Booking cruise in US dollars rather than GB pounds

[Marney*]

I'm hoping to book a Cuba and Caribbean cruise with MSC for October 2019. I've noticed that it's much cheaper to book in US dollars than in GB sterling but can't find the website again. First of all, is it possible to book through a US website. Second, can anyone provide a website or does MSC have a US website as opposed to UK?

Edited August 5, 2018 by Marney*
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[Texas Tillie]

It is against Cruise Critic rules to name/discuss specific travel agents/agencies. I'm quite sure what you saw was a specific travel agent/agency. It is my understanding that some agents will book to British citizens and some won't. It would be up to you to find one as no one here can recommend one.

[Velvetwater]

Yes you can book on a US cruise line website...but check the small print. UK bookings have a slight price hike due to ABTA protection and other bits and bobs. As far as US TAs go and their sites not so sure.

 

You can use a US VPN to access the MSC site Americans use or ring up the US number during their opening hours.

 

We have only ever booked US lines anyway and when we have compared the Brit price and looked at the protection through that service there wasn't a huge difference in price anyway. Our first cruise we thought there was a huge difference but when we got to the booking page it was maybe only £50 or so.

[hallasm]

Yes, you can book at US sites. I have been using various US TA’s if thy have special offers. But as Velvetwater is saying ‘ read the small print’ - at US sites gratuity is not included while normally included in the price at European sites. Makes a big price difference - US$ 10 to 15 per day per person. Also certain fee does vary. In general I have found prices in US and Europe very similar, however special campaigns can from time to time make a difference. I do check every time I’m making a booking.

 

 

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[Hlitner]

You can book "some" cruise lines on US sites. But a few cruise lines such as Holland America will not allow you to book via a North American agency unless you have a USA or Canadian address. We have a good friend from Australia who books his HAL cruises (he cruises with that line over 150 days a year) through a Canadian address that belongs to a friend :).

 

Hank

[sanger727]

As others mentioned. Just be sure you are aware of the terms and conditions of both bookings. Depending on the cruise line different things may be included based on whether booking in the US or UK. Specifically ask about gratuities and drink packages. A bonus to US bookings is often the deposit is fully refundable until final payment is due. A bonus to UK bookings is certain protections that US bookings don’t get (ie if the cruise is cancelled by the cruise line or there are delays/cancellations due to weather issue; in the US you are pretty much at the mercy of what the compensation the cruise line will generously offer you outside of any insurance you purchase. Not sure how it works for UK bookings)

 

 

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[hallasm]

Yes, in Europe a cancellation fee is applied if you cancel prior to final payment - normally 45 days before the cruise. This fee is from US$ 100 to the deposit depending of cruise line. The deposit can be from US$ 200 Per person ip to 20% og the price of the Cruise - again depends on cruise line.

Read the conditions as well as the cancellation policy.

 

 

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[Heidi13]

We frequently deal with payment in US $ or Canadian $ and another consideration is exchange rate fluctuation.

 

Once you have compared apples to apples with UK & US pricing. If the cruise is still cheaper, at time of booking, in US $, you should consider the risk of currency fluctuations, should you have a lengthy period to final payment.

 

This happened to us on our world cruise. For many years the US/CAN currency exchange was about par, so we booked in US $, as our bank gives better exchange rates, so cruise at time of booking was cheaper in US $. However, by final payment, the CAN $ dropped, so it actually cost us more money.

[John Bull]

It's not whether you book in GBP or USD, it's whether you book in the UK (direct or via a UK agent) or whether you book thro a US agent.

As Hank has posted, some cruise lines only accept US bookings for folk with a US or Canadian address - but some folk use the address of a friend or relative in the US or Canada, and some T/A's simply use their own address. It's the address that matters, not your nationality.

 

Yes, check the US terms & conditions - for instance prices are usually quoted excluding port taxes. A decent US T/A will tell you about the add-ons.

And yes, cancellation terms are much better - you can cancel up to final-payment day and get your deposit back.

Be aware that you'll be at the mercy of exchange rates from when you book to when you pay. Currently that's mebbe not a bad thing - it could end up costing you less pounds than you'd expected.

 

You won't have the protection of ABTA (and I don't think there's an equivalent in the USA?), so pay only by credit card, in order to get equivalent protection from the card issuer eg if the T/A goes bust or runs off to South America with your money :eek:.

But I'm not sure that ABTA gives any protection against a problem with the cruise line - and if you have a dispute with the cruise line it normally comes under the jurisdiction of the courts in the country where you booked, so that'd be the US of A. Good luck with that if all goes belly-up :D.

 

Booking thro a US T/A been done by Brits for decades, and I've never heard of anyone having a big problem.

But the price differential is no longer the huge issue that it was, and as others have said it's probably no longer worthwhile.

There's one way to find out ;)

 

JB :)

[Heidi13]

Others had clearly responded with the ability to book via US TA rather than a UK TA.

 

If using a US TA you will pay in US $, so I simply pointed out a potential risk of using this option.

[John Bull]

Others had clearly responded with the ability to book via US TA rather than a UK TA.

 

If using a US TA you will pay in US $, so I simply pointed out a potential risk of using this option.

 

 

Errr..... was this directed at me? :confused:

 

My post wasn't in response to yours - it was directed at the OP's thread title - "Booking cruise in US dollars rather than GB pounds", and I was typing it before you posted (yes, I really am that slow :o)

 

And later in my post I independently said much the same as you - beware currency fluctuations if you book in USD.

We're actually singing from the same song-sheet.

 

JB :(

[Heidi13]

JB - thanks for the clarification, apologies for the confusion. I can relate to slow typing, you can only go so fast using 2 fingers.

[John Bull]

JB - thanks for the clarification, apologies for the confusion. I can relate to slow typing, you can only go so fast using 2 fingers.

 

Two fingers?

Now you're just showing off :D

 

JB :)