Cruise Planning Essentials
Booking Your Cruise

Booking your cruise can be a fun and exciting part of your cruise experience but knowing where to sail, which ship will suit your personal preferences and knowing what specials are being offered can be a complicated and confusing experience. Any errors or misinformation that results can create an expensive and time-consuming mistake. Remember that your cruise is a significant investment and it is imperative that your cruise reservation is booked with a professional cruise counselor who will be your travel advocate. Think about it this way, would you have a tooth pulled by your neighbor, who read about pulling teeth on the internet? I would hope not!

At the Luxury Cruise Source, our Cruise Specialists have an average of over 14 years of experience selling and sailing on luxury cruise lines. We match each client with the cruise ship and itinerary that will best suit his or her needs and style. In addition, we offer many added values including; competitive pricing, special amenities, cabin upgrades, private shore excursions, shipboard credits and much more.

When talking with one of our Cruise Specialists, please be sure to provide us with your travel timeframe and let us know if you are flexible with your dates. Often different sailing dates will offer different pricing and by moving your cruise dates by a week or two, you can enjoy considerable savings. Our Cruise Specialists know the various itineraries and fare structures and can guide you to the sailing, which will offer you the best value for your travel dollar.

Be sure to mention if you are a past passenger of the cruise line you are selecting. Most lines will offer an added value to their loyal, repeat clients. Another savings benefit, which is offered by some cruise lines, is a cruise pre-payment benefit. For example, Crystal Cruises will extend a 3.5% savings to any passenger who pays for their cruise in full at least 6 months in advance.

How you pay for your cruise can also be an important factor regarding your cruise benefits. For example, certain credit card companies offer a shipboard credit or complimentary shore excursion, when you pay in full with their card, so be sure to discuss the payment options with your cruise specialist.

To help ensure that you have peace of mind, we highly recommend you consider purchasing travel insurance either through the cruise line or an independent insurance provider. Travel insurance is designed to provide a wide range of financial protection and assistance services at very competitive rates.

Travel insurance not only provides reimbursement for penalties that may be assessed due to cancellations for covered reasons, but also provides medical reimbursement for accidents overseas where Medicare and many private insurance policies are geographically invalid. In addition, most travel policies cover travel delays, baggage protection, medical protection, emergency evacuation and worldwide assistance services. It is recommended that you discuss you travel insurance options with your Cruise Specialist at the time you make your reservation.

We hope that the information we have provided will give you a general idea of the many factors which contribute to the overall success of your cruise vacation. Keep in mind that, just as you have a good financial advisor to assist you with investments, or a good lawyer to handle legal issues, an experienced, professional cruise specialist is the key to a successful cruise vacation.

Let one of the Luxury Cruise Source Specialists assist you in making your cruise a success and a time to remember.