For the millions of people out there who love hitting the seven seas, figuring out how to book a cheap cruise is like the holy grail of vacationing, even among people who really pride themselves in knowing how to find travel deals. But finding out how to get the best deals on cruises has been almost an art form for decades.
Buyer Beware
As just about every frugal traveler knows, sometimes, deals really are too good to be true… or at least not all they are cracked up to be. It’s important to read the fine print and be sure of what’s included and what’s not included in cruise deals you may find.
1. Read Cruise News
There are countless sites and blogs devoted to the cruise industry, staffed by both insiders and frequent cruise passengers. These sites cover both industry trends as well as specific deals and offers from particular cruise lines. In addition to finding cruise deals, they are great for learning about unique cruise offerings and locales.
2. Search the Travel Sites
CruiseDirect.com, CruisesOnly.com, Cruise.com and others are searchable databases of cruise offers. They are similar to Expedia, Travelocity and other general interest travel websites, except they are devoted to cruises. These sites typically have sections focused on cruise deals and may at times have exclusive offers that aren’t available elsewhere.
3. Scan Social Media
The sites we’ve already mentioned and many others have social media presences on Twitter, Facebook and other platforms. They often broadcast limited time deals through these accounts, so following them could be a good idea. Some good examples are CruiseDeals on Twitter, Best Travel Deals’ cruise account on Twitter and the travel agent-led private Facebook groups Cruise Deals!