Wednesday, December 18, 2013

11 Steps to an Easy Breezy Booking

Hello cruisers- I've been getting a TON of questions related to booking, and understandably so, its stressful! So I thought I'd put together a quick 11 step guide to help with the process. But first I want to answer the most commonly asked booking related question.

How does booking work with a roommate, specifically in terms of payment?

Good question! So here's how it works. You each need to create an account with Rose Tours. You do that before booking. Once you create an account you can put your credit card info in there. So when it comes time to book- only one of you will book the cabin but it'll have a screen where it asks for your roommates name and email address. So for example if you book it, you'll need your friends email address and full name he/she signed up with. Make sure you get the exact spelling. Then there will be a screen where you have the option for 1 person to pay the deposit or for everyone to pay their own portion. Its a nice system such that you don't need to hand over your credit card info to other people.
Ok back on track....
 


Step 1- Pick your Cabin Mates
You can't go any further until you decide on this step because it dictates which cabins are available.

Step 2- No roommate? No Problem!
Don't let the fact that you have no one to go with stop you. Trust me! I didn't let it stop me the first year and I'm so glad I went. If you don't have a roommate, and still want to cruise you have a couple of options. You can do the roommate match program, where Rose Tours will pair you with someone. You just won't know who it is until about a month out.
You can also try to find a roommate on the fanclub forums, twitter, or on facebook. I especially see a lot of folks looking for roommate in the facebook groups. If you cant find the groups, shoot me an email and I'll invite you to the group.

Step 3- Pick your Cabin
Now that you have an idea of how many people you'll be rooming with, you need to decide what type of cabin you want. Interior, oceanview, balcony, or suite. You need to pick what works best for you, your budget, and needs. Once you decide on what type of room, you also have the choice to pick what deck and what specific room you want. I recommend taking a peek at the Ecstasy deck plans so you have a sense of where everything is.

Step 4- Have a Plan B
Make sure you discuss with your roommates what your backup plan is in case your first choice room isn't available. Id suggest having a Plan B, C, and D just to be super safe. There's no time to waste on booking day going back & forth, so be make sure you're in agreement.


Step 5- Devil is in the Details
Once you have the cabin decided- you also want to decide with your roommates which dining you prefer. Early or late. It doesn't really matter, its a matter of personal preference. You may want to check and see what your friends are doing so you can all be in the same group. But just make sure you and your roommates are in agreement.
Another thing you'll need to decide before you book is if you want insurance. I'd suggest reading over the policy on the website to see if it makes sense for you and your situation.

Step 6- Block off the Calendar
Only 1 person is needed to book the room. If you're in charge of booking, make sure you are available when the tickets will go in sale. Past passengers & fan club presale will be January 7, 2014 at 12PM EST. The general cruise will go onsale January 8, 2014 at 12PM EST. So start faking that cough now so you can call in sick the day of.  Do whatever you need to do. I already have a meeting I'll be blowing off.

Step 7- Register Now
Everyone in your party needs to create an account with Rose Tours. This is super important. Create an account here. Make sure you enter all the necessary info including your credit card. If you're in charge of booking, make sure you have your roommates' full name (spelled correctly) and the email address they signed up with. This will tie to the accounts together.

Step 8- Presale Info
If you are participating in the pre-sale, you should receive an email from Ground Ctrl or Rose Tours with the password a few days before booking. Keep that password handy!

Step 9- Have some Wine
Come booking day, seriously, whatever you need to do take the edge off and relax will be helpful. I promise it's not as bad as you think. So try as best as you can not to stress.

Step 10- Book your Cabin
Ok I know this it the big step. You will book the cruise here. It's done through Rose Tours and backstreetboyscruise.com NOT the official BSB website. You will be taken through a series of prompts, its quite painless. I did a previous post with a step by step if you want to check it out to make sure you're super comfortable with the process.

Step 11- Celebrate
Time to excitedly blast all over social media that you are officially cruising with AJ, Brian, Nick, Howie, and Kevin! And don't forget to start that countdown timer along with the diet regimen.

16 comments:

  1. What happens if you decide to pick your cabin mates and you do the whole process and your cabin mate can't go or can't pay? Does rose tours look at you as the other roommate to pay their portion or find another roommate? Thanks in advance.

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    1. Hey Denise- Im pretty sure (though not 100% positive) that if your roommate cancels or can't pay that you are responsible for either paying the difference or finding a replacement. Might have to double check with Rose Tours to be positive. Sorry I cant give you a more definitive answer!

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    2. Thanks Laura, that helps!

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    3. We actually had that problem with the last cruise, one of the girls decided that she wanted to book with another friend and made a reservation without letting us know first so we had to find a replacement for that open spot and Rose Tours was very understanding by letting us find the other girl and make the payments once we had the new girl. If that happens to you, the new girls will have to pay the fee for changing the name of a guest on your room or if you don't want to loose your room, you will have to pay that spot in case you don't find the replacement

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  2. What?! It sells that fast? Omg I was hoping I could book when I get my refund.

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    1. Last year it sold out pretty quickly so if there's anyway possible you can book next week, I'd recommend it. If that's not feasible, you can always get on the wait list. I also find people sometimes sell their spots as the cruise gets closer. So don't worry too much!

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  3. How fast is fast? Like a day, a week, 2 weeks??? Also, can you add someone to a Quad afterwards?

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    1. Last cruise I believe it took a few weeks to sell out. The thing is the good cabins will go quickly- particularly the cheap ones. The other advantage to booking early is you'll have a better reservation number, and thus a better seat in the lounge to the events.
      I don't believe you can add someone to a quad after. If you only have 3 people right now, you can only book a triple. If you later decide to add someone, you might need to put yourself on the wait list list for a quad. But honestly, that might be a question for Rose Tours as I'm not 100%. It might depend on your individual situation.

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  4. If you have 2 guests, can you try to book at room that has 4 people max in order to get a cheaper price??

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    1. Hey Nicole- Unfortunately, no. I wish though!

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  5. Me and 2 of my friends are going. I want to pay for myself and one friend, but the other friend is paying for herself. Is there a way to do this? I'm a little confused.

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    1. Funny- i had that exact same situation last year. What we ended up doing is is have 1 person pay for all 3 deposits, and then the third friend just mail a check. The problem is that you can either split the deposit evenly among all roommates or have 1 person pay it.You can try calling Rose Tours to see if they have another suggestion for you. Sorry I cant be of more help!

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  6. I'm a two-time cruiser and can say from experience that Laura's tips are spot on! I wish this had been around when I cruised the 1st time. I agree that Rose Tours is great and so kind + patient. Especially poor Jeannie! That woman deserves a medal or a RAISE for always quickly, thoughtfully, and thoroughly handling all the questions and concerns from all of us crazy backstreet fans from all over the globe! Seriously, everyone be VERY nice to her. She's one of the most pleasant things about the whole BSBCruise experience. Lean on fellow fans for support and the sharing of excitement, griping about that damned {and seemingly incurable} Backstreet Time, and just to make friends leading up to the day big day! In other words, DO join the FB groups! Laura - thanks so much for doing this!

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    1. Thanks Kimberly for the kind words! And I totally agree about Jeannie, she's such a saint! hhaha

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  7. Since only one person has to book, how long do the other roommates have to pay their portion?

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    1. Your other roommates will need to put in their credit card information in their own accounts they they set up with Rose Tours. You will have the option to either pay for the entire deposit yourself, or split it evenly. If its split evenly, the system will match their names and email addresses to their account- and thus it will charge your roommates credit cards right away.

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