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The Miser's Guide on Cruise Vacations

By: Cyrill Exxonell

During hard economic times, most folks do not even think of taking a cruise when it comes to vacation planning. Less people are booking cruise holidays these days, while at the same time, bigger and much larger cruise ships are being constructed and launched. So what does it mean? It means you have the advantage since the cruise companies are really eager to get your business. Keep this in mind as you review the following cost saving guidelines.

Before You Get on Board:
Here's how to find the lowest fare at the best time.
•Look for bulk buyers
Get a list of cruise consolidators. They buy large blocks of cabins from the cruise lines at a deep discount. Most of the deals don't include airfare, but the cost savings are considerable, and companies such as Cruiseone dot com, CruiseBrothers dot com, and Cruise dot com highlight dozens of bargain basement priced cruises around the world every week.

•Do not ignore the 'shoulder season'
The 'shoulder season' is that time in between a destination's high and low seasons. Because of the timing, shoulder season rates are much lower. For example, try sailing to Alaska in mid-May or early September, to the Caribbean in late April or September-October, to Hawaii in late August or late November, or to the Mediterranean in March or November. In addition to better rates, cruise lines tend to offer special packages during the shoulder season as well as low season to entice guests to book.

•Check the school calendar
This is basic, you avoid those times when the kids are off. Think spring breaks or summer vacations. If the kids are all on vacation, cabin prices are at their peak. This is why cruise prices are real bargains right after Labor Day or after Thanksgiving.

•All set ? .. Book it!
If you don't have a specific cruise date in mind, try waiting until the last minute to book online. The closer you get to the real departure date, the lower the pricing gets as most cruise lines start to quietly unload unfilled cabins to maximize their returns. Note: 'Last minute' doesn't mean what it used to. After 9/11, security regulations now require cruise lines to close the list of passengers as much as 96 hours before sailing.

After You Board:
Cruise lines don't make a profit on your cabin, so they try to separate you from your money as soon as they pull up the gangplank. That means you have to keep in mind a few simple things to minimize the impact to your wallet.

Plan for Tipping
Make sure you know if the cruise lines have already factored in the gratuities or if they will leave it up to the passengers. To help you figure out how much to give or not to give, go to cruisetip dot tpkeller dot com, and you will get a very good breakdown on how much to give by services (i.e. waiters, head waiter, chambermaids and so on).

Stick with the Main Dining Room:
Watch out for these specialty restaurants that can cost you a small fortune, as compared to the main dining room which is already included in the cost of your cruise. On some cruise lines, for example, dinner at one of their designer restaurants can run you a minimum of $50 per guest!

You Need to Plan for Booze:
Remember that BYOB does not apply to cruise lines. Crusie lines do not like it when you bring your own stuff, so they employ the 'liquor police' to politely get your booze as you come on board. Your booze is returned to you, of course, at the end of the cruise.

Follow these simple tips and you are on your way to getting the best value for your money while enjoying that well deserved cruise holiday!

Article Source: http://www.gambling-articles.org

Cyrill is a retired teacher living in the middle of the Las Vegas desert. In an effort to relieve boredom, while at the same time make some money on the side, he has gotten into promoting a varied collection of sites such as this one for the aquabot pool cleaner to the equally pricey 'bots like the polaris pool cleaners.

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