Is a “Free Cruise” really free???
In an earlier blog, I talked about the real value of a so-called “Free Cruise“. Recently, I received one and wanted to go through the whole process so that I could describe it fully to you so you could save yourself the wasted effort trying to get a free cruise that will turn out to NOT be free.
To start with, I received a “Free Baja Cruise” certificate after attending a timeshare presentation. I did not buy the timeshare, but figured that I could use a free cruise, and the two hours spent listening to the presentation would be worth at least $360 in savings on a cruise. Where else would I earn that kind of money?
I read the cruise certificate, front and back, noticing that they estimated that I would have to pay about $179 per person for port fees and taxes, otherwise the cruise was free… unless I wanted to upgrade to a better cabin or travel during a busy season, which is most of the year here in California for these Baja Cruises.
The process was different with this certificate, than others that I have seen, in that you are given the choice to either send in the certificate or to log into a website to “Register” your certificate. You have to register this certificate within 60 days. If you miss this step, or are late in doing it, the certificate is worthless. I could argue that it is worthless at any time, but, unless you do this first step on time, you have no recourse. Keep in mind that the certificate is only good for one year so every day that you delay in getting the certificate registered, means that you have fewer days to select for your vacation.
After you register, you receive a letter explaining that you need to send in a $100 reservation deposit. With this company, you will receive an email as soon as they get the check so that you can immediately log on and start picking the dates you want to cruise. In this example, you had to pick your first choice 60 days after the date that they log in the deposit. You need to pick two more dates, one of them at least 30 days after the first one and the last one at least another 30 days later. Now you wait.
Generally, about 45 days before the first date you have selected, you will receive a letter telling you that it is time to log in and finalize your cruise date. They tell you that you will be responsible for the taxes and port fees as noted on the back of the certificate. They also say that after you decide if you want to upgrade to a better cabin, then they will check your dates to see if there are any available cabins of the type you have selected. If there are cabins on all three dates you selected, you can choose which one you want. If only one of the dates have the cabin you selected, then you are stuck with that date.
Now, before we move on, I did a little homework on my own to figure out how much I would pay if I bought this cruise through the cruise line or a travel agent. This cruise was a 4 night, 5 day Baja cruise out of Long Beach. I also looked up the cost for upgrades because I knew that they would be trying to up-sell me to a better cabin. I also checked the taxes and port charges listed on the cruise line website. I also knew that this free cruise would be for the cheapest fare available, an inside cabin with the bunk beds. (They call it 1A-Upper/Lower online because that does not sound as bad as bunk beds. Also, you should know that they don’t have very many of these cabins on the ship, so your chances of going the cheap route is very limited. You will very likely have to upgrade to use the certificate.)
Online, I found that this cruise was advertised at $279 + $41.36 in taxes, per person, for a 1A-Upper/Lower cabin. Further research showed that of the $279, there is $99 in port fees. So the real cost is $180 + $99 + 41.36 which is important because that means that my free cruise only covers the $180 per person for the cruise. Therefore, I would expect to have to pay $140.36 in port fees and taxes per person, plus any upgrade that I wanted. I did not want to sleep on bunk beds and would have been willing to pay the advertised rate for an upgrade to an ocean view cabin. Online, the advertised fee for an ocean view was $319 per person, plus taxes, instead of the $279 per person, plus taxes, which is an additional $40 per person.
So, now I think that I will have to pay $140.36 in port fees and taxes, plus $40 for the upgrade, per person, for a total of $180.36 per person or $360.72 for my free cruise. Not free, but I am saving about $360 over buying it myself.
To my surprise, that is not what happened. I was talking on the phone to person about what I want to do and was I ever surprised that they are charging $125 per person for the upgrade that is advertised at $40 per person online. Also, they will be charging the full $179 estimated fee for taxes and port charges. That means that they want $304 per person or a total of $608 for the free cruise. That is almost $250 more than the $360 that I was expecting.
The craziest part is that I could buy a senior citizen rate, because I am an old guy, that would give me the ocean view for $279 plus $41.36 in taxes. The whole package would cost $640.72 for the two of us. Best of all, I pick my dates, I do it all online, and I don’t have to deal with someone from some sort of call center that cannot really provide the full service that I deserve.
Keep that in mind when you are ready to take a cruise. Talk with a travel agent like me who can look at all of the options and will give you the service you deserve. Best of all, you won’t have to sit through a timeshare presentation to get a certificate for a “Free Cruise” that isn’t really free.
One last thought. I did not listen to the call long enough to get into the discussion about travel insurance but I am sure that it would have been twice as expensive as what I could get directly through the cruise line or from a good company as Travel Guard. Don’t forget to make sure you get travel insurance to protect your investment in a carefree vacation. If you don’t know why, look at my earlier blog about travel insurance and medical emergencies.
I guess it was true; there is no free lunch, nor a free cruise either.
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Turning Dreams into Memories,
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Bon Voyage!!!
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