Up next in 10
These Cruise Insiders Want Us To Know About These!
5K views
Jan 28, 2025
When I learned that three quarters of all cruises are booked by cruise travel agents, I asked them to reveal the things they see cruise passengers repeatedly get wrong or make mistakes about and the 9 things they want us to know as they are guaranteed to make our cruising experiences so much better GET EXCLUSIVE PERKS LIKE MEMBER-ONLY BONUS VIDEOS BY BECOMING A CHANNEL MEMBER: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Links mentioned in the videos: BUY MY CRUISE-THEMED T-SHIRTS ———————————————— * Check out my T-Shirt range at https://tipsfortravellers.myspreadshop.com , http://bit.ly/TFTStore or https://tips-for-travellers.creator-spring.com SUPPORT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS ————————————————————— * Become a Channel Member and get perks: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/Join * Become a Patron on Patreon and get perks: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * Make a donation: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=V9STJGYSEMGLJ * Buy my book “Cruise Traveler’s Handbook: USA Amazon https://amzn.to/2YVFmG4 and https://amzn.to/3tzIxBn UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3oXbzYc and https://amzn.to/3qawqIQ
View Video Transcript
0:00
when I discovered that over three
0:02
quarters of all Cruisers are booked by
0:04
them I wondered if they had loads of
0:07
Insider tips so I begged those I knew
0:09
and others I met at a recent cruise
0:11
travel conference to reveal all I was
0:14
blown away and thrown by some of them
0:17
despite all of my cruises as you're
0:19
about to find out welcome aboard I'm
0:21
Gary bembridge I make it fun and easy to
0:23
discover plan and enjoy Unforgettable
0:26
Cruise vacations here's what I found
0:28
Cruise specialist travel agents say that
0:31
we all absolutely need to know of course
0:33
the first thing that we all want to know
0:35
is how do we get the best or the lowest
0:39
fare I already knew that I never will
0:42
pay more booking through my travel agent
0:44
than going direct but what they all told
0:46
me consistently is there are three key
0:49
booking periods where you and I can get
0:52
the best fare first of all it's by
0:54
booking early ideally when new
0:57
itineraries are released this is when
0:59
the lines they say offer the lowest
1:01
fares booking incentives or discounts
1:04
and I found that out recently when I
1:05
booked my Q not Queen and just as it
1:08
came on sale because I got some special
1:09
rates and I got extra onboard Credit Now
1:12
the second key period they say is
1:14
November Black Friday Cyber Monday and
1:17
wave season with January being the key
1:19
month now these are really big booking
1:22
periods and the lines they have to offer
1:24
deals to stand out and attract our
1:26
business amongst all that noise now this
1:28
past year I saw loads of deals with 60
1:31
to 70 percent of second guess perks like
1:33
Wi-Fi gratuities drinks extra onboard
1:36
credit and so on now the third key
1:38
period that can be an opportunity is 90
1:41
to 60 days before a cruise after those
1:44
final payments are made and the lines
1:46
look at how many cabins they need to
1:48
fill and they sometimes run extra deals
1:51
and promotions however they say that
1:54
lower prices are not guaranteed here
1:56
because especially now that ships are
1:58
rapidly selling back to full capacity so
2:01
prices again generally are rising the
2:04
closer to a cruise that it gets rather
2:06
than falling two other ways that some
2:08
spoke about we're also looking for
2:10
package deals where some agent groups
2:12
they sell specific Cruise dates packaged
2:15
with flights and transfers and things
2:17
like that now these packages they can be
2:19
really good value and secondly look at
2:22
things like group Cruisers like the ones
2:24
that I'm working on running because
2:26
lines will offer better rates based on
2:29
the group organizer ensuring that they
2:31
fill a certain quota of cabins the next
2:35
watch out was a new one to me as the
2:38
cruise lines in the UK seem to only
2:39
offer me anyway all UK Sailors
2:43
non-refundable Cruise deposits so any
2:45
change usually means that we lose that
2:48
deposit now in the US agents said that
2:51
Cruisers can usually choose either a
2:53
non-refundable or a refundable deposit
2:56
with a slight premium for non-refundable
2:59
however one what they see is frequently
3:01
Cruisers lose money because they think
3:05
they're going to say about going
3:06
non-refundable but many end up having to
3:08
change or cancel to a different date
3:10
particularly when they're planning
3:12
really far ahead so paying a slightly
3:15
higher cost and going refundable they
3:18
all said is definitely the safer way now
3:21
most also said we should all calculate
3:23
really carefully if a bundled and
3:26
all-inclusive packages like princess
3:28
plus Holland America have it all
3:30
celebrity always included Norwegian free
3:33
at Sea are any of those actually really
3:35
worth buying these can add around fifty
3:38
dollars 40 pounds per day per person for
3:41
a bundle of three or more onboard
3:43
amenities like Wi-Fi gratuities drinks
3:46
especially dining or Excursion credits
3:49
and these are supposedly going to give
3:50
you a 50 discount versus buying them
3:54
individually their challenge which I
3:55
agree with and I've covered this in a
3:57
recent Cruise rip-offs video where I
3:59
show show I was often spending more
4:02
buying these bundles than just paying
4:05
for the things that I actually end up
4:07
using now they also point out that most
4:09
people don't realize that the Wi-Fi the
4:11
drinks and so on including these
4:14
all-inclusive bundles are usually the
4:16
lines most basic package and therefore
4:19
don't actually meet many Cruisers needs
4:22
and I've certainly found that for
4:23
example with the Wi-Fi the next common
4:24
mistake they raised had me immediately
4:27
go and check the status of mine it's
4:30
passport issues while some USA closed
4:34
loop Cruisers which means they start and
4:36
end the United States to places like
4:38
Alaska Caribbean Hawaii and even New
4:42
England and Canada they actually allow
4:44
U.S residents to travel with any
4:46
government issued ID what the agent said
4:49
is many Cruisers make the mistake of not
4:52
making that ID a passport
4:55
all too often they say they've had to
4:57
try and help get someone home due to an
4:59
issue at home a medical problem or even
5:02
something curtailing the crews and to
5:04
range to fly them home requires a
5:08
passport to enter the United States many
5:09
of them pointed to when the Norwegian
5:11
Escape ran aground in Puerto palata
5:14
Dominican Republic and guests were
5:16
disembarked and had to fly home to the
5:18
United States around 300 guests without
5:22
passports we're not initially allowed to
5:24
fly home until I could get a passport it
5:27
took loads of lobbying before finally an
5:30
exception was granted now this of course
5:32
would be unlikely for one couple or a
5:34
small group trying to get home they
5:36
stressed which is what actually got me
5:38
really worried is to also ensure that
5:41
passports have at least six months
5:43
before it expires after the cruise and
5:46
several blank pages because both are
5:49
required by most line and many countries
5:53
I've got cruises booked at the end of
5:55
2024 and although my current passport
5:58
only expires in 2026 I have very few
6:01
blank pages left so I need to kind of
6:03
plan now on getting a new one another
6:06
thing they said they see some slip up on
6:09
is not booking using the exact name as
6:13
shown in their passport or whatever ID
6:15
they're using so if you usually go by a
6:18
nickname or a shorter version of your
6:19
name don't book using that because they
6:22
have seen people being refused
6:25
embarkation because their name of the
6:28
booking doesn't match their ID another
6:29
mistake they highlighted was Cruisers
6:31
seeing arriving the day before a cruise
6:34
as a cost
6:36
not a benefit they spoke about how so
6:39
many Cruisers say they want to avoid
6:41
hotel costs by flying in the same day of
6:43
the cruise however they've then got
6:45
frantic cries for help due to delays or
6:48
cancellations that happen on cruise
6:50
embarkation day with flights or whatever
6:51
now I really agree with this I have been
6:54
saved so much driver so much stress by
6:57
building in at least one overnight like
6:59
for example on a recent Azamara Quest
7:01
Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona it
7:04
was bad weather passing through the UK
7:06
it led to many cancellations long delays
7:09
and if I had gone on the day I would
7:11
have basically missed embarkation but I
7:14
built in that buffer day getting in the
7:16
day before also raised another of The
7:19
Insider tips one that I have to admit
7:22
that I've actually slipped up on while
7:24
Cruise itinerary May look great they
7:27
Warn and remind me and you that most of
7:29
us forget we may not get to see
7:32
two of the best and most exciting places
7:34
on it for example that Azamara Quest
7:37
cruise I was talking about was billed as
7:39
Barcelona Provence Santa pay Monte Carlo
7:43
Calvi Florence Pisa and Rome however
7:48
Barcelona was the embarkation and Rome
7:51
the disembarkation port so without
7:53
arriving early in Barcelona and adding a
7:56
post day in Rome I would not have seen
7:59
any of the sites in either of them at
8:02
all now this itinerary also reveals
8:05
another warning that they gave me and
8:07
reminded me Cruise Line itineraries
8:09
always lead with a must-see or the
8:12
famous ports but the ship madok a very
8:16
long way away for example on that
8:18
Azamara trip Provence was some way from
8:21
the actual Port of Marseille where we
8:23
docked Pisa and Florence were hours from
8:26
our Port of Livorno and Rome was up to
8:29
two hours in bad traffic from the
8:31
closest port of Chevy chevekia the way
8:34
to spot this they advise was the
8:37
itinerary will usually have something
8:38
like Venice
8:40
and then in Brackets after the actual
8:42
Port so for these days for most ships
8:44
that for uh Venice it's a vena or
8:47
Trieste it's much more common for this
8:50
to happen in Europe and in Asia but it
8:52
does apply even in Alaska whereas I
8:54
discovered on my recent Cruise while my
8:56
itinerary was talking about Anchorage
8:58
the actual ports of Whittier or even
9:01
seaward are about 60 miles away another
9:03
key mistake that they see us making is
9:06
not booking everything we hope to do on
9:08
the cruise in advance and waiting until
9:11
we're on board things like excursions
9:12
dining spa or other kind of events
9:15
things that go on like flow riders or
9:17
whatever now their clients that do that
9:19
often come back having missed out on the
9:22
best excursions or perhaps a favored day
9:24
and time for especially dining
9:26
particularly if it's a special event now
9:28
I have that first hand and I would add
9:31
that as more and more of us caught on
9:33
getting in really early is even more
9:36
important than before so for example I
9:39
missed out on my first choice and all
9:42
the adult-on excursions on my Disney
9:44
Norwegian fjords Cruise last year even
9:46
though I went in four weeks before the
9:48
cruise and for a silver sea southern
9:50
Africa Crews I've got booked in 13
9:53
months time I logged in right away that
9:55
I did the booking and found that two of
9:57
the excursions I really wanted to do in
10:00
Namibia are already wait list only I
10:03
cannot stress enough the importance of
10:06
the agent's next warning as I get
10:08
messages from passengers being refused
10:10
boarding because they did not have proof
10:14
that they met the latest Cruise boarding
10:16
or Port country into requirements now
10:19
while the pace and the frequency of
10:21
pre-boarding requirement changes has
10:23
definitely slowed down post shutdown
10:26
they can and will still change for
10:28
example a few weeks before making this
10:30
the United States suddenly required any
10:32
non-residents that had been to Cuba to
10:35
have to apply for a full entry visa and
10:38
could no longer enter just using that
10:39
online Esther the EU will be introducing
10:42
an esther-like thing very soon that all
10:45
non-eu members which are includes the UK
10:47
the US Canada whatever will all have to
10:49
have if we can get in I am a really big
10:51
advocate for this next one based on the
10:54
many many messages I get from fellow
10:56
Cruisers telling me how it has saved
10:58
them from eye-watering costs and was so
11:01
pleased that the agents felt that this
11:04
was a huge big issue too the most common
11:06
quote that they gave me was one that an
11:09
agent called travel shy said to me I
11:11
can't even tell you how many times I've
11:13
seen something come up that resulted in
11:15
clients either kicking themselves
11:17
because they didn't have it or that they
11:19
were incredibly thankful that they did
11:22
have it and that is insurance now I was
11:26
interested if agents felt the cruise
11:28
line or third-party Independent
11:30
Insurance was actually the best way to
11:33
go
11:33
I personally take out third party not
11:36
Cruise Line policies because I found a
11:39
higher cover
11:40
choice of what limits that I have it
11:42
covers my travels either side of the
11:44
cruise and also importantly covers my
11:46
pre-existing conditions this is the way
11:49
that most travel agents suggested and
11:51
they said that at least we should all be
11:54
comparing the cruise line policy with a
11:56
third party the other interesting
11:58
mistake they see those of us that book
12:00
with a travel agent making is seeing
12:02
them as just kind of a mechanism for
12:04
booking and not asking for enough advice
12:07
most agents say they've been on many
12:10
cruises and they have of course an
12:12
enormous amount of traveler feedback on
12:16
lines on ships on cabins and restaurants
12:17
and ports and excursions on transfers on
12:20
Port hotels and on and on and on because
12:22
they're dealing with them every single
12:24
day and all of them said to get even
12:26
more value out of using a travel agent
12:29
over booking direct is to ask them for
12:32
advice
12:33
if you find this interesting watch this
12:35
video where I share that the tips that
12:38
cruise ship crew gave me on how we can
12:40
get more of cruising starting with the
12:42
one thing that really surprised me that
12:44
exists and happens on cruise ships that
12:47
I was not aware of see you over there
#Cruises & Charters
#Specialty Travel
#Transportation
#Travel Agencies & Services
#Travel Guides & Travelogues
#Vacation Offers