Canadian Cruisers Do You Book On Ship?

[Rdytogonow]

Good Morning,

Have a question for fellow Canadians. Do you book your next cruise while on board? Or do you wait till you get home? I see the pro's and con's for both. Any thoughts and suggestions would be great!

[ecmcm]

When we booked a Next cruise on board it had to be in US dollars. So the next time we cruised B2B it was one week in US dollars and one week in Canadian dollars so I could really see the different prices. I found it was far better not to book a Next cruise on board so we always use Canadian dollars. This last cruise the prepaid gratuities were less in Canadian plus we bought onboard credit in US dollars at only 10% instead of the bank exchange rate. Far better to stay with Canadian dollars and not book on board IMHO.

[Ourusualbeach]

Good Morning,

Have a question for fellow Canadians. Do you book your next cruise while on board? Or do you wait till you get home? I see the pro's and con's for both. Any thoughts and suggestions would be great!

 

I have always booked on board in CDN$. Even when they had the NCC that you were supposed to fill out the form and drop off I always booked an appointment with the LA to ensure that it was processed in CDN$.

 

While the OBC is not as good as it was the reduced deposit is nice when you have a fair number of cruises booked in advance.

[Ourusualbeach]

When we booked a Next cruise on board it had to be in US dollars. So the next time we cruised B2B it was one week in US dollars and one week in Canadian dollars so I could really see the different prices. I found it was far better not to book a Next cruise on board so we always use Canadian dollars. This last cruise the prepaid gratuities were less in Canadian plus we bought onboard credit in US dollars at only 10% instead of the bank exchange rate. Far better to stay with Canadian dollars and not book on board IMHO.

 

If the cruise that you are on was booked in CDN$ then you can book a cruise on board in CDN$ and get the benefits that you described.

[DrewFoundLander]

We have always sailed on a booking that was done in Canadian dollars so booking on board in Canadian dollars was never an issue. With that said, DW and I often pre-plan our cruises as far in advance as the cruise calendar allows online which has most often been the lowest price/availability of course depending on time of year and itinerary you wish to travel.

 

Then each time, while onboard, we visit the next cruise folks and do a price review of our future bookings, if there is a better deal at that time we cancel the original booking made online and re-book at that time. This has saved us a pile of money which translates into more cruises:)

[ecmcm]

If the cruise that you are on was booked in CDN$ then you can book a cruise on board in CDN$ and get the benefits that you described.

 

Ah but not always, as usual it depends on who you talk to because we and family members have been told a number of times that Next cruises must be in US dollars when our cruises are booked in Canadian. But if cruisers are aware that both are possible that will make a difference to their choices.

[Ourusualbeach]

Ah but not always, as usual it depends on who you talk to because we and family members have been told a number of times that Next cruises must be in US dollars when our cruises are booked in Canadian. But if cruisers are aware that both are possible that will make a difference to their choices.

 

Once I have had an LA who did not know the policy. I asked them to check with Miami and later in the cruise I was able to book on board. It gets frustrating when the staff are not up to date on the policies. Especially ones that have been on place for a long time.

[willing292]

I don't book onboard, because I find the staff sometimes less than helpful. I've never found a better price onboard, and I always book in Canadian.

[Rdytogonow]

Thanks for your thoughts. I guess my best option is to look ahead of time and have a good idea of what I want and when. Then see what they say while on board. I did take advantage of the OBC 10% prepay ahead of time. That is a blessing!! I was starting to freak with the exchange rate the way it is for our repositioning cruise October 25.

[dirtgirl]

You can choose the currency of your Next Cruise - I always have!:cool:

 

And it has no bearing on what currency you are booked in on the cruise that you are purchasing the Next Cruise on.

[LemonNeko]

Does your existing TA get credit when you book Next Cruise?

[Clarea]

Does your existing TA get credit when you book Next Cruise?

Your choice. By default, they will assign the Next Cruise to the TA being used on the current cruise. However, you can request a different TA, or no TA at all.

[Blondynka]

We booked our next cruise on board of our last one, in Cdn dollars. However we ended up cancelling and booking a different one a few months later. The only reason for that is because we wanted a balcony guarantee on anthem and at the time it was too far back and they weren't available yet. That said, the original cruise we had booked was on oasis with a $300 obc... Never see that kind of deal when not on board! We had already been on oasis though ad really wanted to cruise anthem, so we had to let it go.

[Ourusualbeach]

We booked our next cruise on board of our last one, in Cdn dollars. However we ended up cancelling and booking a different one a few months later. The only reason for that is because we wanted a balcony guarantee on anthem and at the time it was too far back and they weren't available yet. That said, the original cruise we had booked was on oasis with a $300 obc... Never see that kind of deal when not on board! We had already been on oasis though ad really wanted to cruise anthem, so we had to let it go.

 

You don't have to cancel a next cruise booking. You can transfer it to a different ship and sail date. Sometimes they have allowed you to keep the OBC as long as you have only transferred once.