Help with lingo.....

[Santa2ya]

Never cruised before. Looking to book a cruise/tour to Alaska for May/June 2011 from Vancouver.

What should I know to ask intelligent questions if I want intelligent answers?
What are the ins & outs of cruising?

I just spent 5 hours looking though a different (CC) website trying to find out about some kind of ship account thing to be told "You apparently don't have one.". Ya don't say! I thought it was called an "on board credit account" but clearly not.

[Donna]

I think you are talking about your sign/sail card. When you first get to the cruise terminal, you'll need a credit card to use, all your on board purchases will get charged to that credit card. You will not need any cash while on the cruise ship...You will also need that card to get on and off the ship....

[Mike M]

Yep: What Donna said.

When you check in you will secure your account with a credit card or a cash deposit. You then will be issued a ship's card that you will use for all of your purchases and as the key to your cabin.

You will often see the phrase "On Board Credit, or OBC" used on the boards. On Board Credit is an amount of money that has already been put in your account. Cruise lines will do this, on certain sailings and promotions, as a booking incentive. Travel agents can also give you an On Board Credit as a reward for booking with them. These credits will lower your final bill. On Board Credits are not given on all sailings and different agents may not give On Board Credits, especially if the cabin price is very low.

Have a great sailing and just keep reading and asking questions and you'll soon all the "lingo".

Take care,
Mike

[Karen16]

MOST important is for you to get familiar with visiting Alaska, expecially on your land touring selection. You can get into a LOT of trouble, being uninformed. So much is not clear and some are rushed, with little to no time at distinations. Educate yourself on Denali park. This is the highlight of most cruisetours. Avoid short cruisetours and go for as long as you can afford. At the least have two nights at Denali Park.

Budget 50% more for meals than you would at home.

2 areas of significant wildlife opportunity is Seward and Kenai Fjords boat tours, and Denali Park. There are few cruisetours which include both.