Cheap Cruises

When can you get a cheap cruise? Where do you find cheap, cheap cruises? Why do cruise lines offer low cost cruises? Get the answer to these questions and more.
The following crucial information is divided into four sections. The four sections taken together will provide you with the what, when, where, and why of cheap cruises.
Keep in mind that you want to look at the general principals of what is presented, and not any specific information. The specifics are always subject to change, but if you understand the general principals then you are always in position to find great prices.

The What of cheap cruises:

What is a cruise cabin as it relates to sales?
It is inventory; and, the supply and demand for that inventory will vary from sail date to sail date.

As the supply of cabins exceeds the number of people who are looking to book travel the cruise line offer those extra cabins at a discount.

The When of cheap cruises:

When do cruise lines discount their cabins (inventory)?
Generally, excess supply (inventory) is not discounted until the sail date gets closer. Also, based on historical patterns of slow sales a cruise line could offer steep discounts as inducement to spur sales.

In addition, you may find some great bargains if you do not mind the cruise line routing your ship to alternate destinations to avoid bad weather.

There are many scenarios used by the cruise lines that could provide great prices for you. Identifying only one such scenario (among the many cruise lines) could save you a lot of money.
Besides the bad weather scenario, the scenarios most easily identifiable to get cheap cruises are based on:

1) booking your cruise very, very early, or
2) booking your cruise very close to the sail date.

The Where of cheap cruises:

Where are you likely to find cheap, cheap cruises?
In addition to those mentioned above, other possibilities are:
travel agents and cruise agents

cruise brokers
group cruises, especially where organizers look at possible scenarios, such as those mentioned above

on very long cruises, 90-day and 100-day sailings, where inside cabins (considered inferior) are extremely cheap. Outside cabins on the same cruise sell for $700 to $1000 per person per day.
However, a quick calculation shows you the problem with these types of cheap cruises. Even though the typical cost is between $60,000 and $100,000 per person, these cheap, cheap cruises still cost around $15,000 per person (a problem for the majority of cruisers).

The Why of cheap cruises:

Why offer cruise cabins at steep discounts?

Cruise cabins are offered at a discount when the supply of cabins exceeds the number of people wanting to pay for them. The greater the excess of inventory, the steeper the discount offered.
Empty cabins on a ship that has sailed are considered none re-occurring inventory. In other words, once that cruise ship leave port any possible income that could have come from that cabin, on that sailing, is lost forever. YES, perhaps income is made on the next sailing, but the opportunity to earn income on that sailing is gone forever.

Cruise ship

A cruise ship or cruise liner

is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience. Cruising has become a major part of the tourism industry, with millions of passengers each year. The industry's rapid growth has seen nine or more newly built ships catering to a North American clientele added every year since 2001, as well as others servicing European clientele. Smaller markets such as the Asia-Pacific region are generally serviced by older tonnage displaced by new ships introduced into the high growth areas.
Cruise ships operate mostly on routes that return passengers to their originating port. In contrast, ocean liners do "line voyages" and typically transport passengers from one point to another, rather than on round trips. Some liners also engage in longer trips which may not lead back to the same port for many months.


A river cruise ship has similar amenities, however is shorter, narrower, and has a shallower draft, allowing it to travel inland waterways.

History

Early years
The first vessel built exclusively for this purpose was the Prinzessin Victoria Luise, commissioned by Albert Ballin, general manager of Hamburg-America Line. The ship was completed in 1900.

The practice of cruising grew gradually out of the transatlantic crossing tradition, which rarely took less than about four days. In the competition for passengers, ocean liners added many luxuries — most famously seen in the Titanic, but also available in other ships — such as fine dining and well-appointed staterooms.


In the late 19th century, Albert Ballin, director of the Hamburg-America Line, was the first to send his transatlantic ships out on long southern cruises during the worst of the winter season of the North Atlantic. Other companies followed suit. Some of them built specialized ships designed for easy transformation between summer crossings and winter cruising.

Jet age
With the advent of large passenger jet aircraft in the 1960s, intercontinental travellers largely switched from ships to planes. There are many, however, who enjoy the few days of luxury and enforced idleness that a liner voyage affords, so a small niche market has remained for transatlantic voyages. Excluding this exception, the ocean liner transport business crashed. Cruising voyages however gained in popularity; slowly at first but at an increased rate from the 1980s onwards. Initially the fledgling industry was serviced primarily by redundant liners, and even the first purpose built cruise ships were small. However, after the success of the SS Norway (previously the SS France, re-launched in 1980) as the Caribbean's first "super-ship", the size of these vessels has risen dramatically to become the largest passenger ships ever built.

Modern days
Pacific Princess off the U.S. West Coast.
Exhibition cruise ship Hanseatic and iceberg in the Antarctica
The 1970s television show The Love Boat, featuring Princess Cruises' since-sold ship Pacific Princess, did much to raise awareness of cruises as a vacation option for ordinary people in the United States. Initially this growth was centered around the Caribbean, Alaska and Mexico, but now encompasses all areas of the globe. Today, several hundred cruise ships, some carrying over 3,000 passengers and measuring over 100,000 gross tons, ply routes worldwide. For certain destinations such as the Arctic and Antarctica, cruise ships are very nearly the only way to visit.

Tips for Finding Cheap Cruises

So, you’ve finally decided you want to take a cruise for the upcoming vacations. Trouble is you can’t afford to spend too much on your vacations, so you need to find cheap cruises. Luckily for you, nowadays is easy to find cheap cruises, and not only that, by keeping some tips in mind, you can save a lot of money on your travel.


Here are some tips and information that will give you an advantage when saving for your cruise vacations:


- Do a Web Search. Yes, this may sound obvious to some of you, but it is very important. The internet provides a vast selection of packages and offers not only for cruise vacations, but for everything! Do not stick with same search term, add variations to your search. Advertisers will use different target search terms for their packages.


- Look for Off Season Cruises. It depends on what your destination is. Be sure to check out what are the low season months for a given cruise spot. Prices during those times drop considerably to attract more people.


- Inaugural Cruises. When cruise lines launch a new cruise ship, they make offers and incentives to get people to try the ship.


- Repositioning Cruises. These are cruises that are sent to another destination to cover demand (for example a Alaska cruises that are sent to the Caribbean). Cruise lines will try to cover their expenses of doing that journey by charging low prices.


- Check large vacations suppliers. Large suppliers have low prices. Be sure to check with Travelocity or online cruise suppliers like CruiseDirect.com since they can make customized packages.


- If you belong to the military, try going through the Tickets & Tours office on the base/post. They let people make interest-free payments, and that helps when you're on a tight budget!
- Follow the too early or too late rule. That is book early or late. Prices drop on these very extreme booking conditions.


Finally, always remember to choose the right cruise line and ship. Be sure you are going to be satisfied by it, and don’t get caught in beautiful brochures and pictures. Sometimes a cheap cruise vacation can turn out to be a quite expensive one at the end, due to unexpected expenses. There are plenty of sites online that can help you review cruises. And always remember to have fun in your vacations!

Understanding The Four W's of Cheap Cruises

When can you get a cheap cruise?

Where do you find cheap, cheap cruises? Why do cruise lines offer low cost cruises? Get the answer to these questions and more.
The following crucial information is divided into four sections. The four sections taken together will provide you with the what, when, where, and why of cheap cruises.

Keep in mind that you want to look at the general principals

of what is presented, and not any specific information. The specifics are always subject to change, but if you understand the general principals then you are always in position to find great prices.

The What of cheap cruises:

What is a cruise cabin as it relates to sales?
It is inventory; and, the supply and demand for that inventory will vary from sail date to sail date.

As the supply of cabins exceeds the number of people

who are looking to book travel the cruise line offer those extra cabins at a discount.

The When of cheap cruises:

When do cruise lines discount their cabins (inventory)?
Generally, excess supply (inventory) is not discounted until the sail date gets closer. Also, based on historical patterns of slow sales a cruise line could offer steep discounts as inducement to spur sales.
In addition, you may find some great bargains if you do not mind the cruise line routing your ship to alternate destinations to avoid bad weather.
There are many scenarios used by the cruise lines that could provide great prices for you. Identifying only one such scenario (among the many cruise lines) could save you a lot of money.

Besides the bad weather scenario

the scenarios most easily identifiable to get cheap cruises are based on:

1) booking your cruise very, very early, or

2) booking your cruise very close to the sail date.

The Where of cheap cruises:

Where are you likely to find cheap, cheap cruises?

In addition to those mentioned above, other possibilities are:

♦travel agents and cruise agents

♦cruise brokers

♦group cruises, especially where organizers look at possible scenarios, such as those mentioned above

♦on very long cruises, 90-day and 100-day sailings, where inside cabins (considered inferior) are extremely cheap. Outside cabins on the same cruise sell for $700 to $1000 per person per day.

However, a quick calculation shows you the problem with these types of cheap cruises. Even though the typical cost is between $60,000 and $100,000 per person, these cheap, cheap cruises still cost around $15,000 per person (a problem for the majority of cruisers).

The Why of cheap cruises:

Why offer cruise cabins at steep discounts?
Cruise cabins are offered at a discount when the supply of cabins exceeds the number of people wanting to pay for them. The greater the excess of inventory, the steeper the discount offered.
Empty cabins on a ship that has sailed are considered none re-occurring inventory. In other words, once that cruise ship leave port any possible income that could have come from that cabin, on that sailing, is lost forever. YES, perhaps income is made on the next sailing, but the opportunity to earn income on that sailing is gone forever.
In conclusion: among the dozens of cruise lines and the many dozens of cruise ships, cheap cruises are there to find. With patience, forethought, and a willingness to ask questions you can find your share.

Cruise Line Tips

Cruise vacation is fun. A lot of people are discovering the fun of cruise vacation each year. You will want to do a little research before taking cruise vacation. How long are cruises? The 3-day weekend, 4-day midweek, week long, 10 day are all popular.

Where do cruises go? Cruises go just about all over the world such as the Caribbean, Mexico, and Alaska. Each cruise line has its own taste. You may find economic cruises to super luxury cruises. Two Caribbean cruises can be totally very different experiences.

Is it possible to go on a cruise by yourself? Yes, it is possible. But if you go by yourself, the rate can be as high as 200%. You will probably end up paying for two cruises, if you go by yourself. If you really can’t find anyone, you may want to find a “single share” program. Basically, the cruise line will help you find a roommate. Even if they can’t find a partner for you, you will probably get the cabin at the cheaper rate. If you are lucky, you may find a great friend. However, it is also possible that you may end up with a bad roommate.

The type of cruise you pick will make a difference in your vacation. So you want to pick it carefully. You want to do research to make sure that you pick the best one. Cruise ship is your whole vacation. The great cruise for your friends may be the worst cruise for you.