing models run off of double occupancy unless otherwise noted (like a solo cabin). You are responsible for the entire fare for two people regardless of whether two people end up sailing or not. Say you have two people in a stateroom and one person cancels, the person that did not cancel is now responsible for the entire cruise amount or needs to find someone else to fill that second space and pay all associated charges and fees.
- Fees apply for full name changes or for things like inaccurate documentation information submitted. Cruise Planners is not responsible for these fees. Fees assessed by the cruise lines are the client's responsibility and will be due immediately at the time of edit.
Most importantly, have fun!
It might seem like a lot to remember at first but after your first cruise,
you're going to be hooked on cruising!
* Our disclaimer - all of this information is subject to change at any moment and with no notice or notification. These tips and tricks are provided to you as a courtesy to make sure you have a well-rounded understanding of what to expect. By no means can any of the above tips, tricks, or suggestions come back to us via a "you told me this". Again these are based on our experiences and our expertise, if you have a different experience, wonderful.
