Questions to Ask When Booking a Cruise
Questions to ask before a cruise is booked, whether you are talking to a cruise travel agent or to the line's own booking desk. They start with the money, what the fare leaves out and the dates it stops being refundable, then move to who handles the booking, the ship and its route, the cabin, life on board, and the paperwork before you sail. Alaska sailings and river cruises raise questions an ordinary ocean week does not (which glacier, a one-way route, high and low water, ships moored side by side), and those sit in the route, cabin and fare groups.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Fare
What does the fare cover, and what gets billed on board?
Why ask it
Gratuities, drinks, specialty restaurants, excursions and internet are usually separate on the big ocean lines, and together they can rival the fare. Ask for a per-person, per-day estimate of onboard spending for the cabin grade you are considering.
Is the price you quoted per person or for the cabin, and are port fees and taxes in it?
Why ask it
Cruise fares are usually quoted per person with two sharing, so the figure in an advert can be half of what the cabin costs. Whether taxes and port fees are already inside it depends on the line and on the country you book in, so have every quote put on the same footing before you compare them.
What is the deposit, when is final payment due, and what is refundable at each stage?
Why ask it
Cruise penalties step up on fixed dates rather than sliding gradually. Put those two or three dates in your calendar, because past the last one the money is generally gone whatever the reason.
If the price drops or a better promotion appears, what happens to my booking?
Why ask it
Some lines will adjust the fare or add the new perks up to final payment, and others only if you cancel and rebook. It is rarely done for you, so get the cutoff date and the name of whoever has to make the call.
How do gratuities work, and can they be prepaid?
Why ask it
Where a line charges a daily gratuity it is per person and usually applies to children too, while some fares, river cruises among them, already include tips. Prepaying generally holds the rate you were quoted and takes the cost out of the sailing week.
What drink packages exist, and can we bring our own wine?
Why ask it
On many lines a package has to be bought by every adult in the cabin for every day of the sailing, and the price assumes steady drinking. The rules on carrying wine aboard, a bottle limit and the corkage charged at dinner, differ more from line to line than the packages do.
What is the onboard credit worth, and what can it be spent on?
Why ask it
Credit sounds like cash, yet it may be barred from gratuities, the casino or the medical center, and whatever is unspent on the last night is commonly lost. Use the words refundable and non-refundable when you ask, since lines issue both kinds.
On a river cruise, what does the fare include that an ocean fare would charge for?
Why ask it
River fares commonly fold in a tour in each town, wine with dinner and wifi, though every river cruise company draws that line somewhere different. Get the list, then set the total against an ocean fare with the same things added, not one headline price against another.
What do the third and fourth passengers in the cabin pay, and is there a child fare?
Why ask it
Extra passengers usually pay less than the first two but still owe port fees and the daily service charge. An offer that says children sail free tends to cover the fare alone, so ask for the full figure per child.
Is there a past-passenger, resident, military or age-based rate I qualify for?
Why ask it
Some lines publish rates for returning passengers, residents of certain regions, service members and older travelers, and they are seldom applied unless you raise them. A rate like this may stack with a sale or replace it, so have both totals worked out.
How is the onboard account settled, and can a child's card be capped?
Why ask it
Everything bought on the ship goes on the cabin card and is totalled on the final night, sometimes with a hold placed on your bank card along the way. Lines differ on whether a child's card can be limited or blocked from purchases, which is better learned now than from the arcade.
Agent
Which cruise lines do you book most, and have you sailed with this one?
Why ask it
An agent who sells mostly one or two lines knows those ships deck by deck and may lean toward them. Time spent on this ship, or on a sister ship of the same class, tells you more than a brochure read down the phone.
Is the fare through you the same as booking with the cruise line directly?
Why ask it
Often it matches, because the line pays the agent's commission out of its own side, but some agencies add a fee. Look up the line's public price for the same cabin and date so you can see the gap, if there is one.
What can you add to this booking that the line's website would not give me?
Why ask it
Concrete answers sound like onboard credit, prepaid gratuities or a cabin held back in a group block. If nothing is named, what you are buying is help when plans go wrong, which is still worth having on a trip with this many moving parts.
How often do you book this kind of cruise, and when was the last one?
Why ask it
A Caribbean week, an Alaska sailing and a river itinerary are sold on different details: the side of the ship, the direction of travel, the height of the water. An agent who books yours regularly will bring those up before you do.
Once I have booked, do I call you or the cruise line when something changes?
Why ask it
A reservation made through an agency is normally changed through that agency, and the line's phone staff may send you straight back there. Get the agent's hours and the name of whoever covers for them, because a revised sailing time will not wait for Monday.
Do you charge a fee of your own to change or cancel, on top of the line's penalties?
Why ask it
The cruise line's penalty table is one document and the agency's terms are another. Read the second for a flat charge per change, which can apply even while the line itself would still move you for nothing.
If I already put down a deposit with the line, can the booking be moved to you?
Why ask it
Some lines let a direct booking be handed to an agent within a set window after it is made, and others never allow it. It matters if you reserved online in a hurry and now want someone to watch the booking for you.
Ship and Route
Why this ship for us, and not another one on the same route?
Why ask it
Two ships from one line can differ in age, size and mood as much as two hotels in one chain. A reason that mentions your party, a quieter ship for a couple or water slides for nine-year-olds, shows the choice was made for you.
How many passengers does the ship carry, and when was it last refitted?
Why ask it
Size sets the feel: lines for the lifts and tenders on a very large ship, fewer places to go on a sea day on a small one. The refit date tells you whether the cabins in the photographs are the cabins still on the ship.
What is this route like in the month we want to sail?
Why ask it
Storm season, heat, short northern daylight and school holidays turn one itinerary into several different trips. What the weather did to this route in that month last year, a skipped port or a week rerouted, says more than an average temperature.
How many sea days are there, and where do they fall?
Why ask it
Three days at sea in a row suit people who booked for the ship and wear on people who booked for the ports. Ocean crossings and repositioning sailings are cheap largely because they are made of them.
What kind of crowd does this sailing usually draw?
Why ask it
One ship carries a different crowd in a school holiday week than on a long sailing in term time, and a three-night weekend run is different again. It decides whether the pool deck or the library is the busier room, so say which of the two you were hoping for.
What are the arrival and departure times in each port?
Why ask it
A day listed as eight until two is closer to four usable hours once docking and the return deadline are counted. Short calls rule out anything inland, which is worth knowing before you plan an excursion.
Where does the ship actually dock in each port, and how far is that from the town?
Why ask it
Some ports carry the name of a city an hour or more inland, and some berths sit inside a container terminal with a shuttle to the gate. That distance decides whether a port day starts with a walk or a coach.
Which stops are tender ports, where we go ashore by small boat?
Why ask it
Tendering puts a queue at both ends of the day and a step across a moving gap, and these are the calls most easily lost to wind or swell. Anyone unsteady on their feet should know which days they are before the route is chosen.
Can the itinerary change, and what happens if a port is missed?
Why ask it
The ticket contract generally lets the line swap or drop a port, and what it owes you for that is written there, often little beyond the port fees. What the line actually gave passengers on a recent sailing that lost a stop is the better guide to what you would get.
How do excursions booked with the ship differ from booking independently?
Why ask it
Lines generally promise to hold the ship for their own tours, or to get you to the next port, and promise nothing for a tour you found yourself. That is what the higher price buys, and it matters most where the drive from the port is long.
Which excursions on this route sell out, and when does booking open for us?
Why ask it
Tours with few seats go first: floatplanes and helicopter landings in Alaska, a concert or a cooking class on a river itinerary. Find out the day booking opens for your fare, and whether a tour called off for weather is refunded in full.
On an Alaska cruise, which glacier does this sailing visit, and does it enter Glacier Bay?
Why ask it
Only some ships and sailings hold permission to enter Glacier Bay, and the rest go to a different glacier or fjord. Neither is a poor day, but they are different days, so know which one is on your ticket and what replaces it if ice or fog closes the approach.
Is this Alaska sailing a round trip or one way, and what does that do to the flights?
Why ask it
A round trip from a port such as Seattle or Vancouver keeps the flights simple. One-way sailings across the Gulf of Alaska reach further north and usually mean flying into or out of Anchorage, and the ports used for it are an hour or more from that airport by road or rail, so find out who arranges the transfer.
Is a land tour before or after the Alaska cruise worth adding, and who runs it?
Why ask it
Lines sell rail and lodge packages inland toward Denali that stretch a week into ten days or more, some run by the line itself and some handed to a tour operator. Two details separate one package from another: which nights are spent in which lodge, and how many hours of each day pass on a coach or a train.
On a river cruise, what happens when the water is too high or too low to sail?
Why ask it
A river can rise until the ship cannot clear the bridges or drop until it cannot float the route, and the company may then swap ships mid-trip, switch to coaches and hotels, or cut the itinerary short. Have them tell you what was done the last time and what the terms say about money back, since river companies differ on both.
Where does the river ship moor in each town, and will another ship be tied alongside?
Why ask it
At a busy quay river ships are roped together two or three deep, so a balcony can face a neighbor's windows and the way ashore runs through someone else's lobby. Some moorings are in the old town and some are an industrial dock with a shuttle, which the brochure map seldom shows.
Cabin
Which cabin number is assigned, and what is directly above and below it?
Why ask it
Open the deck plan and look one deck up and one deck down. Cabins with other cabins on both sides of the ceiling and floor are the quiet ones, while a pool deck, a galley or a late lounge there decides your sleep far more than the category name does.
Is this a guarantee fare, and when would the cabin number be assigned?
Why ask it
A guarantee fare buys a category and leaves the choice of cabin to the line, sometimes until a few days before sailing. Check whether you may turn down an assignment you dislike, because on most fares of this kind you may not.
How much motion should we expect in this cabin on this route?
Why ask it
Low and midship cabins move least, and some itineraries cross water known for swell in certain months. If anyone in the party is prone to seasickness, this should pick the cabin rather than price.
Is the view from this balcony or window obstructed, and by what?
Why ask it
Lifeboats, steel railings and the deck overhead can sit in front of something sold as a balcony or an ocean view. A photo taken from that cabin, or from the one next door, answers it faster than the category description.
Which side of the ship faces the scenery on this route?
Why ask it
On a one-way Alaska sailing or a coastal run, one side looks at land for most of the trip and the other at open water. A round trip evens that out and a river shows you both banks, so the side is only worth paying for on some itineraries.
How does this cabin sleep three or four people?
Why ask it
A third or fourth berth is commonly a sofa bed or a bunk that drops from the ceiling, and it takes the floor space with it. See the layout with every bed open, then price two connecting cabins beside it.
What does a solo traveler pay for this cabin?
Why ask it
Fares assume two people sharing, so one person is commonly charged a supplement that can come close to a second fare. A few ships have single cabins and some sailings reduce the supplement, and both tend to go early.
Which cabins are accessible, and can a wheelchair or scooter get ashore at every port?
Why ask it
Accessible cabins are few and are taken first, and a standard cabin door can be too narrow for a scooter. Tender ports, and river ships moored side by side, may be impossible on wheels, so check the route as carefully as the room.
On a river ship, is this cabin at the waterline, and does the window open?
Why ask it
The lowest deck of many river ships has a fixed window set high in the wall, just above the surface of the river. A French balcony is a sliding door with a rail and nowhere to stand, and a full balcony with a chair on it is a third thing again, so pin down which of the three the quote is for.
On Board
What dining is included, and what has to be reserved in advance?
Why ask it
Specialty restaurants and the popular shows often fill before the ship sails. The day reservations open for you is usually tied to fare tier or loyalty level, not to how early you booked, so get that date.
Is dinner at a fixed time and table, or can we eat when we like?
Why ask it
Set seating means the same waiters and tablemates every evening, and open seating can mean a wait at the door at peak hours. The choice is often made at booking, and the early slot that families want fills first.
How are allergies and dietary requirements handled?
Why ask it
A request may be recorded on the booking, left for you to raise at each meal, or given to a named person on board. A vague answer means explaining yourself at every dinner, so with a serious allergy have the arrangement confirmed by the line itself before you pay.
What is the dress code, and which nights are formal?
Why ask it
Practice runs from jacket-required evenings to no code at all. What the main dining room actually turns away at the door is the thing to pack for, and that is not always what the brochure suggests.
What is on board for the ages traveling with us?
Why ask it
Kids' clubs use fixed age bands, and some ships take no children still in diapers into the pools or the club. Give each child's age as it will be on the sailing date, since a birthday just before or after can change which group they join.
How good is the internet on this route, and what does it cost?
Why ask it
Ship internet runs over satellite and can thin out in far northern waters, in fjords and in some harbors. Anyone who has to work should price the tier that carries video calls, not the base browsing plan, and check whether it is sold per device.
Will my phone work at sea, and what does the ship's own network charge?
Why ask it
A phone left on roaming can latch onto the ship's cellular service at rates well above anything on land. The line can tell you when that network is switched on, but the bill comes from your carrier, so check its cruise rates too.
Where is smoking allowed, and how close is that to this cabin?
Why ask it
Rules differ by line: some ban smoking on balconies and some keep it to one side of an open deck or a corner of the casino. The answer matters whether you smoke or would rather not sit downwind of someone who does.
What medical care is on board, and how are serious problems handled at sea?
Why ask it
The ship's clinic charges for its care and is set up to stabilize a patient, not to treat everything. Hear how an evacuation works on this route, then check with your insurer whether it is covered, because that bill generally comes to the passenger.
Before You Sail
What travel documents do we need, and does any port require a visa?
Why ask it
Passport validity and port visas are left to the passenger, and someone turned away at check-in for a missing document is generally not refunded. Have the requirements confirmed for every nationality in the party, and for a child traveling with one parent or with grandparents.
What vaccinations or health forms does this itinerary require?
Why ask it
Certain countries want proof of particular vaccinations, and a line can add a health questionnaire of its own. Entry rules come from each country and medical questions belong with a doctor or travel clinic, so ask the line only what it will check at the pier.
Is there a minimum age for a baby on this sailing, or a cutoff for sailing while pregnant?
Why ask it
Lines set both, and the limits can be stricter on a route with long stretches at sea. Find out whether the weeks of a pregnancy are counted to the day you board or the day you get off, because a cruise booked early can cross the line by the sailing date, and leave the medical side to your own doctor.
What does travel insurance need to cover for this trip?
Why ask it
Read for the medical evacuation limit and whether cancellation covers the reasons you would realistically cancel. If the line sells a plan of its own, find out whether a claim is paid in money or in credit toward another cruise, because plans differ on that.
If I cannot go, can I change the name on the booking or move to another sailing?
Why ask it
Some lines allow a name change or a move to a later date for a fee where an outright cancellation would cost far more. That door usually shuts around final payment, so ask while the choice is still open.
What happens if the cruise line cancels the sailing or moves us to a different ship?
Why ask it
Ships are chartered, sent to dry dock and moved to other regions, sometimes months after you booked. What you are owed depends on the line's terms and on the country where you bought the cruise, so ask how it works there and whether flights you arranged yourself are covered at all.
Should we book flights through the cruise line or on our own?
Why ask it
Air bought through the line can come with a promise to get you to the ship if a flight runs late, though the terms vary by line and by fare. Weigh that against the price and against having little say over the routing or the airline.
What time does check-in close, and how early should we be in the embarkation city?
Why ask it
Boarding ends well before the ship leaves, and a ship will not hold the gangway for a late flight you booked yourself. Many passengers arrive the day before for exactly that reason, which puts a hotel night into the budget.
How does leaving the ship work on the last morning, and what is the earliest flight home you would book?
Why ask it
Passengers are let off in groups over several hours, and immigration can add to that. Whoever is selling the cruise will usually name an hour before which a flight is a gamble, and it tends to be later than people expect.
Can I have the cabin number, total price, payment dates and cancellation terms in writing before I pay?
Why ask it
A confirmation showing those four things settles most arguments before they start. Check every name against its passport letter by letter as well, because a correction made after ticketing can carry a charge.
Reading a cruise offer closely
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Where the real cost sits
Price the whole week, not the fare
Add gratuities, a drinks estimate, one specialty dinner, excursions for each port day, internet, and transfers. Two sailings with the same fare can differ substantially once those are counted.
Count port fees and taxes separately
Some quotes fold them into the headline price and some add them at the last step, depending on the line and on where you book. When comparing lines, make sure both quotes either include them or exclude them.
Get to the port a day early
A late flight you booked yourself can mean a missed ship, and the line will not usually hold the gangway or pay for you to catch up. A hotel night before an early sailing is cheap next to catching up with the ship at the next port.
Reading the itinerary properly
- Note the all-aboard time, which is usually well before departure, and plan the day against that rather than the sailing time
- Check where the ship actually docks, since some ports are far from the town they are named after
- Look at how many sea days fall consecutively, as that decides whether onboard facilities matter to you
- Check whether the ship is in a port on a day when local shops and sites are closed
- Compare the same route in different months for weather, daylight hours, and crowding
What catches first-time passengers
Booking a guarantee cabin to save a little
You accept the category and not the location, which is how people end up beneath a nightclub. If sleep matters, pay for the assigned cabin.
Assuming health insurance travels
Health cover from home may pay little or nothing at sea or abroad: it depends on the plan and on the country you live in. Put two questions to your insurer, treatment on board and evacuation, before the deposit is non-refundable.
Cutting the return flight close
Disembarkation takes hours and customs adds more. Book the flight home for the afternoon rather than the morning.
Ignoring the passport rule
Some countries require validity for months beyond your return date. Check every passport in the party against the rules for every port on the route.
What changes for Alaska and for river cruises
Alaska: the route is the product
With a travel agent booking you a cruise to Alaska, three questions come before the price: which glacier day the sailing has, whether it is a round trip or a one-way across the Gulf, and which month. May and September are cooler and quieter, midsummer has the longest days and the fullest ships, and a one-way sailing is the kind that usually pairs with a land tour.
Alaska: budget for the shore, not the ship
The excursions that people remember from Alaska, a floatplane, a whale-watching boat, a railway into the mountains, are priced well above a beach day elsewhere and depend on the weather. Decide which one or two matter, book them when the window opens, and ask what is refunded when cloud grounds a flight.
River cruises: read the company's water-level terms
When talking to a river cruise company, ask for the paragraph in its terms that covers high and low water and read it yourself. It will say whether a ship swap or days on a coach count as the cruise you paid for, and that paragraph differs more between companies than the cabins do.
River cruises: the ship is small on purpose
River ships are built to fit locks and bridges, so there is one restaurant, one lounge and no hiding from a tour group you do not enjoy. Ask how many passengers sail, what the usual age range is, how much walking the included tours involve, and whether there is a gentler-paced group.