There are compelling reasons to book a cruise onboard a Royal Caribbean ship, but you'll want to double-check everything before you hand over your credit card.
Picture yourself onboard a cruise you’ve looked forward to for months (or even years). You’re having such a blast that you’re starting to dread disembarking.
With NextCruise, you can book your next cruise right onboard, having another fun experience guaranteed before you even get off the ship. Booking a cruise onboard at NextCruise offers promising deals and benefits.
You can conveniently plan out and book your next Royal Caribbean cruise with guidance from a qualified crew member.
Not only that, but using NextCruise offers some exciting deals, such as onboard credit, low deposits, and discounts on shore excursions.
Does it sound too good to be true?
When you find yourself at the NextCruise booth, avoid these common mistakes to get the best deal out of your experience.
In the excitement of experiencing your current cruise and planning your next one, it’s easy to overlook some important potential pitfalls.
As convenient as the NextCruise booth is, you never want to miss something that ends up costing you money or even delaying your upcoming cruise.
To avoid any problems when booking at NextCruise, watch out for these common mistakes.
Read more: Should you book your next cruise while onboard?
1. Forgetting to confirm offers in writing
Royal Caribbean’s website promises exciting deals for booking with NextCruise. These include:
- The best offer on any sailing, guaranteed
- Up to $600 in onboard credit for your next cruise
- Deposits as low as $100 per person
- The ability to handpick your suite or stateroom
- Booking up to three staterooms with the same benefits for friends and family
- Up to 10% off shore excursions
Not only that but you’re also guaranteed onboard credit when you book with NextCruise.
The onboard credit varies depending on the length of the sailing and the type of stateroom you choose.
- 4-5 night cruises
- Inside/Oceanview: $25
- Balcony/Junior Suites: $50
- Grand Suite & Above: $150
- 6-9 night cruises
- Inside/Oceanview: $50
- Balcony/Junior Suites: $100
- Grand Suite & Above: $300
- 10 nights or longer cruises
- Inside/Oceanview: $100
- Balcony/Junior Suites: $200
- Grand Suite & Above: $600
But how can you guarantee that’s the offer you’ll be getting?
When the NextCruise agent books your cruise, excursions, or add-ons, they will give you a printout of all the details and guarantees. It's easy to lose track of what you discussed, and which promotions or offers you're actually getting.
Double-check that printout you receive from NextCruise to make sure everything you were promised is there in writing.
From onboard credit to the final price, that physical paper will ensure that you get the discounts you’re looking for.
Read more: You can now book new cruises from the Royal Caribbean app while onboard a cruise
2. Not paying attention to deposit type
In the excitement of booking your next cruise, it’s easy to miss some details and not realize the important parts until later.
Before you hand over your credit card to book the cruise, there are a few things you should double-check
One key detail is checking your deposit type.
When booking your Royal Caribbean cruise, the two deposit types are refundable or non-refundable.
The NextCruise agent will likely automatically quote you a non-refundable deposit.
There’s nothing wrong with a non-refundable cruise deposit. In fact, the price is usually a bit lower than a refundable deposit. However, it’s important to double-check the deposit type and details of your cruise.
If you don’t confirm that this is what you want, you could end up going home and needing to change or cancel the cruise. Or, you may have wanted a refundable fare in the first place.
If you’re unsure about any aspect of the sailing, from the date to ship to unexpected fees, be careful that you aren’t booking with a non-refundable fee.
If you do want a refundable deposit, verify that it is selected when you book your cruise.
Even if you choose a refundable deposit and get home and confirm that the cruise details still work for you, you can change the booking to a non-refundable deposit type.
3. Leaving your current travel agent on the reservation
NextCruise automatically assigns any new bookings to the travel agent you booked the current cruise through.
For example, if you booked your cruise on some random website, and then decide to book a new cruise once onboard, the reservation will automatically go back to that original agency.
If you don’t want this to be the case—maybe you’d like to keep the reservation for yourself, or use a different travel agent—you’ll need to change this manually.
If you’d like to change the travel agent on file, you’ll need to get a transfer form and complete it within 30 days of booking at the NextCruise booth.
Extra work like this negates the ease of booking at NextCruise, so try to avoid changing the travel agent after booking.
To prevent any extra changes, check which travel agent is on file before you pay for your next cruise.
Read more: Royal Caribbean Next Cruise program details, info and tips
Not taking airfare into account
So you’re on an amazing cruise, and see a great deal for another one with an exciting destination.
You might see discounts on cruises to Europe, Australia, or Alaska.
A cruise to unique destinations such as these might appeal to you, and with the deals from NextCruise, you could jump right into booking.
But before you pay for a cruise to a far and exciting destination, make sure you also check the cost of other travel, such as airfare.
International flights can easily run into thousands of dollars per person, adding to the cost of your cruise even after you book it.
You don’t want to book at NextCruise, then go home and check the cost of flights and realize you can’t actually afford this trip.
Before you confirm your next cruise, check the prices of any additional travel you’ll need to do to make it to the port.
