Travel Holiday Investigator
October 1, 2002
Investigator: The Truth About Cheap Cruises

A few months before their 25th wedding anniversary, Maria and Willy
Lopez saw an ad in the New York Times for a seven-night Carnival
cruise in the Caribbean for just $599 per person. Maria was skeptical,
but when she dialed up the travel agency, she was told that an inside
cabin on the Carnival Inspiration really was available for $599.
She snatched it right up, though not without a few compromises.
She and her husband had to take the cruise three weeks after their
anniversary (rather than that week), and they wouldn't know their
cabin category until they arrived at the dock. When they checked
in, they were in for a surprise: an upgrade to an outside cabin.
The list price for that stateroom? $1,599 per person. Talk about
good luck.

Or was it luck? As cruise lines continue to offer low rates in the
wake of a weak economy and a glut of new ships, getting a cheap
cruise vacation really can be that easy. To quote Carnival Cruise
Lines president Bob Dickinson: "Cruise rates haven't been this low
since 1974."

It's the big cruise lines (Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean,
Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America), with their fleets of
mammoth 1,500- to 4,000-passenger ships, that sell their cabins
for $599 per person per week, and sometimes less-usually in the
Caribbean. They have the most cabins to fill each week, and they're
not ashamed to let them go for a song. Even the 100- to 1,000-passenger
luxury ships of Crystal, Silversea, Seabourn, Radisson, and SeaDream
Yacht Club are discounting like never before. These days, it's not
unusual to find two-for-one specials, early-booking discounts, and
off-season promotions, such as free airfare and cheaper fares for
past cruisers. No, they're not the rockbottom deals of the mainstream
ships, but after decades of these lines refusing to discount at
all, they're amazing just the same.

BETWEEN THE LINES

Yes, the Lopezes got one, but how many of those $599-per-person
cabins that you see advertised really exist? There's no magic number,
though typically 20 to 30 cabins are available at the lead-in rate,
and if a ship isn't filling up, more cabins will be offered at that
price. All you can do is keep your eyes open, then act-fast.

And read the fine print. Sometimes ads will be up-front about the
dates the deal is good for; other times only a "certain restrictions
apply" disclaimer will appear. First, ask for available dates-there's
usually just a few sailings offered. Second, find out if port charges
are included. At an average of $150 per person for a weeklong Caribbean
cruise, they can really add up. Also, understand that there are
two types of ads: those placed by the cruise lines and those placed
by travel agencies. Legally, ads placed by cruise lines must include
port charges (referred to in the fine print as "non-commissionable
fares"), while ads sponsored by agencies do not. Government taxes,
which average about $50 per person for a seven-night cruise, are
rarely included in either.

SMOOTH SAILING

Large agencies that sell millions of dollars' worth of cruises each
year often have the most inventory. The whales include Cruise Value
Center (www.cruisevaluecenter.com; 800-231-7447), Just Cruisin'
Plus (www. justcruisinplus.com; 800-888-0922), Cruises Only (www.mytravelco.com;
800-278-4737), National Discount Cruise Co. (www.nationaldiscountcruise.com;
800-788-8108), and Cruise411 (www.cruise 411.com; 800-553-7090).
And there are others too, including Cruise Vacation Center (www.cruisevacationcenter.com;
800-803-7245), Vacation Travel Mart (www.vacmart.com; 800-288-1435),
Ecruises.com (800-223-6868), and CruiseBrothers.com (800-827-7779).
These companies sell most of their cruises over the phone, and use
their websites more as online brochures.

You're also likely to see their logos attached to ads placed by
the big cruise lines. Rates promoted in cruise line ads that don't
feature one agency are technically available from any agency, but
the cruise lines still give the big players the most cheap cabins
and upgrades. (Really watching your numbers? You can save $10 to
$20 by booking on an agency's website rather than over the phone.)
In the past couple of years, some cruise lines, including Carnival
and Holland America, have started allowing passengers to book cruises
on their own websites, though outside agencies still have the lowest
rates.

More and more of the well-known online travel generalists, such
as Travelocity.com and Expedia.com, offer low cruise fares on their
Web pages, too. However, some of these sites-including Travelocity-carry
only the major lines, a fraction of the more than 25 cruise companies
out there.

CLOCKWATCHERS

The best way to catch a deal is by cruising now: September, October,
and early November are the slowest periods in cruising, and in the
Caribbean in general. (The first week or two of January, after the
holiday rush, is another soft period.)

Low rates may be offered at other times of the year if a ship is
not selling well, usually within a month or two of the sailing date.
But if you're set on cruising over a specific week, you probably
won't get the bargain of your dreams. Decide that you can be available
over a four- to eight-week period, for instance, and suddenly your
chances improve.

In addition to scanning the ads, be sure to sign up for travel agency
e-mail lists on their websites. Cruise lines single out agencies
for limited promotions that they're allowed to promote via e-mail
and direct mailings. For example, Just Cruisin' Plus occasionally
alerts readers to one-day sales for specific cruise lines in which
outside cabins are offered for the price of inside cabins. The hitch:
You have to know exactly what you want when you call (cruise line,
ship, and dates), because one-day sales are just that.

Another one to consider: Cruise411's twice-weekly e-mails often
offer $50 onboard credits, cabin upgrades, and two-for-one rates.

SHOPPER IN THE DARK

In most cases, you won't know your cabin number until you get to
the ship-though with these lead-in rates, we're generally talking
about inside cabins. Fortunately, the vast majority of today's ships
were built after 1990 (and many after 1995), when lines began designing
inside cabins with the same amenities and square footage as outside
cabins. Most of the inside cabins on Holland America, Celebrity,and
Carnival ships are the same reasonably sized 170 to 190 square feet
as the standard outside cabins. But there are some caveats. Inside
cabins are smaller on many Royal Caribbean and Norwegian ships.
Beware of inside cabins with upper and lower berths (read: bunk
beds), including some of Carnival's category 1A cabins.

Other exceptions: On older ships, including Norwegian Cruise Lines'
Norway, the lowest categories include tiny cabins stowed away on
bottom decks near the engine room. Even on Celebrity Cruises' much
newer Celebrity Century, Celebrity Galaxy, and Celebrity Mercury,
the inside category 12 cabins deep down on the Continental Deck
are uncomfortably close to engineroom rumbles. As for upgrades,
don't book a cruise expecting one, but your chances improve if you've
cruised with the line before, are a past client of your travel agency,
or are celebrating a birthday or anniversary. Since cruise lines
like to keep a handful of the lowest-category insides available
so that they can continue to legitimately advertise $599 rates,
occasionally upgrades do open up-and you want to be first in line.

IT ALL ADDS UP

Though meals, entertainment, and many activities come with the package,
cruises are not all-inclusive. Between air (from $200 to $500 round-trip
to Miami, depending on where you live), port charges and taxes (figure
$200 per person), tips (usually $70 a person), shore excursions
($60 to $150 per person each), and drinks ($1.50 sodas and $6 daiquiris),
the tabs grow fast. You'll easily double that "$599" rate.

Plus, onboard expenses are at an all-time high, with many cruise
lines trying to make up the money they're losing with these sale
fares by putting the hard sell on onboard extras. Once you're on
the ship, you'll find the staff pushing everything from spa treatments
(which range in price) to specialty restaurants (often an extra
$25 per person). Of course, you can resist the pressure to splurge-can't
you? Even the Lopezes paid nearly $1,200 for air, drinks, tips,
a snorkeling shore excursion in St. Croix, and T-shirts from the
gift shop. But, since they hadn't paid full price for the cruise,
they didn't really mind. They're hooked-and they'll definitely be
back on a ship again soon.