During hard economic times, most folks do not even think of taking a cruise when it comes to vacation planning. Don't forget that other consumers are thinking the same while bigger and bigger cruise ships are built !. So what does it mean? It means you have the edge since the cruise companies are really eager to get your business. Keep this in mind as you review the following cost saving tips.
Before You Get on Board:
Here's how to find the lowest fare at the best time.
•Checking the bulk buyers
Get a list of cruise consolidators. Consolidators buy groups of cabins from the cruise lines and re-sell them at big cost savings to you. The majority of the deals don't include plane tickets, but the savings are significant, and companies such as Cruiseone dot com, CruiseBrothers dot com, and Cruise dot com highlight dozens of discounted cruises around the world every week.
•Do not forget the 'shoulder season'
The 'shoulder season' is that period in between a destination's high and low seasons. The rates are lower during these periods, since less people are escaping the winters. For example, try sailing to Alaska in mid-May or early September, to the Caribbean in late April or September-October, to Hawaii in late August or late November, or to the Mediterranean in March or November. In addition to better rates, cruise lines tend to offer special packages during the shoulder season as well as low season to entice guests to book.
•Check if school is out
Avoid any time young ones are on vacation, such as spring or summer break. That's when the supply of unfilled cabins is usually the lowest, and prices for them are highest. This is why cruise prices are real bargains right after Labor Day or after Thanksgiving.
•Ready .. Set .. Now book it!
If your schedule is open, try to book your cruise until the last minute. The closer you get to the actual departure date, the lower the pricing gets as most cruise lines begin to quietly unload unfilled cabins to maximize their returns. Note: 'Last minute' doesn't mean what it used to. After 9/11, security policy now require cruise lines to close the list of passengers as much as 96 hours before sailing.
After You Board:
Cruise lines don't make a profit on your cabin, so they try to separate you from your money as soon as they pull up the gangplank. That means you have to remember a few simple things to minimize the impact to your wallet.
Plan for Tipping
Make sure you know if the cruise lines have already factored in the gratuities or if they will leave it up to the passengers. To avoid overtipping or undertipping, go to this website, cruisetip dot tpkeller dot com and they will give you a very good idea, broken down by cruise lines and by the services provided (i.e. waiters, head waiter, chambermaids and so on).
Stick with the Main Dining Room:
Watch out for these specialty restaurants that can cost you a small fortune, as compared to the main dining room which is already included in the cost of your cruise. On some cruise lines, for example, dinner at one of their designer restaurants can run you a minimum of $50 per guest!
You Need to Plan for Booze:
Do not expect to bring your own. Crusie lines do not like it when you bring your own stuff, so they employ the 'liquor police' to politely get your booze as you come on board. The bottles are returned to you at the end of the cruise.
Abide by these simple guidelines and you are on your way to getting the best value for your money while enjoying that well deserved cruise holiday!
Author Resource:
Cyrill is a retired teacher living in the middle of the Las Vegas desert. In an effort to relieve boredom, while at the same time make some money on the side, he has gotten into promoting a varied collection of sites such as this one for the aquabot pool cleaner to the equally pricey 'bots like the polaris pool cleaners .
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