Hurricanes are cyclonic (spinning);  in North America they rotate counter-clockwise. It is the cyclonic nature that differentiates them from other storms, such as a Nor’easter.

A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when winds in the hurricane rise over 74 MPH, and the form becomes cyclonic in nature, with a well defined center or “eye”.

The question is often asked – should we avoid cruising during hurricane season? The answer is generally no (and I’ll explain why).

However, if someone is cruising specifically to visit a particular island, or ONLY for a specific  itinerary, the answer is yes, avoid. During hurricane season there is an increased risk that the cruise lines may have to alter the ship’s itinerary.

If you are going to be totally dissatisfied and unhappy with an itinerary change, you should most certainly avoid cruising during the hurricane season.

There are circumstances where ships must alter their itinerary, forcing them to miss a scheduled port of call, so truthfully one is never guaranteed their chosen cruise ship is going to make all of its scheduled ports.  The chances of that happening does go up significantly during hurricane season.

Yet, even with that said, the actual incidents of that happening would not be considered statistically normal . But the chance it may is always there, and you should be aware of the possibility.

Whether through personal experience, or via news reports, we’re all quite familiar with the devastating, and life threatening power of a hurricane when it makes landfall. Because of the somewhat speculative nature of predicting exact paths of coming hurricanes, evacuation of areas in it’s path (both suggested and/or mandatory) is a difficult task to accomplish in a timely manner.

Sadly, there are always some who either choose to stay, or have no means to evacuate quickly, and these actions cost lives, and often put rescue teams in danger when trying to aid those people.

The fact is, the cruise lines don’t take such chances.

The cruise lines use the most modern forecasting equipment and communications to monitor the paths of large tropical storms and hurricanes. And they don’t take chances with either their assets (ships) or their passengers.

A cruise ship is in the most danger if it is tied up at a pier during such a storm. The safest place for a ship to be during such an occurrence is at sea.

Unlike islands, towns and cities, cruise ships are mobile, and actually are capable of repositioning (moving faster) than the speed with which a hurricane moves.

While a hurricane might have winds in the cyclonic areas of the hurricane in excess of 100 miles per hour, the rate they move horizontally across an area is much slower.

So, if at sea, and with warning, cruise ships can basically “out run” a hurricane. However, even with that knowledge, the cruise lines will normally act with the most caution possible, and alter ship’s itineraries; altering ports of call to keep their ships and passengers safe, while still providing the cruise experience their passengers expect.

While on a ship in such circumstances you may experience rougher seas, but with just the odd exception, other than the change of itinerary, you’re likely to not even have a feeling there is a hurricane out there somewhere.

One such exception, of course, is if the port you are sailing from, or scheduled to return to, is in the direct path of a hurricane, or has been directly and dramatically impacted by a hurricane that has passed.

A ship in a departure port in the path of a hurricane may be forced to leave earlier than scheduled. And conversely, a ship returning from a cruise to a port either in the path of a hurricane, or that has been shut down by a hurricane that has passed, might stay at sea longer than scheduled, or may find a different, safe port, to end the cruise.

In the latter case the cruise lines will arrange passage for passengers either to the original departure city, or to their homes.

In the former case they will notify passengers with as much advance notice as possible, so those passengers can cancel their plans to get to the ship for what was its scheduled departure.

The bottom line regarding cruising during hurricane season — cruise lines will do whatever necessary and possible to protect their 1/2 Billion Dollar ships, and its passengers.

The bottom line from the passengers perspective — you can safely cruise during hurricane season, but be prepared for changes and ALWAYS purchase travel insurance (making sure it has coverage for hurricane incidents).

Often, the very lowest prices of the year are available in the later months of hurricane season. You can take advantage of those low prices, just do so understanding what might happen.

- A View From The Kuki Side of Cruising -

One of the attractions for many cruise ship passengers is the variety of entertainment available on board; including stage shows, featured performers, comedy shows, dance bands or individual soloists in the ship’s lounges, poolside games, gyms, spas, areas for sports, etc.

Sometimes there is so much going on one has to check the ship’s daily schedules, with a highlighter pen in hand, to choose those events and activities which appeal to you, that you want to be sure not to miss.

But, if you’re like me, there are times you may want to step outside of the box, and entertain yourself, or those in the group you might be sailing with. Here’s a few suggestions of things I have found have worked for me to entertain myself.

One of my favorites – If we happen to be “catching some rays”, laying out on deck by the pool,  we’ll often play “Look there’s —— “.

It’s a well known fact, in my mind, that every person has near identical doubles, triples, or more wandering this planet; or at the very least look-a-likes. So, the game if “Look there’s —–” is based entirely on this premise.

It’s simple really. You relax on deck by the pool, and watch for people who happen to look like someone you know. When you spot one, you excitedly proclaim, Look! There’s (insert name).

If you’re playing with a group of friends, you can award points based on how many people in the group agree with your judgement, and deduct points if no one else in the group sees the similarity.

Then the person with the least number of points has to buy a round of drinks. If you’re playing the game by yourself, you just buy yourself another drink for each person you recognize. And in that situation it doesn’t really matter if your judgement is accurate or not.

Another fun activity is to shop on board without ever actually going into any of the shops, or spending any money. This is most easily done while out on one of the outdoor decks.

Mrs. Kuki and I are both big fans of different styles and colors of flip-flops. They are very hot in fashion at the moment and a most popular form of footwear on cruise ships.

If we happen to see someone walk by in a pair of flip-flops we admire, I follow them. Then, if I’m lucky, they’ll stop somewhere, take off the flip-flops I’ve been admiring to step into the pool or something similar. When they do, I have to quickly asses those flip-flops to decide if they’d best fit me or Mrs. Kuki.

I then, take the flip-flops, and head back to Mrs. Kuki’s location,  for us to try them on.  We admire them, check them to determine their level of comfort, then return them to where we took them… hopefully before the owner returns, and is looking for them.

If they happen to get back before me, it creates the opportunity for a new game; making up excuses of how you “found them” and were returning them. I don’t suggest sticking around long enough for the person to ask how you knew they were theirs.

It’s not necessary to limit this game to flip-flops if you’re not into them. It can be just as much fun replacing them with cover-ups, books, magazines, etc.

Yet another activity I enjoy, and I find is a great way for meeting new people, is to simply wander through the seating areas by the buffets with a fork.

You just wander amongst the tables where people are eating, and walk up (with your fork), point at something on their plate, and ask them if it’s OK if you taste it.  That makes for a great ice-breaker with strangers, and even more fun if they say yes.

Though the fun can diminish if anyone calls security.

Do you have any other suggestions for fun ways you like to entertain yourself on board?

- A View From The Kuki of Cruising -

How often do you overhear friends and neighbors arguing about which supermarket is the best?

How often do you hear friends discussing which brand of toilet paper is best?

How often do you hear people telling their friends they should really drive a Toyota instead of an Oldsmobile?

The answers is… rarely

How often do you hear people telling other people what cruise line they should sail? The answer seems to be… all the time.

It is almost comical - the extremes some cruisers will go to in an attempt to prove their choice in cruise lines is the best choice.

It is common for people who find the cruise company product that suits them the best, to decide that company will be best suited to everyone. And that anyone unwilling it to try it is making the wrong decision.

I’ve personally been able to sail many different brands over the years, because of my position with CruiseMates – from mainstream to ultra luxury. Of the mass market lines my current favorites are Carnival and NCL.

By no means do I want to insist they are the best for everyone. It’s just that their style suits me.

I get many, many people asking me what is the best cruise line is. If honest, I’d always say, in my opinion, Crystal or Siversea. Of course, many people say “they’d love to try them, but they are too expensive”.

I can never look into some-one’s “wallet”. and tell them they can afford it, because they’ll get better value, and they should give it a try.

If someone can afford it and wants to try many different cruise brands, I say great! It’s wonderful to have all sorts of different experiences. But, if they found a cruise line they know they really enjoy, I’d never want to suggest there are “better choices” if they’d just listen to me, and spend more of their money.

The brand loyalty is what each of the cruise lines rely on, and they attempt to build on that with their loyalty programs. And when you talk to people about why they like a loyalty program, they will almost always say, it’s the “value” they feel they receive from the perks. And, of course, it has to follow, on the Internet message boards there’s always arguments about which cruise line offers the best “perks” in their loyalty programs.

Larry Pimental, President and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises tweeted (@LarryPimental):

“Know your #customers! Trust in relationships is key for #luxury purveyors. Same as in all relationships.  Win their hearts and win it all!”

Yes, what he says is true of customers for most any product; especially service related products. But, with cruisers, if  you “win their hearts”, you are not only winning their loyalty, you’re also building an army of brand ambassadors.

In the past decade the broadening commonality of people using the Internet has led to an explosion of user driven content; reviews, message board posting, social media.

In the early days of CruiseMates it was much more common for those who were disgruntled to post to vent about their experience, than it was for those with positives; they just came home happy.

But in today’s world it is amazing how many people simply want to, and will take the time to write and post detailed reviews (and do so on every site they can find), create their own detailed websites, Blogs, etc. about their trips. They are also very quick to defend or deflect pretty much any criticism of their favored cruise line; sometimes to a fault.

The importance of the army of brand ambassadors the cruise lines can create has grown exponentially because of all these developments. As far as cruising is concerned, the invisible majority has become much more visible, and therefore much more important to the cruise line’s bottom line.

The cruise lines should have always known their customers were important, but in today’s world, where word of mouth really does travel faster than the speed of light, it’s even more crucial. They had better “win their hearts”!

An army of brand ambassadors made up of product users can have a much broader reach than any District Sales Manager.

- A View From The Kuki Side of Cruising -

Carnival Cruise Line has certainly had a stretch of bad luck and bad PR with a number of on board incidents; all falling in relatively short time frames, following the grounding of the Costa Concordia.

Carnival Cruise Line, as well as Costa Cruise Line, fall under the umbrella of Carnival Corporation (and its subsidaries); as do Holland America, Princess, Seabourn, Cunard, Aida,  P&O, and Ibero Cruises.

On Tues. May 23, Wells Fargo downgraded shares of Carnival (NYSE: CCL)from an outperform rating to a market perform rating.

Carnival Corporation, itself, announced a lowering of its earning guidance. The company now expects full year 2013 earnings per share to be in the range of 1.45 to 1.65 compared to its previous earnings guidance of 1.80 to 2.10; much of this having to do with incidents occurring on it’s Carnival Cruise Line ships I believe.

It’s been reported that Carnival itself blamed the drop on a higher-than-expected rise in voyage cancellations. In turn, this weaker demand resulted in downward pressure on ticket prices.

I am not a financial analyst, or have I ever staked a claim to being a shrewd investor, so I’ll make no comment on these developments from that point of view. Rather, I think it’s worth taking a look at from a customer/ consumer’s point of view, and in this case, specifically look at Carnival Cruise Line.

My  own perspective is I’ve always viewed a cruise on a Carnival Cruise Line ship as offering excellent value for the dollars spent on a cruise ticket.

And that should hold even more true today, as pressures have caused Carnival to cut pricing on many different ships and sailings.

From a corporate perspective this means that though volumes may be higher, profits are not. The question is, does the corporate reaction to that situation adversely affect the final product delivered to the customer?

Mike Driscoll, editor of Cruise Week, an industry publication,said, “that while repeat cruisers have not been deterred by the bad headlines, cruise-sellers are reporting that “first-time business remains challenged,” meaning that it’s still hard to get consumers who never cruised before to try it”.

Reading this comment flashed me back to last July ’12, where while on the Carnival Breeze, I ran in to Bob Dickinson, retired CEO of Carnival Corporation (and present day member of the CCL Board of Directors), and had the opportunity to interview him.

read that full interview.

During that interview he said,  ”the success has come somewhat because of our ability to attract large numbers of repeater customers fairly easily”. “Maybe we are not doing as well, or enough, to attract new first timer passengers”.

So, 10 months ago, after the “Concordia disaster”, yet before several other incidents with Carnival ships, which resulted in  horrible media coverage, and a badly handled Public Relations nightmare, at least Bob Dickinson, and probably the entire Board of Directors, recognized the problem.

These situations caused Carnival to react by increasing their advertising budgets significantly in an attempt to rejuvenate interest in their products, and renew the public trust in their product.

All necessary steps, but it seems to me, another way to build a recovery of interest and trust is to improve and monitor the delivery of the on board product.

The incident of a fire on Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas this past Monday, no doubt exacerbates this problem of attracting first time cruisers, and making them feel it safe to cruise. This could possibly impact Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s ability as well, but it will also serve as a reminder of past incidents on Carnival. for anyone considering a cruise.

Royal Caribbean has managed to avoid the public relations mess faced by Carnival. Partially through better management choices as the situation developed, and likely also partially because the Grandeur of the Seas was able to make it to Freeport under its own power.

Now, last July, while on board the Carnival Breeze, I reported, loving the ship, and viewing it as a real step forward in the Carnival product. But I was on a port intensive European itinerary, and there are some things on board that have drawn more criticism from passengers since she began sailing in the Caribbean.

On our message boards the common complaints we’re seeing are “cutbacks”; specifically the lack of live bands entertaining on the pool deck (on my sailing, on sea days, a solo artists would entertain for an hour or two),  and another common complaint is cutbacks in the numbers of service personnel; with bar service hard to find without actually going to a bar counter.

Unlike me, it seems many people are not enjoying the new Playlist Production shows. Personally, I really enjoyed the new shows, and their creation of more technological entertainment to enhance the shows of a smaller troupe.  But, it seems the reaction to less live music on board also applies to the productions shows.

I’m not certain if the cutbacks on board are totally real, or not. But the perception of their reality is a real problem for Carnival. And likely one they have to find a way to react to, to combat.

Another development is one I wrote about a short while ago, relationships between travel agents and cruise lines.

This was when American Express Travel (and all of their affiliated agencies) removed Carnival from their preferred supplier list.  Carnival cut the rate of commissions paid to travel agents for their bookings.

It’s not that these agents will not still sell Carnival cruises. After-all, all of the remaining Carnival Corporation brands remain on the American Express Travel Agencies preferred supplied list. But, it is less likely that an agent affiliated with American Express Travel will be less likely to direct a customer to cruise Carnival, and less likely to promote Carnival cruises.

So there has been a confluence of events, actions and policy decisions, which have undoubtedly contributed to giving Carnival Cruise Line a “three Tylenol headache”. Some of it was simply bad luck, some it their own doing, when combined with the bad luck, leading to developments of further stresses.

A step forward for Carnival may be with the recently floated, totally refurbished, Carnival Sunshine.  If public reaction to her is more positive, it will likely begin the healing process, restoring faith in the Carnival product.

Frankly, based on my most recent experience sailing on the Carnival Breeze, as well as many previous experiences, I wouldn’t hesitate to sail a Carnival ship. And, while pricing is incredibly low, and very likely to rebound in 2014, I don’t hesitate recommending a Carnival Cruise. But others may need more convincing by Carnival.

There is still excellent value there for what you are going to spend on your cruise fare on a Carnival cruise. Carnival still has to convince the public their ships are safe, and their customers are important to them.

- A View From The Kuki Side of Cruising -

Two years ago this week, while covering a golf themed cruise on Crystal Cruise Line, I had the pleasure of meeting and spending two full weeks with golf and golf broadcasting legend, Ken Venturi, and his lovely wife Kathleen; an amazing couple.

When meeting Ken and Kathleen they exuded gentleness, class, and genuine warmth, making it impossible not to want to spend more time with them. And they were kind enough to allow me to spend a lot of time with them during the cruise.

Both loved to cruise, and Ken truly enjoyed sharing all of his golf and life stories as a lecturer on Crystal ships.

Being an avid (but bad) golfer, this was truly a life highlight; meeting and spending considerable time with a true legend. Just weeks ago Ken Venturi was inducted into the golf hall of fame, though he was already too ill to attend the induction ceremony.

This past Friday the world learned of the passing of Ken Venturi, at age 82.

Upon hearing of Ken’s passing, I sent Kathleen a note of condolence, and I must say I felt very honored when I quickly received a lovely note of appreciation from Kathleen in return, in the midst of this difficult time for her.

As my own tribute to Ken’s memory and to express my sincere sympathies to his wife Kathleen and the Venturi family, I’d like to rerun the article I wrote about my time spent with this truly marvelous couple.

http://www.cruisemates.com/blog/201105202172/ken-venturi-speaks-golf/

I would also invite you to re-read the Virtual Cruise Report I wrote during that cruise.

http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/crystal/382124-virtual-cruise-crystal-symphony-hawaii-getting-crystalized.html

Ken – Rest in peace. And thankyou for the wonderful memories!

It amazes me how so many people can tell you exactly how many cruises they’ve been on.

While they may not be able to tell you the birth-dates of their children, they can tell you how many cruises, which ships, and what type of cabin they had on each – sometimes, even recite the various cabin numbers.

I’m not one of those. I can’t tell you the birth-dates of my children,  nor can I tell you exactly how many cruises I’ve been on. Somewhere over 60 I think. Does that make me an expert? No, I don’t think so. It only makes me lucky.

Over 60 is a lot of times to repeat any activity. Yet, if I said I’d done over 60 driving vacations, or been camping over 60 times, no one would care.

I love cruisers. Overall, when you’re on a ship, the people are friendly, looking to have a good time, and have a relaxed attitude. But, the one area where we’re weird is when at the first opportunity in the conversation we’re inclined to tell the people we’re talking to how many cruises we’ve been on.

In “days gone by” if you had been on many cruises it may have meant you were wealthy; because cruises used to be quite expensive, and generally only the wealthy cruised.

But, in today’s world, where cruising is inexpensive enough that it’s available to “the masses”,  people who cruise often are just regarded as cruise enthusiasts; old – with lots of time to cruise; or unemployed – with lots of time to cruise (well, ok maybe not the unemployed, because it does take money).

It is getting much harder to find first time cruisers on board, that you can impress by telling them how many cruises you’ve been on, and that you are basically now an expert on the subject of cruising.

In fact, on the contemporary cruise lines, you’re just as likely to meet people who have been on more cruises than you, as you are meeting first timers.

Why, I remember meeting some people who’ve told me it was their 19th cruise on the same ship. Say what? (Now that’s a hard one for me to understand).

These days the truly devoted “cruise trackers” keep count of  how many days at sea they’ve sailed. They feel it’s “unfair” to include the short cruises to boost your ”cruise expert cred”, so they found a way to do an end around by counting days. It actually impresses me that they can count and remember all those days at sea, when I can’t manage to count the days left until the weekend.

But really… if we’re going to go that far, shouldn’t we also be noting a differential between days at sea, and days  in port. Do we deduct for those odd overnights in a port of call?

So, who’s opinions should you trust? Who should be recognized as a cruise expert?

Several years ago, Gene Sloan, who writes the Cruise Log for USA Today, referred to an article I wrote for CruiseMates. He referred to me as an “industry watcher”. I kind of liked the tag. But, I guess that means I’m no expert. And I admit, I am no expert.

But I have been able to keep track of the fact I’ve been working on writing this blog for 3 days – and there’s 3 days left until the weekend. Of course that depends on which days you count.

- A View From The Kuki Side of Cruising -

One of quickest means to ruining a good relationship can be disagreements
over money.

And it just doesn’t take much for one person or another to feel like
they are being taken advantage of financially.

On land, when going out to dinner with friends, whether singles or couples,
how do you handle the check?

Do you make it clear to your server from the beginning that you’ll all want
separate checks (the servers just love that)? Or, do you each examine the check when it arrives to determine what each persons share is? Or, do you just split the total of the check, plus tip, dividing by the number of people?

On a cruise, in regard to food, the “who ate what dance” is avoided. In
venues where the price of of food is included in the cruise fare there’s no
worries. But, even in the ship’s alternate dining venues requiring a surcharge,
the procedure is set for the server to charge each cabin, or person
individually. So, unless one clearly invites someone to be their guest at one of
these venues, everyone pays their own way.

In other areas, unfortunately these things aren’t quite so simple and
clear.

- Whose turn is it to buy the next round? -

It’s all fine and happy when drinks are flowing amongst friends, enjoying a
cruise together. Payment is so simple on board, you just show the server your
“sail and spend” card. Servers will even run tabs for your group.

The thing is, no one carries cash on a ship (except in the casino perhaps),
so that makes it difficult for anyone to pay someone back for those drinks,
without keeping a ledger book going… or remembering well whose turn it is to
buy the next round.

(No doubt each of us knows someone who orders doubles when it’s someone else’s turn to buy)

It’s generally all well and good while “the party is going on”, but the
last night of the cruise when that statement for your on board expenses is
slipped under the door, someone may become very unhappy, realizing that
intentionally or not their cruise mates may have avoided paying for their “fare
share” of the libations.

The cruise lines do make it easier to split expenses for roommates. At
check in, each room-mate can supply their own credit card or cash to guarantee the
purchases they make on board.

It is much more complicated when you are cruising with friends, or a group
of friends.

Many cruise lines are now offering drink packages, or wine packages, which
in essence make your drinking free (outside of the cost of the package).
However, in the case of shots of liquor, to make it entirely equitable everyone
in your group of friends must purchase the package.

Though, if one person buys the package, they can simply order their own
drinks, and leave those who did not to sort out their own fair solutions for
their drink tabs.

Wine packages are different, in that once you get a bottle of wine, you can
share it or not, as you choose. Of course, awkward moments can arise, if your
friends or table-mates are waiting for you to share the wine you’ve chosen from
the package you’ve paid for.

One of the easiest ways to deal with these financial issues of traveling with friends or a group is to book on all-inclusive cruise lines.  In fact, when you speak with people who regularly do book all-inclusive cruise lines this is one of the big positive they speak of…eliminating those awkward moments.. aside from the fact these are all generally luxury brands as well.

But, they are right when they say the all-inclusive does eliminate all those awkward moments, of who’s buying what; who’s drinking more; and who’s turn it is to buy. Everyone is paying their fair share when they pay for their cruise.

Yet, it’s likely not financially feasible for everyone to book luxury cruises.

Other than the all-inclusive, there are no simple solutions to make sure no one feels taken advantage of financially, or leaves with ill feelings towards a friend who never seems to reach for their “sail and spend card”.

To avoid this, I suggest planning and agreeing on some of  these things in advance of your trip if you’re cruising with friends.

Other than everyone paying for their own drinks throughout the cruise, there are no simple solutions (that I can see) to assure fairness, and avoid trouble.

In this Blog, I am having trouble identifying workable solutions.

I’ve identified a problem. I’m relying on you, all of our experienced readers, to post solutions that you’e found have worked for you and your cruisemates.

None of us mind buying a friend a drink or two. But when it gets to 10-12 it gets expensive.

- A View From The Kuki Side of Cruising -

Cruise anticipation is a very unique feeling. It’s unusual because while “it’s only” a vacation, its affects are physical as well as psychological.

I just recently met a couple of tourists from South Africa in the United States, where I too was visiting. They are in the midst of a 3 month vacation away from their home country; travelling through many of the resort cities and areas in the United States, including an Alaskan cruise.

Of course, when I hear the word cruise my ears perk up, and I pay more attention to the discussion.

I asked which ship they would be sailing in Alaska. “Celebrity I think” was the response.

That type of discussion, and response, is somehow oddly common place.

It might seem surprising that people who have planned such an extensive travel itinerary (and could tell me all the cities they were going to be stopping in) couldn’t recall the name of the ship they were going to be taking.

Over time I have met or had email contact with many people who aren’t traveling so extensively, but who are just planning or anticipating a cruise, and also can’t tell me the name of the ship they are anticipating.

In my mind there’s a couple of plausible explanations; one – is that the trip is so long and varied that it’s difficult to recall every detail. The other is that because the cruise portion is going to be so simple and well taken care of, by it’s nature,  it’s not necessary to remember the minutia.

Yet, when I meet (or communicate) with many of these people, and they learn what I do, they usually have plenty of questions. Some of which can be very entertaining.

Probably  the most common, and one of my favorites is, ” What’s the weather like in (place) in (date)?”

So they have a cruise travel writer “in front of them”, with 65+ cruises of experience, with what some may consider a wealth of information about cruising available, and they want me to be a weatherman…

The one job where,  world wide, you’re allowed to be wrong – and probably are - 95% of the time, and not be fired.

Come to think of it, it’s a job I’m probably well suited for.

- A View From The Kuki Side of Cruising -

“Ship happens”, but there are a few simple things you can do to avoid the most common blunders.

# 1 – The most common mistake can occur at the moment you decide to book your cruise. DO NOT pay the deposit you make to book your cruise, or make your final payment, using cash or by writing a check to a travel agent!

While the vast majority of travel agents are honest, ethical, and trustworthy, their financial circumstances can change, and if the agent you are using finds themselves in difficult circumstances, there can be a serious temptation for them to use your monies for things other than to pay the cruise lines the money you have trusted in them to pay for you.

And you may not know this has happened until months later,… or worst case… until you try and board the ship.

You wouldn’t be the first for this to happen to you. It has indeed happened previously, and on occassion to large groups traveling together.

Pay for your deposits or cruise fares using a major credit card, and then verify that said charges on your card are made directly to the cruise line.

You can verify this immediately with your credit card company, as well as checking the booking reference number you are given when booking online, at the cruise line’s web site.

# 2 – Just prior to embarking on your cruise, during the check in process, you are required to supply payment information guaranteeing your responsibility for charges you incurr on board. Cash deposits are accepted, and then once on the ship, if you’re closing to reaching the amount of deposit you’d left you’ll be required to deposit more.

The most commonly used method of deposit used for on board spending is by use of a credit card (also the best). However, as Debit Card use is becoming more common, many people have turned to using these same debt cards to guarantee their on board charges. This is a mistake!

The method banks use for debt card transactions is different than that used for credit card transactions. A credit card can pre-authorized, but the monies are not charged against it until the final transactions are processed at the end of the cruise. When using a debit card however the pre-authorization is withdrawn from your account at the moment it is processed.

This makes that amount of funds from the debit card account at your bank unavailable to you for other use. When your final tab at the end of the cruise is calculated the amounts are corrected to reflect the actual charges. However, until those corrections (and credits if they are due) are calculated you could find that the withholding made leave your account short of being capable to cover charges you want to use the debt card for.

Use a credit card to secure your on board charges and you are safe.

# 3 – Choosing the location of your cabin on a ship can be a bit of a minefield. Ideally, you want to be sure that your cabin is not directly above or below any of the ships busy public rooms and areas. That can be accomplished relatively easily by examining a ship’s deck plan, and choosing a cabin with passenger decks above you, as well as below you.

Your not likely to enjoy a cabin that is directly above or below the ship’s main showroom, dance clubs/discos, or the ship’s galleys. The noise at odd times of day and night may be disturbing to you. Cabins directly below the pool/lido deck and buffet restaurants may also be less desirable to you, as crew will be moving furniture and setting up quite early in the morning, and you’ll be very likely to hear it.

# 4- Don’t assume the cruise line is solely responsible for your good time. The cruise lines do a wonderful job of supplying the environment, activities, and atmosphere for you to really enjoy your experience. But that is truly only 50% of the equation.

You are the final determining factor. You get to make the choices of how many, or how few of the activities and amenities available to you you’ll use to make certain you enjoy the experience. And, inevitably there are going to be a few small glitches along the route. How much you choose to allow them to impact your experience is, in many ways, up to you.

- A View From The Kuki Side of Cruising -

It’s likely that you’ve never tried on the underwear of a neighbor or friend (unless you’re a 12 or 13 year old girl). It’s also unlikely that you would think your friend’s favorite outfit would be perfect for you.

But, it’s surprising just how many people will choose to cruise on a cruise line, or particular ship, based soley on someone else’s choice of underwear or outfits. Well, not quite.

But many will book a cruise based almost entirely on that little amount of information.

The thing is, the most important decision you will make, which will have the ultimate affect on your enjoyment of your cruise vacation, is your choice of which ship to sail on. Just like underwear and outfits, you really want to find one that fits you, and your personality.

The cruise lines have done quite a stellar job during the last decade of identifying their ship’s personalities, and effectively making those personalities differentiate themselves from their fellow industry competitors.

Even ships within a cruise lines own fleet may be operationally very similar, yet, many of them do standout with their own personality idiosyncrasies; some of which you might love, and some less so.

If you’re investing your money and your time in your vacation, I think it’s of utmost importance to also invest in finding the cruise that is best equipped to supply you with the most satisfaction.

Admittedly there is plenty of misinformation out there that you have to sift through, and that is why I site like CruiseMates is invaluable.

The message boards, where people post up to date information about their recent cruises, and respond quickly to questions asked, are a great tool. And, if by chance misinformation is posted, other members of the community respond pretty quickly to point out inaccuracies.

Professional, trained travel agents, who are cruise specialists, are another excellent tool, who’s advice and services are available free of charge (in most cases).

Unlike many consumer products purchases, cruises are not something I believe is in your best interests to buy direct from the suppliers. The reason is simple; unlike travel agents, the cruise lines sales teams purpose is to sell you a cruise on their particular cruise line. They have no interest in finding one that fits you.  When you “step out of the dressing room”, whatever ship you are “wearing”, they are going to tell you it looks great.

Everyone has to find a cruise that meets the parameters of what comfortably fits in their budget. But, the cheapest isn’t always the best for you; nor necessarily is the most expensive.  Going to either extreme may leave you feeling like you are wearing your neighbor’s underwear… and stuff may pop out.

- A View From The Kuki Side of Cruising -