Cruising for the Budget Conscious

In these tough times, do not be discouraged in planning a relaxing holiday by sailing on a cruise. Fewer people are booking cruise holidays these days, while at the same time, bigger and much larger cruise ships are being constructed and launched. So what does it mean? It means you have the advantage since the cruise companies are really eager to get your business. Use this to your benefit and review the following tips.

Before You Get on Board:
Here's how to find the lowest fare at the best time.
•Look for bulk buyers
Check out cruise consolidators. They buy large blocks of cabins from the cruise lines at a deep discount. Although most of these offers do not include your plane fare, the cost savings are so great, you will still come out ahead. On the web, you can find them at such sites as cruisebrothers dot com or cruiseone dot com, all of them showing discounted cruises on a frequent basis.

•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 if school is out
Steer clear of any time young ones are on holiday, such as spring or summer break. If the kids are all on vacation, cabin prices are at their peak. Cruises are wildly reasonably priced right after Labor Day and during the week after Thanksgiving, for example.

•Ready .. Set .. Now book it!
If your schedule is open, try to book your cruise until the last minute. Almost all cruise lines quietly unload any left over inventory as the departure date draws nearer. Note: 'Last minute' is a relative term. For example, security regulations now call for cruise lines to finalize their passenger list as early as 4 days before departure.

After You Board:
Cruise lines don't make a profit on your cabin, so they try to separate you from your cash as soon as they pull up the gangplank. Here's how to keep your budget afloat.

Factor in Tipping
Some cruise lines routinely add gratuities, while others still rely on passengers to make that decision. To avoid overtipping or undertipping, go to this website, cruisetip dot tpkeller dot com and they will give you a very good idea, broken down by cruise lines and by the services provided (i.e. waiters, head waiter, chambermaids and so on).

Maximize the Use of the Main Dining Room:
More and more cruise ships have specialty-restaurants to give passengers options 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. Crusie lines do not like it when you bring your own stuff, so they employ the 'liquor police' to politely get your booze as you come on board. The bottles are returned to you at the end of the cruise.

Abide by these simple tips and you are on your way to getting the best value for your money while enjoying that well deserved cruise holiday!

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Monica is a student who is trying to make make a little pocket money promoting a random collection of sites, such as providing info on how to set up a wireless security camera system or advise on finding a good kreepy krauly automatic pool cleaner.

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