Cruise Mouth

Dean Caporella asked:


The race to build the biggest and best cruise ship continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Cruise holidays are one of the most popular holiday alternatives for people and what once was considered as an out of reach vacation for many low to middle income earners, sailing the high seas on board a luxury liner anywhere in the world is now a reality for most.

Cheap Cruise Due Diligence

Conducting a cheap cruise review before booking a holiday is an art form that many now perform quite expertly. Seeking out the best deals is not as difficult as it once was. Why? Because there is so much available in the area of sea travel that major companies will often provide outstanding incentives and opportunities to consumers that it’s hard for many to ignore some of the deals being offered.

Once, taking a cruise would have been the holiday of a lifetime. Now, enjoying the amenities and luxuries on board ships is not just a once a year excursion for many: because of the discount deals available, people can now consider sailing on board a ship a yearly event. If you aren’t quite sure on how to find those cheap cruise deals, here are some tips on how to locate them.

The Cheap Cruise Rush

Be aware that the term last minute cruise doesn’t mean booking only days before a ship is due to depart. The term generally means booking up to 90 days in advance. Is this a good thing? Well, it’s generally the procedure to follow. If you have your heart set on a particular holiday and have bugeted for it then yes, go ahead and book it. It means you’ll have plenty of time to prepare.

Savvy last minute cheap cruise hunters will generally wait until, well, the last minute. They’re experienced enough to know that the best deals are always available close to departure time. Cruise lines realise that it’s much more beneficial for them to fill a room at a discount price rather than let it sit empty. Getting people on board is their main priority because “what they miss on the round-a-bout, they’ll pick up on the swings!”

You Need To Get Online

So how can you find these cheap cruise deals? Well, one of the best ways is to go online and check out a companies website. You won’t generally see these late minute deals plastered all over the written or electronic press. In some cases, you could even pick up a great deal on some of the better state or balcony rooms particularly if they are still empty and leaving them vacant is not an option.

Don’t be afraid to sign up for a company’s newsletter if they have one. Even better, getting on a mailing list will keep you up-to-date with all the latest offerings. A phone call on a regular basis will also enable you to keep abreast of any last minute cheap cruise deals. I’ve always considered these type of deals similar in some respects to flight upgrades.

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Clark Norton asked:


Many cruise lines, travel agents, guidebook writers, and “cruise tip” websites will try to convince you that booking a cruise as early as possible will result in the best discount cruise deal. Not true — you’ll often save more money when you book a last minute cruise.

Passengers who book a last minute cruise may save hundreds — or even thousands of dollars — more than passengers who book their cruise many months in advance.

That’s because the hottest deals and deepest discounts in cruising are usually available within two to three months of sailing, or less. That’s when cruise lines offer a discount cruise deal on the cabins they’re afraid will go empty unless they cut their rates drastically.

It’s not uncommon to see a “last minute” discount cruise deal as high as 60 percent, 70 percent, or even 80 percent off the brochure rate.

Choosing to book a last minute cruise is not for everyone. You need a fair amount of flexibility in your travel plans to take advantage of this tactic.

If you have to sail on specific dates, or over a busy holiday or vacation period, or if you have to have a certain type of cabin or are traveling with a large group, then booking your cruise early will better assure you of getting your top choices.

But if your main goal is to snag a bargain and you aren’t too particular about where and when you sail, or on which ship, then patience can not only be a virtue but can help you land a great discount cruise deal.

The best last minute cruise deals are usually offered by big travel agencies — especially Internet mega-discounters — that have special relationships with the cruise lines.

The cruise lines make their best deals available to the mega-discounters, and the agencies pass much of those savings on to you. Sometimes the big mega-discounters will buy up large blocks of cabins from the cruise lines and then re-sell them to their clients at big discounts, making their profits from bulk sales.

Passengers may really benefit if these cabins don’t completely sell out. Rather than risk getting nothing for their investment, the agencies are likely to offer them for sale at bargain-basement rates.

The result for you is the same — you’re likely to pick up a great deal when you choose to book a last minute cruise!

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