Planning first family cruise - when to book, and what about cancelling?

[majellamom]

I am planning our first family cruise - I went on three as a kid, but this is the first I am responsible for booking.

 

We ideally want to go on a 7 day Western Caribbean on the Ryndam starting Feb 8, 2015 out of Tampa - we are working on a fairly tight budget as we are a one income homeschooling family.

 

Talked to HAL today and got a room quote for the cheapest quad occupancy available, and it is more than half our total budget - also have to figure out airfare from Denver to Tampa - several airlines (Frontier, Southwest) aren't booking out that far yet, and those that are, are pretty high priced at the moment.

 

My mom thinks that the price on the Ryndam cruise should come down a little bit in the coming months (she's taken 15 cruises, so she has a better idea than me!) which would make the vacation a little more affordable. I don't feel comfortable booking this far in advance, since I can't even see how much airfare would be. At what point do I need to start worrying?

 

I noticed that if we book through Discover, we can use cashback bonus towards the cruise (not a great amount, we can get an $80 certificate for $40 of cashback bonus given that we are looking at cheap cabins, but any little bit counts) is this something worth doing? Or is it better to book directly through HAL? Or should I find a travel agent?

 

I've talked up HAL so much that I think hubby (never cruised before) would be sad if we had to book a different cruise line...I would be sad, too! ;)

 

Also, what if something major happens in our lives and we have to cancel after we book? Is that possible? Or should we wait for another 4-5 months and try to book then?

[MISSYLOU]

If you book now then you could monitor HAL's website for price drops. Feb is a popular month for Caribbean cruises so price may be higher. You need to buy cancellation insurance when you book.

[serendipity1499]

Don't forget to budget for the Automatic Hotel Service charge of $11.50 per day per passenger which HAL will charge you.. For a family of 4 that is $322.00 for the week, which you will be required to pay when you check out..

 

In addition HAL will put a hold on your credit card of $60 per person per day.. That means, they will advise your credit card company to hold out $960 on your credit card for the seven days..If you don't spend that on board you will be charged only for your Hotel Service charges plus what you charge on board for drinks including soft drinks, & tours which you might purchase from HAL.. Many people spend less than $60 per day & some even spend more.. If you tour the Carib. on your own, you can save a bundle, but you might want to do some of the tours sold by HAL..

 

IMO there are many Travel agents who advertise cruises & some of them advertise on Cruise Critic's Agents home page..Unfortunately no one on this board is permitted to name their Travel Agents, but you can find their numbers & call them to see if they can give you a better price..This is the URL for Cruise Critics agents who advertise here:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/shipshop/index.cfm

 

Many of us use travel agents who are able to give at least 9%-10 % off of the HAL price because they book what is called blocked space for groups.. Call some of the Agents who advertise cruises..

 

As the above poster mentioned you should also think about purchasing cancellation insurance & it will have to be purchased at time of your initial booking.. Some travel insurance could cost any where from 5% to 9% of your cruise cost for the entire family.. That might be several hundred dollars too.. After the 90 day final payment is due you will not be able to cancel for any reason for a full refund.. HAL does sell insurance for a full refund up to day before departure but it is expensive..

 

As the previous poster mentioned, Feb is a peak month for cruise travel..You may not be able to get the least expensive cabin if you wait..I would book now & not wait, but closely monitor price reductions on-line.. Normally you can get a full refund up to final payment date which normally is 90 days prior.. BTW some Travel Agents might charge a cancellation fee.. Check that out too..

 

Good luck & hope that you are able to plan a wonderful vacation for your family..

Edited July 2, 2014 by serendipity1499

[AlohaPride]

Hello to a fellow homeschooling family!!!! I so know the challenges facing a larger family with one income. :) The great thing about booking a cruise is that you have until final payment to cancel and get all your money back!

 

I'd love to email you about who we book with and how much we've saved PLUS the usually large on board credit. It's a warehouse store that doesn't begin with an "S". ;) For our upcoming 2 week cruise in Alaska our OBC with this company is more than half what we need for the Hotel Charge of $11.50 per person per day. We've also "purchased" more shipboard credit to cover the rest of the Hotel charge.

 

Children under the age of 18 DON'T need that $60 per day deposit. And, if you have enough on board credit already in your account, you can tell them you'll use that and then do a deposit if it's spent. We have the Hotel Charge covered and our booking also has the Signature Beverage Package, so we won't be spending any money on board.

 

I read that air prices don't drop until about 4 months out (which is still outside your final payment deadline). I monitor a website called http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ it doesn't SELL airfare, just monitors prices. Then when you find the flights you want you can book directly with the airline. The BEST time I've seen to purchase flights is right after school starts for "regular" school. I've been able to get my parents flights from GA to HI for $470 round trip. You can sign up for email alerts with this website. Another website I use is http://www.farecompare.com They were really great a year or two ago, but not so much lately. I do like their email alerts, though.

 

Something I ALWAYS do is purchase trip insurance. I use http://www.insuremytrip.com. If you purchase the insurance within 24 hours of booking it will cover pre-existing conditions. We don't need that, so I book the day before final payment. I make sure it covers cancellation for work purposes.

 

Again, you can cancel your booking any time before the final payment deadline and get your money back, so I would go ahead and book now and then monitor the price of your category and the similar categories and you can always adjust your booking if you need to.

Edited July 2, 2014 by AlohaPride

[CGYCruisingFamily]

I agree with what AlohaPride said, kids under 18 do not need to pay the $60 a day (still comes to $840 for 2 adults for 7 days). Also you can choose to do a cash option if you dont want to put it onto your credit card. But you have to show up with that $840 in cash at the port to prepay against the account. I also think (and will happily be corrected if wrong), that kids under a certain age also dont get "signing/charging" privileges unless you indicate otherwise. We dont give our kids that yet (they are only 5&9 but still too young to have that responsibility. We get soft drink cards and if they kids want a treat, they can ask and we will get it for them.

 

Final payment for your cruise would be about 90 days prior to sailing. If you pull out before that, you get your money back I believe. After that there are penalties.

 

I have read about people who continue to monitor their cruises after they book and have successfully had the cruise cost changed if they find a lower price. However be warned, if you are trying to get a room for 4, we have found those prices dont fluctuate very much as there are a limited number. For instance, on our upcoming cruise, the price never dropped below what we booked it at. Often if it is going to go down, it will be after the final payment is due as the cruise line is trying to sell off those rooms. However if those rooms are in low supply, they wont change or possibly even go up slightly. We always have booked at least a year in advance however there are sometime deals to be had (my parents are taking our kids on an Alaskan cruise Saturday which was booked about 2.5 wks ago. For the 4 of them it is about $1900 incl taxes for the week - they got a great deal with 3 and 4th passenger free - just have to pay the taxes).

[PathfinderEss]

I would book now, as others have said and then monitor the prices on Hal's web site. If it goes down before your cruise then you can contact whom ever you booked your cruise thru and either get a On Board Credit, or a reduction in your fare price.

Personally I would try to find a TA that specializes in cruises. They can sometimes help with some cruise incentives to make your trip more worth while.

 

Oh by the way welcome to Cruise Critic Majellamom.

 

Edited July 2, 2014 by PathfinderEss

[SpokaneDan]

Welcome to CC, you are way ahead of the game by finding and using this site. I wish I knew about CC to plan for our first few cruises.

 

General rules to keep cost down:

- keep your options open - be it cruiselines (Norwegian, Carnival, Royal could be competitive), ports (can you leave from Port Canaveral, or even Miami ports?).

- book through a TA - online or even Costco. You will be offered Onboard credits which can be used towards the "mandatory tips" discussed above. OB credit could be sustantial. TA sometimes have "group rates" that are cheaper than listing prices.

- Best deals comes late (within 8 to 12 weeks of departure) -but nowadays you tend to pay more for air tickets last minute too.

 

re refund/cancellation - your deposit upon booking are generally fully refundable until full payment due date (2-3 months before departure) -no refund after that unless you have insurance. All these should be explained clearly to you before booking.

 

Feb. is a great time for Carrib. cruises - no Springbreak crowds (I wish we homeschooled our kids for that reason alone), cheaper airfares and you should get a decent cruise price as well.

 

GL, and enjoy your planning

[NYteacher]

 

Feb. is a great time for Carrib. cruises - no Springbreak crowds (I wish we homeschooled our kids for that reason alone), cheaper airfares and you should get a decent cruise price as well.

 

 

Quite a lot of Northeast schools have "Presidents Week" off. The week should be obvious as cruise prices are 30-50% higher that particular week.

 

Our son, now 12, has said HAL has his favorite kids club.

[1of4]

We have taken 2 family cruises with HAL and have a third one booked. My two children LOVE Club HAL and, as parents, we love how respectful and attentive the Club HAL staff are. We feel very confident leaving the children in their care.

 

Reality is, we chose Holland America BECAUSE of Club Hal. No regrets.

 

To add to what has already been said, shop around for a travel agent and go with the one that makes you the most comfortable and provides some on board credit. I was amazed at how much you can get if you ask and look around online.

 

We book cabins for 4 early so we can get the cabin we choose. Then I looke for sales (3rd and 4th passengers free, price reductions, etc) and I then email the travel agent. We have always gotten the new price without a problem.

 

I put a credit card in the E-docs for DH and I only. I mark DD and DS as "cash" and therefore the $60/day/person does not apply to them. I make sure we have enough on board credit (OBC) to cover the hotel service charge for the 4 of us. We have never been asked to show that we have the cash for the children.

 

We also request that the children do NOT have charging rights on their cruise card. This way if it is lost nobody can order drinks on us, and HAL also isn't concerned about how much the card will charge (back to the $60/day). We buy each child a soda card for $25 which is a huge splurge for them as they don't get to drink it at home. Last New Years on the Ryndam we turned one back in - unused.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy your vacation!

[thinfool]

We loved the Ryndam. Shame it is leaving the fleet.

Suggestions:

1. Use a travel agent, HAL will take your money but never offer you a benefit.

2. Price two rooms--like a balcony for you and an inside for your kids. Or an Oceanview and an inside, or two insides.

* NOTE: Ryndam Verandah cabins are very pricey as there are not all that many and HAL has a ton of repeat customers who are well-heeled and able to pay the rate. (and they like to sail in February :) )

3. Set up an airfare alert on Kayak.com for your itinerary and dates. Set it to send daily updates.

 

Finally,

* Consider other ports and cruise lines. Fort Lauderdale and Miami have very competitive sailings on HAL, Princess, Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

 

* Fort Lauderdale has, arguably, the most competitive airfares for a cruise port in Florida.

Edited July 2, 2014 by thinfool

[Susie51]

Don't forget to budget for the Automatic Hotel Service charge of $11.50 per day per passenger which HAL will charge you.. For a family of 4 that is $322.00 for the week, which you will be required to pay when you check out..

 

In addition HAL will put a hold on your credit card of $60 per person per day.. That means, they will advise your credit card company to hold out $960 on your credit card for the seven days..If you don't spend that on board you will be charged only for your Hotel Service charges plus what you charge on board for drinks including soft drinks, & tours which you might purchase from HAL.. Many people spend less than $60 per day & some even spend more.. If you tour the Carib. on your own, you can save a bundle, but you might want to do some of the tours sold by HAL..

 

IMO there are many Travel agents who advertise cruises & some of them advertise on Cruise Critic's Agents home page..Unfortunately no one on this board is permitted to name their Travel Agents, but you can find their numbers & call them to see if they can give you a better price..This is the URL for Cruise Critics agents who advertise here:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/shipshop/index.cfm

 

Many of us use travel agents who are able to give at least 9%-10 % off of the HAL price because they book what is called blocked space for groups.. Call some of the Agents who advertise cruises..

 

As the above poster mentioned you should also think about purchasing cancellation insurance & it will have to be purchased at time of your initial booking.. Some travel insurance could cost any where from 5% to 9% of your cruise cost for the entire family.. That might be several hundred dollars too.. After the 90 day final payment is due you will not be able to cancel for any reason for a full refund.. HAL does sell insurance for a full refund up to day before departure but it is expensive..

 

As the previous poster mentioned, Feb is a peak month for cruise travel..You may not be able to get the least expensive cabin if you wait..I would book now & not wait, but closely monitor price reductions on-line.. Normally you can get a full refund up to final payment date which normally is 90 days prior.. BTW some Travel Agents might charge a cancellation fee.. Check that out too..

 

Good luck & hope that you are able to plan a wonderful vacation for your family..

 

Thank you for including so many financial aspects of a cruise. Would there be a possibility of a children-sail-free sale on Carib. cruises? Are those only for new bookings?

[majellamom]

General rules to keep cost down:

- keep your options open - be it cruiselines (Norwegian, Carnival, Royal could be competitive), ports (can you leave from Port Canaveral, or even Miami ports?).

- book through a TA - online or even Costco. You will be offered Onboard credits which can be used towards the "mandatory tips" discussed above. OB credit could be sustantial. TA sometimes have "group rates" that are cheaper than listing prices.

- Best deals comes late (within 8 to 12 weeks of departure) -but nowadays you tend to pay more for air tickets last minute too.

 

Thanks for all the advice - shortly after seeing this reply, I saw that NCL is offering a Kids Sail Free thing for 3rd+ people in cabin, so I am waiting to hear back from a TA recommended by my parents to see if that would be a good option for us. Would love to do HAL, but at $399 per kid before taxes, etc...well, the kids sail free thing is sounding better and better!

 

Found a fare calculator online that gives average price for flights, and it looks like historically speaking, Ft. Lauderdale might have the cheapest flights, followed by Houston, followed by Tampa - of course I don't know how many stops those would encompass, but at least it gives me an idea of airfare!

[CGYCruisingFamily]

Just a heads up too. We have found that once on board, our family can be pretty responsible about what we charge and how much we charge to our account. We are not heavy drinkers of alcohol and try to limit the tours we go on (not saying we dont do tours but they can add up fast). On our last 14 night cruise for the 4 of us including a couple of nice dinners at the Pinnacle and a couple of tours (we generally try to do ones that are not an arm and a leg), our onboard account for 11 nights was about $1100 in which we paid $800 cash so we came home with only about $300 on our cc.

 

Remember onboard charges can get out of hand easily if you are not aware of what you put on it.

 

We also found though that HAL has more included on board than many of the other lines which upsell everywhere. We felt the last time we went on NCL we were nickle and dimed ever time we turned around, an extra $10 here, $20 there (especially for specialty restaurants).

[serendipity1499]

Thank you for including so many financial aspects of a cruise. Would there be a possibility of a children-sail-free sale on Carib. cruises? Are those only for new bookings?

 

They are only on some bookings.. We received a brochure in the mail & on some select cruises HAL does not charge for the 3rd & 4th guest! Unfortunately, on the 7 day cruises to the Carib, it does not show which of the free ones apply to which dates..

 

Thanks for all the advice - shortly after seeing this reply, I saw that NCL is offering a Kids Sail Free thing for 3rd+ people in cabin, so I am waiting to hear back from a TA recommended by my parents to see if that would be a good option for us. Would love to do HAL, but at $399 per kid before taxes, etc...well, the kids sail free thing is sounding better and better!

 

Found a fare calculator online that gives average price for flights, and it looks like historically speaking, Ft. Lauderdale might have the cheapest flights, followed by Houston, followed by Tampa - of course I don't know how many stops those would encompass, but at least it gives me an idea of airfare!

 

HAL also has kids sail free on select cruises,.. Therefore if your dates, ships & ports of departure are more flexible perhaps you could get your quad on one of those bookings.. Sorry forgot that if you book your kids with no purchases rights HAL will not withhold the $60 per day for them.. BTW the sales which HAL is touting are on the larger ships to the Carib. Eurodam, Westerdam & New Amsterdam.. You can get a regular cabin with a pull out couch which will sleep two for as little as $499 per person, but they all are from Ft. Lauderdale.. .Don't know if any of the dates in Feb would be free for kids..

 

Keep checking with HAL & also check out some of the on-line Agents..

 

As others have mentioned many Travel Agents give generous OBC's

(on board credits) which can be used toward your hotel service charges & purchases on board..

 

Good luck..

Edited July 2, 2014 by serendipity1499

[GradUT]

Something I ALWAYS do is purchase trip insurance. I use http://www.insuremytrip.com. If you purchase the insurance within 24 hours of booking it will cover pre-existing conditions. We don't need that, so I book the day before final payment. I make sure it covers cancellation for work purposes.

 

I agree that you should purchase trip insurance and I agree that InsureMyTrip is a good website for purchasing it because you can compare lots of different policies. (I would not recommend purchasing the cruise line's insurance.)

 

However, you do NOT have to purchase trip insurance within 24 hours of booking in order to be covered for pre-existing conditions. Each policy is different, but those which do waive pre-existing conditions give you somewhere between 10 - 15 days after booking in which to purchase their insurance. Also, you will pay a hefty premium in order to buy insurance which allows you to cancel for any reason (which is what cancellation for work purposes is.)

 

I suggest you start reading various policies now on InsureMyTrip so you have a good idea of what you'll need to buy and how much it is going to cost you. (Expect to pay around 5% of the cost of your cruise + airfare).

Edited July 3, 2014 by GradUT

[majellamom]

So, with trip insurance - I am thinking we are going to book the cruise by the end of the week, but probably won't book the airfare for several more months. How do I work that?

 

Not worried about work related cancelations, as hubby raises cattle and corn with his dad and brother - not much going on in Jan/Feb besides making sure the cows are fed! I guess maybe if hubby's dad or brother get seriously injured, but that should be covered, right? As family reasons?

 

I'm more worried about medical reasons - hubby has a dangerous job, I have a chronic health condition, my MIL has a chronic health condition. I expect we will all be fine come winter, but there are enough things that could go wrong.

 

Looking at insuremytrip - it says "If you are taking a cruise, select the first port of arrival as your destination" what does that mean?

 

What do I need to look for in trip insurance?

[pmjnh]

Hello,

Trip insurance is important but it does not have to be purchased immediately unless you have pre-existing conditions and want them covered. When you research companies you will read about how each company defines a "preexisting " condition. The company we are using for our cruise next summer has a 14 day after booking requirement to waive the pre-existing condition clause.

 

As an example, the company that I am using states a pre-existing condition as the following:

 

A Pre-existing Condition is defined as:

Any injury occurring prior to and including the effective date of insurance; or, any illness occurring during the sixty or 120 days prior to and including the effective date of insurance for which treatment by a licensed physician has been sought or advised or for which symptoms exist which would cause a prudent person to seek diagnosis, care or treatment.

 

 

 

Since we have no preexisting conditions based on this definition, I will wait until we book non-refundable airfare before I purchase the insurance. Insurance covers all non-refundable costs. Remember, too that government taxes are refundable so you can subtract that amount when figuring out how much insurance you need.

 

Definitely go with a travel agent and ask them to arrange the group pricing.

Some automobile clubs offer a credit card that gives cash back for travel. Mine gives 3% back. Worthwhile to get as long as there is no annual fee.

 

 

Have fun planning!

Edited July 3, 2014 by pmjnh

[RuthC]

So, with trip insurance - I am thinking we are going to book the cruise by the end of the week, but probably won't book the airfare for several more months. How do I work that?

 

Not worried about work related cancelations, as hubby raises cattle and corn with his dad and brother - not much going on in Jan/Feb besides making sure the cows are fed! I guess maybe if hubby's dad or brother get seriously injured, but that should be covered, right? As family reasons?

 

I'm more worried about medical reasons - hubby has a dangerous job, I have a chronic health condition, my MIL has a chronic health condition. I expect we will all be fine come winter, but there are enough things that could go wrong.

 

Looking at insuremytrip - it says "If you are taking a cruise, select the first port of arrival as your destination" what does that mean?

 

What do I need to look for in trip insurance?

Since you're looking at Insure My Trip anyway, your next step should be to call them and ask about everything you just posted. They will discuss it all with you, and even prompt questions you don't know you have.

 

Dad & brother may be family, but would your DH need to cancel to take care of them? Needing to replace them at work may or may not be covered.

It sounds as if your DH could have a pre-existing condition at any time, and that you and MIL already do. But the definition of "pre-existing condition" can vary from company to company. Stability of condition matters, but even a decrease in medication because you're doing so well can be considered a change in condition.

The representative will help find the right policy, and complete the application for you.

[GradUT]

So, with trip insurance - I am thinking we are going to book the cruise by the end of the week, but probably won't book the airfare for several more months. How do I work that?

 

Not worried about work related cancelations, as hubby raises cattle and corn with his dad and brother - not much going on in Jan/Feb besides making sure the cows are fed! I guess maybe if hubby's dad or brother get seriously injured, but that should be covered, right? As family reasons?

 

I'm more worried about medical reasons - hubby has a dangerous job, I have a chronic health condition, my MIL has a chronic health condition. I expect we will all be fine come winter, but there are enough things that could go wrong.

 

Looking at insuremytrip - it says "If you are taking a cruise, select the first port of arrival as your destination" what does that mean?

 

What do I need to look for in trip insurance?

 

1. All non-refundable costs need to be included in the amount of insurance coverage you request. Unless you purchase fully-refundable airline tickets, you'll need to include the airfare into your total amount of coverage. So go to the website for the airline(s) you plan to use and figure out how much the airfare is going to cost you. If you at all suspect that the airfare will increase before you make your booking, use the higher amount when you ask for the insurance quote. The reason for this is that some insurance companies will reject your claim if you do not fully insure. That is, if you insure your trip for $1000 and the actual cost is $1200, if you try to file a claim the insurance company can reject the claim on the basis of under-insurance. (It hasn't happened to me, but I have read about it happening to others.)

 

2. Based on yours and your MILs medical conditions, you definitely want an insurance policy that provides a waiver for pre-existing conditions. Some insurance companies provide these waivers provided you purchase the insurance within a specified time after you make your first payment (i.e. deposit). Other insurance companies do not provide waivers at all, so you won't want to insure with those companies.

 

3. Since it appears you might have to cancel your cruise if your FIL or BIL became ill or incapacitated, you will need to find a policy that covers you in such instances. Most policies do provide coverage for the death/serious illness of a family member so look for those and make sure that it covers the family members you need to have covered.

 

4. The policies are based on which country you plan to visit, but on a cruise you going to several different countries. So they ask you to enter the country you will first visit. E.g. if your first port-of-call is Jamaica, you'd enter Jamaica as the first port of arrival.

 

5. The main thing I look for in a travel insurance policy is coverage for pre-existing conditions, coverage for death or injury of family member and sufficient coverage to fly me back to the U.S. in case of a serious illness or injury incurred in a foreign country, and, coverage for flight delays (particularly in winter). I'm less concerned about coverage for lost or delayed luggage. Of course, what you are looking for my differ.

 

5. Insure My Trip is really good with answering any questions you might have. You can call them or do a Live Chat. I highly recommend you use this feature and ask them any of these questions--you shouldn't take my answers as "gospel". And, most policies give you a grace period to cancel without penalty so, if after purchasing you read the policy (which I highly recommend) and find it doesn't cover what you thought it did, you can cancel.