Cruise booking choices can affect disruption assistance
Cruise-line air and shore excursion reservations include protections that independent bookings may not offer, according to a report.
A cruise ship will not delay departure for a passenger whose independently arranged flight is disrupted. By contrast, air reserved through a cruise line’s own program includes assistance when flight problems occur, the report says.
Similar provisions apply to shore activities. If an excursion purchased through the cruise line returns late, the ship will wait or the line will arrange and pay for transportation to the next port. When a scheduled port call is canceled, cruise-line excursions are automatically refunded to the passenger’s onboard account, according to the report.
Passengers can find operational details in the ship’s daily program, including the all-aboard time, the port agent’s telephone number, activity locations and information about venues carrying additional charges. The listed all-aboard time takes precedence over the departure time provided on the original itinerary.
Daily programs have different names by company: Royal Caribbean uses Cruise Compass, Carnival calls its version Fun Times, Princess uses Princess Patter and Norwegian publishes Freestyle Daily.
The report also says most major cruise lines allow each adult of legal drinking age to bring one sealed bottle of wine or champagne aboard, while passenger-carried hard liquor is not permitted.