Very few people ever pay the full brochure price for a cruise. This is a fact, so getting a discount from the advertised prices should be relatively easy.
One thing that visitors should consider with cruises is that you are going to be on board this ship for the duration of your holiday. It is not like a package holiday where if you dislike the resort you can simply leave; here you are captive. If you love the ship this is wonderful, if you hate it is the holiday from hell.
The first thing you should do once you have narrowed down the cruise liners that you are interested in, is to look at what prices the cruise lines themselves are offering the holidays for. This will give you an idea of when you are facing a bargain.
Last minute bargains are few and far between on cruises, so do not rely on this in the same way that you would for a flight or hotel.
When it comes to cruising, finding a specialist travel agent will normally be a good move. Contact suitable looking agents and ask to be put on their mailing list. If you are interested in a specific line or destination make this known to them.
There are also plenty of websites such as CruiseMates that have a bargain finder, where you can say what you are looking forward and agents will then contact you with the best deal.
Another thing to bear in mind is that children often pay full adult price on cruises if they are taking a full adult berth. Look out for child-specific deals if they share your cabin. Some cruise lines offer the option of booking a cabin grade but not a specific cabin. This will often mean that if they have spare space you are upgraded to the next grade or even beyond. Of course the down side is that you could end up in one of the worst cabins of the grade that you have paid for.
Cruise lines like to keep their customers and many lines will offer you incentives to book for the following year when you are onboard. Typically you can expect to get a decent amount of money as onboard credit which will mean that you get the benefit of your early booking next year. Most lines also offer loyalty programs, so enquire about these on board, too.
