Carribbean Cruise Negotiations

December 3, 2009 1:42 PM

I am planning a Caribbean cruise for my wife and myself. I am using a Cruise Travel Company with a good reputation. This agency has quoted me prices for several cruises. Besides attempting to negotiate better pricing and a room upgrade, are there any other amenities I am overlooking that would further enhance this cruise? Any suggestions for this negotiation would be appreciated. Thanks in advance...
posted by Mckoan1 to Travel & Transportation (9 answers total)

Often you can get some kind of shipboard account credit. (Generally it will be easier to get a $250 credit than $250 off the price.)
posted by Perplexity at 1:51 PM on December 3, 2009

You might be able to negotiate for a better price or complimentary excursions, onboard credit, onboard services, maybe a comp to one of the upgraded dining experiences... But in practice, you will probably not get any of these.
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 1:51 PM on December 3, 2009

For what it's worth, I think my wife and I got at least a $500 shipboard credit on a 9 day cruise, and we blew through that in two or three days. :) It's definitely valuable though!
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 1:52 PM on December 3, 2009

To build upon the onboard credit -- If you are able to negotiate some sort of onboard credit, it might be nice to present it to your wife as a spa-credit. Typically they don't earmark onboard credit for anything, they just put it on the account and you use it for whatever you want. But suggesting it be used for the spa/massage might be a nice gift to your wife, if she is into that sort of thing.

(My wife loves to start the cruise off with a pedicure!)
posted by tommccabe at 2:30 PM on December 3, 2009

Think about doing some research on DIY excursions. The cruise-sponsored excursions are incredibly expensive. My wife and I did a kayak/snorkel afternoon while staying on-island. The tour guide told us, after the cruisers left, that the tour company got $100 per cruiser for the tour we went on for $65 each. The taxi from town cost us a total of $10. Cruisers paid $15 each for their bus. The cruise company adds additional charges on top of that. $100 in savings/port adds up to a cabin upgrade fairly quickly (which can in turn be offset by shipboard credits...).
posted by the christopher hundreds at 2:33 PM on December 3, 2009

Another vote for shipboard credit. If it comes down to it, you might even ask about buying shipboard credit at a reduced rate. Even if you've budgeted for it ahead of time, nothing signals the end of vacation more than, "Oh shit. Now I have to pay for all this." I've found that I greatly prefer to go in with a positive balance, whittle away at that all cruise long, and sign for a minimal amount at the end. Even if I go over budget at that point, the psychological damage for, say, $150 more than I prepaid, is much less than shelling out a whole $600-800.

Also, if you're shipping out from someplace other than your home city, you might consider asking for a night in a hotel before the cruise. A good night's sleep before a cruise can buy you a few extra hours enjoying the stuff outside your stateroom. Some hotels have cruise packages where, if you stay the night before, they'll give you free parking and a shuttle to the port. This could save you if you were driving.
posted by The Potate at 4:03 PM on December 3, 2009

I agree with the Potate...we always stay in Miami the day before and the day after a cruise. On the last day of a cruise they want you off the ship as early as possible, and spending a leisurely Sunday to re-acclimatize beats dragging luggage off the the airport and waiting around for your flight all day.
I think all the lines offer pre/post packages in the port cities, and they can be a good deal.
Seconding on the DIY excursions.
posted by antiquated at 4:14 PM on December 3, 2009

Cruise Critic is a forum my mother (egads) belongs to. I would poke around there, especially in the Deal section and the search section, to see what they have to say about this; you might even want to register and pose the question to them directly. They're really, really experts at this.
posted by librarylis at 10:22 PM on December 3, 2009

FWIW we had a balcony on our cruise and it was soooo nice at night while out to sea. Sitting out there in semi-total darkness ( in private) watching the stars was amazing! Even eating room ordered meals can be special eating outside. Some may say you don't spend very much time in your room, but the time you do spend at night can be a little extra special watching the stars and water alone. ;-)
posted by Taurid at 11:37 PM on December 3, 2009