Shall I book on on board?

With the deals getting better and better, is it still worth booking your next cruise on board your current voyage? I was speaking with one of my clients yesterday and I was asked this very question. Officially the cruise lines will tell you that you get the best price and on board credit on board, which to a certain extent is true. If you are booking the same cruise at the same time with an agent, you will get a smaller credit, and in some case less discount (Cunard offer a further 3% off booking on board on certain voyages). But, is it going to be cheaper if you just book the cruise on a late rate further down the line?..............Possibly!


The same rule of thumb pretty much applies here to booking early. As I have said before if there is a popular itinerary, certain date you have to go, cruise with free kids etc. Book early. Otherwise if you have an un-specific cruise, ship or date, then wait and see if you can get a bargain.

Don't get me wrong a lot of the time the on board benefits are very generous, the on board credit can be quite a lot different from booking normally. So if you are going on a cruise soon and have your eye on another, let me know and I can give you the details before you go, this way you can see if you are getting a good deal or not. You may find that the on board sales adviser will talk you into booking the cruise direct with them (rather than us the agent) by saying your agent can't do anything else for you in terms of discount or spend. In almost all occasions, this is not the case. We can pretty much always do something extra for you. It may be extra credit, further discounts, parking etc. But almost every time we CAN do better than the cruise line direct.

I hope this helps anyone thinking about booking again, any questions please let me know. I would also advise to take my email address with you on board, and if you are in any doubt if you are getting a good price or if you just want to know if we can offer any extra, email me and I will tell you there and then. Just remember, if you do want us to take over the booking you have to tell the cruise line at time of booking and they will then send the invoice through to us.