Another one of my helpful hints posts, based on personal experience.
If you're an experienced cruiser, feel free to skip this one.
Just from the theme of this post, it won't be too hard to guess what my next holiday coming up soon is going to be: a cruise. So this is a good time to share around a few helpful hints about the whole business of cruising, especially for people who may be thinking of doing one for the first time.
Not much question, the cruise industry is the fastest-growing segment of the world travel industry today and will probably continue to hold onto that # 1 spot for quite a while.
Not much question, the cruise industry is the fastest-growing segment of the world travel industry today and will probably continue to hold onto that # 1 spot for quite a while.
On the oceans, new cruise lines appear regularly, operating older ships sold down the line from the top players. The top players, meanwhile, continue adding new tonnage at a dizzying pace -- not just in numbers of ships, but in the size of ships. Remember Titanic, the largest ship in the world at the time of her never-completed maiden voyage in 1912? It would take five Titanics to equal the tonnage of the current largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas, which carries up to 6,360 passengers.
In many parts of the world, but especially Europe with its numerous canals, river and canal cruises are also booming -- but in a different way. Size of the ships here is restricted by the need to fit under low bridges and into narrow canal locks. So river cruise boats are very long and thin, usually have just three decks, and typically carry no more than a couple of hundred passengers (if that) in very compact cabins. But here the boom is in numbers, with Viking Cruises leading the way -- adding no less than 46 of its signature Viking Longships to its fleet in just four years.
On a far more modest scale, Seabourn's Seabourn Quest and her sister ships carry just 458 passengers in all-suite luxury, with the proportions and lines -- and ambience and service -- of a deluxe seagoing yacht.
North American travellers will be familiar with the names of some of the bigger players in the ocean-going cruise industry, such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian, and Holland America. But be aware that around the world there are many other cruise lines marketing primarily to travellers in countries such as Germany, Spain, Greece, and Norway -- to name only a few.
What is the incredible attraction of cruising? For me, it's one simple fact: the opportunity to visit and sample a number of different destinations without ever having to unpack more than once. In effect, you spend anywhere from 3 or 4 days to 120 days (on a round the world voyage) living in the same hotel while the hotel carries you to multiple destinations in diverse countries. How much easier than a bus tour where nightly packing and repacking are de rigeur!
So, you've decided to take a cruise. How do you begin to choose? The essential answer is: start with your wish list, and then do some careful research. Look through travel sites devoted to cruises. My favourite is Vacations to Go which rates cruise ships of all lines, gives descriptions of the ships and their amenities, and sells last-minute bargain cruises for virtually all major players in the industry.
A lot depends on what you want. Do you want a ship with all the bells and whistles from waterslides to amusement rides to an onboard golf course? Do you want to party all night and sleep all day? Do you prefer a quieter, more restful experience? Taking along small children or teenagers? Just the basics? Or top-notch luxury treatment?
Then, there's the choice of a route. What region? Particular stops you want? More stops or more at-sea days? Here's where Vacations to Go really helps by classifying all the sailings by region. Or you can look them up by line, or by size of ship, or by cost.
You do need to understand that cruises are just like land-based resorts in that you always get what you pay for, one way or another. Different cabins, for instance. On the ships I've sailed on, the cheaper inside staterooms are about 65% of the size of an outside cabin. With no window, these tiny cabins are not the place for anyone with claustrophobic tendencies!
If you're going to go for a larger outside cabin, you may just as well drop the other shoe and get a balcony cabin. The additional cost is often not that great, but you have more space and light than a cabin without balcony, as well as access to fresh ocean air whenever it suits you. Some of the more recent ships have balconies on all of their outside cabins.
Most cruise lines allow you to select your own cabin as part of the online reservation process. The first rule to follow when choosing your own room -- a critically important one -- is to pick a deck with cabins above it and cabins below it. Those much cheaper cabins directly above the nightclub and casino or below the jogging track are much cheaper for a reason -- noise. The second trick is to avoid high-traffic spots like the elevators or the coin laundry room. A hidden hazard, but one that can be very loud on some ships, is the blank space towards the stern on all decks which contains the uptake ducts leading the exhaust from the ship's engine room to the top of the funnel above the highest deck. That roaring updraft can seem very loud at 3:00 a.m.
Here are some other important areas to consider.
Dress Codes on board: Is your ship casual, "smart casual," "dress casual" (read: all top designer labels on your day-to-day casual clothes), or formal? Some cruise lines require people to dress up formally (tuxedos for men and evening dresses for women) for dinner every night, others never do, and many go with one formal night out of every five or six nights. If you don't happen to own a tuxedo (I don't), a suit is usually okay -- but many cruise lines offer formal wear rentals for the duration of the cruise.
What's included? Virtually all companies include cabin, meals, and all on-board shows and entertainment (except the casino) in your fare. A cabin steward will make up your room daily, turning over linens and towels as needed. Some more expensive lines also include all shore excursions, all alcoholic beverages, and all tips in the fare, but most do not. One or two of the highest-priced companies even include the airfare from your home airport to and from the ship! If you plan on consuming a lot of alcohol or soft drinks and taking tours at every stop, do some serious number crunching before you choose and one of the more expensive lines may actually prove to be a better value for you.
Meals: Almost every company does this part differently, so you need to look at the nuts and bolts of meal arrangements on the particular ship you're booking. Generally, the trend is to offer more and more and more choices of types of food and types of eateries, but some of the upscale ones carry an upscale extra charge. Some may only be open on certain days or at certain hours.
Tours: Should you book the cruise line's tours or not? Well, that depends on the port. If you arrive in a remote location, like the island of Huahine in French Polynesia, you may very well find that there is only one bus on the island and the cruise line has chartered it for the day! On the other hand, in a city destination like Ketchikan in Alaska, there are usually half a dozen operators on the dock willing to sell you the same tours for less than half the price the cruise line charges. The one real advantage of the cruise line's tour offerings is that the ship will wait if the tour is a bit late getting back to the dock (as happened to me in Iceland when the tour bus blew out a tire on a remote gravel road). If you're on your own and you're running late, the ship may well sail on time and you will then be on your own, with all your belongings on their way to the next port of call without you.
It also depends on the type of tour. Any tour involving helicopter or airplane "flightseeing" is likely to sell out just because these are small aircraft that only carry a few passengers each.
Airport Transfers: Do you need to purchase pre-cruise and post-cruise transfers to and from airports from the cruise line? Again, it depends where you are. On joining the ship I usually purchase the transfer, especially in larger ports where the ship could be in one of several widely separated docking areas. When leaving the ship, there's a bit more flexibility. In city ports like Miami or Vancouver, there's always a taxi rank right outside the cruise terminal and the drivers are eagerly waiting for you -- so the transfer bus isn't really necessary. In a smaller place like Civitavecchia (the port for Rome), taxis are almost non-existent unless you pre-arrange one, and the fare to Rome -- some 75 kilometres (45 miles) away -- will be pretty horrific.
Air Fares: Do you have to purchase air fare to and from the ship from the cruise line? No. Many people do because it's convenient for them. I usually arrange my own.
Tipping: All companies issue guidelines for tipping. Some include tips in the fare so you don't have to think about it. My favourite cruise line, Princess, now adds a flat-rated tip to your cabin account, and automatically puts a tip on all bar charges. If your cruise company doesn't take one of these approaches, you need to bring a hefty wad of cash to put in the tip envelopes on the last day. The major cruise companies that market themselves in North America all issue invoices in U.S. dollars, and so cash tips (if any) should also be in that currency. Other than tips, all purchases on board ship are charged to your cabin account and billed to your credit card on file at the end of the cruise.
Last Minute Sales: There can be some remarkable bargains, but there are also hidden traps. The period from September to early December is the main slack season in the industry, so the best bargains can be found then. But be warned: you're quite possibly getting the leftovers, the cabins nobody else wanted to take -- like the ones directly above the nightclub and casino or below the jogging track -- or perhaps the outside cabin whose view consists entirely of a huge orange-and-white lifeboat. General rule: those who book early get the best choices, and also some pretty good incentives, but do pay more for the privilege of having their favourite cabin.
Upgrades: People who reserve early (as I usually do) may be offered, or given, upgrades if the ship isn't heavily booked. On one cruise some years ago I was moved up three levels on the price chart with no extra charge. On another (more recent) trip, I was offered -- and took -- an upgrade from balcony cabin to mini-suite for about 25% of the normal price difference.
Now, if all of this sounds just too complicated to figure out on your own, don't sweat it. Find a good travel agent to help you choose. In bigger cities, you can find agencies that specialize in cruise holidays. Yes, you will pay more, but your chances of getting what you want as a first-timer are much better with a little professional help.
Princess Cruises photo
If you're going to go for a larger outside cabin, you may just as well drop the other shoe and get a balcony cabin. The additional cost is often not that great, but you have more space and light than a cabin without balcony, as well as access to fresh ocean air whenever it suits you. Some of the more recent ships have balconies on all of their outside cabins.
Princess Cruises photo
Most cruise lines allow you to select your own cabin as part of the online reservation process. The first rule to follow when choosing your own room -- a critically important one -- is to pick a deck with cabins above it and cabins below it. Those much cheaper cabins directly above the nightclub and casino or below the jogging track are much cheaper for a reason -- noise. The second trick is to avoid high-traffic spots like the elevators or the coin laundry room. A hidden hazard, but one that can be very loud on some ships, is the blank space towards the stern on all decks which contains the uptake ducts leading the exhaust from the ship's engine room to the top of the funnel above the highest deck. That roaring updraft can seem very loud at 3:00 a.m.
Here are some other important areas to consider.
Dress Codes on board: Is your ship casual, "smart casual," "dress casual" (read: all top designer labels on your day-to-day casual clothes), or formal? Some cruise lines require people to dress up formally (tuxedos for men and evening dresses for women) for dinner every night, others never do, and many go with one formal night out of every five or six nights. If you don't happen to own a tuxedo (I don't), a suit is usually okay -- but many cruise lines offer formal wear rentals for the duration of the cruise.
What's included? Virtually all companies include cabin, meals, and all on-board shows and entertainment (except the casino) in your fare. A cabin steward will make up your room daily, turning over linens and towels as needed. Some more expensive lines also include all shore excursions, all alcoholic beverages, and all tips in the fare, but most do not. One or two of the highest-priced companies even include the airfare from your home airport to and from the ship! If you plan on consuming a lot of alcohol or soft drinks and taking tours at every stop, do some serious number crunching before you choose and one of the more expensive lines may actually prove to be a better value for you.
Meals: Almost every company does this part differently, so you need to look at the nuts and bolts of meal arrangements on the particular ship you're booking. Generally, the trend is to offer more and more and more choices of types of food and types of eateries, but some of the upscale ones carry an upscale extra charge. Some may only be open on certain days or at certain hours.
Tours: Should you book the cruise line's tours or not? Well, that depends on the port. If you arrive in a remote location, like the island of Huahine in French Polynesia, you may very well find that there is only one bus on the island and the cruise line has chartered it for the day! On the other hand, in a city destination like Ketchikan in Alaska, there are usually half a dozen operators on the dock willing to sell you the same tours for less than half the price the cruise line charges. The one real advantage of the cruise line's tour offerings is that the ship will wait if the tour is a bit late getting back to the dock (as happened to me in Iceland when the tour bus blew out a tire on a remote gravel road). If you're on your own and you're running late, the ship may well sail on time and you will then be on your own, with all your belongings on their way to the next port of call without you.
It also depends on the type of tour. Any tour involving helicopter or airplane "flightseeing" is likely to sell out just because these are small aircraft that only carry a few passengers each.
Airport Transfers: Do you need to purchase pre-cruise and post-cruise transfers to and from airports from the cruise line? Again, it depends where you are. On joining the ship I usually purchase the transfer, especially in larger ports where the ship could be in one of several widely separated docking areas. When leaving the ship, there's a bit more flexibility. In city ports like Miami or Vancouver, there's always a taxi rank right outside the cruise terminal and the drivers are eagerly waiting for you -- so the transfer bus isn't really necessary. In a smaller place like Civitavecchia (the port for Rome), taxis are almost non-existent unless you pre-arrange one, and the fare to Rome -- some 75 kilometres (45 miles) away -- will be pretty horrific.
Air Fares: Do you have to purchase air fare to and from the ship from the cruise line? No. Many people do because it's convenient for them. I usually arrange my own.
Tipping: All companies issue guidelines for tipping. Some include tips in the fare so you don't have to think about it. My favourite cruise line, Princess, now adds a flat-rated tip to your cabin account, and automatically puts a tip on all bar charges. If your cruise company doesn't take one of these approaches, you need to bring a hefty wad of cash to put in the tip envelopes on the last day. The major cruise companies that market themselves in North America all issue invoices in U.S. dollars, and so cash tips (if any) should also be in that currency. Other than tips, all purchases on board ship are charged to your cabin account and billed to your credit card on file at the end of the cruise.
Last Minute Sales: There can be some remarkable bargains, but there are also hidden traps. The period from September to early December is the main slack season in the industry, so the best bargains can be found then. But be warned: you're quite possibly getting the leftovers, the cabins nobody else wanted to take -- like the ones directly above the nightclub and casino or below the jogging track -- or perhaps the outside cabin whose view consists entirely of a huge orange-and-white lifeboat. General rule: those who book early get the best choices, and also some pretty good incentives, but do pay more for the privilege of having their favourite cabin.
Upgrades: People who reserve early (as I usually do) may be offered, or given, upgrades if the ship isn't heavily booked. On one cruise some years ago I was moved up three levels on the price chart with no extra charge. On another (more recent) trip, I was offered -- and took -- an upgrade from balcony cabin to mini-suite for about 25% of the normal price difference.
Now, if all of this sounds just too complicated to figure out on your own, don't sweat it. Find a good travel agent to help you choose. In bigger cities, you can find agencies that specialize in cruise holidays. Yes, you will pay more, but your chances of getting what you want as a first-timer are much better with a little professional help.
As I prepare for my next holiday (a cruise again) it seemed like a good time to share some helpful hints about cruises for those who many not have been on one yet.
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