Cruise Web Sites

Here is a list of the cruise websites that I look at frequently:

• www.cruisecritic.com--they have a great section of postings on everything
• www.cruise.com--this is where I start when looking for a cruise
• www.travelocity.com
• www.orbitz.com
• www.southwest.com
• www.vacationstogo.com

What to bring with you

As we were heading to South Carolina for our port there, I leaned over to my friend and asked her if she had remembered her birth certifiate. She had forgotten it! With much panic and some quick thinking we were able to get her birth certificate overnighted to the hotel before we left for the port the next day. We called the cruise line to see what their policy was and she would have not been allowed on the ship without it!

So....once you get your cruise booked--put together a folder. As you come across things you will need--put it in there. You mind will be so busy once you pack you will forget to bring things you need. A passport or birthcertificate is crucial. As of right now, if you have a birth certificate you are fine. However, I strongly recommend a passport. If for some reason you miss the boat (which I have come close once) and you are stranded, you cannot get out of a foreign country without a passport. You can only cruise in and out with birth certificates. It is just a good idea!

Here is a list of handy things that I like to bring with me:

• Travel clock. There are usually no clocks in the rooms. If you are in a dark room it is imposible to tell when morning comes.
• Removeable hooks--the sticky kind. I like to put these up in the closest to hole jewelry, hats, sweaters and such. They come right off when you are done.
• Collapsible laundry bag
• Sweater for up on deck at night
• Hat--it can get really windy outside
• Bug repellent (for shore excursions)
  
• Extension cord or multiplug. They usually on have two outlets.
  

Inside, Window, Balcony?

This is always a question of debate amongst all cruisers. So I will give you my feelings. We ALWAYS choose and inside cabin and here is why:

• It is the cheapest! I would rather go on 2 cruises than 1. It is usually about $200 more per person for a window and goes up from there for a balcony. Save your money for shore excursions.
  
• I did not go on a cruise to sit in my room. To us it is a place to store our belongings, get ready and sleep. We always cruise with family or friends and we want to be up on deck with them.
  
• When we do sleep--it is very very dark. This has been some of the best sleep of my life.
• You more centered in the boat and don't feel it rocking as much.

My favorite room is inside middle. I don't really care which floor. The rooms are all the same usually. (Except for the bottom floor in some ships which have bunk beds) The lower you are the more stairs you have to go up to get to the deck. But usually the lower floors have better access to getting on and off this ship.

They do have rooms that are called guarantee rooms. This just means you can't pick your room. They will pick it for you and you might get an upgrade. We did this on our first ship. We were upgraded to a port hole room at the very front of the ship. We could hear the anchor every time it went up and down and the water as the ship cruised along. It was also a little more rocky up at the front. It is not my favorite catagory of room type but I would probably do it again. Since we were cruising with friends, we did request that we be put close together and they honored that.

How much is it going to cost?

I recently went to a travel show in Los Angeles and they said that you will get most bang for you buck with cruising! I agree. On our first cruise we were still a little unsure what we had paid for and what was included! Once you first get on, they push fun looking tropical drinks! These are not included. Since we don't drink, it was not an issue

Cruise price:

1. cruise
2. Port fees (usually--some sites list prices without these included so make sure).
3. food (except if there are some speciality restuarnts abourd. More ships are adding these--I stay away from them since the food is usually great in the regular restaurants. And yes, you can order as many things as you would like at dinner)
   
4. shows

Cruise price does not include:

1. taxes
2. tips (from about $10-11 per person per day--these are usually added on automatically and the end of your cruise. It is for your room steward and your waiters.
3. alcoholic drinks
4. soda (you can bring soda on, or buy a soda card. I think this is expensive and I can live without it for a week but there are options. Disney cruise line does not charge anything for soda).
5. shore excursions

Hopefully this helps you know what you need to save for.

How to find a great deal!

This is the question that I get asked the most is how do I find such great deals?

A LOT OF RESEARCH!

The first thing you want to figure out is "about" when you want to go. Be flexible. Also know that any holiday time is going to be more expensive. Try to avoid those times!

September is going to be your cheapest month. It is high hurricane season. I have gone the last 3 Septembers and have had beautiful weather. It is a bit of a risk. If there is a hurricane they will most likely go to different ports. It is very unlikely that your cruise will be canceled. But keep in mind there are still risks.

My favorite site for when i am starting out is www.cruise.com

You can search by where you want to go--when--length--cruise line. I recomend putting in as few parameters as possible so you can see what is out there. You can narrow down your search.

Once you have figured out what itinerary will work for you, go directly to that cruise website. Sometimes cruise.com has the best price, sometimes the cruise line will have the best price. You will also want to check out travel sites for that particular cruise. Such as Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia. See which one is going to offer the best deal. Once I booked a 4 day cruise for $169 per person through travelocity because they were offering a $50 cash back if you booked with a Master Card. It doesn't matter who you book through but what you get out of it. So look around.

Now keep in mind, this is probably NOT the lowest price you will pay. Infact, I have always paid a lower price on every cruise than I originally booked it for (with the exception of the first Disney cruise). How you ask--Read on......

You are ready to book your cruise. I always like to call directly to do this process rather than do it online. You will be asked to put a deposit down. It is usually $250 for a 7 day and $150 for a 3-4 day. ONLY PAY THE DEPOSIT! Even if you have all the money saved. You will need to make your payment in full usually 45-60 before you set sale. That is when you want to pay the balance and here is why.

If you cruise goes down in price, all you need to do is call whoever you booked with and they will adjust your price to the lower price. You just need to make sure your type of room is still available. Once you make your final payment, they will no longer adjust it. I check the prices every couple of days to see if they have changed. Each cruise line does it a little different--some will change it over the phone, and some will have you do it online. Every cruise, except Disney, has gone down in price from about $50-120 per person!

Now if you have made your final payment and the price goes down within that 45-60 days out, simply call the cruise line and see if they will upgrade you. This happened once to me and they upgraded me to a higher floor. This just means not as many stairs to walk up and down! (And yes, you do need to take the stairs everywhere if you are going to eat what they serve you at dinner!)

Where to go????

I have had several people ask me where the best place to go is. My personal preference from what I have done so far is the Caribbean. So far my favorite port has been Roatan, Honduras.

Why?
1. It is usually warm year round
2. The water is unbelievably clear and warm
3. There are tons of itineraries.
4. The price is usually the cheapest. There is a lot of competition there.
5. Living in Utah makes me want to visit warm, topical places when I vacation.

But with that being said, cruising is great anywhere. I am not a super big fan of cold weather cruising, but to me a cruise is bathing suits, swimming, being out on the deck! Cold weather cruises don't offer too much of that.