More first time cruise questions!! yaay!

So I finally decided on a cruise. I want to go to the Bahamas in November. I've been looking at some websites and found what I want but I wasn't sure where the best place to book is. We are doing a carnival cruise..so I was wondering should I book straight off the carnival website? Or if I find something somewhere else from an off site should I do that? Does it matter?

Also another question is travel insurance...i've been told half and half. I should get it and I that I don't really need it. I've never bought insurance on flights (i've flown over 50 times and never once had a problem) so I didn't know if it was a similar situation or if it was more important.

Also, about paying gratuities early..should I or shouldn't I?

Then scuba/snorkeling excursions. Do i book through the cruise line or search others and book through them?

If anyone has any tips or any websites to help me out..that would be fantastic!! Thanks for all the help.

I've been booking with a Carnival Personal Vacation planner lately. They had called me originally, and I liked chatting with him, so I keep his number and call him to book. (I think they call you the next day if they see you sign into the Carnival website.)

I didn't used to get insurance, but one of my daughters had medical problems last year, so now I get it. Sometimes from Carnival, sometimes from another company. You can google trip insurance, and have lots of options. Let's see if I get in trouble for this: I n s u r e m y t r i p dot c o m

I just let them put the standard gratuities on my sign and sail card, and use my credit card at the end. Paying in advance might be nice - it's whatever makes you comfortable.

I have always booked my own excursions. Go to the Ports of Call section on these boards, and read advice about the different ports. The better companies will rise to the top.

Have a great trip!

It used to be that if you booked directly through the cruise line you paid more. I think that has changed. Book whereever you feel the most comfortable.

Insurance is a gamble. You are betting you are going to need it (or like me buying it to insure karma prevents you from needing it). The insurance company is betting you won't need it so they make money. How much of a risk taker are you? It can cost tens of thousands of dollars to air lift somebody off a ship. Most major medical also doesn't cover you outside the US; read your own policy to be sure. Is there a likelihood something could happen to somebody at home that you would need to fly home? What about the possibility that you could get in a car accident on the way to the AP? If you had to cancel the cruise w/o a refund could you really walk away from all that money?

When to pay gratuities is up to you. It's a cash flow management issue.

Excursions are up to you. If you are an experienced traveler booking on your own is fine. Do your research. If you are a newbie to travel in general go with the cruise line's excursions the 1st time just to be safe.

Carnival does not allow TAs to discount, Hower, they can offer other incentives. On our recent carnival cruise, we got $75 OBC, a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries.

Most of your questions come down to personal comforts. If you choose a TA to book your cruise, make sure you choose one that has cruise line experience, not all do. They can answer most of your questions about excursions as well.

I book mine directly with the cruise line so that I can ask many questions and often get Extras thrown in just because.

As for insurance, I too never used to purchase it, but when it comes to cruising and you have paid for everything up front with a no refund policy if you cancel or get hurt before or during the cruise then to me it is well worth it. It is a gamble. You hope you wont have to call in the policy but it is nice to know you can. After watching my Aunt and Uncle cancel a 14 day cruise due to a death in the family and in which they had no insurance, I decided it was better for us.

Shore excursions are again a personal choice. If you have never cruised before then I think your better bet is to chose something from the cruise line as you have some safety nets there. If you book a private excursion and something happens you may get left behind when the ship pulls out. If you book private, make sure the tour operator has insurance etc.

Best of luck and have fun no matter what you chose to do

Booking through a TA can save you money and gain you some extras, as others have said.

ALWAYS purchase the travel insurance. Unfortunately, we've had to use ours a few times --

1. My husband developed a heat rash and had to see the doc and purchase a cream for his bald head! Cost us $80, but travel insurance reimbursed us.

2. Cruise line destroyed one piece of our luggage on the transfer to the airport. Travel insurance reimbursed us the cost of the luggage and my husband's suit.

3. A second cruise line destroyed our luggage (longer story; will spare details). Insurance covered the $400 loss.

4. We missed a port due to a schedule change. Travel insurance reimbursed us for the missed excursion that was pre-paid and non-refundable by the supplier.

ANYTHING can happen. Get the insurance just for peace of mind. :)

Carnival does not allow TAs to discount, Hower, they can offer other incentives. On our recent carnival cruise, we got $75 OBC, a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries.

TA's offer other incentives? Will the cruise price be the same as it is on their website? and how do I chose a TA to go through just goodle or find one in my area or how does that work? Thanks.

Lately I've found that the websites have the same deals as TA's. You may get some coupons or a small OB credit with a TA where you might now with the cruise line directly.

I never buy insurance. I don't think it's worth the cost, personally.

I also don't pay gratuities early because I believe in paying for the service I get. I wouldn't tip a waitress in a regular restaurant before we entered the building so why would I do it on a cruise ship? 9 times out of 10 they deserve the minimum if not more, but I want to ensure I get good service before I pay.

Obviously, insurers are in the business to make a profit, and not, primarily, to provide the service of reimbursing your unexpected costs, and hopefully you will never have to dent those profit margins - BUT you have to be able to bear the cost of a lost vacation, or of possible HUGE medical costs. One of my acquaintances had a respiratory arrest on board a cruise ship, the ship had to be diverted and he was evacuated off to a hospital and his wife and their companions had to fly back from the next port. He was extremely ill, and had intensive care and a prolonged stay in hospital in Florida, before being flown back to hospital in the UK. The potential cost of that is staggering, but it was covered by their travel insurance, so they could afford to fly their daughters out to see him in the USA. Thankfully he has made an excellent recovery, and the family do not have to worry about crippling bills.

So, do we make sure we have travel insurance? You bet we do!

Oh, and there are lots of threads on here about folks missing the ship, either at initial embarkation or at a port when late back from a private excursion (we've seen that!) and that incurs huge costs which could well be covered by insurance (at least the former situation) It's not always possible to fly to an embarkation port a day ahead, and the stress of possibly missing the ship can't be helped by the stress of possibly incurring major cost.