How To Get The Best Last Minute Deals On Cruises?

By Author: Sherif Hassan
Total Articles: 13
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Booking at the last minute is probably one of the best methods of getting a good deal on a cruise, though it does have the down side that you can't really plan far ahead and have to be able to act on the good deal sometimes within days of booking the fare.

My wife and I have been cruising for years now. It's something we enjoy and combines a hotel experience with a beach resort experience as well as the ability to travel to different cities and countries while never having to pack and unpack between stops. It's a wonderful way to travel, but unless you know what you are doing, you can end up paying more than you need to in order to enjoy this wonderful mode of travel.

Back in the day the best way to cruise was to book as early as possible. The earlier you booked, the better deal you would get, because cruise lines wanted to fill up their ships as early and as quickly as possible. This is not the case anymore. In fact, sometimes the closer to a cruise date that you book, the better a deal you will get. In fact, the best deals to find are the last minute deals on cruises. It all has to do with the mindset of cruise ...
... lines today, which is that "some money is better than no money." Cruise lines are more than happy to give some pretty steep discounts for last minute bookings rather than not have the extra passengers on board.

If you are not able to be this flexible regarding cruise dates, never fear. There are other options available to cruisers which will still give you good discounts as well as the flexibility you need regarding scheduling. Many cruise lines have their ships work two different areas. During the winter months they may have a ship in one area, for example the Mediterranean, and during the summer months they will have the ship in another area, say the Caribbean. Twice a year they have to move the ship from one area to another, and they do it with a cruise called a repositioning cruise. You can book passage on these cruises and they are typically very well discounted. You don't really get many ports of call on these cruises, but they are sometimes the most discounted cruises available, and you can plan them well in advance of the cruise date.

The other variable that determines price and allows you to save money if you are flexible on cruise date is peak season cruising. Certain times of the year are more expensive to cruise than others. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and Easter are definitely peak times, and cruising then will always cost more. Check the schedules of the cruises you wish to take and you will see times on the schedule where you will find deep discounts based solely on the time of year of the cruise.

Last minute deals on cruises are probably the best way to get the best discount on any cruise available. However, it requires flexibility on your part and may not always work for you. However, if you remember to look for repositioning cruises and also look to book a cruise during off peak times, you will almost always be assured of getting a good deal on your next cruise.

The author of this article is associated with Tripsetc Travel Company, a one stop destination catering to all the travel and vacation requisites of travelers. For carnival cruise discount deals, visitors can contact them. You can follow this author on Twitter @Tripsetc (https://twitter.com/Tripsetc)