Military Cruise Discounts
How to get your Military Discount on Cruises
by Karen Bauer, Interliner.com
$499 for a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise on a ship with a rock-climbing wall and an ice-rink? $999 on the newest, biggest cruise ship in the world? Or $599 for a 7 night Alaska cruise? Those are examples of military discounts currently available to military personnel and their families from some major cruise lines. (We’ll tell you exactly which ships and dates at the end. Go ahead and skip down if you can’t wait!).
For the last several years the cruise lines have begun to see the advantage in offering discounts to our military personnel, partially as a gesture of appreciation, but of course supported by the fact that it’s just good business for them. Cruise executives realize that theirs is a perishable product: Once that ship sails, any empty cabins remain that way for the duration of the cruise. But pricing reductions are something they don’t like very much, at least to their standard customers who usually book a year in advance and don’t want to see their $1500 cabin suddenly on sale for $799. However, by offering limited cabins to a “niche” market, cruise lines can protect the pricing integrity of their product, fill their ships, and get a pat on the back for reaching out to men and women in uniform.
Military discounts aren’t offered on every sailing. They are made available when the need to sell cabins is there. Sometimes the discounts are spectacular, sometimes they are less significant. The real trick to getting the best military discounts is to be as flexible as possible and choose your cruise from the inventory of ships currently offering the discounts. Try not to pick a specific ship and sailing date and just hope for a discount. Instead, pretend you’re looking at a menu from a restaurant and choose from what’s offered. Then it’s just simply a matter of choosing your cabins and booking your cruise.
Even though you’re getting a military discount, the actual booking process, payment and the application of things like past-passenger numbers are the same. Except for the lower pricing, you will have the same status of any other paying guest. Once paid for, your cabin is confirmed, you will have the option of a deposit and final payment date (when you book further out), you will have access to electronic pre-registration and e-documents and will be able to book shore excursions online. Cancellation penalties are the same as they are for full-fare guests (but always do consider the travel and cancellation insurance for full protection).
And there’s an additional benefit: It’s not just active-duty personnel who qualify. Spouses and parents of the active–duty personnel also may cruise using the discount. And the same discount is extended to retired personnel, reservists and in most cases to veterans with a minimum length of service. Each cruise line has slightly different parameters, so you’ll have to be patient and let your agent explain these to you. Some cruise lines allow two cabins per qualified person, others just one. Some will offer a second and third cabin to friends or family for a slightly higher rate. And sometimes they run special promotions. For instance, right now during May only, Carnival is offering three cabins to each qualified military traveler at the same rate on most of their cruises into 2011.
So how do you get started? You can book directly with most cruise lines (a few require these discounts be booked through special agencies with the contracts to sell military discounted cruises), or find an agent that specializes in military discount cruises. It’s best if they have a comprehensive website, so that you can easily see what discounts are currently on offer specifically for you. But a good agent will also take the time to discuss all your options with you personally. And of course since they specialize in military personnel, they’ll also understand your unique circumstances and challenges relating to military service.
So what are those great cruise deals we mentioned at first? At time of writing, they were the Mariner of the Seas sailing round trip from Los Angeles August 29 ($499 pp), the Oasis of the Seas sailing from Ft. Lauderdale on June 5 ($999 pp) and Celebrity’s Infinity sailing to Alaska round trip from Seattle on June 4. Taxes are additional (yes, there’s always some fine print!), but these are just a few examples of deals that can get you on a great cruise at your great military discount.
NOTE FROM GUIDETOMILITARYTRAVEL.COM:
Karen Bauer is our resident cruise expert and a travel agent at Interliner.com, a website devoted to airline employee and military cruise discounts. Visit www.interliner.com for more information on great military cruise discounts.
The Allure - Royal Caribbean's Newest Ship
by Karen Bauer, Interliner.com
Ahhhh….the Allure!
Shrek, ice-skating, zip-lining, fabulous meals, four swimming pools, a huge spa, two rock-climbing walls, a view of “Central Park” from our balcony and even Starbucks – it really could be only one place and that’s Royal Caribbean’s newest and biggest ship (by one-quarter of an inch!) the Allure of the Seas.
I had the chance to sail one of the inaugural three-day events in November, and after sailing the Oasis the year before, I thought I would be fairly unsurprised, although still impressed. But there were enough new twists to keep it interesting, and since it had been a year since the Oasis, I had a few memories to jog, anyway.
On the Oasis we had been given a Boardwalk balcony room, which meant we could look down to the Aqua Theater (a big bonus) and out to sea. You also get the enthusiastic zip-liners shooting past your balcony, a plus or minus depending on your attitude! The carousel filled with children is below, and it’s a festive place to be. Our Central Park balcony on the Allure was more serene, with views of the greenery below and the mostly-adults relaxing in the quiet atmosphere with “birds” chirping in the background. But with no ocean visible, you might feel a bit land-locked in these cabins.
In between checking out all the cabin categories (our favorite, the Aqua suites with expansive balconies and views aft and over the Aqua Theater) we were able to get in a quick ice-skate (great staff!), a rock-climb (higher and more challenging than other at-sea rock climbing walls we’ve been on!) and hit our favorite of the four pools, the Beach Pool with its sloped beach-style pool area and beach umbrellas for those of us who like the sun but also the option of shade when we want it.
Allure is the only ship that boasts the “DreamWorks Animation” experience, and although I was at first not excited about what I thought might be a Disney-imitation attempt, Shrek and his crew were fantastic and just added to the fun, and the kids on board were thrilled.
The dining in the traditional dining room for dinner was about what you would expect: Solid service, reasonable choices and the standard cruise fare. The optional restaurants (yes, that means you will pay a modest cover charge), however, are spectacular. We dined one night at One Central Park which features a tasting menu. I love tasting menus and this one was right up there. The ambiance was wonderful and when the chef comes by to chat, you know you have something special. Also don’t miss the new, and exclusive to the Allure, Samba Grill for Brazilian churrascaria!
There are several other dining venues with surcharges, but also many more without. Bypass Starbucks ($$) and head to Café Promenade (still great coffee, and free!) and complimentary cookies, cakes and snacks. Our pick for lunch was always Central Park’s Park Café. They’ll make sandwiches and salads to order, and then deliver to your table or chair out in the park. Breakfast was always delightful up near the spa at The Solarium Bistro. Pick a table with an oceanview near the bubbling “creek,” have your coffee refilled by the attentive wait staff and plan your day!
Is the Allure for everyone? Almost. I think I would choose something more intimate if cruising with my parents, or if I was just traveling for romance’s sake. And if you actually like the feeling of being at sea, you might miss that a bit. There were hours where my companion and I looked at each other and said we might as well be at a resort, since there was absolutely no ship motion and we hadn’t seen the ocean in ages! But for families with kids of any age, it can’t be beat.
The best news recently is the appearance of more military discounts for both the Oasis and the Allure. They are often not available in every category, but if you’re flexible on your dates and cabin choices, you can certainly experience either of these amazing new ships at an excellent military discount.
