Cruisng on a Budget

As the saying should go “Once you go Cruise you never go back”. Ask anyone that has been on a cruise and 95% will say they cannot wait to go back. And why wouldn’t they?
Amazing accommodations, gorgeous views, romantic settings, on-going exciting on board activities and all the food any one person could eat in a lifetime. All this at prices most of us can’t afford to miss. For an average of about $2500 two people can have the adventure of a lifetime.

Now savvy travelers have learned to enjoy this lavish lifestyle on discount. Understand tourism and travel is a 5.9 trillion dollar industry. The cruise lines as well as each hotspot these cruise lines go to need and want your happiness. How can they make this happen? Specials, specials, specials!!!!!!!!!! As a rule of thumb in traveling any time you book a cruise a good idea is to do it 6-12 months in advance. This assures great deals as the availability is high and they want to book as many rooms as possible. Remember whether one person or thousands are on the ship the ship will sail. Now to make it cost effective the cruise line wants as many passengers as possible. So book early.

Now one of the strategies to understand is this. As the departure dates gets closer remember the cruise line wants as many rooms booked as possible. Getting a room last minute offers great savings. Now there are pluses and minus to this. The good side is amazing deals at low prices. The downside is maybe the exact room you wanted wouldn’t be available. But hey every room on a cruise is awesome. So last minutes deals offer some golden nuggets.

Another tip on saving money on booking your cruise is to understand you spend most of you time outside your room. It’s like the big dance, or concert, or show. It’s about the event. The room while it has to be comfortable is primarily for rest from all your activities. Cut cost here. Prioritize your trip. More money for the bars, shops, tourist attractions, and less for the room. Remember the room is again for storing your purchases as well as resting your tired body from all the shopping and partying.

Now that we have talked about tips on how to save on the entire trip lets talk about where to find savings. Travel agents are good for the traveler that wants the trip to be found and researched for them. Tell a travel agent where you want to go and for how long and through their extensive network they can find you a great deal. Understand they are paid for their services so your cruise cost will reflect their fee. Now if you have the time on your hands and are somewhat computer savvy you can save a lot of money on your own. Go to any major search engine and type in keywords such as “cheap cruise” or “budget cruises” and get a veritable plethora of selections.

Another option is wholesale travel companies such as YTB and Coastal Vacations. They offer great deals on packages. Be sure to read over their offers as they offer amazing incentives for incredible wholesale packages. Look at this option like you would look at a Costco or a BJ’s Club. Through bulk buying they can offer their savings on to you the end user.

We would like to end this article with the following bit of advice. Deciding to go on a cruise is a no-brainer. The brain power comes in the gathering of information. Do your due diligence. Knowledge is power. Learn the inner workings of cruising and become familiar with who offers what services. Then fit the services to your needs and budget. That’s it in a nutshell. So why are you still reading this go out and book your cruise. See you on the seas of the world.