As cruise prices rise, focus on value

March 10, 4:39 AMOrlando Cruise Vacations ExaminerChris Owen

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As the economy begins to rebound, rising cruise prices add a new element to your buying strategy

Carnival Cruise Lines

As the nation's economy recovers, cruise lines are raising prices.  Recently, Florida-based Carnival Cruise Lines announced they were raising prices, followed closely by Norwegian Cruise Lines.  It turns out that tip your travel agent may have given your months ago that "now is the best time to book your cruise" may very well have been much more than talk.  There are still some great values out there though and here are some tips and tricks to help find them

1. Use a travel agent- it was good advice before, now it's essential.  Your good travel agent will be on top of all this and have the best values, such that they are, available for you at a moments notice.  As the cruise lines stand fast or raise prices, you have got to have a friend in the business
2. Research the right way- just surfing the net for the lowest price was always a bad idea and rarely scratched the surface of what value may be available to you.  Now, you have got to start with the cruise line websites which have reliable information.  It's time to forget that Internet Cruise Broker once and for all; you can not afford their misleading, inaccurate and deceptive practices
3. Learn the ship- With the recent re-categorization of many ships, there are a lot more choices as to which stateroom you book.  Your stateroom selection is THE single biggest factor in how much that cruise is going to cost and you want to be sure you have one that is a good fit
4. Skip the new ship- I almost hate to say that because everyone wants a ride on the new ship with all the latest bells and whistles.  This year though, as the industry recovers from deep-discounting and adjusts to an improving economy, is the time to try the class of ships before the latest and greatest which are proving to be some of the best values out there
5. Book far in advance- this has always been a good idea but is essential right now as last-minute "fill-up-the-ship" bargains dry up.  There are times when waiting until the last minute to book might have been a good idea.  But unless you want to sail in the next 30-60 days, forget it.  The cruise lines are holding fast or raising prices because the demand has increased which will soon translate into fewer last-minute great deals
6. Be patient- Book it and forget it is not a good idea as things change.  New promotions, discounts and programs that might apply to you later are not available now.  So keep looking and comparing values but be patient too.  Royal Caribbean, for example, typically begins pricing with no discounts available, adding them later if needed, to fill up the ship.  You may qualify for those but will have to wait and see
7. Make it a group cruise- Group cruises are almost always a better value.  Even those are starting to dry up as lines like Carnival reduce the amenities available to groups.  But group cruises, with as few as five cabins, can get extra stuff for the same price as an individual booking translating into a better value
8. Look for discounts that may apply- As noted above, you may book today and no discounts are available.  Later, a line may add a resident, senior, military, or other discount that does apply to your booking. 

Do you have questions about cruise vacations? Email them to Chris for quick answers. 
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