This is the tips for cruise ships travel.
First, find a booking agent be absolutely certain that, wherever you book, they have a real, live contact person available for you, to deal with any problems or questions that come up. Some of the on-line booking services deal only through e-mail. If you don’t get answers to your e-mail, what do you do then?
After that, there are two essential questions to ask your travel agent BEFORE you book: The first is: Do they honor price drops?.....If your cruise is offered at a lower price, after you have made deposit, will they give you the lower price? Not all do.
The second essential question is: Do they charge a cancellation penalty of their own?....All cruise lines charge cancellation penalties if you cancel after the final payment date.
BUT some travel agents charge an additional penalty of their own, for cancellation at any time. This can be as much as seventy-five dollars, per person. That's a hefty bite when multiplied by two persons in a cabin, or worse, a family of four.
Additionally, some travel agents have other fees that you need to know about up front. Some charge for making changes of any kind, to your booking.
If you can’t talk to a real person, and if they don’t honor price drops, or if they charge their own cancellation penalty, stop right there, and find a new TA.
When booking your cruise, never book cabin category lower than one in which you will be happy. Sure, you’ve heard of people getting those complementary upgrades, but the vast majority of all cruisers get exactly the cabin they booked. Upgrades occur rarely, and most amount to nothing more than a shift from one to another, with the cabin being basically the same.
Once you’ve chosen and booked your cruise the very next thing you need to do is to buy the travel insurance. A quick look at the web page insuremytrip.com will give you a dozen reasons to buy the insurance. While most cruise deposits are fully refundable prior to the penalty phase, you never know when an unforeseen life event will require you to cancel your trip in those last few weeks, (illness, job loss, death in the family, etc.) While the loss of that two or three thousand dollars, (or more) may not be enough break your budget, the costs of a canceled or interrupted cruise can amount to a lot more than your up-front costs. Emergency medical care or medical evacuation can cost a fortune.
There are many other potential events that can ruin your cruise, and cost you plenty. Items like: lost or delayed luggage, or a missed plane or ship, requiring last minute airfare or an additional hotel for the interim time. Not to mention weather related interruptions or cancellations.
The official, Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 through November 30. To maximize vacation protection from storms and hurricanes, travelers should buy insurance when they make their travel plans, and before a storm or hurricane is announced. Once the National Weather Service issues a waring for a storm or hurricane, it is considered a foreseeable event. Policies purchased on or after the warning date, do not cover loses related to that event.
One last note, if you have any pre-existing medical conditions, you need to purchase the insurance immediately after booking the cruise. Most policies require purchase within one or two weeks of deposit, if you want it to cover pre-existing conditions.
While we're talking trip insurance, don't forget that if you book your air fare separate from the cruise, you must buy trip insurance separately also. Insurance purchased from the cruise line will only cover the portions of your vacation that you've purchsed from the cruise line. Also, when requesting an insurance quote, be sure to include all your trip costs when stating how much you are spending, so that your whole vacation is covered.
- That's all of my travel tips. so, enjoy your vacation.
