Readers to the rescue: The art of the cruise deal
— -- USA TODAY's Gene Sloan is captain of the Cruise Log, an online travel community covering news and events in the cruise world. This week, he launched a new feature: the Reader Tip of the Week, where readers share their traveling advice. Get on board Mondays at cruises.usatoday.com.
What's the secret to … getting a great deal?
I research as many sites as possible like cheapcruises.com and justcruises.com, then I call NCL (Norwegian Cruise Lines) direct and say "well, cheapcruises.com says they can give me that cabin for $x." Then I have the added 'warm fuzzy feeling' of having booked directly.
— Ericc
Here's a tip, but you have to be very flexible and sometimes it just doesn't work out. All cruise lines overbook their voyages. Book a very popular cruise (spring break, Alaska etc.), and let the line know that you are willing to be bumped if the voyage is oversold. Depending on how desperate they are to get people off the voyage, they will offer you a free cruise, an upgrade, onboard credit and possibly airfare too. Or not … It's a bit risky, but it's worked well for us a couple of times.
— RichardEK
As a travel agent, I would like to express that Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have the best discounts on Tuesdays and will offer to adjust an invoice if you booked your cruise months in advance and a state residency or senior discount becomes available. You as the passenger have the responsibility of contacting the cruise company to inquire as to whether discounts have become available. This usually happens when group space is released back to a cruise line because the cabins haven't sold and the contract is up, or if the cruise line hasn't sold all the cabins in a category. If you have booked your cabin through a travel agent, you may ask your agent to check with the cruise lines to see if a discount has become available. These discounts are usually within a few weeks of final payment being due.
If you are looking for last minute deals, these are rare because cruise lines overbook and then guestimate how many will cancel before final payment is due. It's always best to book months in advance. The lower prices are usually available at least 9 months out. Disney Cruise Lines offers discounts about a month before sailing based on availability. Check with your travel agent.
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