Getting the most out of your cruise dollar!

I've been cruising since the late 1970's!  Things have really changed over the years.  Cruising has become more popular with many different ocean cruise lines.  You get what you pay for!  If you want six star all inclusive cruising, choose Seabourn, Silversea, Crystal or Regent.  Five star cruising, Oceania or Azamara, Four star, Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian (NCL) and Celebrity.  There are more cruise lines, but I will only rate the ones I've been on or am familiar with.

Six star:
Depending on the cruise, almost everything is included!  There is no tipping, no up selling, and all beverages are included.  Most give you a stocked bar in your cabin.  Not a mini-bar, but a full bottle of your favourite liquor and mixer.  The service and food are excellent.  Entertainment is good but the ships are smaller so the variety of entertainment isn't as diverse as the larger ships.

Five star:
You will pay gratuities to your room steward and waiters.  You will also pay for alcoholic beverages.  The ships are smaller and go into less traveled ports.  There is less entertainment because of the smaller ship but it is good.  They have wonderful lecturers on board.  The service and food are excellent.  It's a more intimate experience with fewer passengers.  On some cruises solo passengers are not charged an additional 100% more but 25% or 50% for traveling alone.

Four star - now it gets interesting, as they are all good and offer different experiences.
If you want lots of entertainment and activities, go on Royal Caribbeans Oasis class ships.  I thought they would be too large and too crowded, but after my first cruise I was hooked!  They don't feel crowded. They have many entertainment venues, the most sports activities on any line.  They have 26 different restaurants!   They have largest, best organized children's program afloat.  Lots of families go on these cruises. They have a family dining area for people with small children.  You order the children's dinner and they bring it along with appetizers for the adults.  When the child is finished dinner, a crew member takes the children to to the Children's activity area while the parents enjoy a quiet dinner!

Disney, is a wonderful cruise.  However their ships don't have casino's to offset cruise costs so the price is almost twice of the other ships in the same class.  Disney Cruises book quickly and they have great packages that include a few days in Disneyland or Disney World and a cruise.  In Orlando they pick you up at the airport and take you to your Disney hotel.  Buses transport you to Disney World, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Park and the water park.  They also transport you to the cruise ship port and back to the Orlando airport.  It's a great family vacation.

Cruise lines are offering a "beverage package".  When they first introduced them they were a good deal.  Now they are very pricey and if your cruise has a lot of port days you need to be an alcoholic to make this pay.  You can have up to 15 alcoholic drinks per day per person.  Princess, Celebrity and Holland America will offer it free as a promotion once a year.  NCL offers it on promotion also but is the only cruise line to add a gratuities charge on the promotion.  For most people you are better to pay for any alcoholic beverages you consume.  Princess offers a bottled water and fancy coffee package that is a good value.

I have not recommended Carnival.  I only went on Carnival once, and frankly that was enough for me.  We didn't pay a lot so I didn't feel ripped off, but as I said at the top, you get what you pay for.  I did enjoy their entertainment and especially the comedians after midnight.

When you compare past passenger benefits, Princess wins!  If you have 100 shares of Carnival Corp. stock in your portfolio, you can get an on board credit on thirteen different cruise lines.  You can combine the Carnival Corp. stock benefit with cruise line promotions.  For information: Carnival Corp Stock Benefit

RCCL offers an on board credit if you own 100 shares of RCCL stock on any sailing with Royal Carribean, Azamara or Celebrity.  You can't combine stock benefits with cruise promotions so few people ever get to use it.

If you book online, be very careful to ensure the site you are on pays the cruise line!   When the charge comes through on your credit card it should say the name of the cruise line, not the travel agency.  Some online booking agencies don't give good customer service if you have a problem.

If you live in British Columbia and book through a travel agency registered in BC you are covered by the BC Travel Assurance fund should something go wrong.  Watch promotions as they are usually in US Funds and make offers that sometimes don't apply to the cruise you want.  Many advertised prices do not include taxes and fees!

Cruises at Christmas and Spring Break are the most expensive.  Cruises in early December are usually the cheapest. Cruises not fully booked are usually discounted six weeks before they sail. Be careful of non refundable deposits!  They are usually applied to discounted cruises.

Always make sure when you travel outside the province you have adequate medical insurance!

If you ever have a cruise or travel question, don't hesitate to call me.