How to chose the best cruise? Do I need a passport?

Question

My husband and I want to take a cruise before the end of summer break (I'm a teacher and I start back to school on August 4th). Neither of us have been on a cruise before. Where is the best place to book a last minute cruise? How do we get the best deal? What should we look for in a cruise? Do we need passports to take a Carribbean cruise? Or is that only if we want to get off the ship? I'm looking at a cruise on Travelocity and can't find info there as to whether passports are required or not. Any advice would be appreciated!

Answer 1

US citizens do not need passports yet for sea travel.  You will need one however to travel by air.  So if you take a cruise that departs from out of US, you wouldn't need one.  If an emergency comes up and you had to fly home, you would not be able to fly home.

http://www.newpassportlaws.com/

http://www.capitolvisa.com/passports/adu...

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbp...

However, check out

www.vacationstogo.com

or go to the website directly.

If you are a AAA member they offer lots of help on booking cruises too.  I recommend Carnival or RC for the best deals.  As for what to look for, islands that interest you.  I personally prefer a trip that has an itinerary similar to this.  5 or 7 days (I think 3 days are too short).  And the first day is At Sea so that I get a relaxing day.  Then the 2nd day at an island b/c you often dock at the islands early early in the morning and shore excursions (if you so chose) expect you to be there around 8 am.

Answer 2

royal caribbean international is usually a great cruise line to go with... i found it the best so far... for the best deal, you just have to search on the internet and compare prices from the cruise line websites... yes you need passports, it doesnt matter whether you plan on getting off or not... they assume you are so you HAVE to have passports... just to let you know tho, last minute cruises are very hard to book for... ESPECIALLY when everybody else is on holidays

check out:

http://www.vacationstogo.com/?source=goo...

http://www.expedia.ca/daily/enc4105/crui...

Answer 3

I have been on many cruises and can give you some advice.  First, you are not likely to find  a"deal" at the last minutes because all of the cruise lines give the best price for early bookings that are a year or more in advance.  After that the prices start to go up.  The best you can do at the last minute is look to see which cruise lines may have a special that is in your price range.  In addition, at the last minute the best cabins on ships will likely be filled and the only ones available may be inside or the very expensive suites.

The best place to find the specials in on the cruise line web sites and I have found that Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL do the best job of listing their specials.  

You can go to Royal Caribbean's site and click on "Hot Deals":  http://www.royalcaribbean.com/dealsandmo...

Or to Carnival:

http://www.carnivalcruiselines.com/cms/f...

Or Norwegian:

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/hotdeal/specia...

I have been on about 20 cruises and have 3 booked right now so I am familiar with the current rules.  If you are going on a cruise all that you will need (until next summer) is a birth certificate to prove citizenship and a photo ID to prove identity.   The rules on passports were supposed to change this summer (2008) but they have been delayed until next summer (2009) and so right now you DO NOT need a passport if you are cruising. If you were flying out of the country then you would need a passport, but not going on a cruise ship. Its crazy but those are the rules RIGHT NOW.

This web site explains it: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbp...

MORE ON CRUISING:

The price of your will depend mostly on how many days your cruise is.  Cruise lines also list specials on their web sites so do look for those. The specials can many times save you a couple hundred per person over the price for the exact same cruise on a different date.

All cruise cabins are sold based on double occupancy and the prices listed will be per person and based on at least two people going on the cruise.  The price you pay will depend to a great extent on the type cabin/accommodations that you choose.

There are 4 basic types of cabins on ships;

- inside (no window),................................... least expensive

- outside (a window or porthole),

- balcony/veranda, and

- suites and penthouses.......................... most expensive.

The "FROM" prices you see will always be for an inside cabin. There are also some subcategories within each category with cabins on a higher deck, and/or a better location on ship (like midship), and/or that are slightly larger costing more. So as you browse, pay attention to the square footage of the cabins.

You can reserve a cruise on the cruise line web sites on line; by calling the cruise line, or through a travel agent.  You will have to pay a  minimum deposit which will be between $250 and $350 per person for a 7 day cruise, depending upon the cruise line. The minimum will be more for a longer cruise, for example $450 per person for a 14 day cruise. The balance will be due approximately 60 days before the cruise departure date.  You can make periodic payment on line or with the cruise line.  If you book within 60 days of your cruise you will likely have to pay the entire amount at booking.

Answer 4

August 4 is less then 2 weeks away and getting on a cruise in the next couple of days are your options at this point. because of 911, you can no longer get on a cruise with less then at least a weeks notice. Homeland security must get a passenger list from the cruise companies a week before they set sail. So, I think your best option would be to think about a cruise during winter break. Yo don't need passports just yet, but from what I understand as of Jan, 2009, you will need one. For last minute cruise deals, check out vacations to go and then go on the 90 day ticker. I have booked with them before and they do a good job.