DISCOUNT CRUISE TRAVEL COSTS
If you have been watching the ads in
the newspaper for awhile looking for cheap cruise deals, you may be
thinking that you can find a great cruising vacation for a few hundred
dollars. Upon more careful investigation, you'll find that the ads don't always
tell the complete story.
No matter whether you are considering
world cruises or family cruises, you would be wise to spend time
investigating the additional costs of a cruise vacation.
SHOPPING FOR YOUR DISCOUNT VACATION CRUISE
Cruise ships have many
categories of cabin accommodations and relatively few deep discount cruise
packages available. Of course, your friendly travel agent or the actual
cruse lines themselves will advertise the absolute lowest cruise discount
price available at the time of listing. However, the advertisements are
many times like airline flights with insurmountable restrictions offering cabin
accommodations that you would simply not want.
When shopping for your planned
cruise holiday, instead of looking for the least expensive newspaper
advertising, start with speaking with travel agents or cruise line operators
about which ships offer the best cruise vacation value. After you have
narrowed the list down to the best cruise lines, you can then begin to
inquire about the discount cruise packages offered or any last minute
cruises or discount cruise specials that they may have. You should be prepared
to be flexible, though. Their best cruise deals will fill up quickly and
may require planning 8-12 months in advance.
WHAT TO EXPECT FOR YOUR CRUISING
DOLLARS
The price displayed in ads typically only
includes the basics. This low price covers accommodations, meals, onboard
entertainment and some basic facilities. What it doesn't include are extras like
spas, massages and some special ship-board entertainment.
Also, while the typical
discount vacation
cruise package will include basic meals, it generally doesn't include
in-between snacks, sodas, alcoholic drinks and many other extras that can
add up to a sizeable additional amount. You can forego those, of course, but few
will. The idea of a cruise, after all, is to indulge yourself, not merely to go
from one port to another by ship.
DISCOUNT CRUISE SPECIAL CHARGES
The basic price for a
cruise vacation does not usually include port fees, taxes and other
charges added by the governments where the ships dock. Some countries have
regulations requiring advertisers to include those amounts in the price
displayed, or state clearly that the price shown does not include them. Of
course, there are many exceptions.
Port fees and taxes
can add an additional $100 or more depending on the cruise. If your ship docks
at several different ports, you can expect it to be more. Those fees allow for
infrastructure maintenance and other business needs to be met. Cruise lines
will typically pass them onto the clients in one form or another.
Sometimes you will
need to add in air transportation charges, other times those will be included in
the discount package. Check with your cruise travel agent for the
specifics of your planned itinerary.
Finally, cruise
insurance is usually not included with your trip, but you may want to
seriously consider buying some. Many U.S. insurance companies have clauses that
release them from liability if you're injured or become ill while out of the
country, so shop carefully. Also, cruise cancellation insurance, in case
you can't make the journey, is another good idea to consider. As an example, if
you book a Caribbean cruise in September and a hurricane pops up,
the cruise will be cancelled and you may be out of luck.
SUMMARY - DISCOUNT CRUISE PRICING
As usual, what you see is not always
what you get. Spend plenty of time evaluating the discount cruise offers and then
make a list of all of the things you will want to do and of the items that you
will be consuming. Armed with your list, call the cruise companies or
your travel agent and ask lots of questions - especially about discount
cruises.
Destinations: Africa, Alaska, Antarctica, Asia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada,
Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Mediterranean, New Zealand, Mexico, Panama, South
America, South Pacific, St Lucia, Transatlantic, World, Anguilla, Belize, Aruba,
Barbados, Bonaire, Cancun, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Grenada, Jamaica, Israel,
Puerto Rico, Scotland, St Kitts, St Bart, St Martin, St Martens, Texas, Rotan,
Curacao, Cozumel, British Virgin Islands, Egypt, Canada, Southern Caribbean,
Western Caribbean, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vancouver, Seattle, Tobago, St Maarten,
French West Indies, Key West, St Petersburg, Sitka, Auckland, Recife, Madeira,
Cape Town, South Africa, UK, United Kingdom, Tahiti, Australia, Tampa,
Galveston, Charleston, Baltimore, St Thomas, San Juan, Miami, London,
Copenhagen, Barcelona, Venice Italy
Other search terms: ports, booking, reservations, planning, wear, travel
agent, news, luxury, river, reviews, packages, group, budget Travel season
months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September,
October, November, December
Can't Find It? Search
Google Here ...
