Cruise Tips by Raye & Marty Trencher

Cruise Traveler Magazine

Here's How:

Know the best ways to find a cheap cruise.

One Star price. Five Star ship = Great Deal!

First, find a Travel Agent who is a cruise specialist.
Find a cruise specialist who can get you discounts and give you good advice. Don't call the cruise line direct if you want independent recommendations. Remember, cruise line telemarketers are there to sell you only what they have to offer and it may not fit your lifestyle, budget or what you had in mind. Cruise specialists, on the other hand,  are among the most knowledgeable travel agents. They tend to have extensive personal experience cruising round the world. They've been there, done that! They can research hundreds of cruises from dozens of cruise lines to find the cruise vacation that fits you best.

Cruise Tip:

If a travel agent recommends a particular cruise line, before finding out what your wants and needs are and seems to favor one line over the other, chances are that cruise line is a preferred vendor and the agent may earn bonus commissions for steering you in their direction. If that happens, head for the door!   Your not getting the service and advice you need to find the cheapest but most enjoyable cruise vacation.

You can get an airfare quote directly from the cruise line or a travel agent, but that's not necessarily your best air deal. Here is where it pays for you to shop direct. Contact the airline(s) who fly from your hometown to get the best airfare possible to-and-from your departure port.

 
Cruise Tip: Search on Tuesday's or Wednesday's for the best airfares. Airlines adjust seat inventories and prices and open availability mid-week. One of the best ways to do that is to visit airline Web sites for the best deals. Also, be sure to coordinate the cruise booking with your air booking. You don't want to find out once you booked that "non-refundable" airfare, that the cheap cruise price is no longer available or the cabin you wanted is sold out.
 

It's best to travel to your departure port the day before the ship heads out to sea. Weather and possible mechanical breakdowns can delay your flight. If you fly on the same day as the ship leaves, you could be left standing at the pier waving goodbye to fellow passengers as they head out for their cruise vacation. Come in the night before and take a taxi or the hotel's free shuttle to the pier the next day.

Cruise Tip: Start your search for that bargain hotel room online at Travelocity, Expedia, priceline, or hotels.com.  Before or after your cruise consider the time you have. If you get in early or plan to fly out late in the day, go exploring, shopping or sightseeing at the departure or returning port.

Book your shore excursions on your own. If you visit the cruise line's web site, you will find hundred's of listings for sightseeing tours at the ports of call you visit. The industry calls them shore excursions.  To be sure you get to do just what you want , book your tours way before sailing, because shore excursions can sell out quickly.

But if you book these shore excursions through the cruise line, your cheap cruise will all of a sudden become much more costly. Cruise lines have "marked up" these tours to include a nice profit for themselves.

Consider a third-party sightseeing vendor ( Shore Trips, Shore Excursions Group or other suppliers ) . You can find them online and compare prices to those offered by the cruise line.
 

Cruise Tip:  Do your homework. Check out the sights you want to see as well as the vendors online, so you will will know what you want to do in each port prior to sailing.  A word of caution.  If your return to the pier at the port-of-call is delayed , the ship may sail without you.  If you booked through an independent company and not the cruise line, make sure you know that companies reputation and track record.
 

Protect your travel investment. If your like the rest of us, chances are you take just one vacation a year. It's likely you have saved for months, if not years for this trip of a lifetime.  a sudden illness or accident could ruin it all. You might have to cancel your trip all together. Costing you thousands of dollars.

Cruise Tip: If you are considering travel insurance, do not purchase a policy sold by the cruise line. Most cruise line policies do not cover pre-existing conditions or may not fit your needs.  Shop for a policy that covers trip interruption or cancellation from an independent insurance provider ( Travel Guard as an example ) who have a number of protection options and prices. You may the coverage and prices are better than what the cruise line quoted.

Real Deals. Real Rewards. Real Results!

Today's top discount cruises