Cruising on a Shoestring!

During hard economic times, most folks do not even think of taking a cruise when it comes to vacation planning. Don't forget that other consumers are thinking the same while bigger and bigger cruise ships are built !. These ships are badly in need of passengers, so this means you are in a buyer's market when it comes time to reserve that cruise vacation. Use this to your benefit and review the following guidelines.

BEFORE YOU GET ON BOARD

Here's how to find the lowest fare at the best time.
•Checking the bulk buyers
Get a list of cruise consolidators. They buy large blocks of cabins from the cruise lines at a deep discount. The majority of the offers don't include plane tickets, but the savings are considerable, and companies such as Cruiseone dot com, CruiseBrothers dot com, and Cruise dot com feature dozens of discounted cruises around the world every week.

•Do not forget 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 Septemberber and October, to Hawaii in late August, late November, February, or May or to the Mediterranean in March or November. The advantage does not stop at lower prices. Cruise lines also offer special packages to get you to sign up during these slow time periods.

•Check the school calendar
Steer clear of any time kids are on vacation, such as spring or summer break. If the kids are all on vacation, cabin prices are at their peak. Cruises are wildly reasonably priced right after Labor Day and during the week following Thanksgiving, for example.

•All set ? .. Book it!
If you don't have a specific cruise date in mind, try waiting until the last minute to book online. Almost all cruise lines quietly unload any left over inventory as the departure date draws closer. Note: 'Last minute' doesn't mean what it used to. After 9/11, security policy now require cruise lines to close the list of passengers as much as 96 hours before sailing.

AFTER YOU BOARD
Since cruise lines almost try to give away the cabins just to get you on board, they try to make it up later during the cruise. That means you have to remember a few simple things to minimize the impact to your wallet.

FACTOR IN TIPPING
Some cruise lines automatically add gratuities, while others still rely on passengers to make that decision. To avoid overtipping or undertipping, go to this website, cruisetip dot tpkeller dot com and they will give you a very good idea, broken down by cruise lines and by the services provided (i.e. waiters, head waiter, chambermaids and so on).

MAXIMIZE THE USE OF 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!

BUDGET 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. The bottles are returned to you 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.gamblingarticlessite.net

Mario is a bored retiree who is living in the middle of the Las Vegas desert. In an effort to relieve his boredom, while at the same time make some money on the side, he has gotten into promoting a varied collection of sites, such as the Excalibur Las Vegas where he goes when his budget is tight or the Bellagio Hotel Las Vegas which he visits when he's loaded.

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