Too Many Cruisers Are Making These 4 Costly Mistakes Right Now

I am frequently contacted by stressed cruise passengers at the end of their tether, seeking my help on how to get out of a costly blunder they've made. In recent weeks, several cruisers have been in touch about the same four issues that seem to keep catching people out these days. I thought I needed to warn cruisers about them. As well as telling you about them, I will suggest how to solve them if you have, or do, find yourself caught up by one.

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ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 114 cruises I have done to date.

#cruisetips #CruisingTips #cruisetipsandtricks

00:00 Start
00:31 Bidding Mistakes
04:12 Fare Mistakes
06:32 Change of Plan Mistakes
10:50 Unexpected Cost Mistakes

[davidsteensma]

It's kind of you to help out all these individual travelers in distress!

[cadicorniche]

I worked for a major cruise line for over 30 years - and EVERYTHING Gary says is true! So many travelers neglect to read the Terms and Conditions when they book a cruise (either directly with the cruise line or when dealing with a travel agent). TAKE THE TIME TO READ THOSE T&Cs, CAREFULLY! They are there for a reason. #1) for the protection of the cruise line and, #2) so that you, the traveler is aware of what you are, and are not, entitled to. TRUST GARY WHEN HE SPEAKS.

[fruitshuit]

As someone who cruises solo in inside cabins, I'm routinely flabbergasted by the starting price for bidding up on lower grade rooms. Once recent cruise I was on with norwegian, when the bidding opened the minimum bid to upgrade to a basic balcony cabin was £1800, but norwegian were still selling bookings for balcony cabins on their main website for this cruise for £1600! An absolute con to charge guests who've already booked more--don't fall for the trap, and book the cabin grade you actually want.

[donnarn]

I slipped on the wet stairs on a cruise, so I went to medical to get checked out even though I was not badly injured. My ankle was sore, but I was thinking about what if it got worse while I was on land. I had documentation just in case that injury became a costly pain. I did not receive a bill, and fortunately I felt fine. I recommend to anyone who has an accident on the ship, fill out an accident report even if you feel okay. Some injuries can get aggravated by activity. I have had work related injuries that became worse later.

[Curmudgeoned]

Regarding an incident or accident on board, if medical intervention is not required or considered necessary immediately (and you wish to avoid ship medical charges) then report the incident in writing to the Medical Centres and state that you not seeking medical advice for the moment but wish the incident to be logged. That way the incident is recorded. If the medical situation subsequently deteriorates then you have the necessary evidence for your insurance company/claim on the cruise co.

[vincentwallacewhitfield]

Thanks very much for your constant supply of excellent tips and advice that keep us cruisers so well informed. I fell prey several years ago to the "upgrade" ploy on a Carnival cruise and wound up paying them to upgrade from a balcony cabin on a higher deck to one that was lower down and had the outsude view blocked by lifeboats. Of course, after getting on the ship and complaining to Guest Services their position was that there was nothing they could do as the ship was full. Now I just delete the emails inviting me to upgrade my cabin as the cruise ship assigns the cabin to you and you have no say in what cabin you get.

[FraserAtSea]

Oh my goodness - I've seen so many people misunderstanding the bidding process, and finding themselves out of pocket. One thing that I did get caught out ages ago was that solo travellers bidding to upgrade usually need to pay the 'per person' price for TWO passengers, making it really expensive to bid!

[dh]

On July 7, 2024 I made the final payment for a Holland America cruise. I am traveling solo in an inside cabin and the price is almost double. Mid-July, HAL had a flash sale on my cruise that made the cruise price $1000 less. I booked through a travel agent. HAL pretty much told both of us to go pound sand. Every pun intended. They would not compensate me in any way. This is my first cruise with HAL. I am unimpressed before getting on the ship!

[apfelstrudel]

Gary, you are priceless! Your tips have saved me so much money, so many times. Most recently, you said to book airfare 330 days before my cruise or possibly miss out, and you were RIGHT!! Whew! Thank you!

[sl]

Thank you for sharing these cautionary stories, Gary.
Appreciate your guidance on how to avoid making mistakes or perhaps making difficult situations worse.

[shanewaterman]

Gary - we went our first (and last!) MSC cruise back in Feb. As soon as the first bid email landed in my inbox, I saw it as the gambling-style con it is. The problem is it's aimed at customers who have a strong 'fomo' tendency (fear of missing out). I was a copywriter for a while in a previous life, and can spot the triggers very easily. To me, it is almost an immoral way of levering more money out of unsuspecting clients who don't realise the position it could put them in. Well done fir highlighting it 👏

[marshillmike]

number 3 is pretty simple, don't take a cruise for a single port. If you want to see a destination, travel to that destination by a conveyance other than a cruise ship. Ports change, ports are dropped, and weather can cause missed ports.

[donaldhackler]

Excellent video! Last year on an Oceania cruise we missed a pre-embarkation tour that was non-refundable but we had made sure our trip insurance covered that potential loss. The tour provider assisted us with information which we sent as part of our claim and the claim was paid.

[mayapopova]

Last year, I had only a deposit on QM2 transatlantic cruise. Around the 4th of July, Cunard had a sale. I was able to rebook my cabin and saved $1700 on a balcony cabin.

[jakec]

Guys book the right cabin from the beginning don’t fall for the bidding trap as it’s hit or miss.. and it could backfire

[donkiml]

In 2019 we went on a 2 week Northern Isles cruise on HAL to Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Scotland. The original cruise in June was canceled and a similar cruise was added in August. We could get a refund or reschedule with $50 credit. The ports changed twice, Faroe Islands closed to all cruises so not HALs fault, another day was added in Iceland. The fare went down after the 90 day pay period. We could not get a refund but we did get upgraded and a small amount of credits. My husband got sick but the onboard, medical was wonderful. We were reimbursed by travel insurance. His day tour was reimbursed. Even though there was lots of changes we had a wonderful time.

[mikethompson]

Thanks for the insight. I've been pushed before " if you want we can upgrade you for this much". I never bit as i have heard some horror stories from cruiser's. It's your vacation you don't need the stress of being scammed.

[paulachristie]

Booked a Mexican Rivera Cruise yesterday through Costco travel but instead of just booking online I called the 800 number for an agent. I’ve found an agent will give tips and assistance you don’t find online. Had an experience once where the fare changed and asked for an upgrade and got a much nicer cabin on Norwegian.

[rolandwheeler]

This is why I like this channel! Good info, and great job helping out fellow cruisers!!!

[MelvisVelour]

Travel agents are priceless - I know there's the convenience of doing it yourself but having someone you know and trust (very important) advocating on your behalf is worth any possible service charges. Also, make sure you know the EXACT process to contact your credit card provider as well as what documentation to have which greatly speeds things up. I make a point of reaching out to whoever I'm going to be using for that trip to confirm as things change especially with all of the new apps which in some cases have speeded things up.