How do I fing a cheap Cruise?

[chanttessier1]

Hello,

 

My husband and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in May and we would like to take a cruise. We live in Canada, and we would be driving to NY. New to travel and I am not sure where I should look to get a cheap cruise. I hear all you guys talking about cruises for $499/person. Is this realistic? What is considered a good deal?

 

I have been on NCL's Dream in November from Houston, loved it, but I was travelling with my mom and did not have to pay for it, she booked it. All I had to do was pack my bags, it was my 30th birthday gift.

 

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks.

[SailAways]

Hello,

My husband and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in May and we would like to take a cruise. We live in Canada, and we would be driving to NY. New to travel and I am not sure where I should look to get a cheap cruise. I hear all you guys talking about cruises for $499/person. Is this realistic? What is considered a good deal?

I have been on NCL's Dream in November from Houston, loved it, but I was travelling with my mom and did not have to pay for it, she booked it. All I had to do was pack my bags, it was my 30th birthday gift.

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks.

 

Congratulations on your upcoming 10th Anniversary.

$499 is realistic if you are willing to do a lot of research, and accept a small accommodation. Remember, that on top of this - if this is the posted price, comes port fees, taxes, and insurance.

A good deal IMHO is one which you are completely satisfied with.

 

Since specific recommendations cannot be given on CC, it really is up to you to do the research. There are hundreds of "Travel" sites on the web - and that is a good place to begin. The prices quoted usually can be lowered by making a personal telephone call to their 800 number.

 

The best deals are usually last minute ones - where you would need to be prepared to cruise within a week or up to a month - these are posted as "Last Minute Deals", or some similar title.

 

Good Luck!

[chanttessier1]

Thank you all !

 

We plan on sailing out of NY, that way we don't have to pay a flight. We can drive and only have to pay the gas and parking. I would really like a 7-day cruise because anything shorter just does not seem like a vacation.

 

I have not choosen one yet but I see that the NCL Spirit leaves NY for a 7-day Bahamas trip, ideal for us.

 

I think I will wait until close to the last minute as my holiday schedule is flexible. I will keep an eye on different site to try and get the best bang for the buck.

 

I will let you know as it gets closer to what we have decided. Thanks.

[maggiekam]

Since you have sailed Norwegian before, be sure to get any Latitudes past passenger discounts by giving your membership number. You should be a member and eligible after one cruise. The special Latitiudes cruises are good because you get an extra on board credit, I believe per cabin. Our last one we got $150.

To get a good deal, I always check multiple sites for prices, then go to one of the compete sites and ask for bids. This has proven successful in our last two cruises. I agree that then talking to someone might get you an even better deal. To me, $499 for everything including fees is a little low for 7 days unless there are a lot of unsold cabins. Don't forget they will automatically charge your account for the tips from both of you and this is supposed to be additional and not to be deducted from the on board credits.

The Spirit is a great ship and we enjoyed it a lot. Good Luck Hunting.

[WaldosPepper]

PrettyLizzy = please edit your post and remove the link you've provided. It is against the rules, and will result in your post being deleted! :eek:

[judyf]

One tip, go to all the online sites and sign up for there weekly, daily e-mails with deals posted. You will find some great deals. My in box is full everyday with deals, just wish I could get more time off. LOL

[alleauna]

PrettyLizzy = please edit your post and remove the link you've provided. It is against the rules, and will result in your post being deleted! :eek:

My post was removed and the only link I provided was my email address. Are we not allowed to post our emails either?

[SailAways]

My post was removed and the only link I provided was my email address. Are we not allowed to post our emails either?

 

There must have been a different reason.

 

If you have not done so, it probably would be a good idea to review the "Guidelines" above (On the blue line along with User CP, New Posts, etc.,).

 

Sorry your post was deleted. Maybe you should try again after reading the guidelines to see if you can determine what may have caused the deletion.

 

Good luck and Happy Cruises!

[pattyk]

I just found that same cruise that you took for March...can you tell me was it really nice ?how was ship?..I have only been on Royal Caribbean and loved their ship

[alleauna]

There must have been a different reason.

 

If you have not done so, it probably would be a good idea to review the "Guidelines" above (On the blue line along with User CP, New Posts, etc.,).

 

Sorry your post was deleted. Maybe you should try again after reading the guidelines to see if you can determine what may have caused the deletion.

 

Good luck and Happy Cruises!

I will do that. Thank you!

[WaldosPepper]

My post was removed and the only link I provided was my email address. Are we not allowed to post our emails either?

 

There are a number of reasons why the host may have removed your post. Is it possible that you mentioned the name of a travel agency or online agency in your post? That could do it.

 

SailAways gives good advice - read through and you'll probably discover just exactly what went wrong. :)

[Host CMLA]

My post was removed and the only link I provided was my email address. Are we not allowed to post our emails either?

I didn't move your post but I saw what happened and I believe it was moved because you asked to be e mailed with info for where to find a cheap cruise or you asked someone to e mail you and you'd share information. That kind of stuff can't be posted here. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

[newmexicoNita]

My post was removed and the only link I provided was my email address. Are we not allowed to post our emails either?

I think we can post email addresses or I certainly thought we could, I have seen them posted many times. NMNita

[alleauna]

LOL I turned this into quite a fiasco, didn't I? :) I promise, I am just a humble stay-at-home mom with no ulterior motives...in other words, no connections whatsoever in the travel industry. (I don't even use a travel agent! Gasp!) I read through the guidelines and I've stayed well within the boundaries in all of my posts. Phew! Thanks so much for that suggestion. :) The only reason I provided my email was for her to let me know what they decided on. I'm just friendly that way. I promise I'll try to be a bit more reserved from here on! ;)

 

chanttessier1, So sorry this happened under your thread. I do wish you and your hubby the very best! Don't blame you one bit for wanting to book nothing less than a 7 day. The Mr. and I are really excited that ours in November will be a 7 day as well. (Our first was *only* 4!) I hear wonderful things about the Spirit. Good luck about finding a great last minute deal. I truly hope you will let us know when/what you decide!

[The Moyers]

I checked a lot of internet sites but guess what.....after you added port and government fees, my local travel agent actually got us 2 rooms (with an upgrade because of latitudes) for $150 per room less than I could have booked anywhere I found on the net. so my advice, check with you local agents too.

[cruiser-dude]

...Any help is much appreciated.

 

While this is NOT a cruise line offering cruises out of New York, and most certainly is not a luxury cruise, here's CC's info. about EasyCruise. If you want "cheap", this is it... http://cruisecritic.com/ports/article.cfm?ID=112

 

Also, CC's "bargain" page: http://www.cruisecritic.com/bargains/index.cfm

 

Of course, this is just a couple of things - much more is out there and you'll be okay if you spend a little time and research.

 

A point to note: As some of our more experienced posters have noted, some folks will post/quote a cruise price inclusive of fees, taxes, etc. Others may leave these off and note this in their small print. Be aware of this when comparing prices so that you are comparing apples-to-apples and don't get surprised later...

 

We are very interested in seeing what you come up with because we took the Dream from Houston, loved it, and did so because we also just drove to the pier. NYC is a cheap flight from DFW, so we are very interested in your findings. Keep us posted.

 

Good luck. Hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise.

[joemedic]

$499 for a 7 day cruise is possible if you are willing to go at slower times (ex. right before/ after school breaks) and don't mind an inside room. I think it may be tough to find a cruise that cheap out of NY, though. However, parking is very expensive out of NY so you may find that you can get a better overall deal by flying south.

Keep in mind that some of the bargin basement internet sites do NOT include taxes and port fees. It does make it hard to compare those sites with the more mainstream ones.

Have fun looking!

[tawcat]

been around the boards for awhile, but i guess i need to re-read guidelines. never thought an email address was in violation, but i can live with that.

 

i do have a question though, why is serene56's post still here, isn't the link provided to a "buy a cruise now" site?

 

not trying to start WWIII, just trying to get clarification. thanks.

[Host CMLA]

been around the boards for awhile, but i guess i need to re-read guidelines. never thought an email address was in violation, but i can live with that.

 

i do have a question though, why is serene56's post still here, isn't the link provided to a "buy a cruise now" site?

Posting your e mail address is not a violation. However, posting your e mail address and asking someone to e mail you for information or asking someone to e mail you with information on where to book a cruise is. That's the difference. And you were correct about serene56's post. I didn't see it but it was a link to a cruise booking site so I removed it. I know the guidelines might seem silly at times but it seems that when you allow perfectly innocent discussions about booking sites, TA's, tour services, etc. you're always going to have people that take advantage of that by plugging a certain business, etc. and that's why there's an overall ban on those things. It's not that any of you are soliciting business; it's because of the handful of people that abuse the board for their own purposes. Sorry. :o You can e mail me or the board administrator if you have any other thoughts about this policy. I don't want to hijack the OP's thread with this stuff.

[Prettylizy]

Our cruise was nice, the ship isn't huge but I still managed to get lost! ;)

The ship is older, still a beautiful ship, but it's no SuperShip. I've cruised Disney, Big Red Boat and then Majesty. The Majesty was lovely, the crew were fantastic, which made it easy for me to overlook some of the small things. The ship wasn't designed for Freestyle, but if we ever had to wait for dinner, it wasn't more than 10 minutes and we'd just go get a drink before we sat down. There were always enough deck chairs, and we always had something to do.

 

I'm a cruise-a-holic, so any boat that puts me on the water is good enough for me. If you do go, you must eat at both Le Bistro and the Pasta Cafe. Both are reservation restaurants (only surcharge is for Le Bistro). Great food, great time and great ports of call!

 

Hope this helps!

[serene56]

i do have a question though, why is serene56's post still here, isn't the link provided to a "buy a cruise now" site?.

 

my link takes the reader to information regarding a cruise critic group cruise. It is sponsered by Cruise Critic.

[LauraS]

Since this thread is already hijacked , I'll clarify.

 

Links to Official Cruise Critic Member Cruises, such as the one in Serene56's signature, are OK on all forums on Cruise Critic.

 

Laura

[Host CMLA]

Since this thread is already hijacked <G>, I'll clarify.

 

Links to Official Cruise Critic Member Cruises, such as the one in Serene56's signature, are OK on all forums on Cruise Critic.

Thanks for clarifying even more Laura. Member serene56 has a link in his/her signature for an official CC cruise. Those are allowed everywhere on the boards. However, the post I removed was member serene56 providing a link to another web site that sells cruises. It was the body of the message and not her signature. I can't tell you what it said though. That would defeat the whole reason it was removed in the first place. ;) Sorry for any inconvenience.

[slotaddict]

Since you have sailed Norwegian before, be sure to get any Latitudes past passenger discounts by giving your membership number. You should be a member and eligible after one cruise. The special Latitiudes cruises are good because you get an extra on board credit, I believe per cabin. Our last one we got $150.

To get a good deal, I always check multiple sites for prices, then go to one of the compete sites and ask for bids. This has proven successful in our last two cruises. I agree that then talking to someone might get you an even better deal. To me, $499 for everything including fees is a little low for 7 days unless there are a lot of unsold cabins. Don't forget they will automatically charge your account for the tips from both of you and this is supposed to be additional and not to be deducted from the on board credits.

The Spirit is a great ship and we enjoyed it a lot. Good Luck Hunting.

 

Just to be clear, I am a Latitudes member, and there are special cruises for Latitudes members that would give you a discount off the price or a shipboard credit?

[WaldosPepper]

Just to be clear, I am a Latitudes member, and there are special cruises for Latitudes members that would give you a discount off the price or a shipboard credit?

 

Yep! They have a few of them each year. I just check again, and they're not yet listed for this year. Keep an eye out by going to NCL.com and clicking the "Latitudes" ribbon. This opens another page which will eventually list the "Member Cruises" for this year. They feature special pricing for members, as well as onboard credit for members.

 

If I see them appear, I'll try to remember to start a new thread. :)