How to Save Money on A Cruise

During hard economic times, most people do not even think of taking a cruise when it comes to holiday planning. Less people are booking cruise holidays nowadays, while at the same time, bigger and much larger cruise ships are being built and launched. These ships are badly in need of passengers, so this means you are in a buyer's market when it comes time to reserve that cruise vacation. Use this to your advantage and review the following guidelines.

PRE-BOARDING CONSIDERATIONS

Here's how to find the lowest fare at the best time.
•Look for bulk buyers
Check out cruise consolidators. Consolidators buy groups of cabins from the cruise lines and re-sell them at big savings to you. Even though most of these offers do not include your plane fare, the savings are so significant, 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 inexpensive cruises on a regular basis.

•Do not forget the 'shoulder season'
The 'shoulder season' is that time in between a destination's high and low seasons. The rates are lower during these periods, since less people are escaping the winters. For example, try sailing to Alaska in mid-May or early September, to the Caribbean in late April or Septemberber and October, to Hawaii in late August, late November, February, or May or to the Mediterranean in March or November. In addition to better prices, cruise lines tend to offer special packages throughout the shoulder season as well as low season to entice guests to book.

•Check if school is out
This is straightforward, you avoid those times when the kids are off. Think spring breaks or summer vacations. That's when the supply of unfilled cabins is usually the lowest, and rates for them are highest. This is why cruise prices are real bargains right after Labor Day or after Thanksgiving.

•Ready .. Set .. Now book it!
If you do not have a specific cruise date in mind, try waiting until the last minute to book online. Almost all cruise lines quietly unload any remaining inventory as the departure date draws closer. Note: 'Last minute' does not mean what it used to. After 9/11, security policy now require cruise lines to close the list of passengers as much as 96 hours before sailing.

POST BOARDING CONSIDERATIONS
Since cruise lines almost try to give away the cabins just to get you on board, they try to make it up later during the cruise. That means you have to remember a few simple things to minimize the impact to your wallet.

PLAN FOR TIPPING
Some cruise lines automatically 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
Watch out for these specialty dining places that can cost you a small fortune, as compared to the main dining room which is already included in the cost of your cruise. On some cruise lines, for instance, dinner at one of their designer restaurants can run you a minimum of $50 per guest!

BUDGET FOR BOOZE
Do not expect to bring your own. Most cruise lines frown on this, and some actually employ a 'liquor retention team' to seize alcohol not purchased on board. The bottles are returned to you at the end of the cruise.

Follow these basic guidelines and you are on your way to getting the best value for your money while enjoying that well deserved cruise holiday!

Article Source: http://gamblingarticlessite.com

Mario is a bored retiree who is living in the middle of the Las Vegas desert. In an effort to relieve his boredom, while at the same time make some money on the side, he has gotten into promoting a varied collection of sites, such as the Excalibur Las Vegas where he goes when his budget is tight or the Bellagio Hotel Las Vegas which he visits when he's loaded.

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