There is a desk on your ship that most people never visit. It is usually near the shore excursion counter or tucked into a quiet hallway. It is the future cruise desk, and it is where the cruise line pays you to book your next trip while you are still on this one.
The pitch is simple. You put down a small deposit on a future sailing, and the line gives you something back. On most lines that means a reduced deposit and onboard credit for the next cruise. Royal Caribbean runs a program called NextCruise. Norwegian has CruiseNext. Celebrity, Holland America, MSC, and Virgin all have their own version.
The numbers are not made up. Holland America advertises a reduced deposit plus up to $400 in shipboard credit for booking onboard. Celebrity offers reduced refundable deposits and up to $500 in onboard credit. Norwegian sells CruiseNext certificates that are good for four years. These are real perks the cruise line hands out because it wants your money before you get home and forget.
Here is the part almost nobody knows. You do not have to give up your travel advisor to do this. On most lines the booking you make at that desk can be transferred to me afterward. Too many people assume booking onboard means going it alone. It does not. You get the onboard perks and you keep your advisor working the reservation.
The trick is what you book. You do not need to pick a date and a cabin right then. Most of these programs let you place an open booking or a flexible deposit and decide later. Norwegian certificates last four years. MSC gives you up to a year to choose your destination. So you lock in the credit now and figure out the where and when at your own pace.
My advice is boring and it works. Stop by the desk mid cruise before it gets busy on the last sea day. Take the reduced deposit and the onboard credit. Make it an open or flexible booking so you are not committing to anything real yet. Then hand it to me when you get home and we sort out the details.
Free money for a decision you were probably going to make anyway. If you want help figuring out whether the onboard offer beats what you can get later, that is literally what we do.
Fair winds and following seas,
Captain Steve
Like what you’re reading?
The Captain’s Log is published daily by Ernst Travel Agency. We plan, protect, and personalize your vacation at no extra cost to you. If something in today’s post sparked an idea, let’s talk.
Ernst Travel Agency · North Kingsville, OH · Serving clients nationwide · ernst.llc