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Cruise lines have been floating some tremendous deals over the past month in order to fill ships in a slow economy. And in the last week alone, there have been a flood of great offers.

For example, there are free upgrades from ocean view cabins to balcony staterooms on selected summer sailings with Princess in Europe, Alaska and Bermuda; Caribbean cruises this winter starting at just $50 per day from Costa; a 31-day world cruise segment from Cunard on the QM2 beginning at just $2,995; and a flotilla of discounted cruises from Royal Caribbean, Carnival and NCL. And it’s expected the deals will continue to flow.

But how can consumers stay up to date on the best offers? And how can they decide which offers are a great deal or no deal?

Staying in the know: It’s important to find out quickly when cruise lines offer special deals because most are capacity controlled, subject to a short booking window, and have limited cabin selection. The best way to do this is to regularly check online cruise sites like www.tripharbour.ca which posts cruise specials, sign up for special alerts directly from the cruise lines, or ask your travel agent to advise you of special deals to destinations that you are interested in. When booking a cruise, it’s also a good idea to ask your cruise professional if she or he is aware of any special offers that are similar to the cruise you are interested in. If you are flexible about the cruise line, ports of call and departure dates, you stand a better chance of getting the best deal.

Different types of deals: There are a variety of special discounts and benefits being offered by cruise lines to lure people up the gangplank. Some are going for straight cash discounts off the regular brochure rate; others are offering cabin upgrades; while some are giving shipboard credits that you can spend on the vessel. In addition, most have lowered the deposit amount required to reserve a cabin, and many have made their cancellation policies more generous. So it’s important to understand the value of the non-cash benefits before doing a price comparison.  

Understanding the extra costs: The price that is quoted for a cruise usually excludes other costs such as port charges and taxes, which can add another $40 to $100 per person, per week to the overall price. In addition, some quotes do not include fuel supplements, which can run between $8 to $10 per person, per day to a maximum of around $140. So it’s important to understand what’s included in the price being quoted, and to add extra charges to the total before deciding how good a deal it is.

Comparing one deal to another: The easiest way to compare cruise fares is do calculate how much the total cost is and divide it by the length of the cruise. For example, a seven-day cruise that costs $700 would work out to $100 per day. The lower the per diem cost, the better the value. Of course, you also need to look at the standard of the cruise line and compare the “deal rate” to their regular brochure rate. A rate of $175 per day on a luxury line like Crystal or Regent would be a huge bargain, while the same rate on a contemporary line like Carnival or Royal Caribbean would be a lot less appealing. An experienced cruise agent can walk you through the best values.

Factor in the air cost: The cost of airline tickets can vary widely depending on destination, date of the cruise, and your own flexibility. For example, the increased cost of flying during holiday periods like Christmas, New Year’s, March Break and long weekends can totally offset the reduced rate of the cruise. So if you have to fly to the city where the cruise departs, check out your airfare before finalizing your cruise purchase. Also, compare the cost of cruise line’s air package and flight routing to what you can purchase directly on your own. The main advantages of buying the air package from the cruise line is that they are responsible for getting you to the ship if there are any delays, and they provide transfers from the airport. In addition, if your cruise is not roundtrip from your port of embarkation (e.g. it’s Miami to Los Angeles), it may be more expensive for you to book two one-way flights than what the cruise line charges.

Deal or no deal: No matter how good the offer appears, it’s only a deal if you get what you want for a lot less than you would normally have had to pay. The more flexible you can be around departure dates, cruise ships and air routings, the more likely you are to get the best deal. And if you can make your plans on short notice – four weeks or less – you’ll usually have a wider choice of discounted cruises to choose from.  

The bottom line is that cruise lines cannot afford to have empty ships sailing the seven seas, and will continue to offer great deals to get passengers up the gangplank. With cruise fares starting as low as $50 per day, it’s getting much tougher for landlubbers to resist the call of the sea.

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