booking a cruise while on a cruise

[kynickie]

Is there a significant savings if you book a future cruise while still on a cruise? Do you have to pick dates and know exactly how many are going? I was on a cruise less than a month ago. Since then I have booked another. And feel I should have done it while on the ship but not sure if i would have saved. So thinking maybe next time I could do that and book it a year or two out. But I don't know who will go or where we even want to go? I guess if it is significant I can start thinking about that now but if it really isn't any different than booking it now for a year or two out then I won't thanks Kynickie

[jmcathome]

No any more. Wait until you get off and soon after the prices will be what you got on the cruise. Another change from Carnivals policy to screw the customer

[cocomango]

We have booked cruises while on the cruise.

 

On the last ship we were on, there was a sign on the desk that says you should already know what your are booking when you set your appointment. Since we had already planned to book ahead, I came armed with info and the rep just helped us find 2 cabins. The internet connection was very spotty and the rep wasn't sure if she was going to be able to give us all our printouts during our appointment. I am surprised that they don't really get into much discussion about anything else and there's already usually someone waiting on the next time slot.

 

Did it save us money? Well, we did get the onboard credit.. but I am not sure that it would have been any more than what we have gotten if we booked elsewhere. I does depend on the ship and the cruise. Some have promos and others do not.

 

The best booking combo we discovered was to book while on the ship and then transfer the booking to Costco. We were able to double dip- get the onboard credit plus Costco gave us a cashcard.

[DebJ14]

We no longer book onboard because I refuse to book an ES rate. On Carnival we only book a senior rate or past guest rate. We are willing to pay extra to have a fully refundable deposit.

 

Now on RCCL we did book onboard. All Grand Suites and above have a non-refundable deposit whether you book on land or while at sea. We had such a great time on the Liberty of the Seas that we booked it again for the following year. We had a choice of $$$ off the cruise or an OBC and chose to lower the cost of the cruise. The bonus for booking onboard + our C & Anchor discount for booking a suite saved us $600.

 

We came home and canceled a booking we had on Carnival for the same week! Thanks to the fully refundable deposit on the PG rate we had our deposit back within 3 days, so it was a wash on the credit card when the RCCL deposit hit.

[TomCruise48]

Carnival has eliminated the "Future Cruise Expert" and incorporated the Future Cruise Booking into the Shore Excursions Desk. The shore excursion team members are poorly trained to handle bookings, and do not have much time to deal with this. You now have two weeks after your cruise to get a nominal onboard credit and reduced deposit when you book another cruise. If you want to take advantage of this, it is best to book when you get back home using your normal booking channel - TA, PVP, or book online.

 

Other cruise lines do a much better job of providing the opportunity to book onboard. Some have dedicated areas on the ship that are like a high end travel agency with plenty of staff at desks and comfortable chairs for the guests to sit in while doing the booking.

[BoDidly]

Total waste of time.

[DukeASUGirl]

Other cruise lines do a much better job of providing the opportunity to book onboard. Some have dedicated areas on the ship that are like a high end travel agency with plenty of staff at desks and comfortable chairs for the guests to sit in while doing the booking.

 

I'd rather use my limited time on board to enjoy the current vacation. (And then when post-cruise sadness sets in a week later, I "extend" my vacation by searching online at home.)

[Micahs Grandad]

We have booked cruises while on the cruise.

 

On the last ship we were on, there was a sign on the desk that says you should already know what your are booking when you set your appointment. Since we had already planned to book ahead, I came armed with info and the rep just helped us find 2 cabins. The internet connection was very spotty and the rep wasn't sure if she was going to be able to give us all our printouts during our appointment. I am surprised that they don't really get into much discussion about anything else and there's already usually someone waiting on the next time slot.

 

Did it save us money? Well, we did get the onboard credit.. but I am not sure that it would have been any more than what we have gotten if we booked elsewhere. I does depend on the ship and the cruise. Some have promos and others do not.

 

The best booking combo we discovered was to book while on the ship and then transfer the booking to Costco. We were able to double dip- get the onboard credit plus Costco gave us a cashcard.

 

Sorry doesnt work that way anymore. Get a small amount of obc when you book just after your cruise

[busymom_ot]

Beware also that now the “onboard booking” onboard credit is associated with a code they give you. If later you see a lower price and try to price match you lose the onboard credit. It used to be that you could take advantage of later sales and the obc stayed on the booking. Not any more! Really no reason to book onboard or even within the 2 weeks after returning home now!

 

 

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[EBFURR]

We used to book our next cruise on board with Royal Caribbean almost every time. They did have significant benefits for doing so. It did often take up a lot of time though since they usually had one person doing the bookings and they were either very busy or not there at all. We have not been on Royal lately so I am not sure what the policy is now. When we fist started cruising Carnival we had a hard time finding the "future cruise" people at the kiosk but found that we got some really good offers when we got home. We have wound up booking a new cruise within a month or so of getting home each time and I have to say that we like Carnival's system much better. As previously stated, it does not take up your time on the ship and you have more time to browse and decide when you get back. I think you did fine.