Helping My Cruise Dreams Come True

  I love cruising, in case you hadn't already guessed. When I board a cruise ship, it feels like I'm coming home in the best possible way. I sleep better. I feel better. I eat better. Cruising is my happy place. And the beach house, that too 😉. I just love being on or near the water. I love the sound of the ocean and the way the ship moves on it. I even enjoy rough seas - until I don't. Nothing on earth is perfect! So in this season of uncertainty with my husband out of work, how am I going about planning, or even hoping for time on the water? Very carefully! 

 I'm in an interesting spot of not knowing. I don't know when my husband will get a new job, or what it will be like. In the past, he's been able to work from wherever we're at, so planning a trip wasn't as tricky. He'd just bring his computer and his headset, and we'd go. Now I don't know if he'll work remotely or in an office or even in a hybrid situation. I'm not sure what his time off situation will be like or if that will even be a possibility in the first year or so of his new position. Along those lines, I have money set aside for travel right now, but if this season of unemployment stretches out, I'm not sure if it will have to be repurposed to pay bills. That said, even in a time of uncertainty like this, maybe even especially so, there can be some benefits to planning travel ahead.

 Before I get too far, keep in mind that I almost always sail on Norwegian so this post is focused on information related to that cruise line. I used to think, mistakenly, that cruises were the most expensive when they are first introduced and that it usually, if not always, went down from there. I did some research on CruisePlum.com and it turns out that, at least for cruises going out this fall, some of your best prices were about 22 months in advance. I looked at price history graphs, like the one above, for more than a dozen cruises going out of different ports to different destinations on different ships, and the numbers matched up pretty close. It looks like Norwegian did something to their prices on November 3rd, 2023 and June 27th, 2024 as all the graphs reflect and drop and a rise on those dates. But apart from those specifics, prior to the six months before sailing, the best price for every cruise was about 22-15 months out. Once you hit the year mark, the prices were at their highest. Interestingly, I think this is when most people tend to book things is for the next summer or the next winter. Not always, but for the most part, the prices took a dip in the last few months before sailing. That's because Norwegian requires final payment 4 months in advance and if someone is going to cancel, they usually do so before that time. This gives the cruise line a picture of how many open rooms they will have, and they start to adjust their pricing to maximize profit. A filled room will almost always net you more money than an empty one! 

 Here's the bit that surprised me: The prices didn't always drop below the 22-15 month price in the last few months leading up to the cruise! I thought that last minute prices would always be lower than booking out, but in many cases, they were actually higher. Even if they did drop lower, sometimes it would only be by about $20 and then only for a day or part of a day. Talk about gambling!

 So how do you plan ahead and book a cruise for two summers from now when you don't even know if your husband will be able to travel then? Well, I could book a solo cruise, but those run on a whole different pricing structure. But, keeping in mind that I'd like to travel with my husband, what's a girl to do? I use Cruise Next Credits! When you are onboard a Norwegian cruise, and other lines I'm told as well, you have the opportunity to receive discounts on booking your next cruise. I guess they figure they've got you in the best place possible to sell you on what a good time you'll have. Norwegian typically does this in the form of the Cruise Next program. While onboard, you can buy $1,000 worth of credits for $500 - or other amounts with the same proportions. PSA: they advertise that you can receive the extra credit in the form of onboard credit, but you'll almost always get a better deal with having them only issue it in the form of Cruise Next Credits. Then you can use one of these $250 credits to satisfy the deposit for a non-suite room (suites have a higher deposit). Most of the time, you can "Double Up" on these and use two credits when booking a balcony or higher room at least 4 months in advance. That essentially gives you $250 off the price of the cruise, but it feels like $500 to us since we paid for it so long ago. Occasionally, they offer a sale where you can "Double Up" and use two credits on any cabin - even an inside - and very occasionally they offer a special "Triple Up" deal. These only come once or twice a year, and you have to be very diligent and keep your ear to the ground to find them - and the "Triple Up" deals are always on a balcony or higher. Ok, that's a lot of information, but here's what it boils down to:

I can book a cruise for 15-22 months from now with nothing out of pocket.

 What happens if my situation changes and I can't go on the cruise? I cancel it. No trouble at all. My cruise next credits are redeposited into my account so I can use them again later. Whatever you do, don't make payments towards the cruise before the final payment due date. It is much trickier to get money back than to never have paid it in the first place! If you really need to make payments somewhere so that you can save up, open a quick savings account somewhere just for that purpose and deposit some in it every month like a bill. That's what we do for our insurance and real estate taxes as well as saving up for a family trip every 3 years. 

 What happens if there's an incredible sale and the price on my cruise drops? You call and ask for a price adjustment. They should have no problem giving it to you if it is before your final payment date (four months in advance). If, for some reason, you get a less than helpful agent that won't give you and adjustment, just cancel and rebook. If it's after your final payment, you're out of luck. I mean you can try, but it's not likely to get you anywhere but possibly some onboard credit if you get a really nice agent. How do you know if your cruise price has dropped? You have two choices: 1- check it regularly (like once a week), or 2- set up a price alert on a site like Cruise Plum. If you start a free account you can set an alert to email you if the price drops below a price you set. I'll be honest, I don't super trust these sites, so I do both. I set the alert, but then I also check the price when I think about it.

Alright, I've got you sold on this booking in advance thing, but you don't have any Cruise Next credits to use yet? Use the Cruise First program. It's very much like the Cruise Next program, but you don't have to be on a cruise to buy credits. These credits just have a lower value, so you don't get as much savings. Regularly, these cost $150 for a $300 credit, but sometimes you get the option to buy a $500 credit for $250. The more you spend, the more you save, because you can only use one of these per booking, unlike the Cruise Next Credits. If you found value in this program, make sure to buy some Cruise Next credits the next time you're onboard!

 Let's get a little realistic, and maybe a little dark. What if, say, you get a brain tumor and things go sideways and you find that you can't sail anymore, but you have four Cruise Next credits left in your account? Well, hopefully you have four amazing, wonderful children you can gift them to like me! Cruise Next credits can be transferred to anyone, not just your super awesome kids. This made me feel a lot better when we bought our last batch as my health was not in a very good spot, but I knew that I wanted to keep cruising if I could, and so far it has worked out!

 One more benefit to booking just shy of two years in advance: you get the pick of rooms. If, like me, you're awfully picky about where you stay this is a wonderful benefit. I like to reserve ADA rooms to help with my wheelchair (it doesn't fit through the standard room doors), but they are usually all booked if you look at a cruise a year in advance. I also like to make sure there isn't a night club right beneath me or a sun deck right above me (they move those chairs around at 5am and it's loud!). If I'm really planning, I like to get a forward room within two floors of the observation lounge if I'm on a ship like the Bliss or the Joy because it's a great place to grab a quick cup of coffee or tea any time day or night and a snack during the day when the Garden Cafe is closed.

Here's the Thing: I'm happy to report that I booked my Alaska cruise for 2027 yesterday! I'm hoping to sail on the Jade in May heading out of Vancouver, BC. But if it doesn't work out? No harm no foul. I used two Cruise Next credits to get $500 off my inside cabin, but they'll be returned if I have to cancel.