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Home...Cruise
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Booking a Cruise
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This section covers quesitons many cruisers have
regarding how to book the best deal.
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How
do I book a cruise?
Why
should I book with Cruises Inc?
Why
are your rates better than what my local travel
agent is quoting me?
Is
it better to book my cruise early or wait for a last
minute discount?
Can
I book on short notice?
Do
the cruise lines have Senior Citizen Rates? Family
Rates? Last Minute Discounts?
What
about these rates in my Sunday newspaper? Why aren't
they ever available?
Why
can't I just deal with the cruise line directly?
Do
the cruise lines ever give free upgrades?
Can
I extend my cruise vacation?
Should
I buy cancellation insurance? Is it worth it? What
does it cover?
How
do I pay for my cruise? What are the deposit and
final payment requirements?
How
do I book a cruise?
Click
here to provide us information about your cruising
needs. Then through email and in person, one of our
enthusiastic, knowledgeable representatives will be glad
to help you. We will help you pick the cruise that fits
your vacation schedule, tastes, and budget; then make
all the arrangements to get you from your doorstep to
your stateroom and back.
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Why
should I book with Eros Tours and Travels?
There
are a number of reasons to book with Eros Tours and
Travels. Among
them: fast, courteous service with the best rates in the
country.
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Why
are your rates better than what my local travel agent is
quoting me?
Our margins are often
better because we buy in bulk. Often we have group rates
that your local agent doesn't have. We are informed
immediately of special regional, last minute, and senior
promotions. Our agents are trained to ask for the best
deal and most corporate intensive agencies are not. By
specializing in cruises, we're also very good at finding
them at the best prices, often passing on our margins to
you in the form of greater discounts.
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Is
it better to book my cruise early or wait for a last
minute discount?
It
depends on your level of flexibility, but overall, it is
better to book early. The cruise lines will often lower
your rate if a better promotion comes along after you
book your trip. Some guidelines are listed below for
when you should consider booking, but again what they
really come down to is flexibility.
Book
early (at least 6 - 8 months in advance)
if:
- It's
an inaugural cruise
- You
want specific cabin, i.e.
· suites or mini-suites
· location (port, starboard, middle of the
ship, bedding, etc.)
· handicapped
- It
is a unique itinerary (holiday, infrequent)
- You're
not flexible with dates (honeymoon, vacation,
etc.)
- You
need a cabin for 3 or 4 people
- You
need multiple cabins (family, group, etc.)
- You
are particular about seating at dinner
(especially if you want late seating)
- You
plan to use frequent flyer tickets to get to the
port (especially foreign cruises)
Book
late if:
- You
have lots of flexibility (itinerary, dates),
especially if only two people are cruising
- You
don't care about the location of your cabin and
you will take an inside cabin
- You
can drive to the port (and none of the other
guidelines apply)
- You
feel it isn't any fun unless you have lots of
pressure :-)
Some
cruise lines will now guarantee dinner seating and take
a lower deposit when you book early (this may only
be for repeat passengers).
Most
people book 8 months to as much as 18 months in advance.
You can always cancel, but of course you have to lay out
the money for the deposit. Refunds on deposits are slow,
however, and may take up to two months.
In
the Caribbean at this time, where they have obviously
built too many ships (especially in the winter when
the ships are not in Alaska/Europe), some of these
rules may not apply. Anyway, they are only guidelines.
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Can
I book on short notice?
Even
the most popular cruises sometimes have space available
because of late cancellations.
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Do
the cruise lines have Senior Citizen Rates? Family
Rates? Last Minute Discounts?
Most
of these promotions are available in the off peak
booking seasons, right after the first of the year and
between September and mid-December. Anyone can qualify
for a senior rate provided one of the passengers in the
cabin is 55 years old or older. Usually these rates have
$50 to $100 per person lower than the normal rates.
Cruises Inc will post Senior Rates on the Internet as
they become available.
Family
Rates are programs that cruise lines use to fill the
third and fourth berths on cruises on soft sailings. For
example, the third and fourth person in a cabin may pay
$499 per person on a typical seven night cruise.
However, to help fill a ship, the cruise line may reduce
this rate to $99 or even offer free passage to 3rds and
4ths. We will post these specials as well.
Finally,
Last Minute Discounts are less popular than in the past.
Today, the cruise lines are trying fill the ships with
better early booking discounts like Royal Caribbean's
Breakthrough Rates and Carnival's SuperSavers. They can
now tell about three months prior to sailing if a
sailing needs help. If they do, they'll institute Past
Passenger Discounts First, Senior Rates second, Regional
Promotions Third, and then drop the rates if necessary.
Either way, if you book early and the price comes down
after putting down your deposit, the cruise line will
often lower your rate to the new promotion. You're
always better off booking early.
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What
about these rates I see in my Sunday newspaper? Why
aren't they ever available?
The
rates you see in your Sunday newspaper in January are
often for sailings during the most affordable week in
the fall and on the shortest cruise. Since this pricing
is based on the lowest category on the ship (which also
happens to have the fewest cabins), they sold out by the
time you call. Furthermore, until this year, all rates
were quoted without airfare and port charges. It's very
difficult at times to explain to a client that a seven
night cruise with airfare and port charges in an outside
cabin from Kansas City is $1,099 per person when they
saw and ad in their paper stating their cruise rates
were from $199 per person. $199 would be for a three
night cruise in a bunk bed cabin without airfare and
port charges. It's very misleading and we try to avoid
such advertising.
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Why
Can't I Just Deal With The Cruise Line Directly?
You can actually make
reservations with some cruise lines, but usually this is
not to your advantage. As a Top Producer with most
cruise lines, we often get special rates that are not
available to other travel agents, much less the public.
If
you booked directly with the cruise line because we
weren't available or you didn't know about us, the
cruise line will release your booking to the travel
agency of your choice provided you do so prior to your
final payment
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Do
the cruise lines ever give free upgrades?
Everyone
either knows someone, met someone on a ship, or they
themselves have been upgraded to a higher category than
they paid for. Yes, it does happen and but not as
frequently as people think. How do upgrades work? Who
knows? We're still trying to figure it out, but here's
our theory.
Most
upgrades go to passengers who book early and buy the
lowest category on the ship in the form of a
"Category Guarantee." A "Category
Guarantee" means that when you book your cruise,
you are not assigned a cabin number, you are simply
guaranteed that category or better. Since most people
who cruise simply want to get the best price,
"Guarantees" are a great way to fill the ship
with people looking for a good rate.
The
cruise lines always sell more guarantees in a category
than there are cabins in that category. For example, the
lowest rate on Celebrity Cruise Line's Zenith is a
Category 12, inside cabin. There are approximately 6
category 12 cabins. However, on each sailing, Celebrity
will sell between 40 and 60 Category 12 guarantees. You
don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that 34
people are going to get a free upgrade. Usually these
upgrades are given on a first come first serve bases.
Most
upgrades are often from low inside cabins to higher
inside cabins, or low outside cabins to higher outside
cabins. Rarely do passengers get upgraded from inside to
outside but it does happen. But don't book an inside
cabin expecting a free upgrade to an outside. It
probably won't happen.
If
you are assigned a cabin when you deposit on your
cruise, your chances of an upgrade are very small. If
you are traveling in a quad, your chances are very rare
in that there are relatively few quad cabins on a
sailing. Cabin assignments on guarantees are usually
made between a few weeks and the day of sailing. If you
don't like the cabin they give you, tough luck, you're
stuck. So if you're afraid of being at the front, back,
top, bottom, under the dining room, then don't take the
chance. Take an assignment at time of booking.
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Can
I extend my cruise vacation?
We can arrange pre- or
post-cruise land packages at the same time you book you
cruise. These are available through the cruise line and
usually include transfers or a rental car.
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Should
I buy cancellation insurance? Is it worth it? What does
it cover?
Without
insurance, if you cancel your cruise after final
payment, you will suffer penalties. There is no question
about it. It could be $50 per person or could be the
full cost of the trip. The cruise line doesn't care if
it was your life savings, if it was a heart attack, a
death or if you promise to rebook and say good things
about the line. You will not get your money back after
final payment without insurance.
We
mention insurance to everyone. We don't push it on
anyone. For some reason, people perceive it as a cash
cow for us travel agents. It's not. But you should
consider your own situation before deciding for or
against it?
- Would
losing the total cost of trip hurt?
- Do
you have family members who are ill or at risk of
illness that if their condition turned worse you
would abandon your travel plans? Young children or
older family members?
- Do
you have a pre-existing medical condition?
- Is
your trip relatively expensive? Are you leaving the
country for 10 days or longer?
- Are
you at a point in your life where you are
susceptible to accident or illness?
- Are
you booking your own air transportation?
- Have
you ever experienced baggage delay or loss by the
airlines?
- Does
your insurance cover medical expenses in a foreign
country? Probably not?
If
you answered yes to any of these questions, then you may
want to consider insurance. Insurance typically costs
about 10% of your total trip cost and usually covers
baggage, trip delay, trip interruption, medical
expenses, medical evacuation, and more. The cruise
lines' insurance typically doesn't cover pre-existing
conditions but we have other insurance we sell to cover
this situations. Ask your agent for a brochure
explaining it in more detail?
Is
Insurance worth it? If you have to use it, definitely?
But insurance also buys peace of mind, which is not a
bad reason to have it either?
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How
do I pay for my cruise? What are the deposit and final
payment requirements?
Always, always, always
use a credit card to book your trip. . They're
convenient, they are safe, and you get extra protection
for your vacation from your credit card company.
If you are booking your
cruise early (outside of four months prior to travel)
the cruise line typically requires a deposit ranging
from $100 per person for a 3 or 4 night cruise, $200 -
$250 per person for a 7 night cruise, and $300 or more
for longer cruises. Your cruise must be paid in full at
least 65 days prior to travel for most cruise lines
(some require final payment even sooner).
You
will get a comprehensive receipt for every payment and
will receive a final payment reminder to keep you on top
of your payments. If you would like to make periodic
payments on your trip, you may do so provided all
payments are completed prior to the final balance due
date.
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