taking my 1st, NEED ADVICE

C

cruisenewbie

Guest
As you can tell from my name I am looking to take my first cruise. I will be going by myself and quickly found out that the lines don't like that and are more than happy to charge you double. By accident I found about singlescruise.com and I thought it was a great idea. They book you in a room with someone else and that saves cost. I know I am going to book with them and am wanting to take their Mardi Gras cruise in February 2004. I have already spent about 8 hours researching this. I was looking into reviews,and any website I could find for advice. some things that have stumped me. I keep hearing about room upgrades and I guess the travel agent can answer about some of that but I welcome any help. Also the cruise departs out of New Orleans on a Sunday and I was going to get in there on Saturday so I don't have to worry about the car breaking down Sunday while driving. Will hotels allow you to park there if you get a room for the night. What is the best time to try to board. I have heard everything from as early as you can to as late as you can. Should I try to park at the dock itself? What is the earliest or latest I need to try to book my ticket. I was told I need to put down a $250 deposit and that all but $50 is refundable if I cancel up to 70 days b4 the cruise. I can't think of anything else to ask.Any advice is more than welcome.
 
D

Darlene

Guest
You may get an upgrade when you book a category guarentee. This means you will get what you paid for or better. If you request a certain cabin perhaps because you want to be mid-ship you will not be upgraded because the cruise line assumes you want that cabin. Many hotels will allow you to park your car on their lot and will shuttle you to the ship. I don't know specifically about New Orleans. Someone on the board did that for about $85 and the parking alone would have been $70. I don't know if it was in New Orleans. For a 1:00 embarkation many people say in their reviews that they arrived at 11:00. Since you want a specific date you should book now. Some people book over a year ahead. If the price goes down before final payment you should have no trouble getting an adjustment. After final payment you may get a refund, ship board credit or upgrade. You'll have to ask. You won't automatically receive anything. Although I may have read on here about agents who will track the price for you.
 
S

Shangrilq

Guest
We arrived in New Orleans the last cruise about 11 am and people were already lined up! I think some of these people camp on their door step the night before!LOL! Hotel parking is VERY expensive in NO as much as $20 per night so you would be better off to park on their lot or the Fulton St Garrage I believe is around $7 or $8 a night. If we drive there next time I think we will just drive to the Fulton St garage and go ahead and park there and either walk or get a cab to the hotel and to the pier. However, you might be able to get the hotel to let you park your car at a reasonable fee??
 
Top