Is booking ‘Cruise Only’ the right thing to do?

Ok, there’s a credit crunch in full swing and we’re all trying to save money where we can. At the moment I’m getting lots of enquiries from people who still want to go on their cruise this summer, but are looking to book ‘cruise only’ and arrange their own flights with a low cost airline. Yes, this will save them money, especially with the likes of Royal Caribbean, but is it the sensible thing to do?

My advise to people is as follows:
Remember that when you book the fly/cruise package you are also getting transfers in with the price. This is worth bearing in mind as transfers can be costly, especially somewhere like Rome which is about an hour and a half from the port.
If you book the fly/cruise package it is up to the cruise line to get you to the ship, even if the flight is delayed or canceled.  If you fly independently and your flight is disrupted for whatever reason you will probably miss the ship – they won’t wait for you!

To sum up, my advice would be to book the fly/cruise package. It may cost a bit more, but you have peace of mind.