Help with New England cruise
July 29, 2010 7:37 PM   Subscribe

New England/Canada cruise. October. Never been on a cruise before. Help, please.

This October is our 25th wedding anniversary. mrs_davis has always wanted to go on a cruise, and I have never been much interested.

However, I just discovered that there are a lot of cruises that follow the New England coastline up into Canada, and that sounds like it would be nice. We've been looking at a lot of different cruise lines and itineraries and are now just confused.

Here are some things we need help with:

Airfare: Book your own or go with the cruise line? Is there any advantage either way other than cost?

Direction: Some cruises double in price depending on whether they are going north or south on the same route. Why? Any advantage to either?

Booking: Now, or later?

Trip insurance: A good idea, or rip-off?

Also, we would appreciate any tips on booking ourselves vs. a travel agent, as well as using the cruise lines' websites vs. discounters.

In addition, October in the Atlantic. Bad idea?

Thanks.
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Would you be going out of Boston or New York, crash? I haven't been myself, but Mrs. Commish went on a cruise out of New York years ago, although that was to the south. Everyone that I know of that has gone northward raves about the Maine coastline, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. I think October would be fine, myself. You're not going for the swimming or the beaches, and the storms are done by then.
posted by yhbc at 8:17 PM on July 29, 2010


Response by poster: Preferably Boston, as the air fare is cheaper and I'm familiar with Logan.
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 8:31 PM on July 29, 2010


Best answer: Airfare: Most of the time they get better deals on air, but you can certainly book your own. I would at least shop a bit. I think if they book your airfare and your flight is late, they are responsible for getting you on the ship. If you book it yourself, you’re on your own. I personally like to arrive the day before. You can get on earlier and you won't be so tired from travelling.

Booking: Most lines if you book now and you find a cheaper rate later, they will give you onboard credit for the difference. I like a travel agent because they will keep an eye out for price drops and it’s someone local you can call if you have problems. It doesn’t cost any more to use an agent. I’ve known my travel agent for years. If I had to just pick one out of the yellow pages, I might just book through the cruise line. I have friends that book through the cruise line and it’s about the same.

Insurance: I never get the insurance but my parents do. I guess it’s a decision you have to make on your own. If you think you might get sick or called into work, it might be worth it.

Check out the cruisecritic.com boards. Those people know everything about this stuff.
posted by iscavenger at 8:49 PM on July 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Ditto iscavenger on airfare and booking. I'll also throw in a rec for Cruise Compete. You select the cruise you're interested in, and a bunch of different online agents will submit quotes, usually including varyious perks ranging from a free bottle of wine to onboard credits to travel insurance.

You can also book yourself through the website, and then transfer the booking to an agent. In my experience, they're still happy to give you whatever swag.
posted by ferociouskitty at 5:00 AM on July 30, 2010


Maine is beautiful in October - there is still some nice foliage earlier in the month, and the days tend to be sunny and comfortable. While it's technically hurricane season, the water is generally too cold for them to have as much punch as further south. Portland and Bar Harbor are both nice stops, with the opportunity to take buses to Freeport or Kennebunk from Portland for a day.
posted by Sukey Says at 9:52 AM on July 30, 2010


Best answer: I always look at (but have never used) Vacationstogo.com.

You have to register but the deals seem pretty amazing.

The thing about October cruises for New England is it's foliage time and I don't think as many bargains are to be had (except maybe on Carnival and more than one person I know prefer not to use Carnival because of a "Nascar crowd"). I could be wrong but I didnt seem to see discounts as deep as I normally see.

There is a super NYC to NYC on the Norwegian Dawn for 7 days for about 500 bucks. Nice stops, Oct 3, Ocean view, list 1500.

The only other thing is check if it is a theme cruise. Two cruises I just looked at were. One was big band (older people) and one was Nickeldeon channel (young people).
posted by beccaj at 5:17 PM on July 30, 2010


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