# Cruise fare watch log

Use this to keep a dated record of the prices you see for the cruise you booked, or are about to book, and to tell three things apart:

1. **A lower price for the same offer.**
2. **A cheaper offer that is different**, for example another cabin, a guarantee, a different party, non-refundable terms or another promotion.
3. **What action, if any, is available under your booking.** A lower advertised price alone doesn't establish a refund or repricing entitlement. Check the applicable terms and ask where you booked.

Keep it private. Don't write reservation numbers, names, contact details, card numbers or account logins here. You check prices yourself, when you choose; nothing here watches prices for you.

## Part 1: your booking, written once

| What to record | Your booking |
| --- | --- |
| Baseline recorded: date, time and time zone | |
| Cruise line and ship | |
| Departure date and number of nights | |
| Who's travelling (number of adults; children's ages if they affect the price) | |
| Cabin category code and name | |
| Assigned cabin or guarantee? | |
| Booking market and currency (for example US, USD) | |
| Where you booked (cruise line direct, or which agency) | |
| Fare type: refundable deposit, non-refundable deposit, or other | |
| Promotion and inclusions (packages, discounts and eligibility conditions) | |
| Onboard credit: exact amount/currency, restrictions, or unknown | |
| Public booking/offer terms link or privately retained dated copy | |
| Gratuities: included in the fare, prepaid separately, or not included? | |
| Price you're paying: cruise fare for the whole cabin | |
| Taxes and fees for the whole cabin | |
| Gratuities prepaid separately: actual whole-party amount, if applicable | |
| Planned gratuities for the whole party, if not included or prepaid | |
| **Your comparison total** (fare + taxes and fees + gratuities, each counted once) | |
| Already paid in full? Yes/no/unknown, as of which date | |
| Final payment due date | |
| Date cancellation penalties start, if your terms show it | |

A deposit due today isn't the trip total. Use the full price for the whole cabin. Include any separately prepaid gratuities once; the planned-gratuity field applies only when they aren't included or prepaid. If your booking changes, create a dated new baseline and retain the old one.

## Part 2: each time you check

Write one row per check. Compare against Part 1, not against your memory of it.

| Date, time and time zone | Where you saw it | Whole-cabin total for the same charges | Same as Part 1? If not, what's different or unknown | Difference from your total | What it means |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |

**For "What it means", choose one:**

- **Same offer, lower:** the same offer is showing a lower total. This is an observation, not a refund.
- **Same offer, same or higher:** no lower comparable price in this observation; record it without inferring future changes.
- **Different offer:** one or more terms or benefits differ. Record the difference without calling it a price drop for the same booking.
- **Can't compare yet:** something is missing, such as taxes, gratuities, the cabin or the currency, or only a deposit was shown.

**How to fill in the total:**

- For a per-person price, establish the actual fare for each guest and add those amounts. Multiply one rate by the party size only when that rate explicitly applies to every guest; a headline based on two adults may not apply to children or additional guests.
- Add taxes and fees if shown separately, checking whether each amount is per guest or per cabin. Do not add them again when included; if inclusion or the amount is unknown, mark the comparison incomplete.
- Count gratuities once. If they're already in the price, don't add them again. If you prepaid them, count that payment once.
- Don't subtract onboard credit from the cash total. Record its amount and conditions separately. A changed credit means a different offer even if the cash prices match; a missing credit amount is unknown, not zero.

## Part 3: before you do anything about a lower price

- [ ] Is it **exactly** the same offer: ship, date, nights, party, cabin category, assignment, fare type, promotion, market and currency?
- [ ] Have you compared **whole-cabin totals** with each charge counted once?
- [ ] Are the current full-payment status and any penalty dates confirmed, rather than inferred from the final-payment due date?
- [ ] What do your booking's terms say about changing it? Check the deposit, the cancellation charges and any promotion that applies only to new bookings.
- [ ] Have you asked **where you booked** (the cruise line or your agency) whether anything can change? Write down their answer and the date.
- [ ] Remember that a price you see later is not a promise of a refund, a credit or a lower price for your booking.

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From CruiseChampion's guide to tracking a cruise fare after booking: https://cruisechampion.net/track-cruise-fare-changes/