Cruising 101, Part 2: 5 Tips for Booking a Cruise
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
5 Tips for Booking a Cruise
In Part 1 of Cruising 101, we talked a little about how cruising came to be popular today and what to expect when you take a cruise vacation. Cruising used to be a luxury for rich folks waaaaay back. Now, it is more and more affordable and cruising is a popular option when you are planning your vacation. There are many levels of affordability.
Like any other business, the lowest price is the one that is advertised, usually with the words "starting from" in small print. And to be honest, you can get a cruise for the lowest price advertised. Cruise lines have started putting the total price, with taxes, cruise port fees, etc. into their advertised prices. The only fee not included is the gratuity. So when you see a low price, you can get it. Granted, it is usually for an inside cabin, but you can try.
Here are some things to consider when you book a cruise: departure port, destinations, ship and excursions. First, decide which filter takes priority. It might not be the same each time. When we are pressed for time, we look to see what is sailing that is close to our hometown. When we have a little time to travel, we look to see what is sailing from a port near a city that we may want to visit. People often put the destination filter in first. If you want to go to Alaska, then that takes priority. Then, you will look at the departure port. We decided to sail from Seattle, rather than Vancouver. And Vancouver was actually a port of call, anyway, so it all worked out.
1. Departure ports: you should take note where you want to leave from and how you will get there. You can build an extra vacation around your departure port. Will you have to fly? Some cruises have an add on for the flight. If you book your own flight, cruises will also sell what is called a transfer: a bus ride from the airport to the cruise terminal. It includes the return trip when you get back. Can you drive there and how much does it cost to park? In the northeast, where we live, cruises sail from New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Boston. Since we live in New York, all of these ports are viable for a close cruise port departure. Factor in gas, tolls and parking.
If you choose to sail from a port far from your house, then you can build in a vacation around the cruise. For example, when we sail from New York, we meet people who come to New York just to sail from there. They stay to tour the city for a few days before or after the cruise. And there are basically three terminals to choose from: Manhattan Cruise Terminal, Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and Cape Liberty, which is technically in New Jersey, but literally almost walking distance from Staten Island.
The same can be said for any cruise terminal. We sailed once from Venice, Italy. Of course, we took advantage of the fact that we were in Italy and toured Milan, and then Venice. When we returned back to the port, we stayed in Milan for one more evening before flying back to the US.
2. Destinations/Itineraries/when: For the world traveler, cruising is an excellent way to introduce yourself new countries without booking an entire vacation there. You can get to know a place and come back later or visit a port again and again and do something different every time. The amount of ports depends on the length of the cruise and the distance from the departure port.
Taking a cruise is an excellent way to sample island countries. Popular cruises for this are Hawaii, Greece and the Caribbean. Then, there are cruises linked by region: Australia and New Zealand come to mind.
Do you want to see the Northern Lights? Then Iceland is your destination and then you decide whch port you want to sail from. Do you want to see Alaska? Or Bermuda? Cruises to certain parts of the world only sail at certain times of the year, so the question of when is virtually decided for you when you choose where. Other destinations might have more flexibility, such as the Bahamas.
Do you want to sail during a certain time of the year or for a special occasion? Once again, you might want to put the departure port ahead of the destination if timing is a factor.
3. Ship: Cruise lines build ships in classes. Ships in each class have many things in common: size, amenities, activities but each one will have something that distinguishes them so that they are not all exactly alike. There are many amenities to take into consideration: decor, the type of entertainment (many ships have been featuring Broadway shows); extreme sports (rock climbing walls, flowriders, I-fly experiences, race tracks, ropes courses; movies, either outdoors on deck or in Imax theaters; ice bars (complete with warm hooded cloaks). Then there are the usual factors: nightly entertainment, lounge entertainers, comedy and/or magic (or hypnotists), trivia games, parties, etc.
Ships have been going extreme incorporating malls, small parks, theme park like rides and secret experiences that might be offered to certain guests.
Then there is the shopping: boutiques, jewelry, high end make-up and designer merchandise. Yes, you can buy alcohol and cigarettes on board: make a note of the prices on land before you sail so that you can see if you are getting a bargain or not. There are some products that you can only get on the ship.
4. Dining/Food: Food quality is can vary from line to line. Most cruise lines keep the quality the same for each class of their ships but the variety may differ. Your basic meals are included. They are served in the main dining rooms, the buffet and other areas around the ship. Carnival Cruise Line offers a taco spot, a burger spot, a pizza spot and a deli as part of their complimentary dining, in addition to the main dining room and buffet. Royal Caribbean has their pizza spot that is open late in to the morning to complement their buffet and main dining room. Norwegian offers a pub style restaurant as part of the offerings; it's available basically 24 hours. Along with their main dining rooms and buffets, they may have a smaller burger grill that's also free.
Ships will also have extra restaurants (that you pay extra for), called specialty restaurants. These normally have their own kitchens.
Larger ships may have more types of foods available in between meals. Most cruise lines include lemonade, iced tea and water as part of the price but sodas are extra. Drinks with alcohol are almost always extra and some lines will sell you a package for that, too. Read the website carefully or check with your travel agent so that you know what to expect.
5. Staterooms: You can choose your room, now for an extra price, sad to say (like choosing your seat on an airline). The rooms will be very nice but smaller than the average hotel room. It's a stateroom. Rooms near the Lido deck (near the pool), and on decks near the galley or theatre may hear some noise. So will rooms near the elevator or the stairs. FYI: Be kind to your cabin steward, they're your host for the week.
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