What's the best way to find cruise specials?

Question

Hey there, I'm planning on taking a cruise with my best friend this summer, and have no idea how to go about finding the best deal. I know that it is good to wait until like, a month before to jump on a special, but I don't know any of the details, the websites, etc. We are in Canada and would like to go someplace warm and sunny, possibly the Caribbean. Please help!

Answer 1

It sounds like you need some basic information about cruises before you start looking for specials so that you will know a real deal when you see or find it. Most cruises are done by cruise 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 big but things are so well managed that you really don't feel crowded on them. Prices on these ship can be as low as $800 for a 7 day inside cabin and about $1200 for a balcony cabin. The first rule in getting less expensive cruises is book early. The second rule is go with the same cruise line multiple times because they do offer repeat customer discounts of $50 to $100 per person in a cabin. The third rule is shop around for specials. Some lines will offer specials on a date that does not usually sell out, like Christmas or Thanksgiving week. So don't lock yourself in to one particular week of the year; be flexible.

If/when you go to a cruise line web site you will see the various cabins listed by type, i.e., SUITE, VERANDA/BALCONY, OUTSIDE, and INSIDE. the category, and generally the square footage of each cabin type. The category will generally be listed next to the cabin type. The most expensive cabins are the penthouses and owners' suites, which are like apartments and what you saw on the old TV program "The Love Boat". Next are the jr and full suites. The next are the VERANDA or BALCONY cabins (you have your own private patio). The next lowest priced are OUTSIDE cabins (they have either a window or porthole). The cheapest cabins offered are always the inside cabins; those without a window or porthole. The inside, outside and balcony cabins are generally the same size on each ship, but may vary by ship and cruise line.

When you see a cruise advertized its generally the lowest priced cabin on the ship. Another thing to remember is that a cruise price can vary by date. Alaska cruises for example are cheapest in May and Sept. Some Cariibbean cruises are cheaper in mid-summer, because that's hurricane season.

Now the best way to find specials is just go to the web sites for the cruise lines and click on specials, OR if you find a cruise that goes where you think you want to go, check to see when the price is the lowest. We just booked a cruise in the Southern Caribbean for May and the date we are going is the lowest price for that cruise.

Answer 2

This is an answer I gave previously to a similar question... it received best answer. Hope this helps you as well...
**********
This is an answer I give anyone who asks this question. I have used this method to book my cruises and always gotten great results.

Email me if you have any other questions-- I track vacation prices as a hobby.

Follow the steps below and you will get a knock out price on your cruise:
1. Start out at vacationstogo.com. They have reasonable rates and it's the easiest to see all of the ports and embarkation dates. They generally have good deals, but you can get it cheaper (also, note that their prices do not include government taxes, and the prices quoted are for guaranteed rooms).
2.Go to cruisecheap.com. THey will generally have better rates than vacationtogo.com.
3. Use the rate from cruisecheap.com to get a quote from beatanycruiseprice.com. They will beat that price!
4. Finally, go to cruisecompete.com; They will beat the quote from beatanycruiseprice.com. I still book with beatanycruiseprice.com, just because I trust them and they are SUPER nice. Make them fight for you-- the cruise industry is so oversaturated right now that most places will fight over getting a cruiser to book with them, and you will get a good deal. I just booked a Carnival 7 night Eastern Carribean for $986 for both me and my husband! You CAN cruise CHEAP!

PS: Note that the major vacation carriers (ie Travelocity, Expedia, etc) are more commercialized than say a smaller agency such as the ones I have listed above.

Answer 3

If you search for "cruise deals" or even "caribbean cruises" on the net they'll be a number of websites that'll pop up. Most of which will have their own 'Special Offer's section and you'll probably get a good deal through that, for example:

http://www.idealcruising.co.uk/cruise-special-offers.html

Phoning up travel agents can be a bit tedious at times, therefore being able to search through these websites is a good way of finding out the best deals.

Answer 4

I go to cruisecompete.com. That is how I am purchasing our first cruise. The one that was cheapest on there for me is VCA travel. They knocked off $300 more than any other place I could find. And each time you get a good quote, you can put up a new request for quote and see if anyone can beat that one.

And some advice, unless you need to, you shouldn't pay for any fully-refundable deposit. I did it with my first offer, and they ended up charging double they were suppose to ($1000) and it's not being refunded for 2 months due to the billing cycle (what my OLD agent says)... Most places have a 24 hour hold where they just need your name. I just stick to those now.

Answer 5

Try this site: iBtraveling.com It'll give you lots of options. I usually find something there.

Just buy your own snorkel gear here so you won't have to spend money for excursions. Just hop off the boat, into a taxi. Ask him to take you to a beach with or without a lot of people, good for snorkeling or perhaps a bar on the beach...and then ask him to pick you up at a certain time. He'll be there. He needs to make some money. Have some tip money...

Should be lots of fun. If you buy your cruise now, buy the bottom floor, window cabin and two weeks before you set sail, call the cruise line and ask for a free upgrade.

wish you lots of fun!

Answer 6

We were doing the same thing.... researching different cruise lines. We ended up picking up a 6 day/5 night Bahamas cruise through Carnival. It was $549 each (US) for the best ocean view room on the top cabin level and $429 each for the cheapest interior room which of course has no ocean view. (Online). I'd had problems booking it on line (it wasn't accepting a piece of information) so I called Carnival directly. We ended up getting that best ocean view room for $399 each!! I would have anticipated that the internet would have been cheaper, but that would have ended up being a $150 mistake (for each of us)

Answer 7

well good for you! its a great vacation.
first i would hook up with a good travel agent .and keep an eye on specials offered on cruise lines by cruise line and your right about last min deals .but keep in mind that booking early has its advantage as well cabin location etc. well hope this helped a bit and have fun .

Answer 8

I have searched a thousand times for cruise deals and the best site I found is vacationstogo.com

Always has the best prices... And you can search a ton different ways for the cruise you want..

Answer 9

Travelzoo is probably the best, and Smartertravel is also very good at tracking cruise specials and booking details.

Answer 10

I use vacationstogo.com. They offer 'specials' twice a week going out until next year. By booking ahead you save a lot of money. My contact there is smintz@vacationstogo.