Cruising 101, Part 3

If you missed the first parts of our Cruising 101, you can find them here:

• http://travelonadream.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/cruising-101-part-1/
• http://travelonadream.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/cruising-101-part-2/

So now you have booked your cruise vacation.  What’s next?  There are a number of things to think about and plan before your actual cruise.

Prebooking Excursions/Spa Appointments/Specialty Restaurants

You will want to think about what “extras” you want to do onboard.  Most ships will have a spa and specialty restaurants, at which reservations are strongly recommended.  There will also be shore excursions that are available on a first come/first served basis.  You may consider booking these in advance.

Each cruise line has its own procedure for how these are done.  In most cases, your reservation must be paid in full before you can prebook these things.  With Disney for example, you must not only be paid in advance, but you must also be with a certain date prior to your cruise.  This date depends on the number of times you have cruised with Disney in the past (see Repeat Cruiser section below).

With some cruise lines, you will have to prepay for what you reserve in advance.  This was true with Celebrity when we cruised earlier this year.  With other cruise lines, you simply make a reservation and then once onboard, you will be charged.  You will want to check what the cancelation policy is with the shore excursions, spa appointments and specialty restaurant reservations that you make.

Some cruise lines will not allow you to prebook certain things online.  With Disney, you cannot book some of the spa appointments and the cabana rental on Castaway Cay online in advance, it must be done on the ship.  On some cruiselines, you can also book shows online in advance.  For example, on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, you can prebook some of the shows in advance, eliminating the need to stand by for available seats at the start of the shows.

Unless you have plans in each port of call or have your heart set on a particular spa offering, you may consider waiting until you get onboard to see what Port Day specials are being offered by the spa.  You can save quite a bit off the cost of the spa activities if you can go while the ship is in port.

Some of the cruise lines have areas, usually for adults only, with steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools, and relaxation areas.  These areas will have a fee for daily use or even a cruise-long pass.  Some of these areas will have limitations on the number of people that can sign up, so you will want to do this as soon as possible.  On some ships that have Spa Suites, this amenity can be included.

You may also consider shore excursions offered by outside vendors.  You should be cautioned on this.  Often the pricing will be less than similar (or even identical) excursions offered by the cruise line.  You will want to make sure that you are covered if something happens and your ship does not arrive at the scheduled port of call.  Some vendors will still charge you so you will want to make sure this is not the case.

Additionally, when you are on a shore excursion, delays can happen.  On our last cruise, we were due to get back into port 30 minutes prior to all aboard time.  However, this did not happen.  We arrived back at the pier about 5 minutes prior to the all aboard time.   Had we arrived late and booked with the cruise line, they would have held the ship at the pier for our arrival.  We witnessed this happening in Palermo Sicily on the Disney Magic.  However, if we had booked the excursion on our own with an outside vendor, the ship would not wait for us to get back.  It would be our responsibility (and expense) to get from the port of call back to the ship, likely at the next port of call.

I generally won’t do an excursion independently unless it is in a port I have been to before and the plan is to be back to the ship at least one hour or more before all aboard time.

Pre/Post Nights and Cruisetours

Many people will want to extend their cruise with a stay in area where the cruise departs from or returns to.  These would be referred to as a pre-night or post-night.  If they are added on to your cruise reservation, many times you can get transfers through the cruise line from the airport to the hotel and then from the hotel to the port.  You can usually add one to three nights on either side of your cruise.

You will likely find, however, that the prices for a stay booked in conjunction with your cruise will cost more than if you book the pre or post nights separately.  Your travel agent can check the pricing both ways for you.  We have found this to be true with Disney reservations.  Discounts such as AAA or annual passholder rates cannot be applied to the cruise line resort booking.  In most cases, the standard prices for the resort were pretty close to the rates the cruise line was charging, but if a discount came available, it wouldn’t be applied to the cruise line resort booking.

Another thing to be aware of is that the pre and post nights may have a different cancelation policy than the cruise reservation itself.  This could also vary depending on the hotel and the city in which you are booking the stay.  Some may or may not include the transfers as well so you’ll want to be clear in what you are booking.

A cruisetour is a little different from a pre or post night stay.  This is an organized tour that is added on to your cruise, to give you a more in depth view of the area.  Popular cruisetour locations are in Alaska, Australia, Europe, and South America.

Cruisetours will be an escorted tour by expert tour guides.  They will include your hotels, many activities and transportation to areas that are many times more inland from the port or just cannot be taken in for a day while in port.  Most cruisetours can either be at the beginning or the end of your cruise.

Packing

Everyone always asks me what to pack for a cruise.  I did a blog recently on this as well http://travelonadream.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/cruise-packing-101/ so I won’t go into the details I included there.  What is important to know is what type of dress code your cruise requires.  Norwegian has mostly eliminated formal nights while Cunard has a number of formal nights on their sailings.  In fact, most nights Cunard even has a ball to attend with a variety of themes!

Before you start packing, you will want to find out if there are formal nights, semi-formal nights, pirate nights (like on Disney), other themed nights so that you can either make alternate plans for those nights or pack accordingly.  On Cunard, the dress code for formal night is formal dress.  If you do not wear formalwear, you won’t be allowed to eat in the dining room.

Another thing to keep in mind is that many of the cruise lines will have photographers available most nights around dinner and the shows to take photos of you with various backgrounds.  There are no sitting fees and you only pay if you purchase any photos.  This would be an inexpensive way to get a family photo or picture for your holiday cards (of course it’s not that inexpensive when you add in the cost of the cruise along with the cost of the photos!).

Now that you are ready to go, there are few things you will want to think about concerning being onboard.

Cruise Meets/Fish Extenders/Decorations

What else can you do to prepare and get more excited about your cruise?  Check out a discussion forum online and find others who are going on the same cruise as you!  On Cruise Critic, these groups are called Roll Calls.  All you need to do is find a discussion forum you are comfortable with and look for a Roll Call or cruise meet group for your cruise line and date.  Cruise Critic is great because they represent so many cruise lines.  There are other discussion forums that are specific to particular cruise lines.  Disney fans do have a lot of discussion forums to choose from.

Usually with the Roll Call groups, people will post their questions, plans and other information just to get to know each other.  Many of the groups will plan activities once onboard.  Most will plan a meet either in the cruise terminal or once onboard, many times around the sailaway party.  Some groups will come up with creative ways to know who belongs to their group.  On our recent Norwegian sailing, the group decided to put a colored BandAid on back of their left hand.  That way if you saw someone with this, you could feel comfortable approaching them to ask if they are part of the Roll Call.

Some cruise lines will offer a meeting or gathering for the Roll Call groups as well.  They usually have a minimum number of participants so they are not having a party for only a couple people.  On a recent cruise, the cruise line offered space, refreshments and even had some of the senior officers attend.

Some of the groups I have been involved in have had BBQ meet and greets before the cruise, exchanged name badges and lanyards, customized t-shirts with a cruise theme, set up special beverage tasting and spa events.  The most unique idea I have seen was on the Disney Magic Westbound Panama Canal cruise.  The cruise meet group decided to give gifts to each other.  One person decided for the gift to give a pocketed wall hanging with Mickey Mouse poses on the pockets.  This was hung on the fish decoration next to the cabin doors and called a Fish Extender.  This idea has caught on like wildfire and many Disney cruise groups now use the Fish Extender and quite a few people have even customized these pouches (also called FE for short).  We have participated in FE exchanges on a number of cruises and have received some interesting gifts.  Lots of pirate items (tattoos, stickers, notebooks, etc.)!  The most unusual gifts were handmade address books and notepads, a custom whiteboard, a rubber chicken, a poker game and a small bottle of liquor.  Lots of magnets, ornaments, pens and pencils.

Keep in mind that the doors on your stateroom are most likely metal.  This means that you too can customize magnets and put them on your door.  This makes it so much easier to find your cabin door as they all look the same.  We have had many different magnets with lots of different themes.  Some were specific for the cruise line, some for the cruise theme (as determined by the cruise group), some for theme nights.  We’ve even gotten magnets regarding a birthday or anniversary and one with Tinkerbell and a couple glasses of wine, indicating it was a serving of fruit.  When we have cruised at Christmas time, we have even done stockings and wreaths, made out of foam with magnets.

The most important thing to remember with the cabin doors is that you want to just use magnets on the doors.  No tape or glue should be used as this will damage the doors.  You can either print your design on magnet paper or you can print on paper and laminate if you’d like, then affix magnets to the back of the paper.

Onboard Activities

One of the arguments against going on a cruise is that there is nothing to do.  This is absolutely not true!  The cruise staff will offer many activities for everyone!  From trivia contests, pool games, bingo, towel and napkin folding to beverage tastings, ship and galley tours, there are activities for all ages.  You’ll also find a nightly show, comedians, magicians and other artists.  When you check in at the terminal or once you are in your room, you will receive a daily planner.  This will be a newsletter of sorts with a listing of what you can do.  Each night when your stateroom host turns down your room, they will leave you the daily newsletter for the next day.  It’s fun to read this just before bed to see what you might want to do the next day.

These newsletters will also include information on the ports of call, sales in the shops, promotions in the casino and rebooking information.  When we sailed on Celebrity, they had a tear-off portion of the newsletter that you could fold up keep with you for a quick reference.  This was so much more convenient than taking the entire newsletter with us.

Here’s a tip with the newsletter.  Bring highlighters with you (one for each person in your room) and you can each highlight the activities you want to go to each day.

Onboard Airline Check In/Transfers from the Port

Once your cruise is over, you need to consider how you will get to your next destination, be it a hotel or the airport.  Many cruise lines offer transfers to the airport.  Some, like Disney, will offer transfers to specific hotels.  These transfers general are purchased prior to the cruise, but in many cases you can also purchase them onboard.

Various cruise lines also offer a service to get your luggage to the airport for you, avoiding finding your luggage in the terminal.  Usually there is a date during the cruise by which you have to register and pay for this service.  Your flight must be within a certain window to qualify and must be with certain carriers.  You will likely pay for your baggage fees at this point and the cruise line will take care of getting your luggage to the airport for you.

On Disney Cruise Lines, they also offer onboard airline check in.  You will get your boarding pass the evening prior to the disembarkation.  They will also give you baggage tags for the airline.  .  Keep in mind that you are never guaranteed that you won’t have to handle your luggage on your own as you could still be flagged by TSA in which case the cruise lines will not be allowed to check your luggage through.

If you have purchased transfers through Disney Cruise Lines to one of the Walt Disney World resorts, you will receive a note in your cabin the night prior to disembarkation about the time to disembark in the morning for your transfers.  You will need to collect your luggage in the morning and go through customs.  Follow the signs to the transportation to Walt Disney World and there you will check in and get the appropriate shuttle to your resort.

Each cruise line handles disembarkation a little differently.  With many cruise lines, you will either be given or select colored or numbered luggage tags.  These will determine the order and time that you are able to leave the ship.  They are colored or numbered for ease in locating at the port.  The port workers will organize the luggage by the number or color and you will go to that area in the terminal to find your luggage.  You will not want to leave the ship early as your luggage may not be out yet.  The crew will make announcements when you are able to leave based on your color or number.

With Disney, you will go to breakfast at an appointed time and then after you eat, you usually will be able to walk off the ship.  Luggage is all out at the time you get down in the terminal so you don’t have to worry about colors or numbers not being called yet.

Customs

You’ve probably seen Duty Free shops at the airports, well there are also Duty Free shops on your cruise ship and in the ports of call you will go to.  What this means is that you can purchase things and won’t be charged fees from the US or “duty” on the items when you bring them back to the United States.  There are limits however on what you can bring back.  There are also items which are restricted.

The Customs and Border Protection website should be reviewed if you have any questions here https://help.cbp.gov/.  There are a lot of things you may not think of here.  You must claim anything you are bringing back to the United States, whether or not it was used, given as a gift or something you inherited.

Duty free exemptions are based on where you are traveling and are per person.  The exemption limits are $200, $800 and $1600.  These exemptions apply if the items are for your personal use or to be given as gifts, they are in your possession, they are declared (if you don’t declare something that should have been, you risk forfeiting it), you have been overseas for at least 48 hours, you have not used any part of your allowance in the last 30 days and the items are not restricted or prohibited.  Family members in the same household can do a joint declaration and combine their limits so if one spends over the limit but together they are within the limit for two, they would not pay duty.

Questions you will be asked on your customs form will pertain to food and food products.  Specific information on what can be brought in is found here https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/82.  In general, you do not want to bring in anything that is outside of its original packaging and you will want to avoid fruit and plant material.

Here is more specific information on items which are prohibited or restricted http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/prohibited_restricted.xml.  The $200 exemption is for people who have been out of the country more than once in a 30 day period or were out of the country for less than 48 hours.  This exemption cannot be combined with family members.  You are allowed to bring back 50 cigarettes, 10 cigars and 150 ml (5 fl oz) of alcoholic beverages or perfume containing alcohol.

The $800 exemption is for if you are arriving from anywhere other than a US insular possession.  For the Caribbean Basin or Andean countries, your exception would also be $800.  The list can be found here http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/types_of_exemptions.xml, but basically if you are going to the Bahamas or a Caribbean sailing that does not go to the US Virgin Islands, this is your limit.  Included in this amount, you can bring two liters of alcoholic beverages as long as one of the liters was produced in one of the countries listed.  You can also bring a specific number of cigarettes and cigars.  Note – Cuban cigars are restricted and cannot be brought back to the US.

If you also travel to a US insular possession, you are allowed a $1600 exemption.  This would include, for example, a stop at the US Virgin Islands (like on the ToaD 2012 Fantasy sailing!).  You can include five liters of alcoholic beverages with one produced in the insular possession.

It is important to note that if you bring an item with you that was purchased at home but manufactured overseas, you may be asked for documentation on your purchase to prove it was not purchased on your cruise.  You can carry sales receipts, insurance policies or jeweler’s appraisals as a form of proof.  You can also register these items ahead of time.  Here is more information on this http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/register_items.xml.

Generally going through customs is very easy and straightforward.  When you leave the ship, there will be a bin to discard any fruit or plant material you may have forgotten about (it’s easy to grab a piece of fruit at breakfast and not think about it).  You will then pick up your luggage and go to the customs lines.  You must have your declaration form filled out, one per household.  Here is a sample form (the day prior to disembarkation, the cruise director will either have a session or a tv show explaining the form and procedure for disembarkation).  You will present the Customs agent with your Customs Declaration form and all passports that pertain to that form.  They will ask questions if necessary, but generally will review the document to make sure it is properly filled and give you back the passports.  If you don’t have passports, you will have to present certified birth certificates for everyone and government issued photo IDs for the adults in the party.

While in some locations duty can be paid with a credit card, I have never seen this at a port.  You will need to have cash, a personal check or a traveler’s check to pay the duty at the port.

Please note that this information was contained on the Customs and Border Patrol website at the time this blog was written.  We do not guarantee that these regulations will be in effect at the time of your cruise and suggest that you consult the CBP for current information that may apply to your individual situation.

Food/Beverages

Isn’t this what a cruise is all about?  Seriously, you won’t have a problem finding food on the cruises.  There is generally a buffet, table service restaurants and counter service locations onboard.  You can find everything from pizza, burgers, fresh fruit to seafood, steaks and sushi onboard.  You can even get room service on most ships!

It is important if you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions to let your waitstaff know.  If your allergies are severe or if you require specific foods, you should do this at least 2-4 weeks prior to the cruise in case the cruise line needs to get provisions onboard to accommodate you or advise you that you should bring that yourself.  In general, food allergies are handled very well at your main dining locations.  The counter service and buffet meals, along with room service, may have difficulties accommodating you.  The best thing to do in these locations is just ask.  A sugar free or gluten free option may be available, if you just let them know what you need.  Be prepared however that one may not be able to accommodate you if you are outside of the main dining rooms.

On some ships, especially some of the premium luxury lines, alcoholic beverages are included.  However, on most sailings you will find these need to be paid for.  Some ships will offer beverage packages – wine, beer, cocktails – at a reduced rate.  You should compare the pricing and the offerings to make sure you are getting a deal.  On our last sailing when I realized how much I would have to consume to make the package pay for itself, I realized there was no chance it would be a better price for me.

Other beverages that may not be complementary include bottled water, fountain drinks, and specialty drinks (like smoothies or coffees).  Again, some of the lines will have packages for these.  They are generally charged as a flat fee per night of the cruise.  You do have to purchase the package for the entire stay.  A soda package usually is a better deal if you will be drinking 4-6 sodas a day.

On Disney, soda is complementary in the restaurants and at the beverage station.  If you ask for a soda at a club or bar, you will be charged for this.  On most lines you can get complementary coffee, tea, milk and juice (usually just for breakfast).  The specialty coffees however, will generally come with a charge.

Many cruise lines will also offer pizza and ice cream.  Some of these are complementary, and others will come with a charge.

One of the most frequently asked question about food and beverage on the cruise lines is “Can I bring on my own alcohol”?  Again, this is based on what the cruise line allows.  Some lines strictly prohibit alcohol of any kind being brought onboard.  Some will permit wine only.  With these, some will charge you a corkage fee at the port before getting on the ship, others will charge you only if you bring the wine to a dining room.  People do try to smuggle alcohol onboard in water bottles, mouthwash bottles, just about anything.  Keep in mind, if you get caught, your alcohol will be confiscated at a minimum.

If you purchase alcohol in a port of call or on the ship, your purchase will be held until the last night of the cruise.  If you drink a partial bottle of wine and wish to carry it off the ship, you will not be allowed.  You will have to leave it behind.

Disney currently has the best policy with regard to alcohol.  You are permitted to bring on any alcohol, provided that it is in your carryon luggage and can fit through the luggage scanners in the port (similar to an airport).   If you purchase alcohol in a port of call, you can also bring that back to your cabin at the time of purchase, the cruise line doesn’t hold it for you.  If you do bring a bottle of wine to the dining room however, you will be charged a corkage fee.

Dinner Time on the Ship

If you choose flexible dining times on your sailing, when it comes time for dinner, you will be able to just go to the main restaurants and ask for a table.  If you have made reservations for a specialty restaurant, you will check in at your reservation time.  If, however, you have a set dining time with assigned seating, you will do this a little different.  Usually on your key card, you will have your restaurant (if more than one), dining time and table number indicated.  This may be in a code.  At the time you are assigned, you will go to the restaurant and find your table.  You may be seated with other folks on your cruise.  Table sizes usually are 4 to 10 though I have seen a couple that are larger than that.  I have found that the larger tables usually take a bit longer to be served.  The server tries to have all the food out at the serving station before starting service.

Each night you will go back to the same table, with the same tablemates and servers.  This is great because you get to know your servers and they get to know you.  We always see the service getting better and better as the cruise goes on because of this.

Disney’s system is a little different, but basically the same idea.  They do not offer flexible dining times at the main restaurants.  Instead they offer what is called “rotational dining”.  They have three main restaurants that are the same size with the same tables (size, number, etc.).  Each night of the cruise you rotate to a new restaurant.  You will be seated at the same table number (it may be in a different location in the restaurant however) with the same tablemates and serving staff.  This gives you a different experience each night.  Since there are three restaurants, on a three night sailing, you are given the opportunity to try each one out once.  On a four night sailing, you repeat one restaurants, but with a different menu (usually the Pirate Night menu).  On a seven night sailing, three of the nights are the rotational menus while the other four nights are specialty menus.  Each room is a different theme so you get a new experience.

On Disney, your key card (called the Key to the World card) will show your dining rotation as indicated with an F or S for first or second seating and then a 1, 2 or 3 for which rotation.  Your table number will also be noted.  They will also put the initials of the restaurants that you will dine in.  For a 4 night sailing, you may have APPT, PTTA or TAAP rotation which would put you in Animator’s Palate, Parrot Cay and Tritons in the order as indicated.  This would be on the Disney Wonder.  On the Magic, Tritons is not there and instead Lumiere’s will be on your rotation.

Motion Sickness

Yes, you can get motion sickness on a ship.  It is because your body is confused with the movement you may or may not be feeling.  There are many remedies to this.  Some opt for a patch prescribed by their doctor, others use over the counter remedies like Dramamine or Bonine and some use more natural approaches like the wristbands with pressure points or ginger tablets.  I personally don’t like taking the medication as I feel it makes me dopey (even the non-drowsy formula), so I take ginger tablets, starting a few days before we sail.  I bring a few more onboard to get me through the first day or so.  Once my body gets use to the movement, I don’t get that motion sickness feeling anymore.  I do however, always bring Dramamine with me just in case it gets out of control.

If you do not bring anything for motion sickness, you can usually get something from the medical center or guest services, you just need to ask.  One word of caution though.  If you start feeling queasy, do not try and “tough it out” or start drinking a lot of water.  It is best to eat and get to an open deck so you can see the water and the horizon.  Motion sickness is caused because your inner ear can sense the movement but you cannot see the movement (i.e. you are walking down the hall inside).  Going outside and getting fresh air and a good perspective on what is happening will help.  If you wait too long to take something for the feelings, you may find yourself sicker.

Photos

The photographs are everywhere!  They will find you when you are boarding the ship, at dinner, at deck parties, when you get off in the ports of call, in the evening before dinner.  You can pass up the opportunity for a photo any time, but there are no fees for them to take your pictures.  The only time you are charged is if you purchase the photos.  Some of the photos will be connected with your key card on some ships.  On others, you will just go to the photoshop area and view the photos taken.  These are generally organized by when they were taken.

A word of caution for some cruises.  When we got onboard for our Norwegian cruise, they used a green screen for a backdrop.  This allowed them to put a picture of the ship behind us or other backgrounds.  They used the same photo for a few different backgrounds.  We only had to get one picture taken, but we had multiple pictures to choose from.  If you are wearing a green shirt, your photo will be distorted.  We are Green Bay Packer fans and my husband wore a green Packer shirt when we were embarking.  As a result, he had a ship sailing through his tummy in the pictures!

Most lines will have a package deal if you want to purchase more than one photo over the course of the cruise.  Check these out as it can save you a lot of money over the course of the cruise.  You’ll also want to be aware that if you find a photo of yourself and you really want to get it, you should do so soon.  The pictures do get moved and consolidated.  They only have so much room to display them.  This is especially a concern on longer cruises.  As I mentioned before, this is a great way to get a nice family portrait!

Repeat Cruiser Clubs

Once you have cruised on a particular line, you will have the opportunity to become a member of their “loyalty club”.  In some cases, this is automatic, but in others, you have to apply.  Membership does not cost anything and can get you a lot of benefits if you continue to cruise.  Most of the cruise lines will have levels of membership, based on the amount of cruising you have done with them.  For some lines, it is based on the number of cruises you have taken.  Others base it on the number of nights you have sailed and others do a combination of these two.

Benefits for these clubs can include laundry services, internet credits, early booking bonuses, treats in the room, special tours, free dining at specialty restaurants, etc.  You should always make sure you let your travel agent know if you have cruised with a particular cruise line before when looking to book another cruise.  This will allow them to see what benefits you may qualify for.

With Disney, the level of membership determines when you are allowed to prebook excursions, spa reservations and specialty restaurant reservations.  This can be a big advantage when you are sailing on a popular sail date.

Rebooking Onboard

In most cases, the best deals to be had on a cruise are when you book the next cruise vacation while onboard.  Most cruise lines will offer discounts, upgrades or onboard credits for booking onboard.  You must make sure however that you pay the required deposit before you leave the ship or you will miss out on the benefits.  The best part about booking onboard is when you name your travel agent at the same time, you will also get the benefits that they offer in addition to the benefits offered by the cruise line.  Some travel agencies will not be able to offer the same benefits if you transfer your reservation to them after the cruise.

When we booked on Norwegian Cruise Lines, we were given a voucher that we can use towards any future sailing of 6 nights or longer.  The deposit we had to pay was $250 but that amount will translate to a reduced deposit on most sailings.  Exceptions would be suites or shorter cruises where the certificate does not apply.  The best part about this voucher is that it is transferable to anyone else and we got an onboard credit to spend on our existing cruise.

On Celebrity, we received a complementary upgrade, onboard credit and reduced deposit.  On Disney we have received a reduced deposit and onboard credit.  The onboard credits in both cases were based on the length of the cruise booked.  With Disney, the onboard credit for 2011 sailings also will depend on the Castaway Club level you are at for that sailing.

If you did not book with a travel agent on your current cruise, or wish to switch agencies for your future sailings, all you need to do is let the booking agent know who you wish to book with.  They will give you a receipt for the booking and will give your travel agent a copy as well.  It is always good to touch base with the travel agent when you return home as once in a while a fax or email doesn’t get sent to the agent.  Also, you will want to make sure they have all your contact information.

If you want to book onboard for a date that hasn’t been released yet, with most cruise lines you will have to book a “dummy date” or placeholder cruise.  This is usually a cruise that is the furthest out at the time.  You will get pricing on the cruise and pay a deposit based on the itinerary and date booked, but it will change.  You will not be guaranteed the rate that you booked for a new date, just the date that was booked.  As soon as the actual date is released, you will want your travel agent to move the “dummy date” to the actual date to secure the earliest booking prices.

Keep in mind that some onboard booking promotions may be specific to dates or ships.  For instance, on the Celebrity sailing, we had to pick a particular sailing on a certain ship to get an upgrade.  If we change dates, which we fully intend to do, we will have to stay on the same ship to get the upgraded cabin.  We will still get the reduced deposit and onboard credit if we switch ships, but not the upgrade.

The only thing I haven’t covered yet is a typical first day onboard, which I am saving for tomorrow.  If there are topics I missed or didn’t cover well enough, please feel free to comment, post on our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Travel-On-A-Dream/120148611376588 or email me at Tracy@travelonadream.com.

And now only to a typical first day onboard http://travelonadream.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/cruising-101-part-4/