The corona pandemic has permanently changed the cruise market. Numerous shipping companies are providing significantly more last minute offers that are intended to entice travelers to make quick bookings.
While most holidaymakers booked their cruises for the long term before the pandemic, those who made last-minute decisions should now also benefit from the bargains. However, it is important not to book your trips in a hurry.
The agony of choice
The cruise market is booming. The offer is correspondingly large. That’s why globetrotters are well advised to seek professional advice from a travel agency, especially when booking their first cruise. More and more holidaymakers are also opting for package holidays that combine cruises and flights. If travelers book the arrival and departure package directly through the shipping company, the transfer between the ship and the airport is usually included in the travel price.
One advantage of this travel package is that vacationers don’t have to worry about missing the cruise ship’s departure, even if their flights are delayed.
Instead, for package tours, the shipping company takes care of booking alternative on-time flights. Without an included flight, cruise ship passengers should find out in good time how to get from the airport to the embarkation ports. It is equally important to plan a sufficient time buffer.
Critically question offers for package holidays
Consumer advocates recommend a critical assessment, particularly when dealing with package holidays. For example, travelers should question how cheap the offers really are and how reputable the tour operators are. A look at the imprint provides information about the seriousness of the provider.
Skepticism is appropriate if the information contains incomplete or strange information. Reviews and online reviews from other travelers are also helpful.
Read the fine print
In addition, it is very important to read the small print carefully with every purchase – and therefore also when booking a cruise. Finally, the pricing concepts of different shipping companies also differ from one another.
Some shipping companies offer all-inclusive tariffs, which also include drinks. Other shipping companies incur additional costs for this service.
For most passengers it is worth booking a drinks package in advance. However, if cruise ship guests only drink a little alcohol, it may be cheaper to charge for the drinks individually on board the cruise ship.
Are there any Corona regulations?
In the eyes of the consumer advice center, it also makes sense to pay attention to any existing Covid-19 regulations. This allows travelers to take care in good time whether, for example, they are missing vaccinations or whether rapid tests need to be translated into English.
In addition, sufficient insurance coverage should be available. Travel cancellation insurance is just as useful as international health insurance. Trip interruption insurance is recommended if vacationers are at risk of extreme form of seasickness for legitimate reasons.
According to the consumer advice center, there is legitimate concern about increased costs for mobile phone and internet use at sea. Marine areas are not covered by land-based mobile networks. In addition, EU roaming regulations are only valid for the country.
Tips for using your smartphone
Experience has shown that it makes sense to deactivate the automatic network selection function in your smartphone for security reasons. Otherwise, the cell phone automatically dials into the strongest network available. In most cases this is the expensive on-board electrical system.
Travelers should find out in advance which satellite network operators the ships are supplied with.
This allows passengers to check whether the network operators may have a roaming agreement for the ship’s networks. Another alternative is to book internet packages offered by shipping companies.
A suitable ship’s cabin
For a successful cruise, the expectations of the ship’s cabin should also be right. If you want to experience quiet days and enjoy many days at sea on board the cruise ship, you should choose a balcony cabin. If you only use your own cabin as a place to sleep, you can make do with the cheaper inside cabin instead.
If holidaymakers from Germany really want to communicate in German on board the cruise ship, they should opt for offers from German-speaking shipping companies such as Aida Cruises, TUI Cruises, Nicko Cruises or Phoenix Reisen. If you can speak foreign languages, you can easily choose cruises from MSC Cruises, Royal Carribean, NCL or Costa Crociere.
2024-02-11 20:42:18