booking next cruise while on a cruise

[Kharalew]

I am going on the fantasy cruise may 25th and heard that if you book another cruise while on the cruise you can get great deals. 1. What kind of deals can you get? 2. Are the deals only if you book the same ship 3. If you are V.I.P. do you get a better deal?

The reason I ask is because i'm working on saving up for the next cruise by the time we leave so that I can get a better deal booking onboard if this info. is true :)

Thanks!

P.S. Anyone else going on this same cruise??

[CruiserBruce]

I would ask this on the Carnival board. More people who know the answer will see it there.

[Kharalew]

Thanks! I will try that.

[Krazy Kruizers]

we do put deposits down for hal cruises -- which is $100 per person -- plus we get shipboard credit of which the amount depends on how long the cruise is and what cabin category you book

 

as for deals -- hal doesn't give any -- and with all the cruises we have done on hal we have never had the title VIP

 

we also choose what cruise we wish to take once we get home and have our ta finish the paperwork

 

each cruise line has their own rules

[jewopaho]

You won't get any better deals than you would if you booked in the more traditional manner. What you will receive is some onboard credit ... how much depends on the factors established by the cruise line (length of cruise, type of accommodation, etc.). Some cruise lines allow you to just book openly (i.e. no actual cruise) with a time period constraint (usually several years). Within that block, the cost (usually $100/pp) is fully refundable. Others require that you reserve a specific sailing, although it can be changed without much hassle. There are also several variations on the theme ... it's something you'll need to discuss with the individual who handles future cruises on the ship. What's really advantageous is the fact that the $100 serves as your deposit in most cases ... nothing else due until final payment date. There's no sense in tying up your money for a lengthy period of time. We always book future cruises, and have gained considerably over the years. To us it's free money.

[marco]

I guess it depends on the line. The last couple of years we've done an RCI winter cruise. We did not book a future cruise onboard, and the "deals" offered to book a future cruise on board ended up being the same as when we booked through our TA other than a lower deposit amount. To me, that was no big deal. If the cruise cost $1000 and you only had to put down $100, it means you had to come up with $900 when final payment was due. IF you had to put down $250, you had to come up with $750 when final payment was due. The price of the cruise was the same and the onboard credit offered was the same as what they were offering by booking on board, and we still had the option of other ships/lines by not booking while on a cruise. and being locked into that line.