questions about itineraries and deposits

[BabyRN]

Hi guys I have a couple questions for you veteran cruisers! I have decided to book a cruise for my family in 2013 and it's our first one! I actually joined this board 3 years ago yesterday because I had another cruise booked, but we never got to take it! Anyway, I want to pick a 7 day caribbean cruise, but I can't decide on whether or not I want Eastern or Western. For those of you who have been to both, can you tell me what you prefer better and why? Maybe it'll help me decide!
My next question is, can anyone tell me if there are ever any discounts on deposits anymore whether it's through the cruiseline itself or through a TA? I have a family of 6 and have to book 2 connecting staterooms to keep the cost down. Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

[Namsupak]

It is going to depend on which ship (Fantasy or Magic), which date, and also which port you want to start from (PC or Galveston). Your ports will be as follows for most of the itineraries

Eastern:
St. Maarten, St Thomas or
San Juan, St Thomas

Western:
Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel or
Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Costa Maya

We like St. Maarten a lot, there is some neat stuff to see on the island such as Maho beach, plus the people tend to be friendly and the island is easy to get around on. St. Thomas is okay but for us a bit harder to get around, the shopping areas seemed more congested and run down vs St. Maarten. We prefer the Western Caribbean ports. Key West is fun, the courtyard area always has interesting street performers, chickens run wild around the town, the area is very walkable and they have some interesting sites like a Ripley's museum. Grand Cayman was a beautiful island and we did a submarine tour here that we liked. We also found this place relatively easy to walk around. At Cozumel we went to an all inclusive resort for a cooking class and some beach time, we did walk around a bit to shop and the prices seemed to be good here. We have not been to San Juan or Costa Maya.

Another consideration is would you like more sea days or more ports. We find sea days more relaxing, so if it is ports we have been to several times we just take the extra sea day or at times we have just stayed on the ship and enjoyed some of the amenities to ourselves.

Discounts can vary, but I wouldn't count on them. The best value is going to be a cruise on the Magic and also to book the first available day. DCL cruises tend to go up in price with time, even within minutes on the first day. If you are willing to wait there are sometimes last minute restricted fares that show up on cruise itineraries that are not selling out - but you will not be guaranteed a connecting room. The downside is a discount may never show up. So if you are set on an exact date I would not recommend waiting. They do run offers like kids sail free on the Mexican Riviera, but not always. Also during hurricane season and non holiday times the prices of cruises will be lower. Booking with a TA will usually get you at least some onboard credit, so that is some savings there. Booking through DCL will give you the most flexibility since you are able to change things your self by calling DCL or using the website versus having to call a TA. If you want connecting rooms in lower categories I highly suggest you book early or look for rooms that may be across from each other instead of connecting, such as one inside room and one oceanview room.

 

[BabyRN]

Thanks for your response. Seeing as I've never cruised before, personally for me I wouldn't really know the difference between the 2 ships. I would be sailing from PC. More than likely we'll be going in the summertime, which I know the prices will be higher, but I'm likely going to be teaching nursing school full time by then. It'll probably be too hard for me to be able to get the same week off as my kids during the school year, but even then the prices will still be high! For us, I do believe when we get to the ports if we get off the ship we'll more than likely just find a beach somewhere or something. Maybe get some kind of little souvenir, but that'll be it for shopping! Do all cruises go to Castaway Cay? It looks so beautiful there! Does anyone else have any thoughts about the Eastern or Western Caribbean cruises? Oh, also I will probably be booking within the next month or 2 at the most so that way I can pay it off in a timely manner. Does anyone ever offer discounts on the deposit portion anymore? I had a cruise booked about 3 years ago and back then I only had to put a 50% deposit down!

 

[kcashner]

If you are going from PC in 2013, you're looking at the Fantasy. While the cruises for the Magic and Wonder have not been announced, it is highly unlikely they would duplicate those already announced for the Dream and Fantasy.

All Caribbean and Bahamas cruises go to Castaway Cay (weather permitting). Discounts during school vacations--not likely, but always possible if the ship isn't filling. However, you will do better to book now (knowing you can change or cancel up to the penalty date).

I strongly prefer Eastern--better ports and an extra sea day. While I really like Grand Cayman, I really dislike Cozumel. Key West is sort of a "blank." It's like "been there, done that, don't need to go back." Nothing bad, but nothing great. Costa Maya is another--WHY????

 

[BabyRN]

Can you tell me why you don't like Cozumel? That was one place I really liked the looks of! In doing a bit of research I just realized that the Hawaii cruises take you there and back...for some reason I thought they took you there and you had to fly back! If they offer some in 2013 I just might book one of those...maybe! I definitely want to book soon so I have enough time to pay it off comfortably! That's why I need to make a decision as to where to want to go! I even thought about one of the 5 nights with 2 stops to Castaway Cay! I think we'd have more fun there than any other port!

 

[jilljill]

Can you tell me why you don't like Cozumel? That was one place I really liked the looks of! In doing a bit of research I just realized that the Hawaii cruises take you there and back...for some reason I thought they took you there and you had to fly back! If they offer some in 2013 I just might book one of those...maybe! I definitely want to book soon so I have enough time to pay it off comfortably! That's why I need to make a decision as to where to want to go! I even thought about one of the 5 nights with 2 stops to Castaway Cay! I think we'd have more fun there than any other port!

There are no 5 night cruises in 2013, only 3 and 4 night cruises on the Dream.

You could always book a back to back cruise on the Dream to get 2 days at Castaway Cay. You would be doing a 3 day cruise and a 4 day cruise - you get 2 days at Nassau and 2 days at Castaway Cay.

 

[Namsupak]

If you are going from PC in 2013, you're looking at the Fantasy. While the cruises for the Magic and Wonder have not been announced, it is highly unlikely they would duplicate those already announced for the Dream and Fantasy....

Good catch I thought OP was talking about 2012.

 

[BabyRN]

I thought about that but then I'd never be able to come up with a lot of money for both deposits

 

[dismom73]

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the deposit for a DCL works different than it did 3 years ago. It's not a per person deposit anymore, which was a lot of money for larger families! It's now 20% of the cruise fare. You may already be aware of this, but I just thought I would throw it out there in case you were basing the amount of the deposit on how they did it 3 years ago.

 

[MTmomma]

Also, it is now a 20% deposit, vs the old style way of $200pp, and the deposit is on the cruise fare itself, not the taxes and fees that are tacked on.

The exception to this is of course, special sailings which involve heavier restrictions, penalties, etc.

 

[luvmy2kids]

Where can I find a break down of each? Both of them are put together and I am not sure how much of my cruise is for fees and how much is going for taxes? I may just be missing something??? Thanks!

 

[NancyIL]

Where can I find a break down of each? Both of them are put together and I am not sure how much of my cruise is for fees and how much is going for taxes? I may just be missing something??? Thanks!

DCL's web site shows the amount of the cruise fare per person, the optional insurance, and the taxes for everyone in the cabin. The deposit is 20% of the cruise fare.

I prefer the western itinerary because I'd rather go to a port than have an extra sea day. Some western ports have Mayan ruins. The eastern ports have mostly beaches - and I'm not a beach person. I really enjoyed Costa Maya, and will probably do another excursion to the Chacchoben Ruins. I did nothing noteworthy on my first visit to Cozumel, but plan to go to the Tulum Ruins (on the mainland) next time.

 

[Topscot]

Does anyone else have any thoughts about the Eastern or Western Caribbean cruises? Oh, also I will probably be booking within the next month or 2 at the most so that way I can pay it off in a timely manner. Does anyone ever offer discounts on the deposit portion anymore? I had a cruise booked about 3 years ago and back then I only had to put a 50% deposit down!

Have you thought about delaying your cruise until 2014? The 2013 prices have already been out for almost 1 week now and prices for summer have gone up. My cruise for my category has already gone up $ 500.00 from what it was upon opening and that is just for 1 stateroom. Waiting until 2014 would allow you invesigate the destinations more and decide exactly where you want to go and when. That is what a lot of people on these boards do, so that the minute the dates open up, they are booking and getting the lowest prices. I fear that if you wait a month or two to book, you will be paying a lot for a stateroom which may not be in the category you want. My friends who are travelling with us had to pay the extra $ 500.00 because she couldn't decide and waited 3 days to book. Especially for the Fantasy, since you want to leave out of Port Canaveral, prices are high and will only get higher the longer you wait.

Just my two cents, for what it's worth.

 

[BabyRN]

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the deposit for a DCL works different than it did 3 years ago. It's not a per person deposit anymore, which was a lot of money for larger families! It's now 20% of the cruise fare. You may already be aware of this, but I just thought I would throw it out there in case you were basing the amount of the deposit on how they did it 3 years ago.

Gosh no I didn't know this! Thank you so much for the info! I'll have to go check it out!!

 

[BabyRN]

So I got really excited thinking my deposit would be less than what it was before...but it's not Must be because I need to book 2 staterooms for my family size, because it winds up being cheaper that way than getting a suite! Oh well, guess I better win the lotto or the jackpot at the casino tonight when I go! LOL!