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DEBUNKING CRUISE MYTHS
de·bunk
de·bunked, de·bunk·ing,
de·bunks
"To expose or ridicule the
falseness, sham, or exaggerated claims of"
We debunk the 8 biggest mythsof the cruise selling process.How to save real money. by Raye & Marty Trencher Cruise Traveler Magazine 75-80% OFF is a great cruise deal BUNK You've seen the ads
online "save up to 75%", but, are they for real! Take a closer
look at what's on offer and you find the offers are not what you
are looking for. There is likely only one sailing at that price.
It's for the off-season or during hurricane season, for the
lowest priced inside cabin, next to the laundry or disco! And,
to further insult you, the savings tend to be on older cruise
ships. You will not find that kind of deal on say, the Oasis or
Allure of the Seas. Brochure Prices are for Real BUNK Ever buy a car at
the published "sticker price"? Not likely. Cruise lines have the
equivalent of that, they call it a "brochure price" – or a full
price rate with no discounts. As with window stickers at the
dealer's showroom, cruise brochure prices tend to be purposely
over-stated, so when the cruise line sets the sales price, the
savings look all that more attractive. Another good analogy:
Retailers always have holiday sales at 30-50% off to entice you
to buy. But did you know you could have got that same cardigan
sweater in late August or September for that sales price or even
better! Never pay the "sticker" price. Beware of so called
"sales" prices as well.
If you already booked your cruise and
the price for your specific category on your specific
sailing has gone down you could get the difference taken off
your unpaid balance or refunded to your credit card.
If the price drop is after you have
made final payment you may get that amount as an Shipboard
Credit.
If you have not booked your cruise, you
can take advantage of the lower price, simply by calling
your Travel Agent and pointing out the offer.
Travel Agents Name Their Own Price BUNK Cruise lines have business policies in effect that prohibit travel agents from discounting their fares and then creating their own rates. Almost all cruise lines set the price of the cruise – often daily - not your travel agent. So beware of those who say "that nobody can beat our price". Of course, every travel agent has access to the same rate for group or individual bookings. Some travel agents sweeten the deal with onboard spending credits, paid gratuities or a complementary bottle of wine. All of which is perfectly legal. You Have to Register To Get The Best Cruise Deals BUNK Savvy Cruise Travelers know not to "register" first to see all the cruise deals. The same fares are on most major cruise line and cruise agent sites who don't ask for an e-mail address. You're in for a lot of SPAM If you give-up your e-mail address to any site that insists on it before they show you a price. Shipboard Credit is not like FREE money BUNK Wrong. Shipboard credit is FREE Money. Savvy cruise travelers look for deals that offer free shipboard spending credit. Often the value of the credit is anywhere from $50 for a short cruise to over $1000 for a luxury 30 day cruise. Shipboard credits, where available from the cruise line, are house credits that are placed on your stateroom's account for you to use during your cruise vacation. You can use the credit towards merchandise, lounges and in some, but not all cases, for Spa Treatments or Shore Excursions. You're going to spend money on the ship anyway, so shipboard credit goes to reducing your cost for onboard purchases, you will pay for at the end of your cruise. FREE Category Upgrades Are always a Good Deal BUNK The ad says "up to a 4 category upgrade". Sound great. Wait. Read the fine print and you will find it only gets you to a select number of cabins, some of which are located where you don't want to be. Near the elevator, staircase, crew doors, laundry, above or below the disco, linen closets, etc. Most upgrades offered are from the same category to the same category on a higher deck or a different location on the same deck. Savvy cruise travelers look for upgrade offers from an inside cabin to an outside cabin, or a balcony cabin to a mini-suite cabin. If you are offered an upgrade after you have placed your deposit, be sure you approve of the cabin change. And if you don't like where they put you, ask to be put right back in the cabin you booked in the first place. Everyone Pays Cruise Booking Fees, Just Like the Airlines BUNK Savvy cruise travelers never pay an agency booking fee. That's the same rip-off car dealers do when they want to charge you an administrative paperwork fee. Why pay a $20-35 service fee. The travel agent is already getting a generous commission from the cruise line for taking care of you. Best Price Guarantees Get you the lowest Possible Price BUNK The true value of many so-called best price guarantees: worthless. Just take a moment and read the fine-print of many best price guarantees and you find you have to jump through so many hoops in order to qualify. So, whenever you see one of these, be sure to read all the details, qualifications and restrictions BEFORE you buy, as may find out too late that your claim does not meet the criteria to be honored. |
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