Scout

Dusty has friends that cruise. They really , really love it. Then she  has friends that would not be caught dead on a cruise ship. Dusty took a cruise… once, for 4 days.  I bet if she had a choice she probably would not make it her  first choice as a vacation destination. Some exceptions do apply.

For example, Alaska. I know Dusty thinks that Alaska  is made for a cruise what  with the Inside Passage and glaciers and all. So many of the sights are on the water or along the coast. Mix it up with a shore excursion or two and you’ll probably cover  a lot of the highlights. If she didn’t think it would be a good value or worthwhile she wouldn’t be trying to put together a cruise trip there for next year’s vacation with her sister.

But we’re learning a lot about cruises as Dusty works on this so I thought I’d share some of what we’ve found out so far.

1.  The destination is important but don’t forget to consider the cruise line and even the particular ship. There is a big difference in atmosphere and facilities. Some lines  are known as party boats while others are geared toward families and children, still others  have seniors or singles  in mind and gear their activities accordingly. Some cruise lines have different ships within the same cruise line  designated for  the various demographics.

2. The best way to get a good deal on a cruise is to either book early or book last-minute. The early bookers get about the same  sale prices as the late “sale” bookers but they have more choices and options. Booking early avoids the chance of being disappointed by having the cruise of your choice sold out. . “Early” usually means three to six months before the cruise; the savings generally are 25 to 50 percent off the published brochure price per person.

3. Take care of business. Tape a to – do list to the fridge or someplace else that’s visible so you don’t forget to stop mail delivery or to pack your favorite shampoo. Make sure arrangements have been made for your pets whether they are staying at home or heading to a kennel. Shop for film,( does anyone still use film in this age of digital cameras?), travel size toiletries, sunscreen etc. They will be available  on the ship but will be more expensive.

4. Pack light, pack right. Be prepared for the off-chance your luggage will get misplaced. Even if your bag isn’t lost, it often takes hours before it gets to your cabin. So pack for survival: Put a little of everything you’ll want and need in  a carry-on bag. This includes undies, shirts, socks, a bathing suit , any medications and  something to wear to dinner. As added protection, buy travel insurance that covers you for lost, stolen, damaged or delayed luggage. As this is an expensive trip travel insurance should cover you if for some reason you have to cancel at the last-minute. After all, life happens!

5.  Explore the shore excursions and book as early as possible. Some cruises let you book the shore trips before boarding but many others do it after you board the ship. These excursions go fast so do not delay if there’s one you really want.

6. Then there’s that old nemesis, tipping… How much and to whom? Some cruises allow you to pre pay your tips but then if the service is bad, you’d be out of luck. If you choose to cover the tips on your own most cruise lines supply you with tip guidelines. It runs about $3.50 per day/per person  for the waiters and the cabin steward and $2.00 per day/per person  for the bus boy. Tipping the maitre’d is optional.

7. Last but not least on the learning curve..dining! It used to be that you”dressed for dinner” and had assigned seating in the dining room. Usually there were 2 dinner seatings. More and more cruises are beginning to use “open seating”. You can change tables or even your seating time. There’s also more options for restaurants outside of the main dining room. Check out your options carefully before you book so there are no pricey financial surprises. Also find out the dress code. Many are going casual or having only 1 formal “captain’s dinner”.

So that about wraps it up so far. I know Dusty’s head has been spinning. I think she is finding getting this cruise info together is much more involved than just heading off on vacation. Her friend Julie would disagree but that’s why everyone is different.

Well, she still hasn’t booked the cruise yet so I’m sure there will be more updates to come. Any cruisers out there that can offer advice? Let us know.

I finally made the first call to start the process for our 2012 trip to Alaska. I don’t think it went too well.

Let me back up. My sister and I have been talking about going to Alaska for a couple of years now. Part of the delay has been the cost. Sis wants 2-3 nights in Denali along with a cruise. That adds up to a lot of money. While we were in Sedona we talked about it some more and basically made a decision to just go for it. If we keep waiting we won’t get there…or by the time we do the glaciers will be melted, the mountains eroded and the polar bears will have moved some place colder. 🙂

The other stumbling block is which cruise line do we want to go on. We had been looking at Holland America but then Sis heard from a neighbor that they weren’t very good. That’s surprising because Holland America has tons of Alaska cruises. Seems to me if they weren’t any good that they wouldn’t be able to have so many choices.

I suggested Royal Caribbean. They have a big, fairly new ship doing the Alaska Route, Radiance of the Seas. I have only been on 1 other cruise and it was a short one from Port Canaveral to Nassau, Bahamas. That was on Royal Caribbean and we had a very nice time.

I know people who have taken an Alaska Cruise and they raved about it. We also met some folks  at the Grand Canyon that flew into Alaska, rented an RV and toured that way which would have been fine by me too. I just want to see the country and the animals. Cruise, drive, train…any of them are fine with me.

But back to my first call. I blissfully called Royal Caribbean with the mistaken idea that they would willingly offer any available discounts. That was what I was told by the Holland America rep at the AAA Travel Marketplace this spring. Well, I even mentioned AAA and Senior discounts and as far as I can tell got nada. I pointed out that the price I was being quoted was higher than their published price in their brochure and was told that was “just the starting point.”

The only good part is that you can book your cruise for a very small deposit. I told them I would have to get back to them. Within 24 hours I had both a phone call and an email trying to “close the deal.” That’s kind of putting me off right there.

I emailed Sis and got back an email that seemed to have the hair standing on end! How much ..for how long etc , etc.  So I have mailed the cruise info so Sis can go to her travel agent and see if they can do better.

I can see this is going to be a bit trickier than I expected. I am not a fan of travel agents. Most of my experiences with travel agents have been disappointing but in this case, if they can get a better deal, I’m all for it.

I will keep you all updated as this saga unfolds.