Deciding on your next cruise package

Deciding on your next cruise package Naturally we strongly encourage those interested in booking a cruise use a CRUISE SPECIALIST who knows and is familiar with the varied products available in the cruise market today. Develop a personal relationship with that person so they understand your personal needs and preferences. This is the person you will always turn to for your questions and package needs. Calling a cruise line, call center or using a website does not allow you access to that person in a timely manner or maybe not at all. A real CRUISE SPECIALIST will have personal experience sailing most of the markets so they can give first hand information, ‘talk’ about itineraries, ships, cruise lines and programs with confidence. Is this a family cruise, a group, individuals, special occasion, special needs………………… Cruise lines and ships vary and some may not meet your needs. 1. Family cruises are best booked on Royal Caribbean, Carnival or Disney cruise lines. These offer the best ‘kids & teens’ programs with structured, supervised activities allowing the adults time for themselves. 2. Group reservations vary in their expectations and what will satisfy the individuals participating. Itinerary and ship are very important in meeting individual expectations. 3. Individual cabin reservations, or several wanting to be together, are the easiest to work with because they generally have already decided on the type of itinerary ahead of time. While specific ships and cruise lines offer varied options, some may not provide the best experience for everyone. A good agent will generally direct young adults/couples away from those ships more popular for the older passengers and direct them toward something that would be more appealing to them. 4. Celebrating special occasions is possible on all major lines, but some do better than others with specific types of occasions. Weddings, definitely Princess, while young honeymooners seem to enjoy Carnival, Royal Caribbean or the tall masted ships. 5. Special Needs passengers are most always welcome on the major lines, but be sure to discuss this with your agent. There are limitations that can not be met on some ships due to handicapped access issues. No matter what your needs and expectations are, a good Cruise Specialist should have no problem in presenting you with options and guiding you in the right direction. The ocean liner or river boat becomes your HOTEL providing a variety of DINING OPTIONS, cabin ACCOMODATIONS, ACTIVITIES, and ENTERTAINMENT on and off the ship. It is important that you allow your agent to ‘qualify’ your needs and expectations before you even begin your search. Ship or destination? Which is most important? Large or small ship, cruise liner, masted ship or river boat? What type of accommodations do you prefer? Is price an issue? Location? Type of cabin? Do you want to be in the forward section, mid ship or aft? Cabins vary from inside (no windows/natural light), ocean view, balcony or suites? Handicapped accessible? Normally, cabins come with hairdryers, TV, refrigerator, phone, safe and limited toiletries. But, be sure to confirm this when you book your cruise. Casual or formal environment? A luxury line is going to be more formal than the family oriented line. Even so, most lines have formal dining nights. You do not have to participate with all the options available on most ships and you may not need a tux/formal. On most ships a dark business suit and dressy or Sunday dress for ladies is adequate, though you may still see some formal attire. Good food or gourmet food? Dining options, open or assigned seating? Flexibility? Dietary needs? All this needs to be discussed. Most ships offer 24 hour access to ‘food’ items. Buffet? Dining Room? Room Service? Specialty Restaurant? Midnight Buffet? Activities or relaxation? Adults, kids, singles, couples ……………. Cost! For many this is a major factor in their planning. You may think in terms of luxury, but a luxury line may not be appropriate for you. Luxury is available on most ships, not just the luxury lines. No longer are we in the days of best rates are within several weeks of sailing. Available cabins are generally at a premium rate because many ships are ‘selling out’ well before sailing. The best time to book is EARLY, 9-12 months ahead. For some specialty itineraries (Alaska) or cruise lines (Disney), even earlier. The best values are the ‘repositioning’ cruises when lines are relocating ships. This occurs most often in the fall and late spring when ships are relocating to/from Alaska, Europe, Hawaii, etc. You can also save by booking your next cruise on board the current cruise if you find something you like on that cruise line. AND, your agent will get credit for the booking! Compare cost………………. In most cases a cruise package will cost less than a land package. Even all-inclusive packages. Gratuities for select crew members are common practice and most cruise lines place these on your ship board account. But, with the exception of NCL America (Hawaii), these amounts can be adjusted by going to the Purser’s Desk prior to the last night out. Tips average $10 per person, per night ($70 per person for a 7-night cruise) and go to the cabin steward and table waiters/assistant waiters. If you have had exceptional service you can always give them something extra at the last evening meal or leave it in the cabin. (Most luxury lines include gratuities in the cruise fare.) A Ship Board Account is set up for each individual in a cabin. Whether charges are to be placed on one persons’ account or individual accounts, everything you purchase on board is placed on your account and settled up the last night out. If you used a credit card to secure the account you will receive an itemized statement delivered to your cabin sometime during the night. Be sure to check your statement. It is hard to get adjustments if something is wrong once you have left the ship. Your first day is going to be stressful to some extent, even seasoned cruisers have some anxieties. Checking in is very similar in all situations so be sure to have the required identification papers (in most cases PASSPORTS) and boarding documents in hand. Arrive to the ship earlier rather than later during the time frame allowed for check-in (11:30 – noon). Due to government regulations imposed on the cruise lines, we recommend you plan to check in at least 2 hours prior to the departure time notated on your documents. For most sailings the ships arrive very early in the morning and passengers have disembarked. Though the crew may still be cleaning cabins you can generally board earlier, enjoy lunch at the buffet and explore the ship while waiting to get to your cabin. (You may also want to talk to your agent about arriving a day early.) Be patient with the lines that develop. Remember everyone is going through the same procedures. (Many Past Passenger programs allow for ‘repeat’ passengers to enter through special, shorter lines.) In all cases the check-in process goes faster if you have completed your on-line immigration registration and printed out your documents on-line. Your luggage will be taken from you and ‘show up’ at your cabin later in the day. Sometimes not until after you’ve sailed if you checked in later in the afternoon. Be sure your CRUISE LUGGAGE TAGS are properly affixed to your bags when you give them to the cruise line representatives/porters. (Using cruise line transfers your luggage will be taken from you as you board the bus. With pier drop off you luggage will be taken from you by the porters.) Try not to over pack because storage space is limited and you generally do not need as many clothing options as you think. (Several airports/piers have private luggage service available for a slight fee.) Limit your carry on items because you may have to carry them with you until your cabin is ready. BUT, do include a change of clothing, medications, and valuables. You may want to change into more comfortable attire before you get your luggage in your cabin. Disembarkation day requires an early start for most passengers and the staff will offer passengers the opportunity to participate in a general meeting explaining the procedures, including customs. 1. The night before, having packed, you will place your luggage outside your cabin door to be picked up during the night so it can be ready for you inside the pier when you get off the ship. Be sure to keep clothing out that you want to wear the next day. (Some ports/ships allow for walk off disembarkation with all your luggage to save time.) Be sure you place the color coded luggage tags that are provided on your luggage before you place it outside your cabin. These designate which area of the luggage area you proceed toward once you leave the ship. You MUST also complete your customs declaration form that was placed in your cabin to turn in at disembarkation. 2. A breakfast buffet is offered early the morning of disembarkation. You may be required to leave your cabin by a specific time. That’s OK. Go eat breakfast and proceed to one of the lounges designated for disembarkation. Keep a book handy since you may not disembark right away. 3. Wait until your tag color is called then proceed to the gangway with your belongings. You will exit the ship for the last time and proceed to luggage claim and claim your luggage and exit the appropriate transportation area. At some point during the process you will have to provide your passport or other approved travel identification to the immigration officers and you will turn your customs declaration form over to the customs agents. You should always be prepared for a delay while they check your carry off luggage and/or question you about your travels and purchases. REMEMBER THERE ARE LIMITS TO WHAT YOU CAN BRING IN DUTY FREE AND RESTRICTED ITEMS. This information is available on the ship and provided in the presentations the staff will make.

4. Some ports of disembarkation now offer “express check-out.” In this case you will not put your luggage out the night before. You keep it in your cabin and carry it off the ship with you. There are some limitations and you will need to sign up for this on board as instructed.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND ANWERS TO THE MANY QUESTIONS that most cruise passengers have, please go to our website www.cruisesinc.com/jhard click on the “About Cruising” icon or click on the “Before you Go” icon

On the Danube - MV Mozart

Joyce and I just returned from a Danube River cruise aboard the MV Mozart, one of the most popular river boats on the Danube. This itinerary focused on historic Capital cities in Europe, many of which are in varied stages of restoration. In all we stopped at 6 river cities, Durnstein; Vienna (over-night); Esztergom; Budapest (over-night), Bratislava and Melk. We arrived in Passau, Germany 1 day early and took the opportunity to select a 3-night post in Prague. In all we visited Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. (We were on board the week before the smoke stack and train bridge had that little tiff as she went under it.) Many bridges along the Danube are very low. In some cases they have to lower the pilot house, umbrellas and tents on the upper deck to go under the bridges. This also requires everyone to go to a lower deck. The MV Mozart has a Five Star rating and would be classified as an upscale line/boat. Some of the largest cabins on river boats at 203 sq. ft (suites are 406). There are 100 cabins. Most are double occupancy with choice of Queen, twin or triple configuration. A word of caution about the twin/triples. The twin beds are actually sofas that pull out at night. The size of the cabins is amazing when thinking of cruise ships. AND, the bathrooms are definitely a plus. You can bend over and not touch the wall and fit two people into the bathroom at the same time. We were in a cabin, on the lower deck, with a queen bed and loved it. THREE large closets in addition to the drawers and other storage space, a refrigerator, TV (don’t be disappointed when the only English speaking channels are CNN, the “God Channel” as they list it, and the movie channel). There is not a safe, but your cabin has keys for each closet and one drawer. There are safety deposit boxes at the Reception Desk which also served as the bank to exchange money, information, the tour desk and wake up calls. We did take a converter plug to use. They requested that crew member check it to make sure it was the correct one to use. One of the things we liked most about the cabin, in addition to size, was the view out the window. The lower deck is actually below water line with the water about 12” below our window ledge. When other ships went by the wave would cause the water to rise on, or above, our window. Peter Deilmann is a German company focusing on German and English speaking clientele. On this voyage we also had a small party of Italians. For dining, the room was split, one side for German speaking, the other for English speaking and all others to the back area of the dining room. Dining was not as informal as the brochure and literature received makes you believe. Even though the information indicated coat/ties would be required for two nights, we also had two formal nights. Thankfully we had taken my dark business suit. I wore it 4 of the 7 nights. Gave me an excuse to buy a new tie. Dining is definitely FIVE STAR with full course service. Depending on the night, from 5 to 8 courses. All evening meals end with cheese and fruit. Wine was not included, but offered through the wait staff. Breakfast and lunch were buffet style or you could order off of the menu. Only one seating for each meal. Tipping is explained in terms of a set amount per day (9 euro, per person) to be divided between the 3 wait staff and 1 cabin steward and you decide how to split the total. Smoking is not permitted in the Dining Room. The designated smoking areas included a small sitting area outside the dining room, a small sitting area set up outside on the same deck as the dining room and in a designated area in the lounge where afternoon tea and three evening shows were presented highlighting local talent and the crew. The Spa services were minimal, but available. The spa area included several work out pieces, small indoor pool, whirlpool and sauna. You have to wear the slippers provided in your cabin to the spa area. Most Germans also wore their bathrobes. (The bathrobes provided in the cabins actually fit, not one size fits all. Slippers are one size fits all and we big footed Americans had a problem there.) The itinerary was great. We definitely want to go again in the future, especially Prague. European river cruises are becoming more popular and you do need to experience it yourselves to best sell it. We learned so much from this adventure and I’ve already had three serious inquiries after being able to talk about ‘our’ trip. Words of wisdom:

You may want to take a roll, or two, of your favorite TP. The stuff used on the ship and at most of our stops was like sandpaper.

Tipping is based on similar percentages as here. But, in some restaurants there is an automatic service fee added that may, or may not, be considered a tip. Read the bottom of the menus or ask.

Go with the flow, things will not be as usual. Be willing to learn as you go.

Exchanging money is easy enough. The ships, hotels and every street corner in the larger cities have exchange booths. Best rates, as already advised, may well be the ATM. Our bank rate was 3%. Commission rates and service charges could run you 5 – 8% at exchange booths. We got minimal Euro at the airport so we could handle tips for the bus and hotel staff on arrival. We got the best rates using our credit cards. Hehe, got home and the charges were already posted listing the exchange rate and fees if applicable. There was a fee for cashing/converting traveler’s checks.

Most credit cards can be used. The exception seemed to be AMX which was not honored at most local shops and restaurants.

Back to #1, in most cities there are ‘public toilets’ and these you pay a nominal fee to use. In several cities the toilets were no more than port-a-potties so we found the local McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried. Buying a drink was more than convenient.

It has taken us almost a week to recover from the return flights and get back on a ‘normal’ sleep pattern.

Voyager Class Ship Coming to Galveston, TX

Starting this Christmas, Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas will 'winter' in Galveston, TX and provide 7-night itineraries to the Western Caribbean. The Voyager is replacing the Rhapsody of the Seas which is moving to the Pacific/Asia/Hawaii fall/winter itineraries and will begin Alaska Inside Passage sailings in May 2008. The Voyager will 'winter' in Galveston from December 2007 - April 2008 and the same in 2008-2009 after serving in the European/Mediterranean markets. The Voyager is the first of that class ship which provides amenities like Johnny Rockets', Ice skating, miniature golf and much more in addition to the world famous "Rock Climbing Walls" on the aft side of the smoke stack.

Costa Maya Being Replaced As Port of Call

Due to the recent hurricane hitting the Mexican coast line, Costa Maya experienced major damage and has been closed to cruise ship traffic for now. The stop has been replaced by other available ports along the coast or with a 'sea' day when necessary. Those booked on itineraries in the Western Caribbean should contact their booking agent/agency for full details if they have not already been notified.