Essential Tips For Scoring The Best Cruise Deals

Looking for great cruise deals? Well you are in luck. Thanks to the recession, prices are plummeting and there is no better time than now to get cruising. In the past, purchasing a cruise generally involved visiting a travel agent, leafing through a few brochures, and booking a trip. Nowadays, due to the growth of the industry, there are a lot more packages and offers to weed through in order to find the best bargains. Here are some essential tips for scoring the best discounts.

Find a Good Travel Agent

A travel agent can help you stay on top of the latest deals and keep track of price drops. A good travel agent can also advise you on whether or not it is worthwhile to purchase a package or opt for separate airfare. Rely on the expertise of a travel agent to help you determine which deals are good and which deals are too good to be true.

Timing is Everything

You can typically get the best deals when you book around six months in advance but of course last-minute deals are also available. Booking a cruise during shoulder season can save you around 20 to 30 percent off the typical rate. However, you can also find great deals during the “wave period” which falls between January and March. The wave period is the busiest period for Caribbean cruise lines and sometimes there are hot bargains to be had.

Call the Cruise Line

Call the company directly before booking to find out if they are offering any specials. Sometimes when you find discounts online they are actually not as good as what you can get when you book directly with the company. You may be able to get additional discounts if you have ridden the cruise line before, you fall in a certain age group, or you are traveling with a group. The price quote you receive from a cruise line should be the starting point for your bargain hunting efforts.

Stay Close to Home

To avoid paying airfare and dealing with the hassle of flying, select cruises departing from ports close to your hometown. You can save yourself a lot of money and trouble by doing so. An increasing number of cruise lines are expanding operations so find out whether there are ships departing from ports near you.

Compare Prices Online

Find a website catering to travel deals that regularly publishes the best bargains found all over the web. Subscribing to updates provided by such a website will allow you to stay informed about the best cruise deals without having to visit every travel deals site out there.

Check the Sunday Paper

Sunday papers in large metropolitan areas, particularly in cruise embarkation cities, often publish ads featuring great bargains. Check the online edition of the newspaper if you aren’t a subscriber or head to the local library to check out the latest Sunday edition.

Negotiate with Travel Agents or the Cruise Line

After you’ve done some comparison shopping, try to negotiate lower prices on the quotes you have received. Many times a travel agent will try hard to beat the lowest quote you have gotten. If you aren’t able to negotiate a lower price, try negotiating onboard extras instead.

By: Melissa Schwarz

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