In February, Barb McGowan took a seven-day cruise on Holland America Line, visiting the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Dominican Republic, for just $343, excluding taxes, port fees, and surcharges. Visited for $49 per day. By comparison, Holland America currently has seven-day Caribbean itineraries in October starting at about $700.
The catch: She only gave 48 hours' notice.
McGown, 64, a Naples, Fla., native who owns a restaurant franchise, will take part in one of the airline's new standby cruises aimed at filling empty seats on ships for travelers who live near ports of departure. did.
“I'm always looking for a good deal, and this was a particularly good experience,” McGowan said, praising the food and entertainment. “I was so impressed that I put a deposit on a future cruise.”
How to keep a ship full
Knowing that cancellations were inevitable, Holland America instituted a standby program last August to maximize vessel occupancy. So far, the rest of the cruise industry has not followed its lead.
“If a cancellation occurs within a week or two of sailing, it's difficult to resell that space on the open market,” said Dan Ruff, Holland America's vice president of revenue management.
Just as airlines oversell seats, cruise lines may compensate for cancellations by overselling staterooms. But filling waitlists reduces Holland America's reliance on overselling and risks sending passengers to distant departure points or offering large cash incentives to induce volunteer cancellations. There is.
The company hasn't heavily advertised this new practice, but it does post a webpage listing available departures with low prices ($49 per person, excluding taxes and fees, whether you share a cabin or travel alone). ) is gaining popularity among thrifty people. Set dates that appeal to flexible travelers. The company says waiting guests should expect indoor cabins, but have been assigned ocean-view cabins and verandah cabins. (The company did not say how many standby cabins it provided.)
“$49 per person per day is pretty outrageous,” said Colleen McDaniel, editor of cruise criticism website CruiseCritic.com, noting that the price includes all meals and entertainment. did. “You won't find a lower rate for what's included at a land resort.” (The average nightly rate for a U.S. hotel in 2023 is $156, according to STR, a data analytics company that monitors the hospitality industry.) It was nearby.)
To participate, travelers select an itinerary from a standby list on the website. Current ports of embarkation include Boston. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Montreal; Quebec City; San Diego; Seattle; Vancouver, British Columbia. and Whittier, Alaska – Call Holland America or book through Trip Advisor and pay for your trip in advance.
If the standby cruiser wishes to withdraw, there will be no refund. However, if the gamble doesn't pay off and the cruise line is unable to offer rooms to those on the waiting list, they will issue refunds.
The company says standby products will be added over time and will typically list itineraries within two to three months of departure. Current plans include seven-day sailings around Alaska's Inside Passage from April to September, and seven- to 11-day trips along the coasts of New England and Canada's Maritime Provinces from May to October. .
Proximity is a bonus
The waiting cruiser will not know of the approval or denial until a week to two days before departure. This complicates transportation arrangements.
“Last-minute airfare can offset the savings on your cruise,” Crystal Seaton, owner of Road to Relaxation Travel, a travel agency based in Raleigh, North Carolina, wrote in an email. Ta. She hasn't booked any standby sailing customers yet, but she suspected they're targeting travelers who can drive to the port.
“We were lucky; we found out on Tuesday that we were leaving at 3 p.m. on Friday,” said Sheila Varoney, 66, of Clermont, Florida.
She booked a parking spot near the Fort Lauderdale dock before her permit was granted, but if she cancels it will set her back about $6. She also had her vacation outfit ready at the last minute for the three-and-a-half hour drive to the port.
Booking refundable tickets, or at least tickets that guarantee loyalty points or cash credits in the event of cancellation, is one way travelers who need to fly can take advantage of this benefit.
McGowan drove 90 minutes from his home to the ship in Fort Lauderdale for the waiting voyage. But her travel companions were scheduled to come from Indiana, so when she joined the standby list months before her departure date, she used her frequent flyer points, which would be refunded if her last-minute cruise didn't come, to travel to the South. I booked a West Airlines ticket for a friend. Through.
Avoiding additional charges
Once on board, additional charges like cabin upgrades, Wi-Fi, alcohol, and shore excursions can inflate your bill, but most frugal travelers try to avoid them.
McGowan jumped in for $17.50 per day for an upgraded drinks package (basic non-alcoholic beverages are included on the cruise) and took one shore excursion focused on coffee growing. did. She thought it was a good value for $89.
During a Caribbean cruise, the Valonies would ask for recommended beaches to relax on port days and wait until shore to check email to avoid paying for onboard Wi-Fi.
“We didn’t miss it at all,” Ms. Varoney said. “For drinks, wait until happy hour and get one get one free.”
Will other companies follow suit?
To date, no other cruise line has adopted a standby program.
Princess Cruises said it has no plans to offer the cabins on a standby basis, but noted that it already offers last-minute discounts, which tend to cost about $50 to $60 per passenger per day. For example, her seven-day Alaska voyage from Vancouver to Anchorage departing May 8 is listed at $399 per person for her in a two-person cabin.
Operators such as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line also offer last-minute discounts on their websites, but several other major cruise lines did not respond to inquiries about possible standby programs.
“I would be surprised if more mainstream cruise lines started adopting a similar model for their standby systems,” Kimberly Coyne, director of sales and content strategy for cruise review site Cruiseline.com, wrote in an email. She said standby fares could be financially unsustainable for cruise lines, citing the possibility that travelers could become too accustomed to late-booking deals.
Other storage methods
Mr. McDaniel, of CruiseCritic.com, said corporate discounts have declined following the recent surge in cruise bookings.
She advises on standby options, such as booking during “wave season,” a sale period that typically runs from January to March, or taking part in repositioning cruises, where ships move from one region to another seasonally. We've identified a way to win more deals than ever. . Changing the itinerary could potentially take him from Alaska to the Caribbean via the Panama Canal in the fall.
“It's not uncommon for repositioning cruises to cost less than $75 per night,” McDaniel said, adding that other costs, such as air itineraries to one city and return from another, are standard. He pointed out that it could be more expensive than a regular round-trip ticket.
Relocating a cruise tends to call at fewer ports and add a fuller program onboard, including lectures, cake decorating classes, craft spirits tastings, and other activities.
“Ships are a destination for many people and this is the perfect activity for anyone who wants to be on a boat,” she said.