After a friend wanted to try a Royal Caribbean cruise because he knew of my love for it, he ended up losing money when he changed his mind later on.
I felt bad for my friend, partially because I felt somewhat responsible for not doing a better job explaining the pros and cons of cruise fares, and what to consider when you're booking a cruise more than six months in advance.
He didn't blame me one bit for his oversight, but I reconsidered what I'd tell him, or any friend, in the future that wants to try their first cruise.
It's easy as a cruise fan to overlook certain important details about booking a cruise. The fine print makes a difference, and while I inherently understand them, I shouldn't assume others do too.
Understand the differences between refundable and non-refundable cruise fare
The problem my friend ran into was he booked non-refundable cruise fare and then later wanted to change his mind.
Royal Caribbean offers two kinds of deposits when you want to book a cruise: refundable and non-refundable cruise fare.
If you booked non-refundable fare (or have made it past the final payment date), there are penalties for changing your mind on the ship, sail date, or both.
In my friend's case, he booked the cruise and then a few days later, wanted to shift dates. He was shocked there was going to be a change fee.
It was at this point I realized he booked non-refundable fare, and tried to explain the two pricing options he had when making the booking. It was too little, too late.
Non-refundable cruise fare is usually cheaper, and the difference can be negligible or even thousands of dollars. However, refundable cruise fare allows for changes and cancellations.
Speaking of fare rules, it's just as important to know what happens if you cancel or change your mind after final payment date.
Regardless of if you booked refundable cruise fare or not, after the final date passes, there are major penalties for changes.
Depending on when you cancel, you could be out just the deposit, a percentage of your cruise fare or the entire cost of the cruise.
When in doubt, book refundable
I would tell anyone that's trying a cruise for the first time and isn't totally certain of their plans to opt for refundable cruise fare for the flexibility it provides.
If you're booking a cruise less than six months early, you're probably close enough to your sail date that it's unlikely you'd change your mind.
Booking a cruise a year in advance is one of my top ways to save money, but I think the risk of changing your mind is higher.
The further out your cruise is, the more I'd lean towards a first time cruiser booking refundable cruise fare.
Shop around for special rates
It's so easy to discover a particular sailing and want to book it immediately, but you should shop around.
I know how tempting it is to find a great sounding vacation option and want to jump on it right away. Fear of it selling out or the price changing is something we all think about.
What I'd tell anyone to do before they book is to at least shop around a bit, especially when it comes working with a good travel agent.
Travel agents do much more than simply book the cabin. Their services also include finding you the best deal, and often that's a result of special rates they have access to.
There are two kinds of special rates you should always ask about: group rates and consortia rates.
Theses are special fares that don't always get advertised, and they are the result of the agency negotiating special prices for their customers. Don't worry about why they have them, but know they can sell them to anyone. There could be a chess players group on the same sailing as you and you could get their special rate, even though you will not see or interact with the group at all.
Buy travel insurance
While my friend changed his mind about his cruise arbitrarily, I started thinking about what would have happened if he lost his job, his wife became pregnant, or some other unforeseen situation that prevented him from going on a cruise.
Travel insurance is so much more than extra medical insurance, and it covers a variety of scenarios.
It is incredibly helpful when there's a problem before, during, or after your cruise. As an example, if you had a medical emergency outside the United States, most of the expenses would be covered (whereas your primary medical plan would not).
If you were to be injured before the cruise began and was unable to travel because of the medical condition you were in, travel insurance covers that.
There are so many more potential situations that travel insurance covers that would otherwise leave you on the hook financially.
Verify final payment date
While my friend never got to this point, I think it's also important for someone new to a cruise to verify exactly when they need to pay the full amount of the cruise.
Unlike airfare, there's only a deposit needed when you book a cruise early.
Royal Caribbean takes a deposit up front, and then doesn't require the rest of it to be paid until the final payment date, which is usually 90 days before your cruise.
I've become complacent in waiting for my travel agent to email me a week or two before final payment date. But new cruisers won't necessarily have such a good system in place.
If you book through a travel agent, have them remind you when the final payment is due. If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, mark your calendar and plan to make the payment several days before the final due date.
If you miss final payment, Royal Caribbean will cancel the reservation.
