If you plan to fly to your port of embarkation, you must decide whether to arrange airline tickets on your own or use the AIR/SEA program offered by the cruise line. Here are the main considerations to help you with your decision.

Advantages of Arranging Your Own Airline Tickets

The main advantages of securing your own airline tickets are that you will be able to select the airline you fly and you will have some control over the timing and routing of your flights. You may wish to fly a particular airline to use frequent flier rewards, or to earn frequent flier miles, or because that carrier has nonstop service to your port city. If you arrange your own airline tickets you will have more control over these variables than if you utilize the cruise line's AIR/SEA program.

Advantages of Using the AIR/SEA Program

The main reasons to let us book your air at the same time you reserve your world cruise - through the cruise line's AIR/SEA department - are convenience, better access to flights that make easy connections to your ship, and added protection in the event of a flight or sailing delay or cancellation.

Cruise lines meet their AIR/SEA passengers at the airport and transport them to the pier. These transfers are frequently free of charge, but even if a charge is levied it is typically less than what you would pay if you arranged your own transfers.

Cruise lines monitor the status of flights carrying their AIR/SEA passengers, and will sometimes hold a ship past its scheduled departure time to wait for guests arriving on a delayed flight, but only if that flight was booked through the cruise line.

Cruise lines reserve large blocks of seats on flights that make easy connections to their departing and returning cruise ships. These flights traditionally experience high load factors and you could have difficulty getting a low fare - or a seat at any price - as an individual. On busy days like Saturday and Sunday, you might have to fly into your port of embarkation a day early if you book your own tickets, adding a day's meals and lodging to your cost.

And finally, sometimes unexpected things occur that affect travel plans. Flight delays or cancellations, changes in cruise ship arrival or departure times, and cancellation of sailings altogether, are some of the things that can force you to rebook at a later time or date or seek a refund for your airline tickets. If any of these things should happen before or during your vacation, you will not be eligible for assistance from the cruise line if you arranged your own airline tickets. However, if we secure your tickets through the cruise line's AIR/SEA program, the cruise line's help desk will assist you in working with the airline to make alternate flight plans, help you catch up with your ship at the next port, or apply for a refund.

Casual: Slacks and sport shirt for men (no jeans); slacks and blouse, sundress or pantsuit for women.

Informal: Jacket with or without tie for men; dress or pantsuit for women.

Formal: Dark suit or tuxedo for men; evening gown or cocktail dress for women.

Any cruise listed on our site may be booked by our international customers. Here are some tips and guidelines to consider:

The entire transaction (except for payment) can be handled via email, or if you prefer, you may call us during the hours of 10:00am to 6:00am, Monday to Friday, US Arizona time zone. If you are in the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico, please call VP at 866-922.3090. If calling from any other country, please email us on how to make an establish VP.

You will be quoted a price in U.S. dollars for a specific cabin category on a specific sailing. All payments must be in U.S. dollars.

You may pay for your cruise via cashier check, money order, wire transfer, and credit cards.

As a U.S. company, we are only allowed by the airlines to sell tickets for our customers departing from U.S. or Canadian airports. If you need air and will be departing from outside the U.S. or Canada, regardless of your destination, you will have to book your airline tickets separately - we can provide the cruise only.

For your total peace of mind, we will provide twice confirmation of your booking. In addition to our e-mailed and faxed confirmation of your booking.

Certain documentation is necessary to board the ship, and we have made arrangements with the cruise lines to have this documentation available at the pier "check in" stations on the day of departure. You won't have to worry about losing your ticket en route to your departure port.

Visa requirements vary from country to country. If you are not sure whether you will need a visa to enter any of the countries you will visit on your cruise, please consult your Department of State to verify any specific visa requirements. Visas are sometimes slow or difficult to obtain, so this issue is best dealt with prior to booking.

Non-U.S. citizens may be required to pre-pay gratuities when booking certain cruise lines. Your travel counselor will communicate this rule at the time of booking when applicable.

To reserve or wait list on your stateroom and lock in the final price, you will be required to place a deposit on your cruise. For this deposit, the cruise line will require that you pay either a flat rate, typically anywhere from $100 to $1,000 per person, or a percentage of your final fare, anywhere from 10% to 25%. After you have placed a deposit to secure your reservation or wait list, you will be asked to pay the remaining balance of your fare at the final payment due date. Depending on the cruise line, this final payment date can be from 60 to 90 days before sailing. If you book your cruise within the final payment period, you will be required to pay in full in order to secure your booking.

Cancellation and refund policies vary by cruise line, with penalties generally increasing as the sailing date approaches. You may be eligible for a full refund after cancellation only if you cancel within the cruise line's designated time period. Please notify your DEAF WORLD CRUISE™ Agents immediately of any cancellations or changes.

Cruise lines do not make exceptions regarding cancellation charges, so we strongly recommend that passengers secure appropriate cancellation/trip insurance.

Deposit, payment and cancellation terms may differ for group bookings; please consult your DEAF WORLD CRUISE™ agents for the terms that apply. Changes to names or departure dates are treated as cancellations and new bookings by the cruise lines, and may incur cancellation penalties.

An illness, an accident or an unexpected situation can arise before or during any type of vacation. Such an event might cause you to cut short your cruise or cause your trip to be canceled altogether. Unfortunately, most cruise lines impose penalties for canceling a cruise within 60 days of departure, up to and including loss of the entire cruise price. A few lines penalize for cancellations as much as 90 or 120 days in advance of departure.

Because a cruise is a significant investment, most cruise lines offer some form of insurance to protect their passengers from financial loss in the event of an emergency. Details and prices vary from cruise line to cruise line, as do coverage limits and exclusions.

If you decide to purchase insurance, you will have two options, to go with the cruise line's plan or to use our independent insurance provider, CSA. DEAF WORLD CRUISE™ recommends cruise insurance. Use the summaries below to compare policies and prices.

Insurance coverage and availability may not apply to people living outside the U.S. and Canada.

For more information or a complete copy of a policy, ask your DEAF WORLD CRUISE™ Agents.