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There are lots of great deals out there on discounted cruise fares, particularly if you are willing to travel on short notice. In fact, I recently got an email-flyer from a major cruise line promoting an 11-day European cruise departing Dover, England on August 21 with fares starting at just US$999 or about $90 per day.

The problem, of course, is finding reasonably priced air fares at the last minute. Or for that matter, finding them for peak travel periods like Christmas, March Break and the summer vacation period even when you are prepared to book far in advance.

There’s also the issue of flying during bad weather, or into countries with labour disputes than could result in delayed arrivals or cancelled flights. For example, winter snow storms can play havoc with flight schedules, as can natural disasters like hurricanes and volcanic eruptions. Ditto for labour disputes. In fact, there have been many delayed and cancelled European flights over the past few months thanks to ongoing labour disputes at British Airways, and with traffic controllers in France and Spain.

So what’s the savvy traveller to do? Are there secrets to finding cheap airfares and protecting yourself against delayed or cancelled flights that could cause you to miss your cruise departure?

The answer to that question is “yes,” particularly if you are prepared to shop around and follow a few basic rules. For example:

1. Don’t take the cruise air package that the cruise line offers until you understand and like what the conditions are. Most cruise air packages require you to travel on their choice of airline and route, which means you might have to make several stops rather than flying direct (this is particularly true when flying from Canadian airports). In addition, most cruise air packages charge extra fees if you want to fly into the port of embarkation or out of the port of arrival a few days early or late.

2. Compare the cost of cruise air to fares you can book on your own. In many cases, I have been able to find lower-priced and more conveniently routed flights than offered by the cruise lines, including during my recent trip to England to board the Queen Mary 2 for a trans-Atlantic cruise. For example, despite booking only 14 days in advance, I was able to get a one-way ticket from Toronto to London for less than $600 on charter carrier Air Transat – which was several hundred dollars cheaper than what I could find anywhere else, including with the cruise line.

3. Ask if the cruise line air deal offers any protection on delayed flights. Most people assume that air travel purchased through a cruise line automatically affords them protection should the flight be delayed or cancelled, and results in them missing the departure of their cruise. This is not the case with most cruise lines. However, Princess Cruises recently introduced an innovative program called “eZAir” which offers competitive airfare pricing, next port protection, no customization fee, and a much wider booking window.

Among other benefits, this program allows customers to see real-time airline inventory and pricing from multiple carriers, gives them flight assistance at no cost to the next port of call should their delayed flight cause them to miss their sailing, and gives them a window of from 4 to 330 days before their cruise departure to book their airfare. This cruise air program from Princess is probably the best in the industry, and more cruise lines should follow their lead.

4. Look for business class upgrades with cruise air. Some cruise lines, particularly the upscale ones like Crystal, Silversea and Regent, occasionally offer air upgrades from economy to business class for free or at very attractive rates for selected cabin categories and/or voyages. This can be a bargain compared to the regular cost of business class travel, and a real benefit on long-haul flights.

5. Check out a wide range of air options over several weeks, and look for special offers. While airfares are usually lowest when booked early, particularly during peak travel periods, they can often drop for a short period if sales are not going well. For example, I recently booked business class tickets to Europe with Air France for a thousand dollars less than the airline was asking for just a few weeks before and after my booking. I’ve had the same experience with other airlines including Air Tahiti Nui, British Airways, Delta and Air Canada.

At the end of the day, getting the lowest air fare with the best set of conditions is often a mixture of good research, lots of persistence and good timing. However, knowing a few things about how cruise air programs work and when it’s actually better to book your own air can go a long way to helping you get the best deal, even at the last minute.

One of the best times to find a great cruise deal is during the shoulder seasons – the two periods which begin and end a season of cruising in various parts of the world. For example, the months of May / September in Alaska; May / September / October in Bermuda; and April / May / October / November in Europe.

The shoulder season is not only a less expensive time for you to cruise, it’s usually less crowded, which means fewer people lining up at landmarks or joining the most popular shore excursions. And while the weather can be cooler during the shoulder season, it can actually be an advantage if you don’t like being outdoors for a long period of time in high temperatures and humidity.

For couples who don’t want to sail with a boatload of kids, shoulder seasons have another advantage:  they usually take place before and after summer vacation, which means most kids are in school.

So just how much money can you save by cruising during the shoulder season? Let’s take a quick look at three examples in Alaska, the Mediterranean and Bermuda during the 2010 season:

Save $380 per person for a week in Alaska:

A 7-night cruise aboard the Diamond Princess departing May 29 from Whittier, Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia sails to Yakutat Bay, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. The starting cruise fare for this shoulder season departure is C$493 per person. But prices for the same cruise departing July 10 during high season start at C$873 – a full $380 per person more. With the savings, you could afford to spend a few extra days in Whittier exploring some of the interior of Alaska on a cruise tour.

Save $434 per person for a week in the Mediterranean:

The Celebrity Constellation departs Barcelona October 16 for a 7-night cruise to Nice, Genoa, Florence, Rome and Naples with cruise fares starting at C$719 or less than C$103 per diem. A similar cruise on sister ship Celebrity Century during the peak season in July has prices starting at $165 per day – a full $62 per person more each day. Take the shoulder season cruise and use the savings to pay for a few days on land in beautiful Barcelona.

Save $360 per person for 5-nights in Bermuda:

Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas departs Cape Liberty, New Jersey on September 11 for a 5-night cruise to the pink-hued beaches of Bermuda with shoulder season fares starting at just C$499 per person. Fares for the same cruise departing during high season on July 31 start at C$859 – or a full C$360 more per person.  Why not finish the summer with a shoulder season cruise to Mark Twain’s favorite island paradise of Bermuda? With the savings, you’ll have lots of money left for duty-free shopping in the island’s capital of Hamilton!

As you can see, there can be a big difference in cruise fares depending upon the time of year and season you choose to cruise. So if your calendar and family are flexible, why not save a ton of money by sailing during the shoulder season.

When it debuts in December, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas will share the distinction of being the world’s largest and most revolutionary passenger vessel afloat along with its recently launched sister-ship, the Oasis of the Seas.

The Allure’s inaugural season will begin this year with a four-night preview cruise on December 1 that will depart Fort Lauderdale for Royal Caribbean’s private beach destination in Labadee on the northern coast of Haiti. The ship’s official maiden voyage will then depart Fort Lauderdale on December 5 and sail to the Western Caribbean.

Like its predecessor, the Allure is an engineering marvel that will shatter many of the old rules about how a ship should be designed and what it should offer in the way of entertainment, activities, sports, food, atmosphere and fun. In fact, some industry experts believe these two Oasis-class ships are more like floating versions of Las Vegas or a Disney theme park, and that they were designed to attract people who have traditionally preferred to vacation in land-based resorts.

And they might be right.

At 225,282 tons apiece, the Allure is double the size of the average cruise ship, and offers more spas, pools, bars, entertainment, restaurants and activities than the typical resort hotel.  In fact, while aboard both the Allure and Oasis you can zip line, play miniature golf, go rock climbing, surf in a special FlowRider pool, play basketball, have a massage, play volley ball, take a yoga class and work out in a huge state of the art spa.

In addition to making sure there is plenty to do aboard the Allure, Royal Caribbean has gone out of its way to make passengers feel they are vacationing in a beautiful floating city rather than on a traditional ocean liner. For example, the ship’s public areas will be centered around seven distinct neighbourhoods based on various themes like a Boardwalk, a Royal Promenade, a Pool and Sports Zone, an Entertainment Place and a Central Park. The latter will feature an open-air garden lined with tropical foliage, boutique shops and several restaurants.

For families, the centerpiece of the Boardwalk neighborhood will be an old-fashioned carousel – the first ever at sea. Hand-crafted from poplar wood, this full-sized carousel will feature 21 figures suspended from stainless steel poles showcasing a time-honored menagerie of animals such as zebras, giraffes and lions, alongside a variety of hand-painted horses.

The Allure will have plenty of dining choices, including traditional first and second seating as well as an open seating option in the main Dining Room. The ship will also boast more than 15 other restaurants that offer everything from hamburgers, sushi, pizza and sandwiches to fine dining choices like steak, seafood and Italian cuisine.

When it comes to entertainment, the Allure will feature a variety of after-dark spaces including a nightclub called Blaze; a cozy music lounge filled with live jazz and blues; a comedy club; and a dance lounge featuring musically themed evenings, dance lessons and competitions. The ship will also feature popular Broadway shows like Hairspray, as well as a variety of fun entertainment such as a high-diving act in the AquaTheatre, and a skating show in the ice rink.

While these types of venues, facilities, and themed neighbourhoods (not to mention 2,700 staterooms) would be amazing to find in a single resort on land, what’s truly spectacular is that they are actually on a cruise ship that has to sail hundreds of miles from one port to another each week. To build a ship that could carry that much, Royal Caribbean had to work with naval architects, redesign port facilities and use new technology to redefine what a passenger ship could be.

The result is the world’s largest cruise ship that spans 16 decks, rises 213 feet above the waterline, displaces 225,282 tons (40% bigger than the previous titleholder), is 1,184 feet long, carries 5,400 passengers (double occupancy), has a beam of 184 feet (too wide by 78 feet to get through the Panama Canal), and cruises at 22 knots per hour.

In other words, she is truly a marvel of modern engineering and design that, along with her sister ship, could have a very positive impact on the public’s future perception of cruising.

While the vast majority of cruise passengers sail on premium and economy-class ships, a small but growing number are beginning to opt for luxury lines. And while the price of a luxury cruise is usually double or triple the cost of an economy voyage, it can often provide better value, especially if you take advantage of all the extras that are included.

For example, in their base cruise fare some luxury lines include:

-  free roundtrip airfare on selected cruises. On long-haul flights to places like Australia, Asia, Europe and South America, this can represent a savings of from $1,200 to $3,000 per person. Many also offer upgrades to business class for the highest cabin categories, or competitive flat rate upgrades to business class for lower cabin categories;

- free wine or hard liquor, or both. With cocktails costing about $8 each and wine running about $35 per bottle, this can easily save you between $200 to $500 per person, per week;

- free gratuities – this can save you anywhere from $70 to $90 per person, per week;

- free shore excursions. With the average shore excursion costing about $100, this can easily save you about $500 per person, per week assuming you normally take the ship’s organized shore excursions; and,

-  free on board ship credits of up to $1,000 per person.

In addition, almost all luxury lines include:

- the choice of dining at several alternative restaurants without extra charge – this can save you an average of $20 to $30 per person, per booking;

- free specialty coffees such as latte, espresso and cappuccino that normally cost between $2 to $3 each. This can save you up to $30 per person, per week; and,

- free room service 24 hours a day.

Besides all these free extras, luxury lines provide a higher quality of food and service. This is because they have a higher staff to passenger ratio, spend more on food and food preparation, train their staff better, and carry fewer passengers.

So who are the top luxury lines?

Among the major lines, Crystal Cruises has consistently rated number one in the large ship category for more than a decade. And Regent Cruises is a close second, followed by Cunard and Oceania.

In the small ship category, Sea Cloud Cruises tops the pack, followed by Seabourn, Regent, Silversea and the SeaDream Yacht Club.

What should you expect to pay for a luxury cruise?

The base fare usually starts between US$300 to $650 per person, per day, depending on the itinerary and time of year. That’s considerably more than the price of a premium cruise, but it may also include many if not all of the above extras, thereby resulting in considerable savings and value.

You may not want to spend this much for every cruise you take, particularly for shorter voyages to nearby and well-travelled itineraries like the Caribbean, Alaska and Mexico.  But if have a special voyage in mind, you’d do well to include a luxury cruise line in your price comparison. And when you do, make sure you know what’s included in the base fare, and how much money it will save you versus the alternatives.

At the end of the day, you may discover a luxury cruise is well worth the added cost.

A cornucopia of ancient cultures and legendary landmarks are waiting for you along the beautiful shores of Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa. And it’s all available at incredibly attractive cruise fares that start at just US$86 per day – far less than you’d pay for a comparable trip on land. 

For example, take a look at the extraordinary value offered by these fall departures in the Mediterranean when the weather is still warm but the landmarks are less crowded:

7-Night Mediterranean from Barcelona departing October 9: This classic itinerary aboard the Celebrity Constellation will take you to Nice on the beautiful French Riviera, the UNESCO world heritage city of Genoa in northern Italy, the Tuscan port of Livorno for visits to nearby Florence or Pisa, Civitavecchia for the eternal city of Rome, and the southern Italian port of Naples for visits to Capri, the ruins of Pompeii, or Sorrento. And with prices starting at just C$719, you’ll have money left over for shopping!

11-Night Mediterranean from Genoa departing November 2: You’ll sail from Genoa aboard the MSC Melody to the Spanish ports of Almeria and Cadiz before passing through the Pillars of Hercules on your way to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon and the Moroccan souks of Casablanca. Then you’ll cruise back to Genoa via the Balearic Island of Mallorca, the charming city of Valencia on Spain’s Costa del Azahar, and the beautiful town of Villefranche on the French Riviera. And the starting price for this cruise is just as idyllic as the itinerary – only US$949!

If you find the intrigue of North Africa and the raw beauty of the nearby Canary and Madeira Islands more appealing, take a look at this bargain cruise:

9-Night Canary Islands & Morocco from Barcelona departing December 3: The Norwegian Jade will take you to the scene of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman’s famous love story in Casablanca, before sailing to the Moroccan seaside resort of Agadir. Then it’s on to the lush Atlantic islands of the Canaries and Madeira before stopping at the charming city of Malaga, Spain. Sound romantic? So is the starting cruise fare of just C$828!

Further north, there’s a cruise to Scandinavia and Russia at prices that may never be this low again:

7-Night Northern Europe from Oslo departing May 29: The beautiful waterfront of Copenhagen and the old world charm of Tallinn are reason enough to cruise the Baltic Sea, but it’s the museums and palaces of St. Petersburg that make this voyage a truly remarkable experience. But what’s even more remarkable is that prices for this once-in-a-lifetime voyage start at just C$669 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas.

And finally, the ancient cultures of Croatia, Greece and Turkey are beckoning with bargain fares:

7-Night Adriatic, Greece & Turkey from Venice departing July 24: Sail aboard the Norwegian Gem as it cruises along the Adriatic Sea to the walled city of Dubrovnik, into the Saronic Gulf for the ancient city of Athens, through the Aegean Sea to the old Turkish port of Izmir and nearby Ephesus, and to the historic town of Nafplion on the Peloponnese Peninsula of Greece. This classical itinerary will not only fascinate students of history, it will delight accounting grads with a starting price of just C$1,085!

If it’s beginning to sound like prices for a European cruise may never be lower than they are this year, you’re getting the message.

A number of cruise lines have already announced price increases and/or the removal of special incentives like generous onboard credits, while others are quietly ratcheting up base cruise fares for 2011.  For example, the price of a 15-night Norwegian Fjord cruise with luxury line Crystal Cruises starts at just US$7,440 this year. However, next year the price jumps to US$9,230.

So if you’ve been thinking it’s time you cruised the beautiful shores of Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa, this might be the year to walk up the gangplank.

While it will still be a long time before cruise fares return to 2007 levels, a handful of cruise lines have recently announced they will be increasing fares for this summer, and in some cases, for the remainder of the year.

These fare increases will only impact cruise bookings made after the increases take effect, which for the most part will be in late March or early April. So anyone who books before the increase kicks in will still benefit from the lower price.

The fare increases at the mainstream cruise lines will be modest. For example, Carnival will raise prices by up to 5% effective March 22, and NCL will hike fares by up to 7% effective April 2.  The rate of increase will vary according to itinerary, with the most popular regions getting the highest bump.

However, the rate of fare increase will be significantly larger at the luxury lines, many of which have been offering extraordinary bargains and incentives such as “two-for-one” fares, free air, generous onboard credits, and free or discounted shore excursions.

For example, Silversea Cruises is planning to increase fares and eliminate some incentives beginning March 18. Regent will be hiking fares on many of its cruises after March 31. And others cruise lines may soon follow their lead in the months ahead, depending on consumer demand.

That’s not to say fares on every cruise itinerary will go up, or increase by the same amount.

There are still some itineraries that are not selling well, or are getting too close to their departure dates for increases to kick in. For example, Princess Cruises recently announced fares starting at less than US$100 per person for a 32-day voyage from Singapore to Cape Town that departs April 2. And demand for cruises to the Mexican Riviera, as well as for three and four day voyages to the Caribbean, continues to be soft.

In addition, there will still be times of the year when bargain fares are still available on certain itineraries. For example, the fall for Caribbean cruises, May and September for Alaska sailings, and the winter for Mediterranean voyages.

But there’s no doubt that the price of some cruises – particularly those during peak periods to popular places like the Mediterranean, or those with decreased capacity like Alaska – are going up. And the reason is that cruise bookings for 2010 have been way up over last year, thanks to strong sales during the first two months of this year during the cruise industry’s primary marketing period known as “Wave Season.”

Each year, cruise lines use Wave Season – where more than 50% of the industry’s yearly cabin capacity can be sold — to gauge the level of consumer demand. If that demand is low (as it was in 2008 and 2009), cruise lines respond with lower fares and special incentives to encourage sales. If demand is strong (as it was in January and February of this year), the same cruise lines try to increase fares and remove incentives where possible for the remainder of the year.

So with this year’s strong, and for some cruise lines, record Wave Season, cruise fares will be going up on many itineraries. Whether cruise lines can maintain higher fares and continue to increase them in the future remains to be seen. After all, it was cheaper fares that drove this strong Wave Season to begin with.

However, for the time being, cruise lines are sending travel consumers a powerful and pointed message:  if you want to take a cruise vacation in 2010, book early before the higher prices kick in. Otherwise, you could be paying more than you need to.

 A lot of people, particularly those who are new to cruising, tend to place a higher value on a cruise that includes more ports of call. For example, they believe a 7-night cruise that visits six destinations is better than one with only four or five ports of call.

In my view, this philosophy sells the cruise experience short and can make for a less pleasant voyage. Why?

First, most cruise ships are loaded with tons of great facilities like hot tubs, health spas, mini-golf, swimming pools, water slides, retail shops, etc. that rival anything on land. In addition, there are organized activities from dawn until midnight that run the gamut from aerobic sessions, enrichment lectures, and dance classes to bingo, paddle tennis competitions and Wii tournaments. Enjoying these activities and facilities, which are part of the cruise vacation experience, often gets short-changed when a voyage offers no days at sea.

Second, a cruise that features too many destinations often has to arrive in port late or leave it early in order to rush to the next port of call. This can result in passengers having too little time in a port to see everything they want to, or to combine some shopping with sightseeing.

And third, getting up early everyday to go on a shore excursion can be very tiring. In fact, after just two or three consecutive days of touring, passengers can get so fatigued that they begin to regret having signed up for so many excursions. Or worse, they’re so tired they have to go to bed right after dinner and miss out on the evening’s fun and entertainment.  

But as experienced cruisers know, a voyage that combines a healthy balance of ports and sea days provides a far better vacation experience. For one, it gives passengers an opportunity to explore and enjoy their ship – which is hopefully one of the reasons they took a cruise instead of a land trip. And two, it gives them time to plan for and enjoy their shore excursion without wondering where they are each day as in the movie “If it’s Tuesday this must be Belgium.”

So what’s the right combination of sea and port days?

It really depends what part of the world you are cruising in and how intense the shore excursions are. For example, Caribbean ports tend to focus on water, fauna and beach tours that last just a few hours. So it’s relatively easy to tour an island, do some shopping, and still have three or four hours of daylight to relax on the ship.

In that case, four or five ports during a 7-day cruise should be just about right.

However, a cruise in the Mediterranean, the Baltic or South America is altogether a different story. Ports can often be located quite a distance away from the nearest major city (e.g. Civitavecchia for Rome, Piraeus for Athens, Livorno for Florence, etc.), which can often mean shore excursions of 7+ hours. Even worse, tours to nearby landmarks like Iguazu Falls in Brazil, the Galapagos Islands near Ecuador, or Moscow from St. Petersburg often involve 10 to 12-hour trips that depart before dawn and don’t return until late at night.

In these cruising regions, it really helps to have at least one sea day in between every two ports of call.  

The bottom line is that you want to have enough time to enjoy all the amenities your cruise ship has to offer, as well as to feel rested enough for each shore excursion on your itinerary. After all, you don’t want to return home from your cruise feeling you still need a vacation.

Every year cruise lines offer a handful of exotic itineraries that provide a rare opportunity for travelers to cross a special destination off their bucket list. These cruises are not part of a regular schedule, rarely get much publicity, and may not be repeated for many years.

In some cases, a cruise line will offer exotic cruises because they are trying to be the first to develop a new market for them. If the cruises sell out, additional cruises to the same destination may be added in future at higher prices. However, if these cruises don’t sell very well, the cruise line will change the itinerary or drop it entirely in favour of a new destination.

In addition, the need to reposition ships from one part of the world to another can often generate rare and extraordinary itineraries for a very limited period each year. This is particularly true when ships have to sail long distances between far-flung continents.

So what’s the best way to be among the first to identify, book and enjoy these special sailings?

1. Be the first to find the hidden gems of cruising by poring over cruise ship itineraries on websites like Tripharbour.ca or on the websites of individual cruise lines. Also, check out the various cruise line brochures and flyers that arrive in the mail. The problem with the latter is that by the time it arrives in your mailbox, the cruise you want may already be wait-listed or sold out.

2. Look for cruises that sail to ports of call that are not included in standard itineraries to the same region. For example, if sailing on a Northern European cruise, does it include more exotic destinations like Trondheim, Geiranger, Spitsbergen and Bergen? If sailing to the Eastern Mediterranean, will the ship call at ports like Yalta, Sevastopol and Odessa in the Black Sea? And if sailing around the Horn of South America, will the itinerary include Antarctica?

3. Be on the lookout for repositioning cruises that offer much more than the standard itinerary. For example, trans-Atlantic cruises that visit Iceland and Greenland. Trans-canal voyages that include South America. Cruises between Asia and Australia that include Bali, Indonesia and Vietnam. And sailings from South Africa that visit Zanzibar and the Maldives. 

4. Consider taking a segment of a world cruise. These longer voyages tend to visit more exotic locations and spend more time in port. But you don’t have to sign up for the entire 100-day voyage – most world cruises can be purchased in segments that typically range in length from 16 to 30 days.

5. Pay particular attention to the itineraries of small and medium-sized cruise ships. These ships tend to include visits to out-of-the-way ports that are too small for bigger ships to access. In addition, if a region like the Amazon River has been suffering from drought, larger ships may not even be able to call at ports that are advertised in their brochures. 

Once you’ve spotted your cruise, take at close look at what the fares break down to on a per diem basis versus travelling to the same destinations by airplane and staying in hotels.  In most cases, you’ll find your sea voyage represents a terrific value, and a very smart way to manage your travel bucket.

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