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Cruise Discounts - Six Ways to Value
When planning any vacation, we all want to find the very
best value possible. This is no different when planning a cruise vacation.
Finding - and getting - cruise discounts is not that difficult. Not all
cruise discounts however will give you the best value.
What is important to you in a vacation cruise is not necessarily what is
important to me or anyone else. So the discount you get offered may be for a
cruise, cruise line, or stateroom that doesn't interest you. Sure, the price
is right but if you get full enjoyment, where is the value? If you are
flexible or if you simply want to 'get-away-from-it-all' then any discount
will be a good one for you.
We have identified six different ways that cruise discounts are offered. One
is sure to be right for you.
Early Booking Discounts
This type of discount is available from most cruise lines
and for most itineraries. If you book before a certain date, the cruise line
offers a special discount price for your vacation. Now these discounts may
not be the 'best prices' you can get but by booking early you will most
often get the cruise you want, on the cruise ship you desire, and the
itinerary of interest, in the stateroom or suite of your choice. All of
these items combined can make this type of vacation discount the very best
value for your cruise. You may say that if you wait, with the cruise ships
being so large these days, you can get exactly what you want. Be forewarned!
Cruises do sell out.
Last Minute Discounts
This is by far the riskiest discount to plan on. If your
preferred cruise sells out, you're stuck without that cruise vacation. If
you would prefer a balcony stateroom, all that may be available at the time
could be inside rooms. However, having said all of that, these discounts can
at times provide the very best pricing. So if you are flexible in itinerary,
cruise ship, vacation date, and stateroom preference, perhaps this is your
best bet.
Group Booking Discounts
If you can generate some interest in your planned cruise
vacation with others, you could qualify for a 'group rate'. Not all cruise
lines would offer this - or any other - discount but it is certainly worth
pursuing. The rates again may not be as low as for a last minute cruise
discount but you can get in early enough to ensure that you get the
preferences listed above.
Low Season Discounts
Should your vacation schedule fall into one of the 'low
seasons' for cruise vacations, you would be in luck. In the Caribbean for
example, the so-called 'Hurricane season' provides many great cruise rates
for potential passengers. Now I know that 'summer season' is a better name
for it from a marketing standpoint but we may as well call it like it is.
Keep in mind that on a cruise, should a major storm happen, cruise ships can
divert to calmer waters. Today's cruise ships can out-run storms as well. If
you were to be in a resort on a land-based vacation, you would have no
choice but to flee or take cover.
Value Added Cruise Pricing
This type of 'discount' does not change the price of the
cruise itself. It does however give guests specials additions and 'perks'.
One such added value could be stateroom upgrades - you pay for a certain
category of stateroom and the cruise line automatically bumps you up into
the next category. Another common value-added feature is an on-board credit.
In this case, the cruise line adds a credit to your stateroom account that
can be used while on your vacation. Other perks can include free logo-wear
or a bottle of wine in your stateroom.
Previous Cruisers Discounts
For first-time cruisers, this type of discount will be
un-attainable. But next cruise on the same cruise line, you may be offered
many different specials that you may find attractive. These could include
free upgrades and on-board credits as detailed above.
Whether you take advantage of any of the possible discounts available for
cruise vacations, one thing is certain. A cruise aboard one of the
magnificent cruise ships will be an experience to cherish!
Some of the very best cruise specials are available on-line from our cruise
specialist merchants. You can search out these specials by clicking their
links on our main Discount
Cruises page. Do not be afraid to fill out the form - should one pop up.
Doing this allows the cruise merchants to better search for your special
cruise vacation and supply you with the best cruise special pricing
available.
Browse through some of the other informative cruise pages. For more
information about cruise specials, discount cruises, other cruises and
products choose from one of the following links:
Caribbean cruises
for fun-in-the-sun cruises to exotic ports.
Related articles for
special cruises, cruise itineraries, cruise ships, romantic getaways and
many other topics!
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