Finding Cheap Cruise Tickets
First up, it's not as hard as you think to find discounted
cruises, particularly online. Most people reserve cruises
through a travel agent, which not only means a service fee but
subjective rates as well. So your travel agency is probably the
last place to approach for a cheap cruise. Turn to the Net
instead! Travel Guide
As a first step, you must take the time to understand
cruise lines lingo like guaranteed staterooms, singles
supplement and run-of-the-ship
If you book directly through main cruise lines sites
such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or Princess, you may pay a
higher cabin price, even if the sites show reduced prices. In
other words, a cruise booking site may charge you an even lower
rate
For the best discounts, check with large vacation
suppliers such as Travelocity, Expedia, or cruise booking sites
like CruiseDirect.com, which can put together a cruise package
just for you
Remember, online travel suppliers and cruise companies
may either pre-purchase cabins at a very low price, or are
directly linked to the cruise lines' inventory database. They
also receive the latest stateroom information, which means they
know in advance about cabin inventory deals, and can pass them
directly on to you
Once you understand what the online suppliers have to
offer, you may avail discounts that range from 20-60% depending
on the season, itinerary, and cruise ship
Finding the right cruise
Be on the lookout for inaugural cruises. Just like any
company introducing a new brand in the market, cruise lines
offer huge discounts for inaugural cruises, because they rely
heavily on word of mouth. Trust us, this form of 'advertising'
is far more valuable than media promotions. And most cruise
lines recover many times the amount that they lose on inaugural
discounts
Ever heard of a repositioning cruise? In simple terms,
not all cruise destinations are uniformly in demand in all
seasons, though most of them operate cruises all year. What
happens then is that cruise lines send ships from one area to
another to meet the demand. So as the Caribbean slows down in
late spring and summer, the European cruises begin to reach
their peak season, and ships from the Caribbean are sent to
European and Mediterranean ports. Here's where you come in.
Cruise lines would rather charge unbelievably low prices to fill
these ships than to leave them empty as they travel across the
world. They have to pay staff anyway, so why not have them take
care of you in luxury and style while taking in a full cruising
experience?
Look for last-minute specials online. With many travel
suppliers offering special search tools, last-minute email
alerts, and last-minute auction deals, you can book your
last-minute cruise with very little effort, and without the
disappointment of calling a travel operator to find that the
last four seats have just now been sold