November 4, 2019 • 8 mins
Take the stress out of choosing between cruise offers from rival agencies with a better understanding of exactly what your cruise offer includes--and doesn't include.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Hi Bob Levinstein here with a CruiseCompete Cruise
Bite.
A cruise is a major investment,not just of your money but of
your and your family's vacationtime.
Feeling like you don'tunderstand what you're buying
can make for an anxiousexperience.
Ultimately, you just need toknow a few things to understand
exactly what you were gettingwhen you make your cruise
(00:38):
purchase.
Well, all of this may seem likea lot to absorb.
It's really not as complex as itseems and once you make your
booking most of your vacation,including where to eat, your
entertainment places to see areall set out for you to enjoy
with minimal thought and minimalstress.
In this cruise bite, I'llhighlight the key things you
need to understand whenevaluating cruise offers right
(01:01):
after this cruise.
compete.com is a simple concept.
We give you the tools to findthe perfect crews and request
quotes.
Independent travel agents canthen see your requests and they
respond with the best customcruise offers they can all
(01:23):
competing to offer you the bestdeal.
You compare these offers in oneconvenient place along with
consumer ratings and reviews ofthe agencies.
As only the best agents survivein this competitive environment.
You'll have some great optionsto choose from.
You then remain anonymous unlessor until you decide to contact
an agent by phone or by email toask questions or to book find
(01:46):
out why more than a millioncruisers are members of our free
unique service and start savingboth time and a significant
amount of money on your cruisevacation via cruise compete
today.
(02:15):
Once you've chosen a ship andsale date, here are the most
important things to understandand consider when you're
shopping around and comparingcruise offers.
Now I do want to note that theinformation that I'll be giving
you represents generalguidelines to which there can be
exceptions, especially on thehigh end ultra luxury cruise
lines, which tend to be more allinclusive.
(02:36):
So please do make sure todiscuss all details of your
cruise purchase with your travelagent.
Okay.
First, the total cruise price.
Your cruise price consists ofthree elements, the cruise fare,
port charges and taxes.
While these distinctions matterto travel agents as they have to
do with how they get paid, theyreally don't matter to you even
(02:57):
though they may show up oninvoice.
To make it easy to compareoffers.
All crew's compete quotes showthe total price.
All of these costs bundledtogether.
However, it's important to notethat other websites, we'll leave
out the taxes and then only addthese on the final booking
screen after you filled out allsorts of information.
They do this to try to fool youinto thinking they have a lower
(03:19):
price when they're often moreexpensive.
So when you compare quotes, makesure you were comparing total
costs to make sure you get thebest cruise deal.
Now your cruise price generallyincludes your cabin food onboard
in the main restaurants and mostof your onboard entertainment.
Your cruise price generally doesnot include these categories of
(03:41):
discretionary expenses, alcoholon board, casino gambling, a
specialty restaurants on boardshopping and tips and
gratuities.
Your cruise price also does notinclude these other vacation
expenses, short excursions foractivities in the ports you
visit, transportation to andfrom your cruise.
For example, flights, taxis, etcetera, uh, hotels before or
(04:05):
after your cruise.
So if you choose to arrive inyour port city early, which I
strongly recommend, or if youwant to stay an extra day or two
after you return and a travelinsurance.
Now experienced cruisers don'tjust look for the best cruise
price.
They look for the best overallvalue for them.
Cruise offers can vary quite abit based on what extras they
(04:27):
include.
And these can take a number ofdifferent forms.
The key is to understanding whateach park is worth to you based
on your own preferences.
Okay.
One of the most common thingsyou'll see is onboard credit,
whether it's called OBC orshipboard credit, a SPC.
This amounts to the same thing.
(04:47):
It's money in your shipboardaccount to spend during your
cruise.
And believe me, you will spendit whether it's on tips, on
drink, specialty, restaurantfees, or other onboard
purchases.
Now evaluating this one is easy.
The value is exactly the same ascash.
So if you've made yourself alittle cheat sheet where you're
comparing cruise offers fromdifferent agencies, you can note
(05:09):
that$100 on word credit is justthe same as a a hundred dollars
off of the cruise price.
Another common perk is freecruise insurance.
Now it's always a good idea tohave insurance in case problems
arise, but understand that notall insurance is equal.
You really need to find out whateach policy covers when you're
considering its value to you.
(05:30):
Really the only way to do thisis to read the documentation
that comes with the insurancethat explains what it covers and
what it doesn't.
Uh, you'll need to ask youragent for a copy of this next
cabin upgrades.
Now, cabin upgrades are usuallywithin the same cabin type.
In other words, you may getupgraded from an outside cabin
(05:50):
on a lower deck to an outsidegap cabin on a higher deck, but
you usually do not see offers toupgrade you from an outside
cabin and say to a balconycabin.
So take the time to understandthe difference between the cabin
offered and what you would getfor the same cost without the
upgrade and you need to put adollar value on what is the
(06:11):
value of being in Cabernet aworth to you versus being in
cabin B.
Now, there are all sorts ofother onboard perks.
These can range from freedinners at specialty restaurants
to drink packages, to bottles ofwine to onboard internet.
Really anything that can bepurchased on board the ship.
Again, to gauge the value toyou.
Ask yourself, would I buy itanyway?
(06:33):
If I did, what would it cost ifI wouldn't buy it at full price,
how much would I be willing topay for it?
The value of these perks isn'tsome retail dollar figure that
someone else's put on them.
It's really about what it'sworth to you.
Ultimately, you want to take allof this into account when you
compare offers and decide whatthe right cruise package is for
(06:55):
you to make sure you get thebest value for your vacation
dollar.
I hope you find this informationhelps you make smart and stress
free decisions on all of yourcruise purchases.
I'm Bob Levinstein, and this hasbeen a CruiseCompete Cruise
Bite.
Hi Bob Levinstein here with a CruiseCompete Cruise
Bite.
A cruise is a major investment,not just of your money but of
your and your family's vacationtime.
Feeling like you don'tunderstand what you're buying
can make for an anxiousexperience.
Ultimately, you just need toknow a few things to understand
exactly what you were gettingwhen you make your cruise
(00:38):
purchase.
Well, all of this may seem likea lot to absorb.
It's really not as complex as itseems and once you make your
booking most of your vacation,including where to eat, your
entertainment places to see areall set out for you to enjoy
with minimal thought and minimalstress.
In this cruise bite, I'llhighlight the key things you
need to understand whenevaluating cruise offers right
(01:01):
after this cruise.
compete.com is a simple concept.
We give you the tools to findthe perfect crews and request
quotes.
Independent travel agents canthen see your requests and they
respond with the best customcruise offers they can all
(01:23):
competing to offer you the bestdeal.
You compare these offers in oneconvenient place along with
consumer ratings and reviews ofthe agencies.
As only the best agents survivein this competitive environment.
You'll have some great optionsto choose from.
You then remain anonymous unlessor until you decide to contact
an agent by phone or by email toask questions or to book find
(01:46):
out why more than a millioncruisers are members of our free
unique service and start savingboth time and a significant
amount of money on your cruisevacation via cruise compete
today.
(02:15):
Once you've chosen a ship andsale date, here are the most
important things to understandand consider when you're
shopping around and comparingcruise offers.
Now I do want to note that theinformation that I'll be giving
you represents generalguidelines to which there can be
exceptions, especially on thehigh end ultra luxury cruise
lines, which tend to be more allinclusive.
(02:36):
So please do make sure todiscuss all details of your
cruise purchase with your travelagent.
Okay.
First, the total cruise price.
Your cruise price consists ofthree elements, the cruise fare,
port charges and taxes.
While these distinctions matterto travel agents as they have to
do with how they get paid, theyreally don't matter to you even
(02:57):
though they may show up oninvoice.
To make it easy to compareoffers.
All crew's compete quotes showthe total price.
All of these costs bundledtogether.
However, it's important to notethat other websites, we'll leave
out the taxes and then only addthese on the final booking
screen after you filled out allsorts of information.
They do this to try to fool youinto thinking they have a lower
(03:19):
price when they're often moreexpensive.
So when you compare quotes, makesure you were comparing total
costs to make sure you get thebest cruise deal.
Now your cruise price generallyincludes your cabin food onboard
in the main restaurants and mostof your onboard entertainment.
Your cruise price generally doesnot include these categories of
(03:41):
discretionary expenses, alcoholon board, casino gambling, a
specialty restaurants on boardshopping and tips and
gratuities.
Your cruise price also does notinclude these other vacation
expenses, short excursions foractivities in the ports you
visit, transportation to andfrom your cruise.
For example, flights, taxis, etcetera, uh, hotels before or
(04:05):
after your cruise.
So if you choose to arrive inyour port city early, which I
strongly recommend, or if youwant to stay an extra day or two
after you return and a travelinsurance.
Now experienced cruisers don'tjust look for the best cruise
price.
They look for the best overallvalue for them.
Cruise offers can vary quite abit based on what extras they
(04:27):
include.
And these can take a number ofdifferent forms.
The key is to understanding whateach park is worth to you based
on your own preferences.
Okay.
One of the most common thingsyou'll see is onboard credit,
whether it's called OBC orshipboard credit, a SPC.
This amounts to the same thing.
(04:47):
It's money in your shipboardaccount to spend during your
cruise.
And believe me, you will spendit whether it's on tips, on
drink, specialty, restaurantfees, or other onboard
purchases.
Now evaluating this one is easy.
The value is exactly the same ascash.
So if you've made yourself alittle cheat sheet where you're
comparing cruise offers fromdifferent agencies, you can note
(05:09):
that$100 on word credit is justthe same as a a hundred dollars
off of the cruise price.
Another common perk is freecruise insurance.
Now it's always a good idea tohave insurance in case problems
arise, but understand that notall insurance is equal.
You really need to find out whateach policy covers when you're
considering its value to you.
(05:30):
Really the only way to do thisis to read the documentation
that comes with the insurancethat explains what it covers and
what it doesn't.
Uh, you'll need to ask youragent for a copy of this next
cabin upgrades.
Now, cabin upgrades are usuallywithin the same cabin type.
In other words, you may getupgraded from an outside cabin
(05:50):
on a lower deck to an outsidegap cabin on a higher deck, but
you usually do not see offers toupgrade you from an outside
cabin and say to a balconycabin.
So take the time to understandthe difference between the cabin
offered and what you would getfor the same cost without the
upgrade and you need to put adollar value on what is the
(06:11):
value of being in Cabernet aworth to you versus being in
cabin B.
Now, there are all sorts ofother onboard perks.
These can range from freedinners at specialty restaurants
to drink packages, to bottles ofwine to onboard internet.
Really anything that can bepurchased on board the ship.
Again, to gauge the value toyou.
Ask yourself, would I buy itanyway?
(06:33):
If I did, what would it cost ifI wouldn't buy it at full price,
how much would I be willing topay for it?
The value of these perks isn'tsome retail dollar figure that
someone else's put on them.
It's really about what it'sworth to you.
Ultimately, you want to take allof this into account when you
compare offers and decide whatthe right cruise package is for
(06:55):
you to make sure you get thebest value for your vacation
dollar.
I hope you find this informationhelps you make smart and stress
free decisions on all of yourcruise purchases.
I'm Bob Levinstein, and this hasbeen a CruiseCompete Cruise
Bite.
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