Cruise Value Watch: Disney Cruise Line

by Chris Owen on

We’re looking all over the place for the best cruise values; sailings that normally sell for more at a lower price. Disney Cruise Line has a whole lot to celebrate with the launch of new Disney Dream this week. That ship is selling fast as many guests book to get a look at the latest, greatest ship from Disney in over a decade. Let’s not forget Disney’s other ships though in this latest cruise value watch.

Kids sail free
Disney Cruise Line has a deal for families on Alaska sailings: Kids sail Free. US and Canadian residents can take advantage of special savings on the Disney Wonder sailing now from the West coast.

Here’s the deal: Book a Veranda or Oceanview stateroom and kids ages 17 and under, traveling with 2 full-fare Guests in the same stateroom, sail free on select 7-night Alaskan cruises departing between May 3 to June 7, 2011. Ask for booking code KFO.

Great Rates on European Cruise
Again, a family-oriented deal where a family of four can sail for as little as $875 per person on he August 27, 2011 7-night sailing of the Disney Magic

Here’s the deal: This special rate is valid for categories 10C and 11A on the August 27, 2011 7-Night Mediterranean cruise sailing. The total voyage fare is $3500. Please note the number of staterooms allocated for this offer is limited. Rates are in U.S. dollars. Gratuities, government taxes and fees are not included. Other restrictions may apply.

Disney also offers special values for Florida Residents and US Military members too. Check with your travel expert, call Disney Cruise Line at 800-951-3532 or look to AOLTravel for your best cruise pricing options.

Cruise lines wage boycott on Belize

by Chris Owen on

The cruise port of Belize, known for some of the best scuba diving, an eclectic array of foods and wine, snorkeling or just knowing you have seen the Western hemisphere’s longest barrier reef, is in trouble. Not because of environmental issues, severe tropical weather or other problems common to Caribbean ports of call. Belize is suffering from a lack of cruise passengers, a wound-like boycott some say is self-inflicted.

Recently, some major cruise lines have canceled calls to Belize because of a dispute with tender operators over price. It seems Belize tender operators, the people that run the little boats back and forth between the big cruise ships that are too large to dock shore-side, want more than the cruise lines are willing to pay.

“According to reports, the parties are working toward a resolution” said cruise expert Stewart Chiron CEO of CruiseGuy.com adding “but Belize was changed for two Carnival ships last week which were rerouted to Grand Cayman and Costa Maya and three ships will be diverted this week.”

Tender operators want between $6.54 and $8.54 per passenger to take them from the cruise ships to shore and back. Cruise lines, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, want to pay about $5.00 per passenger. But the dispute is not only about price.

“Carnival wants larger capacity tender boats, 150 passenger minimum, to accommodate their larger ships. Smaller tender boats are creating large back logs and delays getting passengers to/ from the ships” added Chiron, noting “Belize has many beautiful coral reefs that are being protected and require cruise ships to anchor farther out.”

Eventually, the Belize government may have to choose between making it possible for cruise ships to dock shoreside or lose them altogether.

Flickr photo by anoldent

Cheap Cruises: Best discounts

by Chris Owen on

Special offers, promotions and sales can sometimes be great cruise values. They happen at different times of the year, usually to promote some special event like the launch of a new ship, new itineraries or opening sailings in the future for booking. Another way to save on cruise vacations is with discounts that are readily available most of the time. Let’s take a look at some common ones that are normally available year-round.

Past-Guest Discounts are available after one sailing on a number of lines. Carnival Cruise Lines often offers past guests special pricing and a complementary in-category upgrade. This discount is commonly offered far in advance to encourage guests to sail again and again on the same line.

Senior Discounts are available on some lines for guests 55 or older. To qualify, at least one guest in the cabin must be 55 or older, not all. A common trick to make that work for grandma, grandpa and the kids/grand kids is to split up the seniors for booking purposes. They don’t do bed checks on the ships so switching back once on board is usually easy to do.

Military Discounts are available on many sailings. Spearheaded by Carnival Cruise Lines, other lines offer them as well. Like a Senior discount, one guest in the cabin that is active or retired military is all that is needed to get the discounted fare. The cruise line will require proof in the form of a military ID provided within a couple days of booking.

Resident Discounts are sometimes offered for certain states but not others. Florida resident discounts are common on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, not so much on other lines although Princess has regional rates you may qualify for. This is why your travel expert wants to know what airport you might be flying out of.

Interline rates are also available sometimes from cruise lines for employees of other carriers like airlines and can often be applied to more than one cabin. The cruise line will require proof of employment to get the rates which are usually some of the lowest.

Many of the best discounts that lead to cheap cruises come closer to sailing too. It is not uncommon for Royal Caribbean or Celebrity to offer no discounts at all far from sailing, adding them on closer to sailing to help fill up the ship. Check with your personal travel expert for all the latest information as it may apply to you.

Cruise Travel Insurance: Behind the Scams

by Chris Owen on

The cruise lines lead us to believe that if we buy travel insurance from them that we are covered in case we need to cancel our vacation. We believe we will get our money back. The message is clear: Buying travel insurance is a good idea and we can easily add that on to our booking. We hear that and think “I’ll play it safe and get the insurance in case something comes up and I can’t go.” But there is a lot more to travel insurance than we might realize at first glance and having it does not always mean we get our money back.

Reality check

First of all, the cruise lines are in the cruise business, not the insurance business. There are no self-insured cruise lines that we could find. It does not take much clicking around on a cruise line website to get you headed on over to BerkleyCare, the company that handles insurance for many cruise lines.

Next. make no mistake about it: Travel insurance is a big money-maker for cruise lines. It’s also a big money-maker for travel agents who commonly get a higher percentage commission from some travel insurance options they might sell than they get on the cruise.

Where you buy it matters

Actually, your first stop on travel insurance should be your personal insurance agent, the guy who handles your auto, home, health or life insurance. That trusted source might also sell travel insurance or have a trustworthy recommendation for you. The insurance game is real snake pit: There are “agents” out there to get you.

Many cruise passengers choose to buy travel insurance separately from their cruise fare, from a third-party source. The idea here is that if the cruise line goes out of business, I have coverage from a different source. Travelguard is a big player in that game. Insuremytrip is another that compares several insurance companies and can be cost effective. Annual travel insurance, covering whatever you might choose to do, in addition to cruise vacations, is also an option.

Be careful with third-party plans though. This is a place where shady travel insurance sales people hide in wait. Nothing against your travel agent but they too might not be the best source of third-party insurance either. In most states people who sell insurance are required to be licensed to sell it so ask to see that license if considering a buy at the travel agency.Price, not so much coverage, is the most likely scam

For basic cancellation and medical insurance, prices among cruise lines vary a lot. Carnival’s Vacation Protection Plan, for example, costs $109 for a guest spending $1000 on their cruise.

Royal Caribbean’s CruiseCare insurance costs $59 for almost the same $1000 coverage. Cancel for a covered reason and Royal Caribbean will waive the non-refundable cancellation provision of your cruise ticket contract and pay you in cash the value of the unused portion of your prepaid cruise vacation. Cancel for “any other reason” and they don’t give you cash back but you may be eligible for a future cruise credit of up to 75% of the non-refundable, prepaid cruise vacation cost.

Princess Cruises has similar coverage with the price of insurance based on a percentage of what you paid for the cruise. They also bump up the future cruise credit option when canceling for any reason to 100% of the otherwise non-refundable prepaid vacation cost with their Platinum plan.

But coverage is important too

We most frequently think of travel insurance as something to help if we have to cancel our vacation. But cancellation is just half the story.

Medical benefits while on your vacation are included too and also vary. Developing a serious illness while on vacation can often be avoided by taking some precautions before leaving. But accidents do happen and medical coverage can be important to have. Also, covering pre-existing medical conditions is a factor to consider if a member of your immediate family, like an aging parent, has them. You may be in perfect health but if the illness of a close relative could cause you to cancel your cruise, you need coverage for that. If dad heading to the great beyond would not alter your plans, forget I said that.

While cruise lines base the price of insurance on only the cost of your cruise, third-party sources commonly base the price on the cost of your cruise and your age. Younger people get off easy, older people pay through the nose. Seniors are often better off price-wise with the cruise line plans but third-party sources often offer more plans and options than the one-size-fits-all cruise line plans have.

So what to do?

The best bet is to get with a licensed professional insurance agent to make the right choice on travel insurance. But hardly anyone does that. You probably won’t either. So here’s a list of questions to ask different sources then compare answers:

  1. How much is the basic coverage? (basic cancelation and medical coverage)
  2. How much medical and medical evacuation coverage is included? (Like what is the limit)
  3. Does it have “cancel for any reason” coverage? Do I get cash back or future cruise credit if I cancel for any reason?
  4. How do I file a claim?
  5. What documentation will be required if I need to file a claim?
  6. What is the normal processing time for a claim?

Passengers are clearly in the drivers seat as to which travel insurance to buy. Like other cruise line claims and programs that some call scams, this might not be one at all if you take the time to explore available options.

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Flickr photo by TheTruthAbout

Cruise lines focus on fitness and health

by Chris Owen on

Driving a stake in the heart of a “College Frat party-like” reputation that has dogged them for years, new Carnival Magic may finally turn the tide for Carnival Cruise Lines. The line is adding unique fitness choices and continues some healthy lifestyle options infused with their Spa Carnival program. Joining other lines with a similar focus, new Carnival Magic promises to continue a trend of adding more active options for cruise passengers

When new Carnival Magic sets sail May 1st, outdoor fun and fitness will be promoted as never before. Several new features will take the spotlight. Combined with the line’s ongoing Spa Carnival program, this new ship may very well set the bar for at-sea fitness options.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of guests who want to start or continue a fitness regimen or enjoy some personal pampering while at sea” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO.

Called “SportSquare” the new area on 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic will feature SkyCourse, the first ropes course at sea and the first ever outdoor fitness are seen in the cruise industry.

On SkyCourse around 20 guests at a time can strap into a safety harness and choose from beginner or intermediate courses, traversing across rope bridges, swinging steps and beams suspended above the top deck, called the Spa and Sports deck. 20 different elements on the ropes course are each named after a notable bridge in the U.S.Sky Fitness features stationary bicycles, elliptical and rowing machines, punching bags and Sports Track offers an 800-foot-long jogging path that surrounds the entire area. A multi-purpose space for basketball, volleyball and soccer, along with a six-station Vita exercise course plus ping pong and foosball tables are there too.

“We’re literally taking fun and fitness to a new level with SportSquare. Whether you’re climbing our amazing new ropes course at sea, doing some fresh-air cardio or just taking it all in, there’s something fun for everyone to enjoy, day or night,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s president and CEO.

Combined with the line’s ongoing Spa Carnival program that up to 50% of their guests take advantage of, SportSquare continues a focus on fitness . The ongoing effort weaves a focus on fitness and nutrition into everything from youth programs to dining options.

The 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic, sister ship to Carnival Dream, will debut in Europe with a series of seven- to 12-day Mediterranean cruises in May. Following a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing, Carnival Magic will sail seven-day Caribbean service from Galveston, Texas.

AOLTravel’s Fran Golden reports “Carnival Cruise Lines is sweetening the pot on Europe cruises this summer with free upgrades and onboard credits of up to $300 per cabin, for reservations made by Jan. 30.”