Good Questions
The answers before you ask
Cruising has its own vocabulary, and nobody should have to learn it before they can enjoy a holiday. Here is what almost every cruise line does, written the way we would explain it on the phone.
Every line writes its own fine print, so treat the figures below as the shape of the industry rather than a quote. Your booking confirmation is always the final word, and we go through yours with you line by line.
Section 1
Planning with us
Does it cost more to book through you?
No. Cruise lines pay us from the fare they already publish, so you pay the same as booking direct and gain a planner who knows the ships. When a line runs a promotion, you get it too.
How far ahead should we book?
Twelve to eighteen months for suites, river ships, and school holiday sailings. Lines open their calendars eighteen to twenty-four months out, and the cabins worth having go early. Deep last-minute deals are common on mainstream ships and rare on luxury ones.
What happens after I send an inquiry?
We call you for a relaxed conversation about the occasion, who is traveling, and how you like to spend a day. A tailored proposal follows by email, usually within a few days. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
Can you arrange the flights and hotels too?
Yes, and we recommend it. We build in a night at the port city before you sail so a delayed flight never costs you the ship, and we can add days on either end of the voyage.
Section 2
Deposits, payment, and changes
How much is the deposit?
Most ocean lines hold a cabin for about $100 to $500 per person. Suites, luxury lines, and voyages longer than two weeks ask more. Whatever you put down comes off your final balance.
When is the balance due?
Usually 75 to 120 days before you sail. Short cruises sit at the near end of that window and long or luxury voyages at the far end, and several lines pushed their deadlines earlier in 2026. You get your exact date in writing, plus a reminder well before it arrives.
What is the difference between a refundable and a non-refundable deposit?
A non-refundable deposit buys a lower fare, but you forfeit it if you cancel, though many lines will move it to another sailing for a change fee. A refundable deposit costs a little more and lets you change your ship or your dates freely up to final payment. We tell you which one your fare carries before you commit.
What happens if we have to cancel?
Before the final payment date, a refundable booking cancels with your deposit returned. After that date, penalties climb as the sailing nears, commonly from a quarter of the fare down to none of it refunded inside the last few weeks. The exact schedule appears on your confirmation, and we walk you through it when you book.
Do we really need travel insurance?
We recommend it on every voyage. Once you pass final payment most of your money is at risk, and a medical evacuation from a ship at sea is expensive in a way land travel is not. Look for trip cancellation, medical, and evacuation cover, and buy early if you want a pre-existing condition waiver.
Section 3
Documents and who can sail
Do we need passports?
Bring them. On a closed-loop cruise, one that leaves from and returns to the same United States port, citizens may sail with a birth certificate and a government photo ID. A passport is still what gets you home if you miss the ship or need to fly back for an emergency, and a few ports require one anyway. Check the expiry date: many countries want six months of validity beyond your return.
How young can children be?
Most ocean lines welcome babies from six months old. The minimum rises to twelve months on transatlantic, transpacific, Hawaii, and other voyages with three or more sea days in a row. River ships set their own, usually higher, minimum age.
What is the dress code?
Daytime is resort casual everywhere. Evenings on premium and luxury ships lean smart, a jacket or a dress most nights, with one or two formal evenings on longer voyages. River ships stay relaxed from morning to night.
Section 4
Life on board
What is included in the fare?
On mainstream ships: your cabin, the main dining rooms, the buffet, room service, most entertainment, and the gym. Drinks beyond water, tea, and drip coffee cost extra, as do specialty restaurants, wifi, the spa, and shore excursions. Luxury and river lines fold most of that into the fare, and some include excursions and gratuities as well.
What about gratuities?
Mainstream ocean lines add roughly $16 to $20 per guest per day to your onboard account, a little more in suites. Luxury lines almost always include gratuities in the fare. We tell you which applies before you book so the total is never a surprise.
How much should we expect to spend on board?
It depends entirely on the fare you choose. Drink packages, wifi plans, and specialty dining are usually cheaper booked before you sail than at the gangway, so we price them with you during planning.
Should we book shore excursions through the ship?
Ship tours carry one real guarantee: if the tour runs late, the ship waits for you. Independent guides cost less and travel in smaller groups. We mix the two and keep every private tour on a timing margin the ship would honor.
Will we get seasick?
Most guests feel very little. Modern ships carry stabilizers, and a cabin midship on a lower deck moves least of all. River ships sail flat water, so the question rarely comes up at all.
Can I sail on my own?
Yes. Most lines charge a single supplement, commonly 125 to 200 percent of the per person fare, because the cabin is priced for two. A growing number of ships have dedicated solo studios with no supplement at all, and we look for those first.
Still wondering about something?
Ask us. There is no such thing as a silly question about a trip you have been saving for.