Thinking about booking your next cruise? Well this is the time to take advantage of the considerable discounts that many cruise lines are offering. Non profit organization, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), has issued a press release detailing the onboard credits and savings that you can receive by booking your cruise in the next few weeks.
For the month of February, many member lines of CLIA are offering special rates, onboard credits, deposit waivers or other incentives designed to stimulate record cruise sales for 2008. This year's Wave Season offers a range from savings of more than 50 percent of cruise prices to onboard credits worth hundreds of dollars, stateroom upgrades and other perks.
Here's a sampling of offers (unless otherwise noted, offers extend through February 29).
Carnival Cruise Lines: Special rates of $249 to $339 per person on select departure dates for three- to five-day voyages on Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration, both with new Serenity adults-only decks and Carnival Waterworks aqua parks.
Celebrity Cruises: Onboard credits of $50 to $200 per stateroom, based on the length of voyage, on cruises in Alaska, the Caribbean and Europe.
Cunard Line: Onboard credits of up to $300, plus a waiver of deposits for second guests on select Queen Mary 2 sailings and Queen Victoria maiden European voyages.
Crystal Cruises: Ten percent savings on new bookings of all verandah and non-verandah staterooms; five percent savings for penthouse accommodations. The savings apply to virtually all of Crystal Serenity's Mediterranean cruises this summer. This offer has been extended to bookings made through March 31.
Holland America Line: Savings of up to $450 off brochure rates plus upgrades for as little as $100 depending on sailing. The View and Verandah promotion applies to the company's eight ships offering select 2008 Alaska departures.
Norwegian Cruise Line: Weekly special offers, including on-board credits and stateroom upgrades for select destinations, are offered as part of NCL's "Freestyle Resolution Sales Event" and can be found at www.ncl.com. The promotion also includes the chance to win a free cruise.
Princess Cruises: A special "Alaska Wilderness Sale" features savings of $200 per couple plus a $200 onboard credit on Princess cruise tours, with rates starting at $1,399 for an 11-day sailing. The offer is available on many Alaska sailings.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises: Shipboard credits of up to $500 per suite in addition to normal published offers for new guests of Regent. The offer applies to sailings in Europe, the Mediterranean, Alaska and Tahiti.
Royal Caribbean International: Onboard credits of up to $200 per stateroom on select Alaska sailings/tours for 2008.
Silversea Cruises: Forty percent savings on cruise-only fares for a wide variety of voyages worldwide is part of the line's "Silver Sailings" program. For last minute shoppers, this includes the 14-day Silver Cloud cruise from Mahe to Dubai, departing February 23.
One of the harder things to nail down is when to book your cruise and that is what I'll cover in this article.
The big question to start with is should you book a year in advance to lock in a specific cruise, or hold off to the last minute hoping for a last minute deal?
There isn't a best answer, (what a surprise!) what with the huge variety of cruises, company policy changes, marketing objectives, political events, wars and so on...plus of course your budget and personal likes and dislikes.
***So here are some guidelines to get you focused***
***One - Research options and shortlist:***
Shop around. The good news is that there are so many good cruise lines that you can get a fantastic trip on several.
Use the Internet for research. Resources online make it so much more fun - and easier - than it used to be. You'll find more choices than you could possibly sail on in a lifetime.
Note down prices, destinations, seasons etc ? Get broad comparative information and use a spreadsheet to record it all or you'll probably get overloaded.
***Two - Assess Shortlist i.e., Deal hunt:***
Now it's time to zero in, approach agents and cruise lines and see what deals you can from them.
A tip here is that it often works wonders to use the old ways - Phone them or even?hold on to your hat'go to a travel agent offline! Websites run to absolute set price and deal rules whereas people don't ? Maybe try the last 1-2 days of the month when salespeople are busting to meet their quota ? sometimes this can turn up a real bargain.
***Factors to consider***
If you're constrained by specific dates you do limit your choices. If you can be flexible on your departure/return dates you'll be able to get a better price for sure.
If you are date inflexible then the best you can do is book at 6-9 months in advance if you can.
By booking early you won't usually get the absolute best possible price but you stand a great chance of getting a cabin upgrade and have a near guaranteed reservation. No cruise can 100% guarantee a specific departure date or cabin but most have an excellent record.
If you're date flexible then you can get very special cruise deals that pop up occasionally - A superior cabin or even suite on a premium destination voyage - But you need to be prepared to act quickly - Passport at the ready and able to leave home on short notice.
If budget is an issue consider less popular routes or go off-season. This will give you more options and you'll have a better chance at getting a cut price cruise discount as well as a really good cabin.
For example - The Alaska peak season is July-August which normally sells out 9 months in advance. But the sailing season is May to September so if you try for maybe mid May you'll have more options.
In part 2 we'll look at more season and route factors to consider when looking for cruise discounts.
Both Joseph Ewart & Nick Moseley are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Joseph Ewart has sinced written about articles on various topics from Investing and Trading, Cruises and Cruise Ships. Joe Ewart is a 30 year cruise industry veteran and a member of the Cruise Lines International Association Hall of Fame. He is CEO and editor of