Cruises--talk to me like I'm 5

melissa82

Our friends are having a destination wedding on a cruise next year and we'd like to reserve our trip. We travel frequently, but have never been on a cruise. I started reading reviews and such online, but it seems like there is so much we don't know about cruises!

Some questions:

I'm used to shopping around for the best price, but it seems like "discounters" are a bad thing in the cruise world and going with one of them could be a bad idea (hidden fees, they could get in trouble with cruise line, bankruptcy, etc.). Most of the prices from reputable online places (expedia, costco, etc.) are exactly the same, to the dollar. Do you always use a travel agent or book directly with the cruise line? Any travel agents or Web sites you recommend?

What do we need to know about getting on the cruise? Is it like going through airport security (X-ray machines, no water, etc.)? Are there things we can't bring with us? Do we need to get there early?

When you're in port, is there a certain time you need to be back on the ship?

Any other tips or info that would be helpful for us cruise virgins?

Thanks ladies!

tvgal1971

My brain is fuzzy so I'm not sure I can answer all of your questions, but I love cruising!  I went on one over 15 years ago and again 4 years ago.  The first two times we booked through a travel agent, but for our honeymoon (delayed to December), we booked directly with Celebrity Cruises.  I would have done it through Expedia if it would have saved some money.  I would be too nervous to try a discount site if you're reading some bad reviews.  I would recommend a travel agent if you need to book ground transportation between airport and port and sometimes they have good excursion packages that are cheaper than the cruise lines.

I can't remember all of the details for getting on the cruise.  I remember that our bags were tagged so that they went directly to our cabin.  You go through check-in similar to an airline and they check your passport, etc.  I believe you put your carry-on through an x-ray machine.  I would recommend putting anything in your check-in that you'll need for the first few hours since your other luggage may take a while to get to your cabin.  Bringing water is fine, but I'm not certain about alcohol.  My parents live in Florida and cruise from FL and have brought wine in their luggage with no problems.  I need to get more details, however.

You can generally board the cruise a few hours before departure...maybe as early as noon for a 4p departure.  The cruises are very serious about their departure times.  I would always recommend giving yourself a little pad when you're in port.  If the ship is set to depart at 4p, don't plan on arriving at 3:58!  You'll get a photo cruise ID that will have to be scanned each time you depart and board the ship so they can keep track of you.

I hope that helps for now!!

jennlin

h and i have shopped for a few different cruises lately, and from what we've learned that yes, it is the same price to book anywhere...you're not getting any discounts per se. but you get different add-on's.

for example, when we booked our tahiti cruise..if we booked through a discounter, they were giving us $100 onboard credit. if we booked through the official website, we got $50 onboard credit, 2 drink tickets, and transportation to and from the ship...not too much a difference, really..

for an alaska crusie we just booked...the bonuses were a lot different though. they varied from coupon books ($450 "value"), onboard credit ($200/room), free hotel the night before (but we didn't take this one since it's out of seattle!) but the best one we got was 3rd & 4th person free. this saved us $1400/room (but unfortunately i'm bunking with my inlaws....ugh.) we got this deal from costco travel.

i'm too afraid to book through major-discount cruise places because i was scammed before (my friends mom didn't do her research before purchasing)...the place went out of business, we never got our money back..they said they would, but wouldn't put it back on a different visa..the one she paid for it with had already expired, and they said absolutely not. so that was that.

but i would not be afraid of booking through expedia, orbitz, etc...

as for x-ray's..there were none on our tahiti cruise, because it wasn't a major cruise liner, it was conisdered a mega yacht....plus technology is a little behind there anyway.... but the last time i went on a cruise was 15 years ago, and no, there were no xrays. i imagine it's different now.

i know you can't bring alcohol on the ship, and if you happen to buy any while at port, they'll put it away for you in a locker until the end of the cruise. i don't know how strict this is....it was easy in tahiti, but again, it was a small ship with not much security anyway.

there's certain times that you are scheduled to be on shore...usually it's about 8-5'ish, but it varies...there is a scheduled time. they make sure evreybody is on the boat again before leaving (but i have no idea how they track down missing people, so be back early!).

tips: don't buy excursions from the cruise line...that's how they really make thier money and they jack up the price of everything buy at least double or triple. example: H and i are going to go to a glacier thingy in alaska. they are charging $60 a person to go, but H found our own tour...we are going to pay $6 in public bus, then $16 or something to get into the park.

a lot of docks have taxi's waiting there, for people who know to not buy excursions from the cruise. lots of times you get in a cab and say "i'll give you X amount to take me to the tourist sites", and it's way cheaper, again.

so do your research on what time, and what port you'll be going to..and what places to visit at each port...

whew that was long. i hope i answered all your q's. ask me more if you need to!

Archel

I always book directly from the cruise website. I've found that it's pretty much the same price as the "discounters." And if you book from the cruise site, you can add on some kind of travel insurance (basically covering you in case of flight delays - which is a must if you are arriving day of cruise departure!!) and there are no hidden fees. Plus, they will email you discounts on cruises in the future if you wish and it's just easier to manage your cruise. You will have an account you can log into and pick things such as your meal time, link up with other cruisers (i.e. the wedding party, etc), and just feel more connected with the cruise.

Yes, you do go through security every time you enter the boat.  I would definitely read through the FAQ section of the cruise line to see what you can and can't bring on board. Most ships won't allow alcohol, or if they do (from ports) they will store it until the end of the cruise. 

You need to arrive I think 2 hours before departure in the initial port, and it's recommended 1 hour before each other port you visit.

On the last day, there is a lot of waiting around - unless you tell them you need to be with one of the first groups off (usually reserved for those with earlier flights). Bring a bag to keep with you for the last night, because that night they will come by and take your luggage to prepare for the departure the next day. Usually you also use this bag as your initial carry on bag as well, because it may take a while to get your luggage the first night.

Expect to tip all of your service staff. The dining room has 3 people to tip, you have your room steward, and possibly one more that I'm forgetting... You tip these people the last night of the cruise (tip envelopes will arrive at your room).

I also agree that you should likely not buy excursions through the cruise, as you can usually get them waaay cheaper elsewhere. In fact, I highly recommend the website cruisecritic. I used it going to a Caribbean cruise and found recommendations on excursions people booked outside of the cruise listed ones.  Sometimes, however, the cruise excursions are worth it, if they are the same price as outside vendors - I just trust booking through a cruise on these more. If something goes wrong, the cruise ship is held responsible.

melissa82

Thanks for all the good advice so far!

The cruise leaves from NJ (so no flight) and we're just going to one port (Bermuda). If the ship is staying in the port overnight, does it matter when we get back to the ship at night?

Good call on going to the FAQ section--that will probably help a lot!

fancynewbecca

That's a good question too. I've never cruised, but we booked one for our Honeymoon through Expedia because we needed an overnight accomodation and THAT for us, was the cheapest.

As far as getting back on the ship, I'm pretty sure the only requirement is a half hour before it leaves... but I could be wrong.

carrieoz_76

If you haven't already, I'd ask the same questions on the Destination Weddings board (http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-theme-boards_destination-weddings).  There's lots of cruise wedding girls on there who are experts at this kinda stuff.