Don’t pay retail or brochure rate on your next cruise! Taking some time to understand how cruise pricing works and checking prices can definitely save you a ton of money. There are a few ways to get a better rate on your next cruise. One of the first things is to know the ship and sailing date you really want. With this information you can now pick a deck and category you are comfortable with. There are many that say that you are in your cabin only to sleep and get an inside cabin and spend your time on the upper decks for the views and sunshine. Another view is once you have an outside – oceanview cabin, you would never go back to an inside cabin. Even others justify the additional cost of an oceanveiw cabin by taking the extra price over an inside cabin and divide the extra cost by the number of nights. Many are surprised by this figure and actually purchase an outside cabin.
A key way to save money is to purchase your cruise from a travel company that sells many cruises and offers additional discounts over their travel competitors. Many travel or cruise agents have group space they reserve and make them available to the general public at a reduced rate. You do not have to participate in any group activities, you just receive their discount group rate. Another way to save money is to reserve your cruise in advance and see if the cruiseline will lower your price if a better promotion becomes available closer to sailing. Many cruiselines will allow this and you need to have a travel agent that is not too lazy to take care of this if it becomes available. If you use a travel or cruise agent to reserve your cruise, they will have to contact the cruiseline on your behalf, as the cruiseline will not deal directly with you. Just remember that when you see a lower price on your cruise, be sure it is the same ship, sailing date and category.
A good way to find a top-quality travel agent is to ask your friends that travel often who they use. A good travel or cruise agent can make or break your next cruise
vacation.