Booking a cruise can be a 'Minefield'
Part One - Main Cruise Criteria (Itinerary,Safety, and Logistics)
Hi from me - Travelgran
Today I am looking at what the major three areas that you need (definitely a need and not a want…) to do your homework on before you book that glossy advertised cruise that looks sooooo good!
When you first look at an advert for a cruise, it may be on a Facebook page that you follow, or you may be searching the internet and looking at different cruise companies, because your best friend who has done lots of cruising says its the best holiday option ever.
The street of Panama Hats - in Panama itself
MARKETING
All the ads have one thing in common and we need to have this first and uppermost in our minds as we take in those lovely visuals and which result in giving us great big ‘dopamine hits’.
I know that for many of you, a cruise is a considered holiday purchase, but even hardened travellers who have been travelling for many years are not immune to the wonderful marketing that happens in the cruise industry in order to get us to part with our money.
The reality is what we have going on in our minds is always the 100% hopes and dreams of what we would like and expect, but needless to say the actual offer and resulting experience can be somewhat different. This is because we are human we are all different and make different assumptions about what we read and see. So we cannot blame dodgy marketing for all our woes can we?
I am, according to my better half - a marketers dream for individuals who engage in impulse purchasing. Especially when it comes to small items and gadgetry!
For larger items, I do try to cover my bases, and have realistic expectations by toning down some of my internal expectations when I compare the price the companies are charging, and the cruise/destinations they are offering. That’s the basic stuff, but sometimes even the basic stuff gets overridden by the urge to keep on having and anticipating further pleasure dopamine hits once we have booked and are on the cruise itself. we have an ‘internal dialogue’ with ourselves saying how great this is going to be and emphasising all the experiences we will have which are accompanied by our own mental images with ourselves pictured in the settings of the lovely advert photos…
We need to start then with some of the very basic stuff I look at when considering what looks like a bargain, but I need to book quickly or it will sell out (or so the cruise companies and agents tell us and I am sorry to bring this part back down to reality and deflate the bubble a bit!)
Itinerary, Safety & Logistics
• Cruise itinerary: Look carefully at the ports of call, length of time in each, and whether they match your interests (e.g., cultural cities, nature excursions, or remote destinations like the Amazon or Patagonia).
Does the cruise offered definitely take you to the places you want to visit, for the length of time you want to visit, or have you been to some of the ports before? Does it offer good value for the number of ports visited compared with the actual cruise price? (Sometimes, if there are a lot of sea days and relatively few port stops this is cheaper for the cruise line to operate).
• Flights & transfers: Research the most efficient flight routes. For the USA, South America, and other longhaul destinations. You may have multiple connections—check if the cruise line offers inclusive “fly-cruise” packages or if booking flights independently is cheaper.
What are the flights with the packages? cruise lines usually block book flights at times that no one else wants, and can be indirect which means more travelling time and layover time in airports.
Maybe you are not a confident worldwide traveller and prefer to have everything in one package including the transfers and just don’t want the hassle that’s OK isn’t it? YES it is - but it is always wise to checkout the flight timings, layovers, and estimated time of flights on each leg. That way you will know exactly just how much time you will be travelling for both on the outward and inward bound journeys. You will also want to know about night flights and changeovers. Solo travellers have to be responsible for everything whilst travelling, and dragging your luggage to the loo with you can be pretty exhausting. (these are just the little things that we never seem to figure in!)
• Safety for solo travellers: Review port advisories, onboard safety protocols, and passenger demographics (some lines attract more solo travellers than others). Check if the cruise offers escorted shore excursions—these can feel safer and more relaxed than independent tours.
What are the cost of the ship’s excursions and do they offer value for money? If expensive can you book trips independently if you are confident to do so, or find a buddy to share costs with?
Safety - definitely a major consideration for a solo traveller and even more so if you are a mature female. Some ports I have no problem and feel perfectly safe wandering about on my own in the port and nearby town area. Others, I would not leave the ship unless I was on a ships excursion. Well maybe I might if I was with a group of say 2 or 3 other solo’s and we were exploring together. Even then, its worth checking out port advisories, and related petty crime rates.
Do not take your IPAD with you to take photos with. This is a definite no no, even if a Country is deemed safe. Petty criminals abound and IPADS can be snatched in a second by a proficient mini scooter rider or young individual who can run faster than you… If you have your phone that you take photos with - consider getting one of those Lanyards that go around your neck and attach to the phone through the bottom your phone case. Cheap solution, but could save you hundreds of pounds and loss of your precious information that is carried on the phone.
I didn’t want to finish this post on a negative note, so I am going to say that all the information I have given here is to give you power and options! Being informed, and being forewarned is the best scenario possible to ensure that you are getting the holiday that you want, and is the best possible specification for you.
If you have checked out the various points above against a cruise advert you have seen recently and knowing what you know and it comes out with positive vibes, then that’s great. Go ahead in confidence knowing that you have done your homework.
On the other hand, if after doing your homework and there are some compromises to be had in what you had originally thought and what is likely to happen, then maybe some more research into other areas will finally provide insight into whether you book or not. If not, you will always know that you have saved yourself from making a costly mistake.
In Part Two of this blog I will be looking at add on packages like drink and wi fi and excursion contributions as well as prepaying gratuities. So look out for that one shortly.
In the meantime, in friendship and fun to all my female solo and not solo travelling friends and family, enjoy, and keep on travelling!
