Wave Season Has Arrived! Summary of Offers and NEW Oceania Sales Event!

When my phone rang this morning at 5:44AM, I knew that the first day of Wave Season had arrived. So far, the rest of my Monday has followed suit, and I'd say the rush is on!

What is Wave Season? It's the cruise industry term for the first quarter of the year, which traditionally has the highest number of bookings. In fact, more than half the yearly bookings are usually made in these three months, especially in January. Think of a bell curve, with lows in December and April, and there is a "wave" of bookings this first quarter.

The past couple years, Wave Season has been less of a tsunami and more of just a good surfing day, with bookings spread out more throughout the year. Whether that's because of the growing sophistication of cruisers who book according to their personal needs rather than as a result of increased marketing which takes place this time of year, and have learned when is the best time to book, or other factors, I'm not sure. This year, the industry experts are expecting a little quieter season, but judging from today's responses from my clients, I'm not so sure. While my clients are booking on average closer in, they're still booking. The Wave is On!

To remind you all of the various specials the cruise lines are running, here are some of my past "head's up" posts to help you choose your next cruise:

RCCL, Celebrity and Azamara ASAP Promotion

Holland America View and Verandah Sale/Vacation Stimulus Plan

NCL Freestyle Savings Event

Princess is running their "Balcony Bonanza" and Carnival has some upgrade offers, but nothing out of the ordinary for either of them.

Later today, Oceania will be announcing their Historic 5th Anniversary Celebration of Savings with HUGE reductions. They're offering up to $2,000/cabin discounts off their 2-for-1 sailings in Europe with free air for their 2009 season and 25% single supplements, and up to $1,500/cabin discounts off their 2-for-1 2009/2010 Winter Season sailings, with free air, free pre-paid gratuities, $500 onboard credits and 25% single supplements. Yeah, baby! That's what I'm talking about! These Oceania offers become available for sale on January 7, and I'll be first in line to book myself as these are crazy fabulous prices.

There are a lot of reasons to book, especially in the next week. If you're considering any sailings for the next year, give me a call or email now to see how we can maximize your savings and benefits!

Of course, for close-in bookings, don't forget about the weekly Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Happy Hours and Carnival Pack N Go Specials.

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity & Azamara Want YOU!

In an unusual move, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara are giving you advance notice of their "wave" season offers for cruises booked in January and February. They're calling this the ASAP Promotion - Amazing Ships, Amazing Perks!

First up is from Royal Caribbean. They're offering 50% reduced deposit AND onboard credits between $50-200/cabin on a huge number of 2009 and even 2010 sailings. You can find all the details at RCCL ASAP Sale.

Celebrity and Azamara are on the ASAP bandwagon too! Both are also offering 50% reduced deposit and up to $200/cabin onboard credit. Azamara sweetens it even further by including pre-paid gratuities, too! Below are the specific flyers for Celebrity and Azamara:

Celebrity ASAP Sale

Azamara ASAP Sale

A few interesting idiosyncrasies to take note of: the onboard credit (and pre-paid gratuity) offers must be booked between January 5 and January 19, 2009. However, all bookings January 1 through February 28 are eligible for the reduced deposits. So if the sailing you're looking at is on the flyer for onboard credits, best to book between January 5-19. If it's not, you can still get the reduced deposit by booking as early as January 1.

Finally... been thinking of getting a group together for a family get-away, work retreat, or other social or religious organization gathering? All three lines are offering easier access to free berths for the organizer or to share among all participants. Call me for details!

Deadline for Submitting Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara Shareholder Statements

Royal Caribbean International has recently changed their rules for shareholder benefits. If you are a shareholder and currently booked for 2009 and 2010, or thinking of booking one of their brands (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Azamara), this affects you.

As of January 1, 2009, shareholder onboard credits will no longer be able to be combined with other onboard credits, such as those you receive for booking onboard, credits I may offer as part of a group, or other special sales promotions or onboard benefits. This is a major change in their program, and important enough I thought you should know.

If you are a shareholder, and you are already booked for 2009 or 2010, you MUST send in your proof of shareholder ownership information and have it applied to your booking(s) prior to December 31. That doesn't mean send it in on December 31 - it actually has to be on your booking by that date. If you do that, your credits WILL still be combinable. After that date, you get one onboard benefit, that's it.

If you are a shareholder and are considering booking for 2009 or 2010, using an onboard open booking (such as a RCCL NEXT booking or Celebrity Passages booking), in order to receive both the onboard credit and the shareholder onboard credit benefit, you MUST book by December 31, 2008 and have the shareholder benefit applied by that date. Again, that doesn't mean you can wait until December 31 to book and send in your verification - it all must be complete and on your booking by 12/31.

I am going through my clients and for those for whom I have current shareholder statements, I'm proactively sending them in for you. However, if you do have a 2009 or 2010 booking through me, please also email me at amber@cruiseresource.com to ensure that I have you taken care of.

If you're booked through me, but usually take care of your own shareholder verification, either send that in for your future bookings immediately, or forward the proof of ownership to me (as an email attachment), and I'll submit it on your behalf.

There are still people at RCI who are fighting to reinstate the combinability, but in the current economic situation, they're fighting an uphill battle. Hopefully at some time in the future, they'll be successful, and it will again be combinable. In the meantime, at least they got us the reprieve until December 31 so we can still submit for your current bookings.

Please call or email with any questions you have and let me know how I can be of assistance, either with submitting for your current bookings, or making a new one for you in time.

And if you're wondering what in the world I'm talking about, shareholders of at least 100 shares of Royal Caribbean International or Carnival Corporation stock are entitled to onboard credits on every cruise. It's an often-overlooked benefit to stock ownership, and a good option for frequent cruisers to pursue. If you'd like more information on these benefits, email or call and I'll be happy to explain the programs.

Fuel Supplement is History… For Now

Yielding to pressure from consumers, travel agencies and their competitors, Royal Caribbean International announced late today that fuel supplements will be suspended on all their US brands (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara) for all sailings January 1, 2009 and beyond. New bookings made starting Monday, December 8 will not be assessed the supplement, and for those already booked for 2009 and 2010, those who have already paid the supplement will be refunded in the form of an onboard credit, and those yet to pay final will have the supplement removed from their invoices.

Similar to the announcements made yesterday by the other major companies, there is a bit of a caveat in the release:

The company reserves the right to reinstate fuel supplement charges if the price of West Texas
Intermediate fuel exceeded $65 per barrel, on the quarterly milestone dates mentioned in the
company’s October 24, 2008, press release.

That is very telling. In talking with cruise lines today about both new and existing bookings, several reps were clearly coached with a new script which indicates they do reserve the right to reinstate the supplement, even on bookings where it has been removed or was never implemented in the first place. That means that a supplement could have been on a booking, removed, and if fuel goes high enough ($65-70/barrel depending on cruise line), added back on again.

Personally, my guess is that the Florida Attorney General won't stand for it being replaced on a booking which was created without it or from which it was removed, and will force the cruise lines back into negotiations should it become relevant. But for a true ruling on that, only time and West Texas Intermediate (or Sweet Crude) prices will tell.

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity & Azamara Eliminate Fuel Supplements

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara have announced the elimination of fuel supplements for bookings made on or after November 10, 2008 for sailings January 1, 2010 or beyond. This is the easy part, and doesn't take a Wall Street magnate to understand.

For those currently booked for 2009 or 2010, they have created a formula for whether or not you will receive an onboard credit for your fuel supplements. The good news is it's thankfully less convoluted than Carnival's formula, the bad news is it's still up to the markets to determine your refund.

So here's your reading comprehension test for the day. If you understand the following paragraph, you deserve a vacation... on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Azamara, of course.

If you're currently booked on a 2009 or 2010 sailing, they will evaluate and potentially adjust the fuel supplement quarterly, calculated based on the price per barrel of West Texas Crude (good for them for using a US supply), at closing on the New York Mercantile Exchange two weeks prior to the beginning of each quarter. If the price is $65 or less per barrel, then an onboard credit will be given to all applicable bookings the following quarter.

So, for example, if you are traveling in the first quarter of 2009, your "fuel price determination date" will be December 18, 2008. Second quarter 2009's "fuel price determination date" is March 18, 2009. And so on. And if the price on that date is $65 or less, all applicable bookings the following quarter will receive an onboard credit.

Of course, they do reserve the right to reinstate fuel supplements at a future date if market conditions warrant.

Next up, we'll see what formula NCL comes up with to remove or lessen their fuel supplements... I'm much more optimistic in seeing that than I am in the US airlines removing theirs...

Pregnant? Just had a baby? New policies on RCCL, Celebrity, Azamara

The RCI brands - Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara - have revised their policies dealing with their youngest passengers... and those expecting future cruisers.

Effective immediately, infants sailing on a cruise must be at least 6 months old as of the first day of the cruise/cruisetour. However, for Transatlantic, Transpacific, Hawaii, select South American cruises/cruisetours and other selected cruises/cruisetours, the infant (as of the first day of the cruise/cruisetour) must be at least 12 months old.

For pregnant cruisers, the policy is revised for all three lines as well. Guests who will have entered
their 24th week of pregnancy by the beginning of, or at any time during, the cruise or cruisetour. A physician's "Fit to Travel" note is required prior to sailing, stating how far along (in weeks) the guest's pregnancy will be at the beginning of the cruise and confirming that the guest is in good health and not experiencing a high-risk pregnancy.

These policies are for the protection of the passengers. Neonatal and infants require specialized equipment and medication, and the onboard clinics just aren't equipped to handle premature labor or infants. Other lines have similar requirements and I'd expect to see more of these restrictions specifically spelled out.

If you're pregnant and thinking of cruising, or have an infant, make sure to discuss that with your agent at the time of booking... or after you've confirmed your pregnancy. It's wonderful to get away before the birth of a new family member, but horrible to be turned away at the pier.

More Fuel Supplement Hikes

Following on the hikes announced by Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Lines have both posted increases of their own.

Royal Caribbean International (Azamara, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines) announced that, effective for booking made starting May 1, 2008, the supplement will increase to $8/person per day, with a maximum of $112/person per cruise for the first and second passengers in the cabin. Third and fourth passengers will be assessed $3/person per day, with a maximum of $24/person per sailing.

Norwegian Cruise Lines will be raising their fuel supplement to $9/person per day for the first and second passengers in the cabin, with a supplement of $4/person per day for the third and fourth in the same cabin. Their increase is also effective for bookings made starting on May 1, 2008. One thing to note with NCL is that they don't have a per person maximum.

I'm a bit surprised by the NCL increase. While fuel costs have gone up dramatically since the supplements were originally announced in November and December, I thought part of the rationale behind the Carnival Corp. and RCI increases were the losses they suffered when they had to credit back supplements for sailings booked prior to their November announcements of the surcharge. However, NCL never had that issue, as they didn't make their supplements retroactive. However, their supplement did go up less per person, so perhaps that's how it all adds up together to make their respective balance sheets happy.

Expect to see further increases if the price of fuel continues to rise.