All About Cruises

Tag: cruise discount

  • Discount Cruise Options for Mature Travelers

    Discount Cruise Options for Mature Travelers

    Finding a discount cruise is really not all that difficult but if you are looking for a discount fare on a top notch-cruise, then you might be facing a bit more difficulty. Mature travelers who are not interested in spending their vacation in bunk beds or traveling through the Caribbean with spring break college crowd ships simply need to take advantage of the membership benefits of AARP. Anyone 50 or over is welcome to join for only $15 each year, or even less for a long-term membership.

    AARP Travel Partners

    Just because the group is for older adults is no reason to assume that the partner they work with will be low quality, boring, or small obscure cruise lines. The exact opposite is actually more the case. Currently, AARP is offering discounts on cruises on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruise Lines and even Disney Cruise Lines. So you are certain to find a ship and a destination that is perfect for you and any group that you might be traveling with.

    Booking Details

    When you visit the website as a member, you will be able to access all of the current discounts available only to AARP members. In the case of cruises, each offer is for a specific cruise line, ship and sailing date which might sound a little bit restrictive, but the deep discounts make it well worth your time to sort through all of the offers to find what works for you. Just as examples, currently there is an offer for a night cruise on the Carnival Magic which departs on September 8, 2018. The list price begins at $1699 per person but the AARP discount prices begin at $469 per person! Another current offer is for the Norwegian Getaway sailing on August 12, 2018. The standard rate is $1349 per person but AARP is offering a discounted rate of just $549 per person. In addition to these great discounts on the cost of the cruise, another special offer gets travelers an onboard ship credit of $750 for booking through the AARP travel service.

    Other Benefits

    In addition to the deep discounts on cruise fares, members of AARP can also get some great discounts on airfare to get to their cruise ship. Flights are booked through Expedia so you have access to just about any destination but at a reduced rate. You can also book hotels, rental cars and purchase tickets to certain attractions through Expedia and receive the AARP discount.

    All You Need to Know to Secure These Great Deals

    AARP is an organization open to anyone who is 50 or over and his or her spouse, regardless of the spouse’s age. The fee is just $12 for the first year if you sign up for automatic renewal or $15 for a single year without the automatic renewal. For the more economically minded, you can purchase a three-year membership for $43 or a five-year membership for $63. Included in your membership is access to some amazing discounts on everything from travel and insurance to local restaurants and of course great discounts on cruises.

     

  • The Cheapest Cruise Prices

    In a previous article, we explained how to find a cheap cruise by detailing some general strategies to land cruise deals or find cruises that are in one way or another discounted. We covered such topics as last-minute cruise deals and off-season cruises, both of which must always be kept in mind if you are trying to find the cheapest cruises. At bottom, our advice boiled down to this: the best way to find cheap cruises is to pay special attention to when you book your cruise. When you book your cruise is the single biggest determinate to how cheap your cruise will be.

    But when outlining how to find cheap cruises, an interesting question came to mind: what is the cheapest cruise you can possibly take? If you are completely indifferent to the destination, duration, and accommodations of your cruise, and you don’t care which cruise line you travel with, what is the cheapest cruise price you can find? Granted, this question has limited application, as most people care a great deal about the specifics of their cruise, with many people minutely planning every last detail of their trip, down to which restaurants they will visit on any given night of the cruise. However, some people just want to take a cruise, and if they are frugally minded, they might be interested in the cheapest cruise available.

    To find the cheapest cruise, it is best to use sites that aggregate information from the many websites of the different cruise lines. Technically, you could probably find the cheapest cruise if you were to visit each cruise line website individually, but this would be a monumentally tedious task that would take hours to complete. You would also have to check each of these sites frequently because the prices of a cruise vary as its departure date approaches. Popular aggregation websites for cruises include CruiseCheap.com and Travelocity.com, but these are merely two of many different websites that track discounted cruises.

    That said, we were able to find some staggeringly low cruise prices just by quickly looking through some of these aggregation sites. For example, we were able to find a four-day trip to the Bahamas for a mere $169 dollars using CheapTickets.com (this particular cruise is listed on CruiseCheap.com too). This was a last-minute cruise deal (there are only a few more days left to book this Bahamian cruise), as all the cheapest cruises will be, and the available room is of course the most ascetic available, offering no ocean views or other amenities. But hey, a four-day cruise to the Bahamas for $169 is pretty good, regardless of your room on-board.

    If you are traveling with a group (or even, hey, your family) it might be possible to find an even cheaper cruise, in terms of per-person rate. You might also be able to get a further discount if you’re a senior. Regardless of whether you are a senior citizen with a family or not, however, you can find some extremely cheap cruises.

  • Alaska Cruise Deals

    Alaska cruises are some of the most popular types of adventure cruise vacations on the market today. Alaska cruises are popular among adventure seekers, wildlife enthusiasts, and nature lovers alike. On an Alaska cruise, cruise passengers can hike across glaciers, visit sea lion rookeries, and watch brown bears feeding on flapping fish. Because of the popularity of this type of cruise adventure, there are many different types of cruise deals available for serious bargain hunters. While it is possible to find Alaska cruise deals just about any time of the year, there are some times that are better than others to catch the very best specials.

    People travel to Alaska year round, but most visitors arrive between mid-May and mid-September. So the best time to visit Alaska is in the shoulder seasons, May and September. Alaska has a short visitor season, and during the peak summer months, availability is limited in the most popular areas. Because of this, early season travel offers many advantages including: great weather, an environment bursting with color, thinner crowds, and passengers can take advantage of early season specials and lower rates. Try Princess Alaska Lodges for lower rates during the early the season.

    Fall or late season in Alaska, brings even brighter and more intense color to Alaska’s landscape, and by this time crowds have thinned and some of the best Alaska cruise specials become available. Additionally, land excursions are easier to enjoy with thinner crowds and believe it or not, wildlife search opportunities also improve in late season. Larger mammals begin feeding in the lower elevations to pack on as much winter weight as possible. If you aren’t one who enjoys heat, the weather during this time is perfect for you. The weather fluctuates between warm days and chilly nights. An added benefit — it gets dark enough in the interior of Alaska to see the Northern Lights!

    Before you begin your search for the cruise line with the best Alaska cruise deals, it’s important to know a little bit about the basics of an Alaska cruise including popular types of Alaska cruises, ports of call, and length of cruises. Three of the most popular types of Alaska cruises are: Alaska Inside Passage Cruises (roundtrip), Alaska Glacier Cruises (Gulf of Alaska) and Alaska – Cruise and Land.

    Inside Passage cruises typically begin and end at the same port of call, they are usually seven nights and they set sail from and return to Seattle or Vancouver. Inside Passage cruises are popular for cruisers on a budget or cruisers that are short time.

    Alaska Glacier Cruises are one-way cruises sailing North from Vancouver or South from Anchorage. An advantage to this type of cruise is passengers will see more glaciers, mountains, wildlife and scenery in seven nights than on typical Alaska Inside Passage Cruise.

    An Alaska Cruise and Land tour combines an Alaska cruise with an Alaska land tour. These types of tours allow the passenger to explore the coastline and interior regions of Alaska, including Denali National Park.

    Cruises range may range from seven to 23 nights depending on the itinerary. Ports of call include: Anchorage, College Fjord, Glacier Bay, Haines, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Straight Point, Inside Passage, Juneau, Ketchikan, Misty Fjord, Nome, Prince Rupert, San Francisco, Seattle, Seward, Sitka, Skagway, Tracy Arm, Valdez, Vancouver, Victoria and Whittier. In many cases, shorter cruises such as 7-night cruises offer the hottest deals. Some may start as low as $499.

    For more Alaska cruise deals, contact your local cruise travel specialist or visit any of the following websites to do your own shop & compare:

    Kayak.com
    Expedia.com
    Orbitz.com
    Travelocity.com
    CheapTickets.com
    VacationsToGo.com
    Cruise411.com
    Cruise.com

  • Cruise Discounts

    In tough economic times, the first category that consumers will attempt to cut is “luxuries.” Unfortunately, travel is considered more of a luxury than a necessity for most, so when times are tough, the travel industry is among the first to suffer financial losses. 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 cruise discounts on sailings 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 cruise discounts the industry has ever offered. Not only this, but besides offering cruise discounts as an incentive to get people cruising, cruise lines offer cruise discounts 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 enjoy cruise discounts just for booking far in advance. Cruise lines also offer cruise discounts for booking last minute. If a cruise lines have a good number of vacant cabins several weeks or so before any given cruise departs, prices may be reduced by as much as 75%.

    If you don’t mind booking off-season, not only will you enjoy big cruise discounts, you will also enjoy smaller crowds, and discounts and lower prices on everything from excursions and shopping to dining and hotel stays. You will find the most cruise discounts 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 cruise discounts 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 can’t 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 cruise discounts 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 best cruise discounts, visit any of the following popular discount booking search engines or websites 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 cruise discounts, you can visit any number of cruise review websites to read reviews from real passengers, with real experiences. Some of the most popular (and reliable) cruise review websites are:

    Cruisecritic.com
    Cruisereviewsonline.com
    Cruisereport.com
    Cruisedirectonline

  • Cheap Cruise

    If you think finding a cheap cruise is a crapshoot during a time when everything seems so costly, think again! Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to have a huge amount of expendable income to take a cruise and you don’t have to be retired to enjoy discounts on cruises. There are so many cruise lines and types of cruises available today that you can hop on a cruise for the weekend for a few hundred dollars or spend little more than $500 or so to take a 5-7 day cruise to, say, the Caribbean. Cruise lines are competing for consumer dollars as we speak, so now is the best time to enjoy a cheap cruise!

    Besides offering huge discounts and deals on cruise vacations (just to get you cruising in today’s weak economy), cruise lines also offer discounts in several other ways. Cruise lines will typically offer a cheap cruise 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 cheap cruise just for booking well in advance. And believe it or not, cruise lines also offer cheap 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 score a dirt cheap cruise, 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 secure a cheap 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. If you’re a group or family looking for a cheap cruise, simply book your cruise through a cruise travel specialist for the very best deals or if you have a cruise line in mind, contact a live cruise travel agent.

    To find the perfect cheap cruise, you can also visit any of the following popular cheap 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 a cheap cruise right online!

    Kayak.com
    Expedia.com
    Orbitz.com
    Travelocity.com
    CheapTickets.com
    VacationsToGo.com
    Cruise411.com
    Cruise.com

    To find out more about cheap cruises, you can visit any number of cruise review websites to read reviews from real passengers, with real experiences. Cruise reviews are the next best thing to “try before you buy.” 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

    Happy Cruising!

  • Carnival Cruise Discounts

    Founded in 1972, Carnival Cruise Lines is the world’s leading cruise line, due (in part) to the sheer volume of passengers opting for a Carnival Cruise each year. The upside to the popularity of Carnival Cruise Lines is the high number of Carnival Cruise discounts you can find through just about any outlet on the planet. This coupled with the fact that 12 million people choose to cruise each year — so the competition for your bucks is fierce — means you are virtually guaranteed an excellent rate on a Carnival Cruise. If you want to take it a step further and dive into “dirt cheap” territory, there are many ways to score even more Carnival Cruise discounts.

    All cruise lines live to book their cruises way in advance, and Carnival Cruise Lines is no exception. If you book a Carnival Cruise way in advance, you may enjoy special incentives, credits, and even cash back just for booking far in advance. If you’re one to procrastinate, you may be rewarded too! If a Carnival Cruise isn’t booked several weeks or so before the cruise is set to sail, prices are slashed. If you book last minute, you may enjoy savings up to 75%. Carnival Cruise Lines will do anything to fill up those last few empty cabins!.

    Other ways to score Carnival Cruise discounts include: booking off-season, booking with a group, taking advantage of package deals, and booking online. If you want to book off-season, you’ll find the most bargain opportunities in year-around destinations. For example, slow or “shoulder” seasons for say Alaska, may differ from the Mexican Riviera.

    Here 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. Expect the “quirks and perks” to be plentiful during these times as well. Keep in mind that Carnival Cruise Lines has frequent sailings to the Caribbean.

    Besides special rates for groups and families, just about every cruise line, including Carnival Cruise Lines, has special rates for seniors. A senior is typically defined as a person who is 55 or older. The only drawback is, to lock in the special rates you can’t book online. You must call a cruise travel specialist or book directly with the cruise line. Keep in mind that proof of age is required.

    There are numerous websites offering Carnival Cruise discounts such as Bargain Travel Cruises, Cruise.com, Cruise Travel Outlet, and American Discount Cruises. You can find dozens, even hundreds of cheap Carnival Cruises by simply selecting your destination, entering “Carnival Cruise Lines,” and entering your dates of travel. If you are in the beginning stages and you aren’t sure about where or exactly when you want to go, each website features a hot list or listings of popular Carnival Cruises, along with pricing, discounts and deals.

    To save time, and for more of the cheapest cruise prices available, visit any of the following popular online booking search engines to locate a cheap Carnival Cruise. You can also shop and compare prices and discounts for any cruise line.

    ·Kayak.com
    ·Expedia.com
    ·Orbitz.com
    ·Travelocity.com
    ·VacationsToGo.com

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