cruises booked via america
billozz
Posts: 178 Forumite
hi some friends have told us that they booked a cruise via america ???? using an american phone???? mobile phone and they saved a fortune, im sure this isnt possible but they insisted it was, does anyone know or are they just winding us up.
thanks
Bill
thanks
Bill
Smile and be happy, things can usually get worse!
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Comments
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Ask your friends how they did it, maybe they could do it for you also.0
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some cruise companies will allow US agents to sell to UK passengers, others don't. Not sure what relevance a US phone would be but, for the cruises that only sell to US residents you would need a credit card with a US billing address0
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Yes you will find that almost all if not all US companies have a policy of only selling to U.S. residents.
We have booked 5 times using US sites. Crown Cruises, Cruises-n-More and Cruise outlet. I am a US citizen but that doesn't make a difference to the T&C's. You are supposed to be based in in the U.S. and I always have to give my U.K. address so seems they are not too bothered.
Go to cruise compete and put in the details of what you are after. You will then get emails from different agents competing for your business.
Also have a look at the cruise company's own prices. We were looking next year for 14 nights Caribbean with MSC, put the details up on cruise compete then looked at MSC's own site. They were $400 cheaper than the nearest quote.The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.0 -
I've read on cruise forums Brits booking with American agencies and paying less and citing some agencies.
Personally, I'm not convinced the savings are worth doing. There are offers all the time, either directly from the cruise line themselves or via agents and I would much rather go direct or via an agency in the UK, monitored by UK/EU laws than having to fight with an American one if things were to go wrong.
As for your friends, wondering if what they say is that they used an American phone number to pass as American. Wonder what would happen if something went wrong and they tried to claim back having to explain that they have lied.0 -
On our one and only cruise so far (still not that impressed :cool:)
We used WMPH
Got a very cheap price with no hassles at all.0 -
hi some friends have told us that they booked a cruise via america ???? using an american phone???? mobile phone and they saved a fortune, im sure this isnt possible but they insisted it was, does anyone know or are they just winding us up.
thanks
Bill
We booked a cruise to the Antarctic via the US (CruiseNorway). The holiday cost was around half the price it would cost to book in the UK. Of course this was 10 years ago and the exchange rate varied between $1.79 and $1.92 while we were paying it off. I think the challenge today is that you don't get the benefit of a good exchange rate and that is where most of the saving is.0 -
Yes you will find that almost all if not all US companies have a policy of only selling to U.S. residents.
Not correct. The only cruise lines that blocks this are Carnival Corp. after pressure from UK travel agents. So you are unable to book the following cruiselines without an American address - Carnival, P&O, Cunard, Holland America, Costa, Princess, AIDA, Fathom and Seabourn.
Fortunately you can book Celebrity and Royal Caribbean cruises from the UK via a US travel agent without any problem. Since the dramatic fall in the exchange rates following the Brexit vote it is now significantly better to book your cruise in the UK rather than the US but that could change so you need to check prices everytime you are planning a cruise.
One of the major advantages in booking via the US is you get your deposit refunded up to final payment if you decide to cancel your cruise where as in the UK and EU you will lose all the deposit. Also US travel agencies regularly give additional perks to their clients like increased on board credit, pre-paid gratuities but even taking these into account it is NOW better to book in the UK (currently).
We always check UK, US and EU for the best deals :-
UK - https://www.vivavoyage.co.uk
US - https://www.americandiscountcruises.com
EU - https://www.seascanner.com
Fbaby made a comment on your safeguards if you booked in the US. When you pay a US travel agency the money goes directly to the Cruiseline and not kept by the agency like in the UK so in my book better security of your money.0 -
Thanks for the info will be very useful for the future. THANKS again Travellerboy.0
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