Planning A Cruise

By

MCW

My husband and I talked with the attorney who is handling our case regarding the money we lost on a cruise that we never went on. Our lawyer paid a visit to the travel agency and he found out that the woman who sold us the cruise is no longer working for them. Gee, I wonder why she was let go? He did some investigating and he found out that the travel agency is not at all affiliated with the government, so therefore they can be brought to trial. The travel agency breached the contract, they have all our money and we received nothing in return.

So again I stress that if you are ever planning a cruise have AAA set up the cruise and the airlines for you in your home area. So a word to the wise, don't get ripped off by these travel agencies on the internet. If you aren't an AAA member it is worth the money to join and pay the yearly dues.

By

jackie.mantel

The one and only (I'd love to go on more) cruise I've done is to the western Caribean on Royal Caribean Cruise lines. It was the most fun I've ever had! I would highly recommend it. We had no problems as far as booking the cruise. You couldn't imagine all the wonderful, fun stuff there is to do and if you just want to relax by the pool, you can just do that and not join in the other things. There are shows, (even an ice show) pool contests, dancing classes, rock climbing, inline skating, basketball/volleyball tournaments, a gym and more! We enjoyed the ship more than the ports we stopped at.

By

karenIM

Five years ago our grown children convinced us to go on a cruise. My husband is the thriftiest person I've ever known and he went "kicking and screaming". When we got off the ship after 7 days his first words to me were "Where do you want to go next year?" We've cruised each January or February, and I'm already working on the next one. There are a lot of bargains out there, you just have to do your homework. Try vacationstogo.com or cruise411.com. Another place I'd suggest would be cruisecritic.com message boards. There's a lot of information about the cruise lines, ships, ports. It'll take some time, but worth it. You could also visit the cruise lines websites. Even if you decide to hire a travel agent it's a good idea to get some background first. Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

By

lindal

I like Royal Carribean. Carnival is more of a party cruise and tends to be younger folks. And unless you want to be around mega-kids, don't do a Disney cruise. Lots of books, articles and websites abound.

By

louel53

Thousands of people are cruising every day. I wouldn't worry about pirates. There are many different types of cruises. For your first one, I suggest you go to a travel agent and see what is available. Years ago my husband and I went on a Caribbean cruise, and it was lovely. There is a lot of variety, different ports, different number of stops, amenities on the ship, and so on. Think about what you want. Do you like a lot of land excursions? Do you want to spend your time around the pool? Are you interested in shows and onboard entertainment? Dancing in the evening? Also, check out the archived advice on here. There is tons of it.

By

Laniegirl

MCW, that sounds like a nightmare! I would hesitate going on a cruise now anyway with the pirates out in full force!

By

DorothyNYC

If you are using an Agent, I would go somewhere reputable like AAA or BJs Travel. I would never just walk into an individual business. You can also shop around on the internet and book directly with the cruise line.

Book as far out as you can, prices go up when you get closer to the date, just like hotels and airlines. I would suggest a shorter cruise for your first one like 4-5 days. You may not like it and 7 days will be very long if you don't.

By

MCW

I'd like to save you a lot of grief, and I hope that you or anyone else NEVER has to go through want we've gone through. My husband and I lost $8,552 in 2009 all over a lie from a travel agent. My husband and I booked a South China Sea cruise with Princess Cruise Lines. We have already paid $150.00 to our family attorney and he drafted a letter to the travel agency who is in the state of Arizona. Since we reside in NY, our lawyer's hands were tied and he was unable to help us. He suggested that we hire a lawyer in AZ. We did just that and we paid a $2,000 retainer fee. Our total loss is now up to $10,702.00.

My husband repeatedly asked the travel agent if we needed visas. We already had our passports, so that wasn't the problem. She told us over the phone that she would contact Princess Cruise Lines. She called them and she got back to us in a few days. She reassured us that we did not need visas, since we were being sponsored by Princess Cruise Lines.

My husband and I drove to the Buffalo Airport and we soon discovered that we were in deep doo-doo. A United Airlines representative asked to see our visas. We repeated what the travel agent told us, that we were being sponsored on the ship. The airlines let us fly any way and we flew all the way to Shanghai, China in December 2009. We were treated like criminals since we didn't have the proper visas. Try to speak to someone in a foreign country, good luck! We were quickly ushered into an office and our passports were taken from us. There was a Chinese man who was supposed to pick us up and take us to the ship. This Chinese man said that he would call the ship. He used his cell phone, but we wouldn't know if he told us the truth or not since we don't know any Chinese. My husband asked him if he would call the ship for us so my husband could talk with them and straighten out this problem. The Chinese man refused our request. We were held until the ship left the port. And to add salt in our wounds we were forced out of China and had to pay for 2 plane tickets to Hong Kong. The plane to Hong Kong was held up until we could board. A female police officer held onto our passports until we set foot on the plane, then she gave them back to us. The one way trip to Hong Kong cost us $770.00.

We paid for travel insurance and that is also a lost cause. The travel insurance company lays the blame on the customer for not having the proper documents.
When we finally arrived home, we received a call from the travel agency. They told us that Princess Cruise Lines wanted to know where we were? DAH! My husband and I weren't going to spend any more money to try and pick up the ship at another port. If we couldn't board in Shanghai, we couldn't board the ship any where.

The travel agency refunded $300 on the transfers that we never used, since they never picked us up. This is a government travel agency so it's impossible to sue them. So now the AZ attorney is negotiating to work out a deal to compensate us for the monetary loss by giving us one or two cruises. They have our money and we never took the cruise.

A word to the wise, but who ever listens to us anyway. People will make up their own mind. I strongly advise you or anyone else to join AAA in your home state and have them take care of the cruise lines, airlines, etc.

Wait until you get on the ship before paying for any land excursions you would like to go on.

When planning to take a cruise, talk with a travel agent. Discuss things with him/her. If you're wanting to be on a cruise ship with people your own age, for instance. Some cruise lines or destinations are more popular amongst younger or older travelers. Also, different times of the year, produces families with young children traveling. I have a friend and her hubby that tend to take cruises when most children will still be in school.

By Terri from NV

I would love to take a cruise but don't have any idea how to get started. I need advice on how to find cheap cruises and what to expect when I get there.

I need some info on taking a cruise. The prices right now are as low as I have seen. My concerns are many.