Black Cruise Tips
1. Arrive on time or get there Early.
Every cruise a few people miss out because they planned their arrival time down to the minute. When a ship says it's going to leave, it's going to leave, with or without you, and they are taking your money with them.
If your Boat sails on Friday, get there Thursday and spend a night at the Hotel.
A. Plane Delay, Cancelation or worse "terrorist threat”, or Hurricanes and you could find your self missing your cruise, and cruises do not issue Refund.
B. Purchase Travel Insurance. If you spending top dollar on a vacation insure it. For $40 to $70 dollars you can get protection just incase something stops your trip and get a full refund.
2. Get a passport.
Some Cruises might not need them, but it's better to haven't it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Some country aren’t as strict as the US and will gladly let in an American tourist without a passport, but laws changes daily, and that change could happen while you are on you way to that Port. Being stuck on the ship cause you don't have a passport sucks.
3. Know the nature of the cruise.
Don't take the family on a cruise that is not designed for family. Some cruise may appear family friendly, until your notice you six years old watching Drunk 30 years olds getting it on in the Jacuzzi. Some cruise are family friendly, some are designed as a big party on the sea. They can't legally stop people from bringing their children, but it is strongly advice not to bring children "they just can't publicly say it". Bringing children is like that person who brings a damn baby into the movies. If the promotions talk a lot about Drinking, Night life, being up all night, it is not a kid’s friendly cruise "but trust someone without a baby sitter will bring some anyway".
3. Watch your budget.
Some of these cruises are basically scams on the sea, you think you paying for all inclusive, and everything is covered until it's time to leave and you get a huge as bill.
You will start getting drunk, and when it's time to leave realize you ran up an $800 dollar alcohol tab.
Ways to sneak drinks on ship.
You are allowed bringing a bottle of wine aboard, emptying it and pulling straight liquor in it and reseal it.
32oz Shampoo bottle or other personal hygiene bottle that have clear liquid "Baby oil, extra"
Basically anything that's liquid. You can add food coloring to change the color, and if they find it they will only keep it until you leave.
4. Don’t pay for extra packages you don’t need.
You may have to purchase your cruise pass from a promoter, but you don’t have to purchase their hotel and air package “which is usually over priced”. You can book your own travel and hotel arrangements. Some Promoter/Travel Companies will attempt to make appear that you must book at their Host hotel which is usually over priced so they can earn a cut, but you don’t, you can book at your own hotel at a nearby hotel for usually ½ the price. Also be cautious of any party they make you believe you have to pay for. Once a promoter get's a couple of thousand people for a cruise they try and find any way possible to fleece them , Host hotel where they get a cut, Host pre-cruise parties where they get a cut, Host after cruise parties, their own t-shirt, and much more. Since they run the cruise they make as such that you are forced to pay for these as part of the Cruise, which isn't the case. Your cruise fair pays for the cruise.
5. Make sure the cruise is actually a Theme Cruise.
Make Sure you Cruise is dedicated to the event and not just a middle man system to earn from your Travel.
What do I mean? A real cruise rents the entire ship, organizes entertainments, and has staff to run the event. A middle man cruise, just books you on a cruise that’s already going, you enjoy the same things as other passengers not part of the event, beside maybe 1 or 2 extra shows. If you want the shows fine, but don’t be surprised when you realized you paid on average of $400 to $500 per person just for 2 30 minutes show you could have attended for free.
Once Black Theme cruises became big, a lot of promoters start popping up wanting to do their own cruise, and earn a cut. So they Hype “X Black Cruise” and booked “on your behalf” passage to a regular cruise line. What happens is 25% of the guess are here for the theme cruise and 75% are just cruising and don’t even know about the event. And those 75% paid on average 30% less then you “the promoters cut”.
These promotions claimed a Cruise "ship dedicated" to an event when really they just piggy backing on another ship with permission to use concert room for 1 or 2 nights and maybe a block of 10 cabins, and all the benefits they claim you will receive were basically standard benefit of the cruise line at a cheaper price.
Here is a test, if you can go directly to the cruise lines site and book the cruise, it’s a piggy back scheme and you are gambling with your cruise.
If everything works as the promoters hoped “everyone book the ship throught them for the Theme” it works, if not “and it usually doesn’t” there will be issues. Imagine going on a theme cruise catering to being wild and parting on a ship with 75% families and kids "most of whom are not Black". I have even heard of a cruise dedicated to Rap where only 200 people out of thousands where actually there for the Rap Cruise LOL.
