What's the best way to book a cruise?

[editor@cruisecritic]

Tell us: When you book a cruise, how do you pay? See our poll and please feel free to comment below! Thanks.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

[bazzaw]

Tell us: When you book a cruise, how do you pay? See our poll and please feel free to comment below! Thanks.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

 

I usually pay by bank transfer direct to the bank account of whoever -- otherwise there is a 1.5% surcharge for using credit cards.

 

Barry

[rkmw]

when we cruise princess we use our Future Cruise Credit for our deposit and pay the balance with our gold credit card so we can get free travellers insurance....there's one aussie online TA that doesnt charge any fees to use our CC but if we have to pay the surcharge we will as its cheaper than ordinary travellers insurance

[Sandielle]

We direct debit. :)

[Pobman]

SUrely all depends on the particular cruise and who has the best offers at the time... same with everything else in life.

 

I booked my P&O through the UK as it was the cheapest at the time, using a UK agent as they were cheaper than P&O direct... the Celebrity one I booked direct with Celebrity Australia, they had a special offer on and while agents would match the offer nobody would do better (including UK and USA agents) .. so it was just easier to book direct that time.

[fayfam]

We direct debit. :)

 

We also bank transfer/direct deposit to avoid extra fees.

 

Kerry :)

[johndon]

We have used a Canadian TA and booked our next cruise through a local Australian because the deal was better on this occasion.

We pay by credit card with the added on 3 1/2% but travel insurance is provided by AMEX which works out cheaper than buying travel insurance separately.

 

John

[Sutho]

I always book a cruise directly with the company and pay with credit card. The award points and complimentary insurance are too great to let go. I will not touch travel agents for any cruise booking as I have never met one who really knows anything about ships and cruising. Travel agents are good for flights and land tours but never any good knowing about cruises.

[Aus Traveller]

We used to pay the deposit using our Platinum Visa card to get the 'free' insurance, even though it cost us 1.5%, but we would pay the balance by direct payment into their bank account. Now we take our an annual travel insurance policy because the 'free' one doesn't cover a few things we need and still pay by direct deposit.

 

We often book through a TA because we can get extra OBC or a better price than direct with the cruise company. We don't expect to get any information from them that we don't have already. If we want to know anything more we will ask on this forum. :)

[thied]

Bpay

[editor@cruisecritic]

Thanks for this -- and sorry to others if I was misleading re how you pay. We're mostly wondering if people do/can book online in Australia -- from what I can tell, there aren't as many cruise lines or agents in Oz who allow you to book from their website (you usually have to call).

 

Carolyn

SUrely all depends on the particular cruise and who has the best offers at the time... same with everything else in life.

 

I booked my P&O through the UK as it was the cheapest at the time, using a UK agent as they were cheaper than P&O direct... the Celebrity one I booked direct with Celebrity Australia, they had a special offer on and while agents would match the offer nobody would do better (including UK and USA agents) .. so it was just easier to book direct that time.

[Cruisegroover]

I shop around but the past 3 cruises I've been I've booked direct with the cruise line as nobody could beat their price at the time. I prefer to talk direct to the cruise line as well but if someone offered a bigger discount I'd book with them.

[lizzy77]

We use our Platnium card to use the free travel insurance. The cost is still cheaper than buying travel insurance.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

I have made bookings using online Aussie TA's and get confirmation with an email BUT this has only on a couple of short aussie cruises. I book my longer cruises, as well as my short ones now, with my US TA whom I ring and chat to about options and prices, quite a bit of haggling goes on and we agree on a price. I use my US FCC letters and get OBC from Princess and the TA. I am happy. I do shop around as I have two very well known US TA's that I can do business with, with Princess's blessing. I use my CC as my TA doesn't charge for the use of it. Plus I get free travel insurance by using my Platinum card.

[MMDown Under]

I book on line with US Agency with credit card, no charge for use, and no conversion fees.

[megsie]

Use an Aussie online for short bargain basement cruises but book with cruise ship company online for longer cruises. We do this because we prefer to choose our stateroom on the longer cruises. Recently had to cancel NZ cruise and had no hassles getting full refund through cruise ship company (more than 150 days notice) without having to use insurance.

[Topaz_M]

I check out the cruise line price, online TA prices, o/seas online TA prices and then contact my QLD travel agent. She always gives me the best price without me even having to say what I already found :D

 

Then I pay with direct deposit to avoid any fees.

[Kinkacruiser]

Final payments via bank transfer, deposits credit card.

I wish there was a Bpay option:rolleyes:

[rkmw]

Final payments via bank transfer, deposits credit card.

I wish there was a Bpay option:rolleyes:

 

Anna there is an OZ online TA that does do Bpay....have you asked your TA can they do the same

 

bob

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I check out the cruise line price, online TA prices, o/seas online TA prices and then contact my QLD travel agent. She always gives me the best price without me even having to say what I already found :DThen I pay with direct deposit to avoid any fees.

 

Thats exactly what we do.

We check out all the prices on line , and from the Company , and when we have found a cruise , and a price we like , we go with all that info to our local TA, who has always matched , and in some cases bettered what we have found.

You have to take each cruise as a seperate identity and to rubbish TA's out of hand is very foolish as they some times have wholesale deals that never get advertised....

We once saw a cruise advertised by a TA, and phoned the cruise line to book , only to be quoted the full fare by them , and then told in no uncertain terms that if we wanted that price we had to book with that agent.

 

There again though , the very best deals we have obtained have been advertised quite extensively in the Sunday Papers travel section,....

and they were not rushed.

Guess everyone wants to cruise at the same time, and so the pressure goes on and prices do not fall for popular times.:D

 

 

By the way ...just looking at all the payment options above...

Doesn't anyone use a cheque account anymore these days?

 

 

[Sandielle]

By the way ...just looking at all the payment options above...

Doesn't anyone use a cheque account anymore these days?

[/size]

 

I do, occasionally, when there is no credit card facility. :rolleyes::)

[cjm66]

I do, occasionally, when there is no credit card facility. :rolleyes::)

 

I intended to - had time to do it differently - but the customer service operator when I enquired had to put me on hold while she verified that this would be possible.

 

Colleen

[The Fox]

Tell us: When you book a cruise, how do you pay? See our poll and please feel free to comment below! Thanks.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

 

We usually find the best price for what we want....In most cases its an Australian online TA but on other occassions its direct to the cruise line and we pay with bank transfer .I notice one cruise line has set up a system which allows you to pay into an account ....kind of like a laybuy scheme ...great if you need the time to pay off your cruise.

[Pobman]

We usually find the best price for what we want....In most cases its an Australian online TA but on other occassions its direct to the cruise line and we pay with bank transfer .I notice one cruise line has set up a system which allows you to pay into an account ....kind of like a laybuy scheme ...great if you need the time to pay off your cruise.

 

Better to keep the money in a high interest account until you need to pay for it... not going to make much, but a $10K cruise in a high interest account for a year will pay for a few drinks.

 

They certainly dont get the money from me until they really must have it!

[editor@cruisecritic]

Thanks for the great feedback!

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic