Now comes the most important stuff - how to find the best cruise discounts!
The cost of your cruise vacation can be significantly reduced by considering many of the following and armed with this information you are better equipped to ask great questions, get exactly what you want and obtain the highest cruise discounts!
The Season you choose to travel will affect the cost of your cruise. The cabin you choose will cost more “in season” than it will “off-season”.
Consider - is the money you save by being flexible worth the trade off in timing for you? If you are looking for seasonal savings and best cruise discounts, consider the following to be off season or at least shoulder season (just prior to high season):
Caribbean Cruises – September to just prior to Christmas sailings, first two weeks in January (excluding New Year cruises) Alaska Cruises – May and September and occasionally some October sailings Europe Cruises – April, May, September and October Canada / New England Cruises – no real price break due to limited sailings South America Cruises or South Pacific Cruises - varies by cruise line and demand.
Keep in mind that there are year round cruises in the Caribbean but hurricane season is generally from June to November so you could miss some ports of call or be diverted to others should the weather turn unfavorable. Cruise discounts during this period should be to your advantage.
Best Cruise Discounts Due to Season.
International Crisis?
Times of “International Crisis” may depress demand for cruising and travel in general. If you have the courage to keep traveling, as many have, without incident, you will discover that cruise lines may be offering a remarkable cruise discounts to keep their ships full.
Most cruise lines make the majority of their profits from what is called “on board revenue”. This is the money you spend while on vacation. Examples are alcohol and non-included beverages, gifts, shore excursions and of course in the casinos.
The actual price of your cruise when the market is depressed for international tension hardly covers the hard costs of promotion, advertising, sales and marketing etc.
Understanding Cruise Pricing
Before you start shopping for cruise discounts, please understand what the components of cruise pricing are. Some are discountable by the cruise line, some are not:
CRUISE FARE – the actual fare charged by the cruise line for passage on the ship. The cruise line has full flexibility with this fare and cruise discounts are usually from this component of your cruise cost and this is where the cruise deal comes from!
PORT CHARGES, DEPARTURE TAX, CUSTOMS FEES, IMMIGRATION FEE and OTHER GOVERNMENT FEES – charges levied on the cruise line for a particular sailing that are non-discount able. Some of these components are often called "Non-Commission able Fares or Fees (NCF)" .
AIR FARE OR OTHER TRANSPORTATION COSTS – costs of getting you to the port of embarkation and disembarkation. Not usually discounted but often subsidized.
Truth In Advertising.
Be very cautious when reading advertising that states the price starting with the word “from”. Generally, this refers to the lowest available, least desirable cabin category (may mean upper and lower bunk beds) and may mean very specific dates and very specific cabins. So the “From $299” may excite you (as a cruise deal) but as we said earlier “there is no free lunch”. It is not how much you save – but what you get for what you pay!
Rates printed in cruise line brochures are rarely applicable. Do not be discouraged by what you see in these glossy, highly sensual marketing pieces.
Rates in the brochures are inflated and are in the same vein as “manufacturer’s suggested selling price” for automobiles. (Thankfully, some cruise lines are more and more approaching truth in pricing and brochure rates are coming closer to your actual fares.)
The rate in the brochure allows the cruise line to dramatically lower the price to you by way of announcing a cruise discount of 40/50/60 or even 70% so you assume you are getting the deal of your life.
Baloney – EXCEPT – when you are traveling at the cruise lines peak periods such as Christmas, New Year’s or Spring Break.
Even then you will find Early Booking Discounts (by a variety of names) may be applicable to the brochure rate.
It does happen from time to time that you will pay a premium close to or at the brochure rate. If the sailing you are interested in is close to capacity, the cruise line will raise the fares to increase their yield! I once paid a high brochure rate because I absolutely wanted to go on the New Year’ sailing.
Had I waited until January 2, I could take the same ship and same itinerary for 45% less.
You will often see promotions labeled as “2 for 1” or “TWO FOR ONE” suggesting that two of you can go on the same cruise for the fare that one person would pay. Most often that “2 for 1” cruise deal, refers to the Brochure Rate.
You take the Brochure Rate, divide it in half and that is what each of you pay. (That does not include air, taxes or port charges). The reality is, unless you have picked a high season or high demand sailing there are fares available to you that will be much lower.
Our point here is, challenge the fare by doing your homework. And, again, as my father always taught me, there is no such thing as a “free lunch”!
Paths to the Best Cruise Discounts
EARLY BOOKING CRUISE DISCOUNTS
Every cruise line establishes a discounted fare structure in their brochure. You will see the “brochure rate” followed by some equivalent to an early booking incentive.
Princess Cruise Lines calls it’s early booking discount – Love Boat Saver© rate. Carnival Cruise Lines names their early booking discount – Super Saver© rate.
These EBD’s may have restrictions as to limited time offer and “book before dates”. It is reasonable to conclude that this rate is the minimum cruise discount you should expect for your cruise deal, if you meet the terms and conditions outlined in the brochure.
AGENCY GROUP SPECIALS
Travel agencies are often given incentives by the cruise line to block significant amounts of space well in advance of the sailing dates. The incentives may be in the form of added amenities, better pricing or both. Consortium and National Accounts of the cruise line will have very good opportunities for you to save significant money.
The following table shows the significant price saving a client can enjoy by taking advantage of this particular agency’s group promotion. Always ask your booking agent what groups the agency has available. They may not be exactly on the travel dates you want but the cruise discounts or savings for moving your plans by a week or two can be significant:
7 Nights - Sunday, September 14, 2011
Eastern Caribbean aboard the XYZ of the SEAS