Cruise lines offering the best deals in 20 years

Despite the shaky economy, there is no better time to reserve space on an upcoming cruise. I have covered the cruise industry for almost 20 years and have rarely seen as many good deals as are currently available. This is especially true for all the  "budget challanged" out there seeking a reasonably priced vacation. Besides affordability--prices for three night cruises start as low as $200 per person, double occupancy--another point to consider is convenience as you can drive to many departure ports and avoid the hassles of airport lines and crowded flights. Nowadays there are more than 30 U.S. ports from Seattle to Los Angeles to Galveston, New Orleans, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Baltimore New York, and Boston--offering a variety of itineraries throughout the year.

Among the leaders are the two biggest cruise lines--Carnival and Royal Caribbean--which are offering more cruises than ever before on itineraries of five days or less. Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships are expecially popular with couples lokng for a romantic getaway as well as families in the market for a relaxing, fun filled weekend. These short cruises also provide the opportunity for first time cruisers to "test the waters" before investing in a longer itinerary. Choices abound on short cruises thorughout 2009, and I strongly recommend three day Bahamas cruises and four and five day western Caribbean sailings deparing out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, four and five day Caribbean cruises leaving from Galveston and New Orleans and three and four day Baja cruises out of Los Angeles calling at Ensenada, San Diego and Catalina Island. Another favorite is Norwegian Cruise Line which offers three and four day curise to the Bahamas out of Miami aboard the Norwegian Sky. Prices start as low as $229 per person for an inside cabin and $329 for a balcony stateroom; these cruises are available through August. 

Royal Caribbean recently announced that it is offering 18 itineraries ranging from two to five days during 2009-2010 on more than 300 sailings. Among the most popular are departures from Tampa, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami aboard one of five Royal Caribben ships: Navigator of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas(as you can probably tell, all Royal Caribbean ships end with "of the seas").  Navigator of the Seas has the distinction of being the first Royal Caribbean ship featuring a rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, nince hole mini-golf course and Royal Promenade--a boulevard lines with shops, restaurants, bars and lounges that extends nearly the entire length of the ship