So I got licensed. I'm now a travel advisor, which means I can book your cruise directly — usually with perks you can't get on your own, and without charging you a dime. Save the points for the flights.
Because almost every cruise redemption is a fixed-rate portal booking, not an award. Your points get cashed out at roughly 0.5 to 1.5 cents each against the fare — while those same points are worth about 2 cents when you transfer them to an airline and book a flight. On a $6,000 cruise, paying with Amex points can burn over a million points' worth of value for a trip you could have paid cash for and booked with an advisor instead.
| Program | Value toward a cruisecents per point | Value on a transferred award flighttypical | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Membership Rewards (Pay with Points) | 0.5–0.7¢ | ~2¢ | Worst option |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards (travel portal) | 1–1.5¢ | ~2¢ | Below par |
| Capital One miles | 1¢ | ~2¢ | Below par |
| Cash fare booked through an advisor | Full value + perks | Points stay for flights | What I recommend |
Rates as published by The Points Guy, reviewed August 2026. Chase portal rates depend on your card and application date — Sapphire Reserve holders who applied before June 23, 2025 may still get 1.5¢ on points earned before Oct 26, 2025; newer applicants get 1¢. Your mileage will literally vary, which is exactly why I run the numbers per trip.
Pay the cruise fare with cash, and let me book it as your advisor. Keep every point for the flights to and from the port — that's where transferable points actually deliver outsized value. You end up with the same cabin on the same ship, usually with extra amenities attached, and your points balance intact for a business-class flight instead of being drained at half a cent apiece.
Where, roughly when, who's coming, and what kind of cruise you're picturing. A short form is all I need to start.
I compare lines, sailings and cabin categories, apply any promotion or advisor amenity available, and book it for you directly with the cruise line.
Then the fun part — I find the award flights that get you to the port, the same way I do for any trip.
A real person handling the booking end to end — plus, on many sailings, amenities that only come through an advisor: onboard credit, specialty dining, or a cabin upgrade. Cruise lines pay advisors a commission out of a fare that's already built to include it, so using me costs you nothing over booking direct.
Onboard credit, specialty dining, or upgrades on partner sailings — I'll tell you upfront what a given booking qualifies for, and when it qualifies for nothing.
Deck plans hide a lot. I'll steer you away from the cabin under the buffet and toward the quiet, well-placed one in the same category.
Cruise fares move. If yours drops before final payment, I'll chase the adjustment or the upgrade instead of you finding out on a forum.
Royal Caribbean and Virgin are not the same vacation. I match the ship and itinerary to who's actually going — kids, no kids, port-heavy or sea-day-heavy.
The part I've been doing all along. Your points go toward getting there — where they're worth roughly four times what a cruise portal pays.
Before, during and after. If something goes sideways at embarkation, you text me instead of waiting in a phone queue.
Effectively all of the major ones — mainstream, premium, luxury and expedition. Through my host agency's partner network I can book the big contemporary lines as well as the smaller river and expedition operators, so you're not choosing from a short list. If you already have a sailing in mind, send it to me and I'll price that exact one.
Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, MSC. Big ships, big families, best value per night.
Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Virgin Voyages. Quieter ships, better food, fewer waterslides.
Oceania, Regent, Silversea, Seabourn. Fares include far more than they look like they do.
Viking, AmaWaterways, Alaska and Antarctic expedition operators. Small ships, big itineraries.
Justin Rasmussen is an independent travel advisor, booking through Fora Travel as his host agency. Miles to Paradise remains an independent points-strategy business — the advisor credential is what makes it possible to book cruise fares directly on your behalf and pass along partner amenities.
No. Cruise fares already include a commission the line pays to whoever books it — the cruise line's own call center included. When you book with me, that commission comes to me instead of staying with the cruise line, and the fare you pay is the same one you'd find yourself. On many sailings you also get an advisor amenity on top, which you would not get booking direct.
You can, and sometimes it makes sense — if you're sitting on a pile of points you'll never otherwise use, cashing them out at 1 cent beats letting them expire. But for most people it's a poor trade. Amex Pay with Points runs about 0.5–0.7 cents per point against a cruise fare, versus roughly 2 cents transferring to an airline partner. I'll tell you honestly which side of that line your situation falls on.
That's the ideal setup. I book the cruise as your advisor and run an award search for the flights to the port in the same conversation. Cruise-line air programs are usually a bad deal, and booking your own flights with points gives you the flexibility to arrive a day early — which you should always do.
Send it over. As long as it isn't booked yet, I can usually take it from there at the same price and attach whatever amenity the sailing qualifies for. If a booking already exists, some lines allow it to be transferred to an advisor within a short window after deposit — worth asking about early.
Not at all. Plenty of cruise clients have no interest in points and just want someone competent handling the booking. The points side is there if you want it — most people start caring once they see what a business-class flight to the port would have cost in cash.
For most sailings, 9–18 months out gets the best combination of cabin choice and price, especially for holiday weeks, Alaska summers and anything with a small ship. Last-minute deals exist but they come with whatever cabins nobody wanted. Reach out as soon as you have dates — there's no cost to have me watch a sailing.
Tell me where you want to go. I'll price the sailing, find the amenities, and save your points for the flights.
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