When times are tough, one of the first industries to suffer financial losses is the travel industry. Because travel during tough economic times is seen as more of a luxury than a necessity, more people are opting to stay home during their vacations, rather than book a flight or hop on a cruise. This is why cruise lines are currently offering excellent deals and discounts on cruises just to get people cruising! If you are willing to consider taking a cruise during your upcoming vacation, you could enjoy some of the best discount cruise opportunities the industry has ever offered. Besides offering discount cruise vacations as an incentive to get people to cruise, in general, cruise lines offer discount cruises for booking early, booking last minute, booking off-season, booking online or booking with a group.
Cruise lines prefer to fill up way in advance, so you may score a discount cruise just for booking well in advance. And believe it or not, cruise lines also offer discount cruises for booking last minute. If cabins are still open several weeks or so before the cruise departs, prices may be reduced by as much as 75% off the regular rate.
If you don’t mind booking off-season, not only will you enjoy big discounts, you will also enjoy smaller crowds, and discounts and lower prices on everything from excursions and shopping to dining and hotel stays. You’ll find the most discount cruise opportunities during slow or shoulder seasons in year around destinations. The following is a list of destinations and their slow seasons: Alaska, May and September; Bermuda, April-May and September-October; Canada/New England, July-August; the Caribbean, late April-May, September-early January; Hawaii, late August, late November, and February; Mexican Riviera, early January and May, October-November; Eastern and Western Mediterranean, March-April and September-November.
Other ways to enjoy a discount cruise include taking advantage of special senior rates and booking with popular cruise lines. The world’s most popular cruise lines include: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas, SilverSea Cruises, and Windstar Cruises.
A senior is typically defined as a person who is 55 or older. If you are a senior, in order take advantage of senior rates, you cannot book online. There are two ways to book if you are a senior: you can call a cruise travel specialist or book directly with the cruise line. Keep in mind that proof of age is required. To enjoy discount cruises for groups and families it might be a good idea to book your cruise through a cruise travel specialist for the best deals or if you have a cruise line in mind, contact a live cruise travel agent.
To find the perfect discount cruise, you can visit any of the following popular discount cruise websites or discount booking search engines listed below to check out the lowest prices on cruises, to shop and compare, and you can even book your discount cruise right online!
Kayak.com
Expedia.com
Orbitz.com
Travelocity.com
CheapTickets.com
VacationsToGo.com
Cruise411.com
Cruise.com
To find out more about discount cruises, you can visit any number of cruise review websites to read reviews from real passengers, with real experiences. While there are many cruise review websites to choose from, some of the most popular (and reliable) cruise review websites are:
Cruisecritic.com
Cruisereviewsonline.com
Cruisereport.com
Cruisedirectonline.com
Cruisemates.com