Booking a cruise is both an art and a science. Prices change regularly, cruises sell out, and it's especially challenging when family and friends want to book more than one room on the same cruise.
In general, this is why we recommend using a travel agent, as they have more tools to get the price and coordinate group reservations. A good travel agent, which usually means someone who does it full time as part of an agency who can provide quick responses almost 24/7, makes it much easier to book the cruise than want at a good price.
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However, some passengers book on their own and there are some tools that are available to both ordinary people and travel agents. Royal Caribbean, for example, allows passengers to do a brief “hold” on their cruise.
Depending on the distance of the cruise, it may take passengers 24 to 48 hours to consider their purchase. That could allow couples or spouses to check in with each other or give family groups time to bond.
However, it is a fairly quick period and Royal Caribbean has decided to give passengers and travel agents a longer period to take a cruise before having to put down a deposit.
Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet
Royal Caribbean expands its cruise reservations
Royal Caribbean has extended the time it allows passengers and travel agents to make an individual cruise reservation. A cruise hold means that the passenger or travel agent has booked the cruise without depositing money.
Doing so removes that cruise from inventory and no other person can book that cabin while it is taking place. That's a risk for the cruise line because it could lose the opportunity to sell that cabin to another passenger.
Despite that, Royal Caribbean shared a new policy in an email to travel agents.
How long you can hold a cruise will depend on when final payment is due (the day booked passengers are due to pay for their cruise). For cruises more than 91 days from final payment, a 5-day hold will be offered. When sailing 46 to 90 days in advance, Royal Caribbean will offer a 2-day hold, while those 31 to 45 days can only be held for a single day before a deposit must be made to reserve the cabin.
No extensions to the waiting period will be offered. The new policy applies to both travel agents and passengers booking their own cruise.
READ ALSO: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise
These rules only apply to individual cabin reservations.
Travel agents have the ability to place longer holds of 30 days on group room blocks. However, groups of more than 16 rooms require a $50 deposit per cabin reserved.
Norwegian, Carnival, and even Royal Caribbean's sister line, Celebrity Cruises, offer 48-hour bookings.
Are you taking a cruise or thinking about one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to get answers to all your questions.
