LastCallCruises
Your Last
Call (but book early as times
have changed!!!) for discount cruise specials and the lowest cruise rates (cruise line air too) on ANY cruise with
ANY major cruise line (especially Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line,
and Celebrity
Cruises).
Even LOWER prices and upgrades
AFTER you book
Please note: The chances of getting a lower rate after
you've booked or any upgrade has gone down dramatically in this current environment of lower prices early. The
BEST thing you can do is to book early with one of the cruise lines (especially Royal Caribbean and Celebrity)
which honor lower prices even after you're in penalty.
For all informational quotes and questions, please email us.
Our toll-free number is for those seriously interested in booking
a cruise in the very near future.
Why Use a Travel Agent for Cruises?
by Don Baasch
Owner/LastCallCruises
Why use a travel agent to buy a cruise? For many folks, especially those who have booked through us in the past,
the answer to that question is simple. But if you've ever freqeuented any of the internet bulletin boards related
to cruising you've probably seen this question raised many times. People will write "isn't it better to do
your own research and then just call the cruise line directly when you know what you want. Or, have a representative
of the cruise line you WANT advise you and guide you through the booking process rather than a travel agent who
deals with all of the cruise lines and may even be an agent that sells everything and is an expert at nothing?"
These are good questions especially if you believe that buying cruises is like buying an airline tickets - find
the flight you want and then book it directly with the airline. Except that buying an airline ticket is just purchasing
the means to get to a vacation, not buying a vacation itself. If you're like most people and buy based on price
and the seats are a little smaller than you'd like, or the plane is a little late, or the flight attendent is a
little rude, so what? Unless you're flying first class, there's not much that any airline is going to do that is
going to positively impact your vacation and the flight is just means to an end which is over relatively quickly.
Now the cruise itself is a different story. You DON'T want to pick the WRONG one. To start, a reputable, experienced
travel agency will never sell a cruise for MORE than the cruise line itself, and might sell it for a whole lot
less. So there is no price advantage in booking direct. Second, the folks who do bookings for the cruise lines
usually know a LOT less about their own ships than we do and both know NOTHING and will offer NOTHING positive
about their competition, even if they know what you're looking for is a different cruise than the one they are
selling. We always do our best to point people in the right direction in selecting a cruise. We want you to be
happy for very selfish reasons -- we want you to come back to us next time. If we sell you the wrong cruise or
you overpay, that probably won't happen
So we do our best to sell you the right cruise, at the lowest possible price and then, constantly work your
booking right up until sailing date to make sure you have the best rate/promotion (we can see promotions that you
probably can't) and are in the very best cabin for the money. If you book through the cruise line, will that happen?
NOT on your life. The only way to book a cruise, is to find a knowledgeable travel professional who knows what
is out there and will advise you accordingly. And if you book through us, give you a better deal as well.
Here's an analogy from another industry: If you were interested in filing a legal action or lawsuit, would you
use represent yourself with the help of the administrative help at the County Clerks office, or would you hire
the best attorney you could find if that attorney would represent you for FREE? We get our money from cruise lines,
not you. Even before we start talking price of the cruise, you already can't find a better deal than that.
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Long Island Callers
516-933-4132
All Other Callers
800-285-2430
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Who we are:
LastCallCruises is a cruise only travel service who has grown to major agency status through unprecedented levels
of repeat business and acquisition of other travel agencies. Our status allows us to buy cruises at substantially
higher discounts than most travel agents, and subsequently, sell to you at much lower prices. And because we do
nothing but cruises, we are a lot more familiar with the pros and cons of the various cruise lines and destinations
than a traditional travel agent.
How much will you save?
Plenty! Especially on 7 day and longer sailings and multiple cabin orders. We
sell all of our cruises just a little above cost, and longer itineraries, more expensive accommodations and multiple
cabin orders are just as easy to complete as short excursions. The result is a fantastic cruise deal for you, especially
if you decide to cruise with our preferred lines -- Carnival
Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line or Celebrity Cruises.
NOTE: Please click here and read this section about Royal Caribbean and Celebrity
In addition, whereas other agents often attempt to sell you more expensive packages
so they will make a higher commission, we have NO INCENTIVE to do that because our markup is the same no
matter what we end up selling you. Which makes your satisfaction with the cruise you select our biggest concern.
FINALLY, we check cruise rates weekly to make sure they haven't gone down,
or to see if upgrades are now available which affect customers we have booked. If rates go up, all depositors are protected
. If they go down, we adjust your rate which either reduces your final payment or gets you a credit on your credit
card. This will be true as long as cruise lines allow us to do so. PRINCESS and HAL do not.!
The same goes for UPGRADES.
But it often goes up!
Worst part of this job: knowing that people think you're a liar because you're
telling them that the rate you gave them last week is now higher.
There is no such thing as a published rate card in the cruise industry. Brochure rates
for most lines are only LIST PRICES which have little or no meaning. Rates change constantly (sometimes daily on
sailings within 60 days!) based on supply and demand. A cruise is not like buying a tv from the Sunday sale circular
-- there is no "sale valid until" date that you can rely on. The best thing to do, if you're serious
about an itinerary, is to put a hold on it for as long as you can get. This requires you giving the names of all
passengers travelling, but no payment until the option date. At LastCallCruises we can't take the
time to put holds on every quote we give as this is very time-consuming and many shoppers are not really serious.
But if you like the price we give, and are serious about booking, ask us to hold the rate for you. It could mean
significant savings down the road..
How should I buy airfare?
This answer to this question depends largely on where you live, how nervous you are, and
how willing/able you are to leave a day early and come home a day late. In certain cities, airfare can be purchased
for a lot less directly from the airlines than through a cruiseline package. And NOT buying through the cruise
line can make it possible to realize significant savings later on when they run their "cruise only" price
promos (see credits and refund section). In other
areas of the country buying airfare through the cruiseline is significantly less or the same as buying direct making
the decision easier. And there are a couple of things about buying cruise line air: first, you can always take
it and look for a better fare as there is no obligation before final payment date and taking cruise line air does
NOT increase your deposit. Second, cruise line air is generally guaranteed. Meaning that the lines feel that since
they sold it to you, they are responsible for anything that goes wrong with it. Meaning they will take responsibility
for mechanical and weather delays on air which they've sold. HOWEVER.......They will not guarantee you any particular
itinerary and/or non stop flights unless you're willing to pay more for it.
One other consideration in this high tech age: Priceline. In case you don't know, you can "name your own price" with Priceline, meaning you can
"bid" a rate for an itinerary you want (i.e. Minneapolis to San Juan), and keep on bidding until a price
you like is accepted. The only catch is that your "bid" can only be for an itinerary on a certain date,
and you cannot have any time restrictions. So in order to take advantage of Priceline for cruise travel, you must be willing to bid for a departure at least one day prior to your cruise
departure, and return flight at least one day after the ship returns. Because if you do not, and end up getting
a flight time which will not get you to the ship on time, you will be stuck with paying for that undesirable itienrary.
Check out the Priceline web site for more information.
You'll also save on insurance
We know that you want to get the best possible price for the best possible cruise. We
also know most people HATE paying that additional amount of money for trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
But we'd like you to have it and can often save you up to 50% off cruise line rates (up to 40% if airline tickets
are also insured) for BETTER insurance with NO pre-existing condition clauses. We think you'll sleep better as
a result. Rates are as low as $37pp for cruises and airfare packages up to $1000pp!!
It's safer to do business with us
Here's some important advice: NEVER give cash or a personal check to a travel agent for a cruise, even if you
know them personally. And NEVER give them a credit card that they intend to process through their own credit card
terminal. The reason is simple: Even if a travel agent is as honest as they come, they have been known to go out
of business. And if they do, and they haven't forwarded your deposit/final payments to the cruise line, YOU might
end up the loser.
We recommend that you pay by credit card, and we guarantee on our booking contract that this payment will be
sent directly to the cruise line/airline/insurance company for processing. Your money NEVER goes into our account,
so there is ABSOLUTELY NO RISK whatsoever. And we're equally delighted because we incur no credit card fees.
What about SPECIALS and the low priced packages often advertised?
Virtually all travel services have access to the same specials because the cruise lines publish most of their
specials to everyone. So don't be fooled by ads which offer huge discounts on selected sailings.
We have access to those specials too, but we not offer you the "special" price, but discount it even
more! AND, because of our Select Account status, we receive additional specials which are limited to cruise agents
who do extremely high volume. AND, we have our own exclusive block bookings which offer savings above and beyond
the best individual rates available. You'll save with us whether you're booking a low-priced last minute special,
a cruise a year or more away or an expensive, exotic itinerary.
Never Cruised Before?
If you've never cruised before, you might want to click here and read a review
detailing the experiences of another inexperienced cruiser to give yourself an idea what the cruise experience
is all about. If after reading this you have additional questions, feel free to contact us.
Contact Us
If you need assistance in planning a cruise vacation, or have any questions about any aspect of cruising, please
email us anytime and we will get back to you within 24 hours.
If you're serious about booking a cruise in the next couple of days (please remember that cruise rates change constantly
so the quote you received last week may not be the same price as today) and know pretty much what you want, give
us a call Monday - Friday between 10a.m and 5p.m. Eastern Time. We also have weekday evening hours which vary by
season (more in the January-March busy season) as well as limited Saturday and Sunday hours for the convenience
of customers who like to contact us as a family. Our toll free number is 1-800-285-2430. For
all Long Island callers, our number is (516)933-4132.
For all other information and quotes, send us an email and
we will get back to you usually within 24 hours. Please provide as much information as you are sure of, such as
the ship's name, date of sailing, number of cabins, number of total passengers, number of children and their ages,
and whether you need airline tickets (and if so, from what city). Also indicate if you are looking for premium
accommodations. Otherwise, we will get back to you with a price of a basic inside cabin (no window), and a basic
ocean view cabin.
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