I'm on a budget and I've never cruised before. What's the best way to find good deals on cruises?

Question

A few friends and I want to go for spring break next March. I just don't know where to start. Everything we have seen seems so pricey.

Answer 1

Here's EVERYTHING you need to know about cruising.

Best Cruise Lines

If you have the money to spend for the top cruise lines try Crystal, Radisson, Cunard, Windstar, and Silver sea. These cruise lines are a cut above because they run smaller ships (like to 500 to 700 passengers) and have a higher staff to passenger ratio so you get top of the line service. They also have more amenities included in the much higher price, like all veranda/balcony cabins, tubs and shower bathroom, larger cabins, daily wine and champaign with meals, etc. These ships generally go to a port or two on a seven day cruise which are different from the normal. Prices for a 7 day cruise may start at $2500 to $3000 (vs about $1200 on the next tier of ships.). These ships tend to have a more sophisticated crowd and more formal dining.

Less Expensive

The first rule in getting less expensive cruises is book early. The second rule is go with the same cruise line multiple times. The third rule is shop around for specials. Some lines will offer specials on a date that does not usually sell out, like Christmas week. So don't lock yourself in to one particular week of the year; be flexible.

If you have not cruised before and don't know the ropes it may be beneficial for you to use an agent; the agent does not charge a fee but is paid by the cruise line. But, also, do some home work on cruise line, itineraries, and ships. Use the cruise line web sites to look at what's being offered. Try to have in mind some of what you want to do when you talk to an agent. If you feel comfortable doing it, you can do your own booking online, the price is the same and you can do everything you need right on the web sites. The sites usually have cruises listed for this year and next.

Now most cruises are done by lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, and Disney. Most of the ships for these lines are now 1500 to 2500 passenger ships. The ships are so big and things are so well managed that you really don't feel crowded on them. Prices on these ship can be as low as $800 a day for a 7 day inside cabin and about $1200 for a balcony cabin. Most of these lines go to the same places, they are just in port on different days. When you dock there may be one or two other ships there for the day and some days there may not be any where you go. You may also want to consider Cunard and the Queen Mary II. The ship is fantastic and the prices are comparable with RC, NCL and Princess.

The format and service on all of these is about the same. I have found that the food on Celebrity, Princess and RC is a cut above Disney and Carnival. Disney is for kids, and families with kids. It does have adults only areas on ship, but the kids are still there.. The will have lots of kids’ activities on the ships, but they will still be all over the hallways, elevators and dining facilities. Disney has good ship, but also lots of kids running around and Micky, Donald, Minnie, Goofie, etc all over the ship. Carnival is the fun ship, but their accommodations are not the best. They cater to a young crowd and first time cruisers. the Carnival is the party cruise line that most young folks and first time cruisers take (ages 20 to 35) who want to party, party, party.

Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Celebrity, and Norwegian tend to have people who have cruised many times and are in the 40 and over age group; a more reserved crowd. All of these may have some kids but not many. There are activities just for kids and staff who supervise them. The last cruise we took on Celebrity has about 7 or 8 kids all total. Also, ships going to the Caribbean tend to have more young folks than those going to Alaska, Panama, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, or South America. For something special and different, do a Hawaii cruise and stay a few days (before or after) and go see some more of the islands.

Ship Cabin Categories

I suggest that you go to the cruise line web sites and look at itineraries (what ports the ship will stop in), dates and prices. Remember that the cheapest cabins offered are the inside cabins, those without a window or porthole. Also look at and understand the price structure. The lowest priced cabins are INSIDE (no window/porthole), next are OUTSIDE with a window or porthole), next are VERANDA/BALCONY (your own private patio), then comes the jr and full suites, then the penthouses and owners' suites which are like apartments. The inside, outside and balcony cabins are generally the same size on each ship, but may vary by ship and cruise line. I suggest that you look at Veranda cabins they are hot and most ships these days tend to have many at a reasonable price (i.e., $1200 to $1500 for a 7-day.). Its been my experience that Princess and Royal Caribbean have the best ship and cabin decor. If its for a honeymoon or anniversary, or birthday be sure to tell them, they will do special stuff for that. Most 7-day cruises have two formal nights when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken.

You also need to know is that the category designations DO NOT mean the same thing on all cruise lines. For example, a Cat "C" on a Carnival ship is NOT the same as a Cat "C" on a Norwegian ship. AND, a category "C" is not the same across all of the ships in a cruise line, with one exception. For example, a Cat "D" is not the same on all Royal Caribbean ships, except it will be the same just for those situations where a cruise lines builds two IDENTICAL SHIPS. Example, the RC's Jewel of the Seas is identical with their Brilliance of the Seas. So any cat on either of these ships will be the same. Same with the NCL's Dream and its Wind ships. If you go to the cruise line web site and look at categories, they will generally have the square feet of each cabin type, and the balcony square feet, if it has one, listed also .

The shorter cruises are 4 or 5 days, and the normal ones are either 7 or 14 days. If you are leaving from Florida, consider driving to the port, either Miami or Ft Lauderdale. There is plentiful safe parking (I have done this many times) at both places that costs about $12 a day. Driving can save money over the cruise line "add-in" for airfare. We generally drive most of the way on one day from NC and stop about an hour or two from the port for the night. Then continue the short trip the next day to the port.

Freestyle Cruising

I do not recommend Norwegian because of their "freestyle" cruising. It means that you do not have to specify a dining option; don't have a table and waiter assigned to you. But it also means that you may be standing in line awaiting a table on some days (like we had to); not what you want on a cruise. The option to this being pushed on NCL is their optional dining which you must pay to use.

Hidden Costs

The hidden costs on a cruise are your tab for drinks (alcoholic and sodas),tours, and gratuity. Many ships now add the recommended gratuity to your onboard tab. The gratuity is about $10 to $12 a day per person. You can give more if you want. Tours can add hundreds to your final bill, depending upon how many stop the ship makes and what you want to do. Study the tours carefully; some places you may want to just go on your own.

What’s a Cruise Like

They are one of THE best vacations you can take. Once you are on ship the staff caters to you, its whatever you want. There is something to do all day every day. Some ships have morning exercise programs, stretching and walking or you can pay for other things like Spinning in the gym. All cruise ships have gyms so you can go workout usually any time from 6:00 AM to late at night. There is usually a walking/running track on one of the decks also. Some ships leave the gym open all night. They call the gyms Spa because they do promote getting pampering thuff like wraps and massages with aromatherapy. They will also generally have a beauty salon to do hair and nails..

Ships have movie theaters, small but nice, and you can also see movies in your room. There are demonstrations on ship like ice carving, napkin folding and towel folding, cooking demonstrations.

Each day you will receive a "newsletter" listing the time, place and particulars of each event. You can schedule land tours and activities also during the day and evening when the ship is in port. There are generally shows every evening, one show for those with an early dinner seating and another (same show) for those who eat late. There is always food available. Usually there is a place in ship where you can go get something. Or, you can always just pick up the phone in your cabin and order from the room service menu (food is free). If you want, you can order breakfast room service.

There are places on ships to play board games and cocktail lounges that feature a variety of music. There is usually a disco that starts after 10:00 PM each night.

Then there is always the pools. Some ships have more than one and the newer ships generally have an indoor pool as well as outdoor ones and all of these have hot hots.

I suggest that you go to the web site for the cruise line you are going on and look at the features for the ship you will be on. I hope you have picked a balcony cabin, or a suite, they are more relaxing and fun.

If you are on a budget, you probably need to book a Carnival cruise for a 4 or 5 day cruise and select an inside cabin, and book very early.

Is that enough????

Answer 2

Carnival is usually the least expensive line. But, if you have the funds, spending a little extra for Royal Caribbean may be a good idea.

The best thing to do is start planning now. Cruise lines will continue to increase prices as you get closer. The further out, the lower the rates. Once and a while, the cruise line will have a few cabins left shortly before sailing. Sometimes, they will offer these to clients. But, you really need to be flexible. If you are looking for a particular desination, line, ship, date, length, etc. It may not be the best idea. You kind of have to be ready to go and accept anything. The main problem with this is that you aren't guarenteed something will be offerred, so you may end up with no room, or end up paying a higher rate. Also, air is more expensive the closer you are. So, if you get a really last minute cruise, the air may be way over priced and knock out any savings.

My suggestion is to contact a travel agent that specializes in cruises. You will find the service and knowledge to be very valuable for you, especially if you haven't cruised before. The big advantage is that an agent knows a lot about the lines, will be able to work with you and figure out what is best for your budget. They also get specials on ocassion that they can pass on to you. You can also look for group rates. Larger agencies can book a group of rooms when they are first released, so they have the least expensive rates. They can then sell you the cruise at this rate until their rooms sell out, there are usually a few other little benefits to a group as well. Despite what a lot of people think, travel agents are hardly ever more expensive, they work hard to get you the best deal and won't add on extra fees for the service. I've been using an agent for years and never been dissapointed with my trips (unless I didn't listen to my agent!)

The biggest thing I can tell you to avoid is sites like Expedia, Orbitz, etc. While there are many great travel agencies online, these sites are not an online travel agency, they are online discounters. However, a lot of the times their rates are not any lower than what an agent can get you and in many cases they are higher. The reason I recommend staying away from them is because of the risks you have with booking with them. A lot of people (you can find a lot of stories online) book trips thinking they have a good deal and later find they are in a mess. Sometimes it is as simple as the company not informing them of a change in ports or something (they very rarely notify in this case) But, I've also read about a lot of people paying for a cruise and shortly before they were supposed to leave, finding out that there cruise was never booked. They end up out the money they spent and have no cruise. Even if you can find a little savings, I don't think it is worth the risk, but a lot of people have had good luck. So, if you are a gambler you can give it a try.

There is quite a bit involved with cruising, planning, paperwork, documents, etc. So, just be sure to do the research and you will have a great time!

Answer 3

You could try www.vacationstogo.com they have most cruise lines and destinations at discount prices. Also, they have a special section for cruises leaving within 90 days. They also have reviews of each ship.
I think the 1st thing you need to do is to consider where you'd like to go and then look for a ship that goes there.
You usually can find better prices on some of the older ships since most people want to be on the latest and greatest.

Answer 4

look on cruisesonly.com but dont book it from there. get a travle agent. it might cost some money but it save u 100s of dollars. trust me....ive done this befor and the diffrences are huge! plus if ur going to book more then 6 cabins, then u get a special deal.

Answer 5

start getting a job on a cruise ship for the summer and thats the best deal you have!

Answer 6

Check out www.skyauctions.com They have GREAT deals on cruises, hotels, flights, packages, etc.

Answer 7

were taking one in sept. we went to carnival.com, we found some good prices, like 3oo per person, you can even get them cheaper if you downgrade the type of room and go during a time when its not soo busy, so much cheaper, just go check out the website, theres a calender to check dates too.

Answer 8

Try the online providers at the link below

Answer 9

Carnival cruises they are cheap, good, and go to good places.

Answer 10

Wenesday discount on this site