Reservation Requirements and Information

A 3-4 day cruise requires a deposit of $100.00 - $ 200.00 per person within days of reserving a cabin. A 7-day cruise deposit is usually $250.00 per person. The cruise lines take Visa, Master Charge, and Amex and Discover. Final payment is due usually 70 days prior to departure. If you are asking about a sailing date within 60 days, final payment is due immediately. Booking 6 months or more in advance usually qualifies you for an early booking discount and priority cabin selection.

There are other charges such as port charges and government taxes, and there are often surcharges for Christmas and New Year sailings. Tipping at the end of the cruise, shore excursions, gambling and liquor are not included in the cruise package price. All food, entertainment and most onboard activities are included. Transfers to and from the airport are usually included with the cruise line air fare. It can also be purchased separately if you are getting your own air.

Optional cruise insurance, if selected, is $99.00 and up per person for a 7-day cruise and is due before final payment date. Insurance for a 3-day cruise costs $39.00 and up per person, and a 4-day cruise is $49.00 and up per person. We highly recommend purchasing this insurance. Order Insurance

You will need proof of citizenship, such as a passport or certified copy of your birth certificate and a photo ID such as a driver's license. We also need to know if you have any special medical conditions or dietary requirements.
Instant Passports - 24hrs

To place a reservation, we need each cruise passenger's name exactly as it appears on his/her drivers license and birth certificate. We also need each passenger's birth date and citizenship. If you are a honeymoon couple, we need the bride's maiden name, and you need to bring a copy of your marriage certificate along with you on the cruise.

All prices quoted are subject to change until under deposit.

Cancellation Penalties

Cancellation Penalties vary among Cruise Lines. Penalties go into effect if you need to cancel between 60-70 days before the cruise. They get more severe between 29-4 days and inside of 4 days, you lose everything. Again these are examples and as soon as you select a cruise, we will show you the exact amounts. This why we strongly recommend insurance.

Tipping

Our guidance to those passengers is that generally, waiters and stateroom stewards receive $3.00 - $ 3.50 per passenger per day, while assistant waiters receive $2.00-$ 2.50 per passenger per day. Butlers receive $2 per day. A 15% gratuity is automatically included on all beverage tabs for your convenience. You may reward your stateroom steward or stewardess and your dining room waiting staff with a cash tip.You may also wish to reward your Head Waiter and Maitre d' Hotel as well if they have performed some special service. During your cruise, the Cruise Director will give a general Disembarkation Talk which will include guidance on tipping and answer any questions you may have. Tipping is usually done the last night of the cruise and envelopes will be placed in your room.
Tipping may also be pre-paid before your cruise with some cruise lines.

Dining Room Information

Hurricanes

Today's cruise ships feature the most technologically advanced weather forecasting systems and equipment available, allowing officers and company officials to forecast weather-related disturbances in advance. Today's cruise ships are completely mobile and able to alter, cancel shorten or extend ship itineraries to keep guests safe in instances of threatening weather.

Ships are able to work around port closures caused by severe weather conditions. In the event that ports of embarkation and debarkation are closed, cruise lines can use nearby alternative ports. In these cases, cruise lines coordinate provisioning of the ship as well as transporting guests to and from the original port.

Cruise lines notify guests of all itinerary changes right up until the ship's sailing date. Travelers should monitor cruise-line Web sites for itinerary changes prior to finalizing travel arrangements.

While cruise companies are in the business of selling vacations, the safety and security of guests and crewmembers is our primary concern. In all circumstances cruise lines take extraordinary efforts to provide a safe and fulfilling vacation experience.

While today's cruise guests purchase air transportation in a variety of ways, travelers who buy cruise-line air transportation receive premium protection and service in comparison with travelers who purchase air separately. Cruise-line air departments invariably stand by guests, working on their behalf to make all arrangements, efficiently reschedule flights and route guests to their ship in instances of travel disruptions caused by extraordinary weather.

The purchase of travel insurance, always an important element of any cruise vacation, assumes additional significance in instances of severe weather. Airline flight delays, which are covered in policies available from several providers, are most often the critical factor when guests experience problems reaching their ship. Guests can purchase insurance to cover these situations and related expenses.

In the rare instance a cruise is cancelled due to weather-related circumstances, cruise lines, on a company-by-company basis, traditionally offer various solutions that extend to guests the opportunity to enjoy a future cruise vacation within a reasonable time period and with the guest's convenience in mind.

A Little Travel Humor

A BLONDE STEWARDESS

An airline captain was breaking in a new, blonde stewardess. The route they were flying had a stay-over in another city, so upon their arrival, the captain showed the stewardess the best place for airline personnel to eat, shop and stay overnight. The next morning as the pilot was preparing the crew for the day's route, he noticed the new stewardess was missing.
He knew which room she was in at the hotel and called her up wondering what happened to her. She answered the phone, sobbing, and said she couldn't get out of her room. "You can't get out of your room?" the captain asked, "Why not?"
The stewardess replied, "There are only three doors in here," she cried,"one is the bathroom, one is the closet, and one has a sign on it that says, 'Do Not Disturb'!"

A SMALL PLANE

A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble. In spite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot grabbed a parachute, yelled to the passengers that they had better jump, and then he bailed out.
Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining. The doctor grabbed one and said "I'm a doctor, I save lives, so I must live," and jumped out.
The lawyer then said, "I'm a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live." He also grabbed a parachute and jumped.
The priest looked at the little boy and said, "My son, I've lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace."
The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, "Not to worry, Father. The 'smartest man in the world' just took off with my back pack."

AIRLINE MECHANICS

A couple of drinking buddies, who are airline mechanics are in a hanger at the San Francisco airport. The runway is fogged in and they have nothing to do. One of them says to the other, "Man, have you got anything to drink?" The second guy says, "Nah, but I hear you can drink jet fuel, that it will kinda give you a buzz."
So they do drink it, get smashed and have a beautiful time...as only drinking buddies can do. The following morning, one of them wakes up figuring that his head will explode if he gets up. Nevertheless, he gets up and is surprised to find that he feels good; in fact, he feels great ....no hangover! The phone rings. It's his buddy asking him how he feels. "I feel great!" he says. His buddy agrees, saying, "I feel great too! You don't have a hangover either?" "No," he replies. "That jet fuel is great stuff...no hangover. We ought to do this more often." "Yeah, we could, but there's just one thing." "What's that?" "Did you fart yet?" "No." "Well...don't, cause I'm in Phoenix!"

BLONDES ON THE SUN

A Russian, an American, and a Blonde were talking one day. The Russian said, "We were the first in space!" The American said, "We were the first on the moon!" The Blonde said, "So what, we're going to be the first on the sun!" The Russian and the American looked at each other and shook their heads. "You can't land on the sun, you idiot! You'll burn up!" said the Russian. To which the Blonde replied, "We're not stupid, you know. We're gonna do it at night!"

SOMETIMES IT DOES TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST
Scientists at NASA built a gun specifically to launch dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields. British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high speed trains. Arrangements were made, and a gun was sent to the British engineers. When the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurtled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control console, snapped the engineer's backrest in two and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin, like an arrow shot from a bow. The horrified Brits sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield, and begged the US scientists for suggestions. NASA responded with a one-line memo: "Thaw the chicken."