Traveling Tight: Cruising the Recession

   Think you can’t afford a cruise? Think again. The Recession is bringing on a boatlaod of cruise bargains. We’re talking $50 per day for a four-day trip from Miami to the Bahamas on Norwegian Cruise Lines. A seven-day Alaska cruise, usually more than $2,000 per person, for $499. Cruise bargains are so plentiful that Ken Heit of World Wide Cruises in Ft. Lauderdale recently suggested that “if you live in an expensive city like San Francisco, Chicago or New York, it might be cheaper right now to spend a week on a cruise ship than to stay at home.” Right. That’s as good excuse as any to check out of bone-chilling NYC.

A good place to start cruise research is Kayak.com, which allows you to search by price, style of cabin, or departure port, and then links you to the appropriate booking site. Before you book, call a travel agent. Agents often have exclusive access to perks and special discounts. Negotiate the price of your cabin, and ask for perks like onboard dining credits. Most agents don’t add a service fee for cruises, but be sure to ask. Save by choosing an inside stateroom and taking advantage of credit card promotions. Once you know which specific cruise you want, you can enter dates, preferred ship and other details at CruiseCompete.com, which passes along your request to consolidators and online agencies which will then e-mail you their best prices. Take advantage of cancellations by checking out last-minute deals on SkyAuction.com or Moments-Notice.com.

--Posted by Lynn Parramore, RecessionWire.com