Cruise Deals

Share Button

TwitterFacebook

 

Finding a good cruise deal can be a little daunting for those of you new to cruising. There are so many ships of different classes not to mention types of cabin and activities.

One of the best ways of finding an affordable cruise holiday is by using a cruise agent. Cruise agents are trained to find you the best ship and itinerary to suit your requirements and of course budget. They have all of the information available to them to give you the best options available on the market.

Some cruise agents may even be able to get you special offers that you would not be able to find yourself by having special relationships with the cruise companies.

Take a look at some of these tips to get yourself a great cruise deal:

SEARCH FOR THE BEST DEALS ONLINE

Online cruise specialists are also a very popular choice. You can use popular search engines such as “google” “yahoo” or “bing” to find incredible offers. In order to do this, simply use the key words “cruise deals” and you will be provided with a list of possibilities.

The best way to insure that you are getting the correct advice is by looking for the CLIA (Cruise Line International Association) seal of approval on the websites. Also be sure to book with an agent that has Abta and Atol protection or similar.


TYPE OF CABIN CAN GREATLY INCREASE THE PRICE

Selecting your cabin is also very important in keeping your holiday costs down.

Inside staterooms are usually the cheapest and many people don’t mind this option as they see it as just a place to get a good night’s sleep and wake up fresh for the day ahead.

Outside cabins normally come with a port hole or picture window and on many ships they are the same size as the inside cabin but with the advantage of some natural light.

Balconies really are a fantastic choice for getting fresh air and light into your cabin plus of course you can relax outside in privacy, depending on the weather of course.

Guaranteed Cabins – Quite often at the time of booking it maybe possible to reserve your cabin on a “guarantee basis”

This means that you are guaranteed a cabin on a certain grade but your actual cabin number will be allocated to you just before the sailing date or sometimes you won’t know until you board the ship.

You can still get an idea on where you will be by looking at the grade and then on the ships deck plans.

This option is a great way of keeping the costs down and it’s also possible that you may be given a free upgrade to a better deck if the ship is not full or if the cruise line needs to reorganise for instance to accommodate a group booking.


ALL INCLUSIVE DRINKS PACKAGES

When talking to your cruise agent ask about the prices onboard for drinks both soft and alcoholic.

These are not normally part of your cruise price and it can be quite a shock when you come to settle your account at the end of the cruise.

Many cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, MSC and Norwegian Cruise Lines now offer drinks packages but you should do your sums beforehand to check what’s actually included and if it will benefit you.


CRUISING FROM UK PORTS

Yet another possibility is take a cruise from one of the many UK cruise ports. This will cut out the need for flights and transfers.

The UK has a good number of cruise ports including Southampton, Dover and Liverpool in England plus Belfast in Northern Ireland and Greenock in Scotland.

This option really depends on the destination you are travelling too, most travel to the Baltics and Norwegian Fjords although others are available but if you are not keen on long days at sea maybe this is not the best option for you.


TIMING

There are sure to be offers during certain times of the year such as in November and early December which are obviously the periods that are not so popular and thus cheaper. Prices will always be higher during national and school holidays much the same as the non cruise options.

These are only a few available suggestions for finding the best cruise deals. Using some of these options could save you a lot of money which you will be able to use onboard or in the port.


CHECK TO SEE IF THEIR IS A PAST PASSENGER DISCOUNT

Customers who use the same cruise lines can often get discounts simply for having used the same company before. The benefits that you will normally be entitled to will depend on how many times you have cruised with a particular company.

You may also be interested in this post: Cruise Company Loyalty Programs

Ever got yourself a really good deal? Tell us about it below.