Potentially an 'official' style thread, I'm tired of posting the deals I find into the most recent 'quick cruise question' thread. I'm not particularly knowledgeable, I've only taken one short cruise and have another booked, but I AM a little OCD, and might be able to offer up some useful information on cruise deal hunting, if not actual cruise advice.
This being a FatWallet guide to cruise searching, there are a few starting conditions: I'm normally talking about inside rates, except when an upgrade is free or available for a very good price - usually, inside cabins really are the best value. When I talk averages, I'm using current (4 Aug 2006) Carnival and Royal Caribbean prices for all their 7 night sailings for next May through October - a good mix of high and low seasons. The other lines are typically more expensive, so a $50pp/pn rate is a particularly good value on, say, Princess or Norweigan. I use per person rates, but they are only valid for each of two people sharing a stateroom. Sailing alone or with more than two people can change the price dramatically.
What is a good deal for a cruise?
Well, the average brochure cost of an inside cabin (no view) for a seven day cruise is about $1700 per person, or about $243 per person per night. Don't pay that. The average actual cost of those same cruises was about $700, or $100pp/pn. Anything less than that and you're doing better than an average 'deal' at a cruise discounter. I set my target rate at didYOUsearch's recommended rate: $50pp/pn, inclusive of taxes and port fees. Rates like that aren't too common, and are next to impossible for some itineraries, but they make for a good barometer of value. Davido is dead on, prices are very much a function of the season - prices are higher when kids are out of school. Being able to sail when the ships are slow to fill, and/or willing to sail more inexpensive itineraries makes it much easier to get a great deal, but there are good deals everywhere all year long if you keep your eyes open. Also, additional passenger rates can make or break a cruise deal - on some sailings, third and fourth passengers might add half what the first two passengers paid; while on others, it'd be the same or even cheaper to get them their own room. For families or friends willing to share a small sleeping space, low additional rates can cut the total cost of a cruise - sometimes making even peak-season sailings affordable.
What does a cruise include? or, How much will it end up costing me?
Most cruises include enough that you can go without spending a penny over the fare, taxes, and tips* - totalling $60pp/pn at the 'target rate.' Cruise fare includes your cabin (with housekeeping), free dining in a number of facilities (most lines offer free room service,) a selection of (all non-alcoholic) beverages, varying qualities of Vegas-style entertainment and comedy shows, many cruise-led activities, and transportation to whatever places the ship is headed, weather permitting. You will usually have to pay extra for tips*, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages ($5ish each, automatic 15% tip included,) dining in onboard specialty gourmet restaurants, spa or salon services, the casino and bingo, and any activities at the ports. As with room upgrades, you can spend as much or as little as you want - you decide what is worth the cost of indulging in.
Don't forget about transportation - airfare can add a lot to your total vacation cost. You have to fly in for some itineraries, but sailing out of a local port saves you airfare and some hassles. Even a cheap flight and hotel room for the night before (recommended) will cost $150 per person, which adds more than $20pp/pn over a 7 night cruise. That makes it less desirable to fly to short cruises, and I use it to justify spending more per night on the short cruises we like to take out of our local ports. They cost less just by being shorter, and they make for cheap credit towards loyalty programs. You will have to pay parking if you drive - it's $10-12 a day per car at my local ports in Florida.
*For the record, I pay the recommended gratuities (normally $10pp/pn), a little extra at the end to people I feel gave a little extra to us, and a couple singles for each room service delivery. They live on tips, even moreso than food service personnel in the US)
Resources:
General cruising information:
Recent FW Thread on cruising, lots of quick explanations and an especially valuable post by dani24
Another Thread where davido explains why you don't see much pricing difference between TAs until you contact them directly
Insure My Trip is a good consolidator of travel insurance - a VERY good idea to get, especially during storm seasons or if your trip includes a flight. I like the insurances that include payment for travel delay, late or missing baggage, and have decent medical allowances.
Cruise Critic has up-to-date cruise reviews and an active forum - the BEST place to find answers to general cruising questions.
You can also find lots of cruise pictures (of ships, rooms, public areas, menus, newsletters, you name it) by searching Google with the added term "site:webshots.com"
Finding the best cruise fare: (don't forget to count the taxes and fees!)
Vacations to Go - My first stop for finding inexpensive sailings to check on other sites - they have an awesome search process that even lets you search by type of cabin. They also have lists of deals with past passenger, senior, military and interline rates. Even better, their system lets you bookmark your common custom searches, like this link that lists all sailings out of my local ports that have oceanview rooms available for less than $300 per person. Note: I have to sort the list by date or price to see the full URL that links to that search.
Cruise 411 - Searches regular prices and many senior, resident, and past guest discounts. Lets you see actual taxes and fees at step 4, before you give them personal information.
CruiseQuick - I get a lot of errors and page not founds here, but they list the taxes for each cruise alongside the rate as soon as you search. Awesome! (thanks, davido!)
SmartCruiser - Seems to search all the specials, and includes what looks to be pretty good insurance on a lot of sailings - even on the cheap cruises with very little commission. (thanks, davido!)
Cruise Deals - Searches the same basic stuff, sometimes offers free extras like travel insurance or vacation certificates.
Crucon - I think their search is lousy, but they do have a list of their current best deals. They often offer token gifts (drink coupons, free wine bottle, fruit delivered to the cabin) for booking with them or having your carnival-direct booking transferred to them.
Cruise Vacation Outlet - Searches about the same, with the same basic extras.
Cruise Value Center - Sometimes has the lowest prices and free insurance or vacation certificates, but doesn't search past guest discounts. (thanks, davido!)
Homeport Cruises - Maintains a list of interline and military rates, some of which are phenomenal. It's easy to get a password to view the rates, check out the elegibility requirements here
After you've seen what a few sites are charging for your sailing, check out the cruise line's own site. Normally, this is fruitless, as TAs have more incentive to offer you deals, but I've had luck recently getting lower rates and upgrades on Carnival.com using the promotional codes DP7 (for past guests) and PR1 (a residency discount code.) If you don't qualify, or it's not valid on that sailing, you'll get a message that says that the code is invalid. If it works, you might see lower prices, upgrade deals, or both. The DP7 code gives free upgrades from 4A to 5A (with portholes) on a number of sailings. Sometimes, it says the 4As are being upgraded to a 4D (inside), but selecting the 4A room lets you choose a 5A room anyway.
Cruise Compete is my last stop - the site lets you request a quote for a sailing from a number of different. Make sure to include what price you want them to beat for what room type, if you are a past guest, and your state of residency - not all TA's go out of their way to see what you might qualify for. If you've already done the work anyway, you might as well tell them what you found (and the fare code if applicable.) Even if you've found rock bottom prices, you'll likely be offered some sort of extra amenity.
Posting Deals: If you find a cruise for less than $50pp/pn, post it even if you aren't going to do a stitch of research on it. Otherwise, use your better judgement - there are itineraries where $80pp/pn is a steal, $75pp/pn might be a great price for a holiday cruise, and locals might be thrilled to pay $65pp/pn for a three day weekend sailing next month. Below is the format I'll try to stick to (unless it's discovered I've left out important stuff) but there's no obligation for anyone else to use this format when posting deals. Remember you need the total cruise cost - both the fare and the taxes - to really compare prices. The discount description is important too - include restrictions like past guest, military, age or residence requirements, promotional codes or coupons, where the fare can be found, and any included 'extras.' If it's just a good fare you've happened upon, but haven't looked for any additional discounts, mention that too.
Length, Destination, Ship, Line
Departure Date & City, Return Date & City
Cabin Category, Price (Fare+Taxes), Cost Per Person Per Night
Third and Fourth Passenger Price, Cost Per Person Per Night
Discount Description and/or link
Remember, these are just the best prices so far - you should submit your own request at Cruise Compete to see if someone can cut the price or offer you any extras. Move fast - prices can and sometimes do change very quickly.
