Cruising: For the First time or the 100th time what you should do first!

Carnival Sensation in Nassau

Did you know that Cruise Vacations have some of  the highest Satisfaction rateings out of all vacations taken?  They are so satisfying, a vast majority of first time cruisers become repeat cruisers! The cruise industry is big with over 73 million Americans that have taken a cruise. A "2011 Cruise Market Profile Study,"  found that a significant majority of consumers – 94 percent - rate cruising as a "extremely satisfying," making a cruise vacation a satisfaction leader among vacation choices.

That is great but how does one go about finding a cruise, finding the right cruise line, and everything else about cruising?

Tip#1 Figure out where you want to go and how long you want to cruise. There are cruises all over the world to exotic and not so exotic ports. If your a first time cruiser and if you are unsure if you will like cruising, think about doing a shorter cruise. Many cruise lines offer 3 or 4 night/day cruises, that are great introductory cruises. They can also be easier on the pocketbook, which leads to tip #2.

Tip #2 Set your budget. If you are like me, your not made of money and have to save for some time to go on any vacation. The budget has to be realistic though. Cruises can have wide range in price depending on the cruise line, number of people, number of days/ nights, and time of year. The old saying of you get what you pay for is extremely true when it comes to cruising.

I can help you with a cruise!

Tip#3 "Hire" a Travel Agent. Now when I say hire a travel agent, it doesn't mean you go and pay a travel agent to work for you. Most Agents don't require a fee to work for you and as a travel agent we are working for you not the cruise line! The cruise lines pays Travel Agents in commission. Now not all Travel Agents are created equal. Make sure you "hire" a travel agent that specializes in cruises and make sure they specialize in more than one cruise line. I specialize in Disney, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Carnival presently but have access to many many more to give my clients the most options when it comes to helping them find the right cruise. Grab a brochures from that agent on the cruise lines.  A good travel agent will be there for you to help you find the right stateroom, time of year to cruise, and right cruise line for you. They will also be there to be your advocate so you don't have to sit on hold for hours making reservations and will be there to help you with pre-cruise documents, travel, and answer your questions about cruising. A good Travel agent will not nickel and dime you to pad their commission either! So go ahead interview an agent before you hire them!

Disney Cruise Lines loyalty club and its free!

So you are a return cruiser, why should you hire a travel agent? There are many reasons to do so! Some have already been stated, but just remember if you book on your own, you are on your own. That means you may get some help from the cruise lines, if you spend hours on the phone. You may have or may not have gotten a great deal. Dealing with customer services reps, understanding cruise documents, and understanding ship and cruising polices can be time consuming; having an agent takes that burden off you. As I stated before a good travel agent will not charge you extra than what you can book on your own, so why not have someone that will be in your corner to help you out and take the stress off you?

Tip #4 Stay away from Discount Cruise Sites.  The price may be attractive, but the stateroom and customer service more than likely will suck, plus there will probably be hidden fees that will come back to bite you. Many times those discounted rates  that are luring you in have many restrictions that you more than likely will not qualify for or they are last minute deals where a cruise line is trying to get the boat up in capacity to make the cruise profitable for them. There are even some travel agents that use these sites on there own personal websites as a way to not do any work but reap commissions. Stay away from these agents as well.

Tip #5 Get a Passport/make sure your Passport has not expired. Yes getting a passport is an additional cost, but lets face it, you never know when it will come in handy. On some cruises, if you start your cruise in the United States and end your Cruise in the United States, you technically don't need a passport.(This could change at anytime) That is great but things can happen. If you get off  the boat in port and miss your boat, yes it does happen, you are in for lengthy ordeal in that foreign country. If you get sick or injured while in foreign port, it does happen, again your in for a lengthy ordeal.

Tip #6 Use your Travel Agent. That right use your travel agent. Have them book your cruise. Ask them questions. Listen to their advice. Use them to find out what you need to do before you arrive to the cruise terminal. Talk to them about Shore Excursions and the Ports you are visiting. They should be there to help you every step of the way!

Be sure to share this with anyone that might be looking into a cruise! Matt's Firehouse Family Vacations is here to help you with all your cruising questions. You can find me on the web at www.firehousefamilyvacations.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/firehousefamilyvacations