Cruise Update

As many of you know, we have been thinking of taking a cruise to the Caribbean. It's been awhile since I've talked about it, so I thought I'd give you an update. Here's what has transpired since I last talked about it in July:

• The summer happened, we got busy, and the idea of taking a cruise went on the back burner. I watched sites every other week or so to make sure the cruise we wanted was available (we knew which one we wanted to take) as was the type of cabin. I also looked at the prices, thinking they would decline over time. They didn't.


• Sites I looked at included Costco (which had the cheapest prices but the lowest on-board credit -- though it still worked out as the "best deal" by $20 or so), CruiseCompete.com (which has travel agencies bidding on your business), and American Express (which has an annual travel benefit if you book with them).

• Summer led to soccer season (my son plays and we both referee) and the next thing I knew it was October. It was time to decide and get things booked.

• Then the World's Largest Cruise Sale hit. Every room on every site seemed to evaporate almost overnight. Travel agencies were hard to reach (by phone and email). The cruise world went completely bonkers.


• I spent a couple harried days trying to decide what to do. I looked at pricing options, different dates (the cruise we wanted left/returned on three different dates, so we had some flexibility), cabin differences, etc. But as soon as I'd get a cabin I liked at a price I wanted, it was gone. It didn't help that I was traveling during this time and not as quick on the draw as I usually am.


• As I narrowed the field, my first call was to American Express. They offered the same price everyone else did but with no on-board credits (others had $400 credits or more!) They did offer a week at a luxury hotel in Mexico (I believe), but I really didn't want that. And after talking to the agent there a bit he basically said they are the "high service, high cost" provider when it comes to cruises. Mark them off the list.


• I then called Costco to book a room since they had the best price -- even better than what I was getting on CruiseCompete.com (CC). Plus I know Costco and trust them -- I didn't know any of the agencies on CC. One problem though, Costco didn't have any more of the type of room I wanted.


• So I looked at the CC companies, checked out their reviews, and emailed one, saying I wanted the specific room and the specific price they quoted me (which was close to Costco's price.) I heard nothing, a day passed, then I decided to call them. By the time I did, they didn't have any of the room type I wanted available. Ugh.


• So I went back to the drawing board, looking at various dates (I had stuck to our preferred date up until now), room availability, and type of room. I re-did a CC submission and got a pretty good deal on a room that was one notch above what we were looking for. I called the guy immediately (and I mean I got the email, checked the site on my phone, and called him IMMEDIATELY) to get the room we wanted at the price I was quoted. We spent 20 minutes on the phone before he told me that he couldn't honor the rate I was quoted -- that the actual price was $1,000 more. What? He said it was probably a mistake by their "quoting agency." Uh-huh. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with them (FYI, the service was Cruises-N-More) and was NOT going to book with them at $1,000 extra.


• Eventually, I went back to Costco and booked a room that was TWO notches higher than the one we really wanted. It was the same price as the room one notch above what we wanted on a later date, so I felt "ok" about that. Plus we can afford it and it will make for an as-good-as-possible experience for us. If we don't like cruising the way we'll be going this time, we won't like it at all. Besides, it's been a few years since we've had a nice vacation, so if you amortize the cost over several years, it's not much at all. Is that enough self-justification for you? ;-)

Now I need to get flights, a hotel room (we're going in a day early), passport information, etc. -- lots and lots of details to put together. I'll give you all a re-cap at some point, either as I'm in the process (if there's enough interesting information to share) or after we're done. And once it's all over I'll share all the details -- where we're going, what we're seeing, how much we spent, and so on. I may even include some pictures. :-) Stay tuned!!!

Comments

[Bill]

I would actually prefer the Costco deal even at the same package price as another site. A dollar of onboard credit is worth a lot less than a dollar in my pocket. Prices on the ship are going to be a lot higher than what you'll pay at each port of call if you spend it wisely.

[KenH]

We've done a couple cruises through this agent: http://www.travelwithalan.com/ and been very happy as they've taken care of everything. If you get on their news letter, they make you aware of the trips and dates.

May not be the best if you are looking for specific cruise locations/dates, but they host several every year.

On a side not, I'd be curious how much you feel you've saved vs the time and effort you seem to have put into your trip.

[FMF]

KenH --

Versus the full fare, I've probably saved several hundred dollars. Was it worth the time/effort? Probably not on this trip alone. But much of it was an education for me -- something that will benefit me on future trips. Also, I knew I could write about it here, so I'm not adverse to putting in some extra time.

Hey, since it's a "business" topic, think I can deduct the trip? ;-)

[texashaze]

@FMF - start a travel blog and it probably is deductible!

[Andrew]

I just got back from my honeymoon. While we tried to plan everything perfectly, there were some instances where we didn't get quite the best deal or had to pay more to exchange money than we had hoped, etc. It would be wise to budget this into all our future vacations because oftentimes, especially in a foreign country, situations don't lend themselves to getting the best deal, even with prudent planning.

[KenH]

I was thinking more of if you'd just booked it after a quick check of a few sites. I manage an IT team and they use to spend quite a bit of time searching for the best deals and tell me how much they saved...all the while we are behind on our other tasks. Since we've changed to just ordering from a few sites and just compare those prices, they've spent a lot less time 'saving' money and have gotten things done. Definitely somewhat different when it's your time and money though.

I would think you could easily deduct the trip. The blog would be a most beneficial means towards that end. If you could analyze the cost differential of the excursions thru the ship vs on your own, I would appreciate it. One port you could analyze land excursions and another the water ones...or some other breakdown.

Have fun and i think you'll be happy for the room upgrade.

[My Frugal Miser]

I'm tired just reading your experience. My partner and I are going on a cruise right after Thanksgiving. It's a 5 night Caribbean cruise on Carnival and I paid $400 and will receive $100 on-board credit. The credit came from 1) pre-paying for my next cruise when I cruised in 2010 - be sure to look into that when you're on the boat and 2) taking advantage of a promotion code the on-board casino mailed me.

I booked directly on the website. My research took 20 minutes or so. It helps that I am flexible - I looked at three different ports and two months to find the best deal.

[Helen]

Just a tip about cruise onboard credit - you CAN use it to pay gratuities (for most cruiselines, at least) despite what the disclaimer tells you. So unless you somehow amass an enormous amount of it, this makes OBC basically the same as cash, and you shouldn't feel obligated to spend it all on the overpriced crap onboard.

Also, look into booking your excursions independently - it's well worth it, both in savings and in having a better & less crowded experience, but you do have to be more cognizant of managing your own time off the ship.

Lastly, if you happen to be going to Cozumel, I highly recommend looking into Nachi Cocom (all-inclusive beach club excursion).

[FMF]

Helen --

Is there a way to find out about independent excursion options (and various providers) for each island we'll be stopping at?

[Cindy]

I reviewed 5 sites before finally booking my cruise with Cruise.com I can tell you that in 4 years of cruising I have yet to find a company that beat their deal.

[Brent]

Just booked our first cruise for end of February when its pretty dreary here in MI, 8 night cruise for $1200. I am just waiting to get hit with all the on-board charges since I have heard they nickle and dime you for everything.

Either way, we are looking forward to it and for the price, it would be hard to stay in a hotel and pay for food for that price.

[FMF]

Cindy --

I just checked (in the past 5 minutes) that site for grins since you mentioned it. They were $250 more expensive than Costco for the same cruise, room, etc. -- even with their much more generous OBC counted in.

[Lurker Carl]

Be aware of booking your own excursions, the ship doesn't wait if you are late returning to port. It's on your dime to meet up with the ship at the next port-of-call unless the excursion is booked through the cruise line. Pay attention to time, as in time zones and daylight versus standard time, the ship's time may not be the same as local time.

[Helen]

Other than the cruiseline-owned private islands, any excursion type offered through the cruiseline should also be available independently (especially since the cruiselines just contract with independent providers themselves.)

I usually look on Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor for suggestions and recommendations - Cruise Critic has a separate message board for each port and there's a lot of great information posted there, although it does take a bit of digging.

Good luck!

[FMF]

Helen --

Thanks! I'll check out Cruise Critic!

[Helen]

BTW, Lurker Carl's comment is exactly what I meant about being cognizant and managing your own time. It's definitely something to keep in mind, but really not as hard or scary as it may seem.

The cruiseline will make sure you know what time to be back (usually half an hour before departure), and any differences with local time. This info will be on the schedule of activities delivered to your room the night before, announced over the PA, and posted by the gangway as you leave the ship.

Also, the tour operators are very used to having cruise ship passengers and will work with you to meet your schedule - making a customer miss his/her ship isn't exactly good for their business.

If you can get to a plane on time, you can definitely handle this. :)