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The Savvy Cruiser |
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Helping you find the right cruise at the right price. |
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| Tips and Traps from The Savvy Cruiser ® | |
If you are not spending the majority of your life cruising or thinking about cruising, there are likely a number of little things -- that perhaps never occurred to you -- which can make a major difference in your cruise experience.
These are for the most part little things -- things that may seem obvious now that simply never previously occurred to you -- that we intend to bring to your attention in the hopes that they may enhance your cruise experience. We also invite our readers to submit their own favorite tips (or traps) so we can all share the best of them. We will have a prize (to be determined) at the end of the year for the cruiser (or cruisers) with the most useful hints. Please click on tbe link at the bottom of the page to submit your favorites. --The Savvy Cruiser |
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The Savvy Cruiser's Tips |
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View and Compare Staterooms Before You Book Ever wind up with a stateroom that was under a noisy deck area? Not certain how meaningful the difference is between two balcony categories? Before booking a room, we always check it out at CruiseStateroom.com. This site boasts the most complete cruise ship stateroom database on the Internet, and provides a wealth of information for you to consider before actually booking that cabin. The site has recently begun charging a nominal membership fee, but will give you a one day free trial so you can see for yourself how useful it is. This is a strong recommendation -- not an ad. Check it out for yourself at www.CruiseStateroom.com. |
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School Calendar Is Important If You Don't Have Kids Why do cruises tend to be more expensive in June? Because school is out for the summer, and families with kids are ready to set sail. But the weather in many areas tends to be similar in either May or September, and the cruises tend to be better values. You will also want to be mindful of the winter and spring school breaks, which also are peak periods -- read higher-fare periods -- for the cruise lines. Last Minute Deals May Not Be a Bargain A number of cruise agencies are now offering what at first blush are extremely attractive last-minute deals. But they may not turn out to be such bargains if you need airfare. Frequently, the airfares obtained by the cruise line for passengers booking earlier are no longer available. So while you may be able to get a cruise-only price that is a bargain indeed, when you add on the last-minute airfare, the total package me be quite expensive. |
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Worried About Seasickness? Bigger Is Better While there are a lot of remedies on the market today designed to prevent or minimize seasickness, there is one very simple way of enhancing your chances of having a mal de mer- free cruise. Book your trip on one of the newer larger, heavier ships. Ships weighing 50,000 tons or more generally provide more stability than smaller ships, and the newer megaliners ranging up to 140,000 tons are better yet. While even the largest ship is going to be moving about in a st orm, this is one case where the generality holds true: bigger is better. |
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| The Savvy Cruiser's Traps | |
| Don't Assume The Cruise You Want Is Sold Out | |
| While cruise bookings this spring have been strong, Carnival Cruise Line President Bob Dickinson recently suggested that people wanting to cruise avoid the "sold-out syndrome" -- which he defined as not even trying to book the cruise you want because you assume that the ship is long-since sold out. He reported that even during a peak season like this year's spring break, many ships sailed with unsold cabins. Advised Dickinson: "Never assume a ship is sold out." |
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| It's Summer Time. There Are Storms. Don't Be Late. | |
| While no one plans to take a chance on missing the ship, an amazing number of people ignore the basic adage: get there early. Particulary in the summer. People who worry about blizzards in the winter and wouldn't think of trying to arrive at the port the day ofdeparture seem totally oblivious to the thunderstorms that play havoc with air traffic in the summer. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that because the cruise line has booked your flight, you have no problem. There is no guarantee that the ship will delay departure for guests arriving
late to the port, regardless of whether you made air arrangements through the cruise line or on your own. Insist on getting there a day early.
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| Don't Assume That a Higher Category Is Better | |
| While many passengers on Celebrity's Millennium-class ships have eagerly upgraded to its new Concierge Class staterooms, a number of cruisers have been distressed to find their rooms -- located immediately under dining or pool areas -- noiser than staterooms on decks that have other cabins above and below. A number of passengers have stated that they would gladly forego the extra amenities associated with Concierge Class for a good night's sleep. |
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| If You Can't Stand Your Tablemates, Don't Suffer | |
It's the first night, and as you leave the table, you are thinking that jumping overboard might not be so bad if you didn't have to ever see these people again. Well, there's no need to apend a cruise suffering in silence. While changing tables was once consider "inappropriate," you should not go to the Maitre d' following that first night and request a different table. By some estimates, as many as 20 percent of cruisers now request a table change.
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The Savvy Cruiser plans to try to collect these and share them with our fellow cruisers under the heading:
Cruise Line Links |