Budget Cruising for Dummies
In these recessionary times, do not be discouraged in planning a soothing holiday by sailing on a cruise. Less people are booking cruise vacations these days, while at the same time, bigger and much larger cruise ships are being built and launched. So what does it mean? It means you have the edge since the cruise companies are really eager to get your business. Use this to your advantage and review the following tips.
Pre-Boarding Considerations:
Here’s how to find the lowest fare at the best time.
.Checking the bulk buyers
Check out cruise consolidators. Consolidators purchase 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 cost savings are considerable, 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. Because of the timing, shoulder season rates are much lower. 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 the school calendar
Steer clear of 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 following Thanksgiving.
.Ready .. Set .. Now book it!
If your schedule is open, try to book your cruise until the last minute. The nearer you get to the real departure date, the lower the pricing gets as most cruise lines begin to quietly unload empty cabins to maximize their returns. Note: ‘Last minute’ is a relative term. For example, security regulations now require cruise lines to finalize their passenger list as early as 4 days ahead of departure.
Post Boarding Considerations:
Since cruise lines almost try to give away the cabins just to get you on board, they try to make it up later during the cruise. Here’s how to keep your budget afloat.
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 help you figure out how much to give or not to give, go to cruisetip dot tpkeller dot com, and you will get a very good breakdown on how much to give by services (i.e. waiters, head waiter, chambermaids and so on).
Stick with the Main Dining Room:
More and more cruise ships have specialty-restaurants to give passengers alternatives beyond the cost-included main dining room and midnight buffet. On some cruise lines, for example, dinner at one of their designer restaurants can run you a minimum of $50 per guest!
Alcohol is Extra:
Remember that BYOB does not apply to cruise lines. Most cruise lines frown on this, and some actually employ a ‘liquor retention team’ to seize alcohol not purchased on board. The bottles are returned to you at the end of the cruise.
Follow these simple guidelines and you are on your way to getting the best value for your money while enjoying that well deserved cruise vacation!
Erikka is a student who is also into web marketing, promoting a varied collection of web sites. If you are looking for a place with the best selection and pricing on transformers or barbie doll toys and barbie clothes for the kids, try visiting her sites.
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