Installment #1: Background, Cruise Brand, and Price
Background:
My 1st cruise 44 years ago was on my Honeymoon. My wife and I have taken close to 30 cruises in those years. Our first stateroom was an inside cabin, with bunk beds on the Norwegian (now NCL) SS Norway the largest cruise ship sailing at the time. Our recent cruise with our adult children (31, 36 and 28) was the NCL Haven Deluxe Owners Suite on the NCL Joy. I blog all the time on CruiseCritic.com however I do not consider myself an influencer. My only goal with my posts, op-eds and responses is to set “Realistic Expectations” so guests are not disappointed. It is always better to under promise and over deliver. When I give advice, it is ONLY what I do personally. I am a self-proclaimed planner and strategy buff.
Selection of your 1st Cruise Brand:
The good news is when you have nothing to compare it too, most first experiences are excellent. Yet no one wants to make a financial and time mistake. The best approaches can be but not limited to:
- Wants/Needs: List what you want from your next vacation. If you don’t know what you want, like and or need, you greatly increase your potential of a bad decision. If I tell you what to include, it becomes my list and not yours. I personally do this when I buy a home, a car, or an expensive appliance.
- Budget: Establish a budget range. Part of the budget is length of cruise, cabin time, cruise level category (Mainstream, Premium, Premium-Plus, Luxury and Ultra-Luxury), and itinerary. When new to cruising you will think if you pay the fare, you are good to go. If budget is an issue, the fare is just your biggest expense, NOT your only expense. Cruises on Mainstream cruise brands (NCL, Royal, Carnival and MSC) are NOT “All-Inclusive” even though the brands marketing seems to promote that. As a matter of fact, many of the Ultra-Luxury Brands that cost as much as a small New SUV, are not 100% all inclusive.
- Looking for Best Fares: Cruising as a form of vacation is a huge business internationally. Years ago if you kept looking and researching you could find a REAL deal of sorts. Today my words are, “Let the buyer beware”. If something looks too good to be true, it usually is just that. Some of the ways folks think they are getting the best fare can be a false sense of security. I will give a few but not all my reasons. Like everything you read on social media, others will have differing opinions.
- Booking With a Third-Party Source: Let us define a third-party source. Costco, Cruise.com, Vacations to Go, Priceline. These are a few third-party sources. If you gain a fare from the cruise brands website for a specific day, stateroom, terms, and perks; feel free to compare it to the third party. Just make sure those items are identical. Is your deposit refundable; is the fare cruise only with no perks; what are the penalties for cancelling before final payment; are you in a guaranteed stateroom with no control of location; and the list goes on. Essentially read the fine print. I am in no way saying that you won’t get a good deal or that these sources places are bad. I am saying when the price is less, what part of the services received are also less including guest service if something goes wrong. All experiences are only truly great when you come home and remember them that way.
- Booking with a Travel Agent: Not all travel agents are made the same. Some agents give you perks or On-Board-Credit or a lower fare. This is usually because they give you part of their commissions. Let that sink in. Like with a Third-Party, if they make less, what part of the service also get discounted. I also used to think travel agents knew their product extremely well and could give great advice. As the years went by, I have found this NOT to be the case. To many brands, promotions, staterooms, amenities, and itineraries. You would have to be a rocket scientist to have all that constantly changing knowledge. Also remember, when you book with a Travel Agent, they are the client of the cruise brand directly, not you. You have an issue; you must go through your agent. The cruise line won’t even talk to you. The agent has all good intentions, however only you will be truly passionate if an issue arises. All that said, the key is a great agent, with lots of experience, and a deep working relationship with the brand. Therefore, some agents are better with one brand but not another. Side note. I watch a lot of travel agents on YouTube.com. I felt one was the kind of person I could do business with, and they were about to take a cruise on the brand I was interested in. I reached out. Told he could talk to me in 9 days and had a telephone appointment with him. He was late on the call and said he would call in 15 minutes. Seems he had a client issue. Good to know he was client focused. Two and a half hours later, I reached out and was told he left the office and would reschedule in 5 days. No way I will work this that person.
- Booking with the Brand: I have learned under the category of getting the best fares, step one is to look at the cruise brands websites often to see what special events and sales they are offering. This includes if you are booked already BUT have not made your final payment. That is why the fare purchased needs to be cancelable, fully refundable, and changeable. Now you see why I shared the information I did on the “Third-Party-Sources”. The key is the best deal available prior to final payments comes from the cruise brand itself. An example that just happened to me. I am taking a 10-day Cruise on a Premium-Plus/Luxury Cruise brand, Oceania Cruises. I made a booking with a Travel Agent on September 1, 2022, which was Oceania’s Labor Day sale. It gave me a “Four Category Upgrade” to a Penthouse. My cruise is November 9, 2023. 30 days ago, they had what they called the Extraordinary Saving Sale. I called my travel agent and my fare per person went down $900.00 per guest. Remember, this was a nice stateroom, on a more expensive cruise brand, that initially was not inexpensive. The more you pay, the more your saving can be. The cruise brand needs to make a profit to stay in business.
My recommendations: Want to save money and get a deal. Consider these bullet points.
- Don’t book holidays like Thanksgiving, New Year’s, Spring Break or Christmas. Book the weeks before or after.
- Look at the beginning or end of a prime season. The prime season in the Mediterranean ended at the end of October. I booked the beginning of November. Two weeks make a huge difference over all costs.
- Book using a major credit card for their cruise perks. I have an American Express Platinum Card. When I book a suite with a balcony, they give me as much as $300.00 of On-Board-Credit. Sometimes also included in those perks are special wine tasting events and or dinner for two in a specialty restaurant.
- Book with a great travel agent that is part of a big franchise. An example is Cruise Planners. Sometimes these big companies can provide special discounts, free gratuities, and other such perks. Remember, not always so, you must be aware of what is going on.
- Make a habit of looking at the rates for the cruise you want on the cruise brand site and stay flexible. I took my family on what I would say was my favorite cruise of all time on the NCL Joy. That cruise was not inexpensive because we stayed in the nicest stateroom on this huge ship. It was an experience. Three months later, I went on the same ship again in a “Club Balcony Suite” as a solo because I loved my experience with my family so much. Usually when you go solo, it costs double the rate because most rates are based on double occupancy. My solo rate was $800.00 for a 7-day cruise. Try to find that fare now!
- Join Cruise social media Blogs. First decide on the brand that best suits you. Then join a social media blog like but not limited to Reddit.com, Facebook or my favorite, CruiseCritic.com. When sales or price hacks happen, that is where you will hear it first. A little research can gain a much better overall price.
This is my first installment. If you like what you read and want more, let me know. If you have a specific question, please ask.
Cruise well and enjoy every moment.
Installment #1: Background, Cruise Brand, and Price
Background:
My 1st cruise 44 years ago was on my Honeymoon. My wife and I have taken close to 30 cruises in those years. Our first stateroom was an inside cabin, with bunk beds on the Norwegian (now NCL) SS Norway the largest cruise ship sailing at the time. Our recent cruise with our adult children (31, 36 and 28) was the NCL Haven Deluxe Owners Suite on the NCL Joy. I blog all the time on CruiseCritic.com however I do not consider myself an influencer. My only goal with my posts, op-eds and responses is to set “Realistic Expectations” so guests are not disappointed. It is always better to under promise and over deliver. When I give advice, it is ONLY what I do personally. I am a self-proclaimed planner and strategy buff.
Selection of your 1st Cruise Brand:
The good news is when you have nothing to compare it too, most first experiences are excellent. Yet no one wants to make a financial and time mistake. The best approaches can be but not limited to:
- Wants/Needs: List what you want from your next vacation. If you don’t know what you want, like and or need, you greatly increase your potential of a bad decision. If I tell you what to include, it becomes my list and not yours. I personally do this when I buy a home, a car, or an expensive appliance.
- Budget: Establish a budget range. Part of the budget is length of cruise, cabin time, cruise level category (Mainstream, Premium, Premium-Plus, Luxury and Ultra-Luxury), and itinerary. When new to cruising you will think if you pay the fare, you are good to go. If budget is an issue, the fare is just your biggest expense, NOT your only expense. Cruises on Mainstream cruise brands (NCL, Royal, Carnival and MSC) are NOT “All-Inclusive” even though the brands marketing seems to promote that. As a matter of fact, many of the Ultra-Luxury Brands that cost as much as a small New SUV, are not 100% all inclusive.
- Looking for Best Fares: Cruising as a form of vacation is a huge business internationally. Years ago if you kept looking and researching you could find a REAL deal of sorts. Today my words are, “Let the buyer beware”. If something looks too good to be true, it usually is just that. Some of the ways folks think they are getting the best fare can be a false sense of security. I will give a few but not all my reasons. Like everything you read on social media, others will have differing opinions.
- Booking With a Third-Party Source: Let us define a third-party source. Costco, Cruise.com, Vacations to Go, Priceline. These are a few third-party sources. If you gain a fare from the cruise brands website for a specific day, stateroom, terms, and perks; feel free to compare it to the third party. Just make sure those items are identical. Is your deposit refundable; is the fare cruise only with no perks; what are the penalties for cancelling before final payment; are you in a guaranteed stateroom with no control of location; and the list goes on. Essentially read the fine print. I am in no way saying that you won’t get a good deal or that these sources places are bad. I am saying when the price is less, what part of the services received are also less including guest service if something goes wrong. All experiences are only truly great when you come home and remember them that way.
- Booking with a Travel Agent: Not all travel agents are made the same. Some agents give you perks or On-Board-Credit or a lower fare. This is usually because they give you part of their commissions. Let that sink in. Like with a Third-Party, if they make less, what part of the service also get discounted. I also used to think travel agents knew their product extremely well and could give great advice. As the years went by, I have found this NOT to be the case. To many brands, promotions, staterooms, amenities, and itineraries. You would have to be a rocket scientist to have all that constantly changing knowledge. Also remember, when you book with a Travel Agent, they are the client of the cruise brand directly, not you. You have an issue; you must go through your agent. The cruise line won’t even talk to you. The agent has all good intentions, however only you will be truly passionate if an issue arises. All that said, the key is a great agent, with lots of experience, and a deep working relationship with the brand. Therefore, some agents are better with one brand but not another. Side note. I watch a lot of travel agents on YouTube.com. I felt one was the kind of person I could do business with, and they were about to take a cruise on the brand I was interested in. I reached out. Told he could talk to me in 9 days and had a telephone appointment with him. He was late on the call and said he would call in 15 minutes. Seems he had a client issue. Good to know he was client focused. Two and a half hours later, I reached out and was told he left the office and would reschedule in 5 days. No way I will work this that person.
- Booking with the Brand: I have learned under the category of getting the best fares, step one is to look at the cruise brands websites often to see what special events and sales they are offering. This includes if you are booked already BUT have not made your final payment. That is why the fare purchased needs to be cancelable, fully refundable, and changeable. Now you see why I shared the information I did on the “Third-Party-Sources”. The key is the best deal available prior to final payments comes from the cruise brand itself. An example that just happened to me. I am taking a 10-day Cruise on a Premium-Plus/Luxury Cruise brand, Oceania Cruises. I made a booking with a Travel Agent on September 1, 2022, which was Oceania’s Labor Day sale. It gave me a “Four Category Upgrade” to a Penthouse. My cruise is November 9, 2023. 30 days ago, they had what they called the Extraordinary Saving Sale. I called my travel agent and my fare per person went down $900.00 per guest. Remember, this was a nice stateroom, on a more expensive cruise brand, that initially was not inexpensive. The more you pay, the more your saving can be. The cruise brand needs to make a profit to stay in business.
My recommendations: Want to save money and get a deal. Consider these bullet points.
- Don’t book holidays like Thanksgiving, New Year’s, Spring Break or Christmas. Book the weeks before or after.
- Look at the beginning or end of a prime season. The prime season in the Mediterranean ended at the end of October. I booked the beginning of November. Two weeks make a huge difference over all costs.
- Book using a major credit card for their cruise perks. I have an American Express Platinum Card. When I book a suite with a balcony, they give me as much as $300.00 of On-Board-Credit. Sometimes also included in those perks are special wine tasting events and or dinner for two in a specialty restaurant.
- Book with a great travel agent that is part of a big franchise. An example is Cruise Planners. Sometimes these big companies can provide special discounts, free gratuities, and other such perks. Remember, not always so, you must be aware of what is going on.
- Make a habit of looking at the rates for the cruise you want on the cruise brand site and stay flexible. I took my family on what I would say was my favorite cruise of all time on the NCL Joy. That cruise was not inexpensive because we stayed in the nicest stateroom on this huge ship. It was an experience. Three months later, I went on the same ship again in a “Club Balcony Suite” as a solo because I loved my experience with my family so much. Usually when you go solo, it costs double the rate because most rates are based on double occupancy. My solo rate was $800.00 for a 7-day cruise. Try to find that fare now!
- Join Cruise social media Blogs. First decide on the brand that best suits you. Then join a social media blog like but not limited to Reddit.com, Facebook or my favorite, CruiseCritic.com. When sales or price hacks happen, that is where you will hear it first. A little research can gain a much better overall price.
This is my first installment. If you like what you read and want more, let me know. If you have a specific question, please ask.
Cruise well and enjoy every moment.