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Smarter Cruising Newsletter
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"Smarter Cruising" Newsletter
July 4, 2007 -- Issue #8
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In This Issue:
1) Go Mini-Cruising for Maxi Benefits
2) Take Advantage of These Great Last-Minute Deals!
3) Smooth Sailing Tip: Try a Reverse Auction
4) Rough Seas Ahead?: Watch Your Credit Card Balance
5) Visit Clark's SMARTER CRUISING BLOG!
==================== FEATURE EDITORIAL ===========
1) Go Mini-Cruising for Maxi Benefits
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Having recently returned from a four-night Carnival cruise
to Canada, I've got mini-cruises on my mind.
For my money, mini-cruises -- voyages of two, three, or four
days -- offer some of the best values in cruising, and
are certainly among the best ways for novice cruisers to "get
their feet wet" in sea-going travel.
Worried that your youngsters might be bored on board? Try a
mini-cruise. If for some reason anyone in your family doesn't
take to cruising, you won't have invested that much time and
money in it. But chances are the kids will be clamoring for
more come next summer.
For these reasons and more, mini-cruises are one of the
hottest trends in ship travel, mirroring the general travel
trend toward shorter trips.
But while departure ports are closer to home and the voyages
can often be completed in a three-day weekend, mini-cruise
destinations can also offer up a taste of the exotic:
The Bahamas, Mexico, and Canada are all on the itineraries.
Carnival Cruise Lines is currently setting the pace in the
shorter cruising trend, deploying nearly half its fleet on
cruises of five days or less during 2007, with 32 different
itineraries leaving from a dozen domestic departure points.
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A long weekend's cruise to Atlantic Canada
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Consider the cruise I was on, a voyage aboard the Carnival
Victory from New York City to Saint John, New Brunswick, and
back.
The 2,750-passenger-capacity ship sailed past the Statue of Liberty
on its way out of New York Harbor just after 6 p.m. on a Thursday
evening in late June. After spending all day Friday at sea, we
docked in Saint John at 8 a.m. Saturday, where we stayed until
6 p.m. that day.
We then spent Saturday evening and all day Sunday sailing back
to New York City, arriving back in the Big Apple by 8 a.m.
Monday. Some area residents were back in their offices that morning
(ouch!).
Yet in one long weekend, those of us aboard the Victory had time
to spend nearly ten hours in a historic, scenic city and region
of Canada, highlighted by Saint John's Bay of Fundy, site of the
world's highest tides.
Back on board, we could watch whales migrating in the Atlantic
from the comfort of our deck chairs, eat a dozen meals and (in
perhaps too many cases) copious snacks in between, take in various
stage entertainments, swim in pools and soak in hot tubs, stretch
out in the sun with a book, and enjoy any number of other ways to
amuse ourselves.
The ship was loaded with families and kids from tot to teenage,
many taking advantage of the offerings of Camp Carnival, the
complimentary supervised children's activity program.
Among the passengers were big family reunion groups, a contingent
of women in purple T-shirts proclaiming their "Wild Women Cruise",
a large number of passengers from various Asian countries, plenty of
married couples both young and old -- a real cross-section of
travelers.
And most of them seemed to be having a great time. All this for
prices starting at $429 per passenger.
Of course, you can spend considerably more if you opt for balcony
staterooms and lengthy shore excursions, buy a lot of drinks and
photos, linger in the casino, purchase art at the shipboard auctions,
and splurge on pricey spa treatments.
But those are optional expenses. Except for staff tips, which
Carnival automatically adds to your bill, you could go the entire
voyage without racking up any additional expenses at all.
Carnival is operating four more such cruises through August 2007,
and six more in the summer of 2008.
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Other options: short cruises to The Bahamas
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The year-round, three-day two-night Imperial Majesty cruises from
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Nassau in The Bahamas provide an
ideal introduction to cruising for first timers, and a fun
getaway for anyone at bargain prices.
With adult rates starting at just $129 for the two nights --
including plenty of shipboard food and entertainment -- it makes
for a nice deal. Rates for kids aged 3 to 12 in the same cabin as
two adults are just $89, with kids' programs available on
board. Passengers get a full day in port in Nassau, too (at their
own expense, to be sure).
The cruises embark 15 or 16 times a month from Fort Lauderdale,
sailing at 5 p.m. and docking the next morning at 9 in Nassau.
After a day in port, the ship leaves Nassau at 5:30 p.m. and
arrives back in Fort Lauderdale at 9 the next morning. Then they
start over again at 5 that evening.
One of the prime selling points is that the cruises are aboard a
grand old ship, a vintage wood-paneled 1,200-passenger ocean liner
called the MV Regal Empress. Yes, like the dowager she is, the
1950s-era Empress is showing some wrinkles -- and is likely to be
retired by the year 2010 (all the more reason to go now).
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Disney all run year-round
mini-cruises to Nassau from different ports in south Florida.
While you may find discounted prices on these cruises, rates are
already so low on inside staterooms that you aren't likely to find
any rates much lower on the least expensive cabins than those listed
below.
** Royal Caribbean's 2,700-passenger Majesty of the Seas sails to
The Bahamas each Friday from Miami and also stops at Cococay,
a private island where you can snorkel, scuba dive, parasail,
or just laze on the beach, before returning Monday morning. On
Mondays, the same ship then embarks on similar four-day cruises
from Miami, adding Key West to the itinerary.
Its 2,850-passenger Sovereign of the Seas runs similar
itineraries from Port Canaveral, Florida. The three-day cruises
start at $209, depending on the dates, and the four-day cruises
at $219. (www.royalcaribbean.com)
Starting in 2009, Royal Caribbean will run two-day cruises to
Cococay from Miami, starting at just $199.
** Carnival sails to Nassau from both Miami (aboard its 2,050-
passenger vessel Fascination) and from Port Canaveral, on its
similarly sized Sensation. Both feature nearly endless shipboard
activities and entertainment. Current prices start at $269.
(www.carnival.com)
** Disney Cruise Line's 2,400-passenger Wonder calls at both Nassau
and Castaway Cay (the cruise line's private island) and is geared
toward the family trade (even though it sails on Thursdays
from Port Canaveral throughout the year). Rates are somewhat
steeper than on Royal Caribbean and Carnival, starting at $429
per passenger. (www.disneycruise.com)
Note: Holland America Line will be offering three three-day cruises
from Fort Lauderdale to The Bahamas in April 2008, aboard the ms
Westerdam. (www.hollandamerica.com)
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Take a three-night cruise to Baja
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Both Royal Caribbean (www.royalcaribbean.com) and Carnival
(www.carnival.com) offer three-night cruises from Los Angeles
to lively Ensenada, Mexico, on the Baja Peninsula.
Both cruises leave L.A. on Friday afternoons throughout the
year and return Monday mornings, so you can complete either
trip over a long weekend.
Prices start at $189 for the Royal Caribbean cruise, $199 for
Carnival's.
Royal Caribbean has its 2,700-passenger Monarch of the Seas ship
in service on this route, while Carnival uses its 2,050-passenger
Paradise.
Besides a full day at sea, each cruise features a day in port
in Ensenada. Various shore excursions are available there at
additional cost.
All regular meals and many onboard activities are included in
the base price, though, such as a rock-climbing wall on the
Royal Caribbean ship and a jungle-themed disco on the Carnival
vessel.
Note: Carnival also runs four-night cruises from Tampa, Florida,
to Cozumel, Mexico (in the Yucatan), with prices starting at $299.
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Do you have a question for Smarter Cruising?
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If you have a topic you'd like to see covered in an upcoming
newsletter, or just a cruising question you'd like answered,
drop me a line at clark@smartercruising.com.
I hope to hear from you!
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2) Take Advantage of These Great Last-Minute Deals!
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** MSC Cruises is offering combined Caribbean itineraries
for December 2007 and early 2008 at special prices.
For example, you can combine a 10-day eastern Caribbean
cruise with a 7-day western Caribbean cruise to form a
back-to-back 17-day cruise From Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
to Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Antigua,
Tortola, the Dominican Republic, Key West, Jamaica,
Grand Cayman, and Cozumel all starting from $1,169.
Departure date is December 4.
Another possibility is a 20-night eastern Caribbean
and Panama combo that has South and Central America
stops, all starting at $1,649 and departing from
Fort Lauderdale on January 9 and 29, February 18, and
March 9, 2008. Or choose from among four other
itineraries. Booking deadline is August 31, 2007.
(www.msccruises.com)
** Viking River Cruises is offering early booking
discounts on all of its 2008 cruises, amounting to
$1,000 off per double occupancy stateroom. Book and
pay in full by July 31, 2007, to secure $500 savings
per passenger. Itineraries include Europe, Russia,
and China. (www.vikingrivercruises.com)
** Carnival's fall cruises are going for as little as
$219 per passenger, double occupancy (a four-night
Western Caribbean itinerary departing September 10
from Miami). You can also land a seven-day eastern
Caribbean voyage starting at $429 departing
November 25 or December 9 from Miami. While there's no
hard-and-fast booking deadline, availablity is limited
and the offers could be withdrawn at any time.
(www.carnival.com)
** Snag a verandah cabin for a 7-day Alaska Inside Passage
cruise on Holland America Line for as little as $899 for
a September 22, 2007 departure. Inside starerooms on a
September 21 departure start at just $599.
(www.hollandamerica.com)
** Regent Seven Seas, a luxury line, is having a two-week
sale on three 7-day European cruises this fall at savings
of 50 percent off the brochure price. Rates now start at
$3,198 for voyages from Piraeus, Greece, to Monte Carlo
departing on September 1, October 13, and October 20, 2007.
This offer ends July 15, 2007. (www.rssc.com)
** Companions cruise for free on selected Majestic America
river cruises aboard the American Queen in November or
December 2007; children under 17 cruise free when traveling
with two adults in the same cabin. Itineraries include
St. Louis to Memphis and Memphis to New Orleans. Contact
Vacations to Go (www.vacationstogo.com) for details.
** CruCon Cruise Outlet has a deal for a 14-night Australia
and New Zealand cruise on Royal Caribbean for $2,699,
including airfare. Departures from Sydney are either October
27 or November 10. You must book by July 10; if you book by
July 6, prepaid shipboard gratuities are included. (www.crucon.com)
If you don't need the airfare included, you can grab the same
cruise directly from Royal Caribbean for $1,999 per passenger.
(www.royalcaribbean.com)
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For insider tips on HOW TO BOOK THE BEST CRUISE DEAL
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Our new guide, "How to Book the Best Cruise Deal" is loaded
with insider tips and techniques -- all geared toward
saving you lots of money when you book your next cruise.
And for a short time you can get it for a very special price!
That's right -- an incredible deal on information that could
easily save you hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars
on your next cruise.
Here's what one of our satisfied customers had to say:
"Smarter Cruising's new guide 'How to Book
the Best Cruise Deal' is packed with
useful information.
"Cruise line pricing has always been mysterious to me.
This book helped me understand not only the 'whats' of
booking early vs. booking late, but also the 'whys.'
"Very helpful! I recommend this book to anyone planning
a cruise, whether it will be their first
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-- Mary Sullivan, Oakland, California
Don't go into "battle" negotiating your cruise fare
without arming yourself with all the money-saving secrets
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To learn more about "How to Book the Best Cruise Deal,"
check out:
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And if you order right away, we'll even throw in FREE
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airfare altogether!
Don't miss out! Visit:
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3) Smooth Sailing Tip: Try a Reverse Auction
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Rather than comb the Web or call travel agents
exhaustively for the best fares, try this method: an online
reverse auction, similar to the bid-for-your business
technique now popular among mortgage bankers.
You pick the cruise you think you might want to take --
including the ship, sail date(s), number of passengers, and
type of cabin -- and then let a variety of travel agents and
online discounters pitch you their best offers.
One top reverse-auction site is Cruise Compete, which serves
as a clearinghouse for more than 100 travel agencies around
the U.S. representing two dozen cruise lines.
If you wish, you can receive the rate quotes anonymously,
and you're under no obligation to buy anything. The site is
free of charge, for now. (www.cruisecompete.com)
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For free subscriptions to this newsletter
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If you're reading this newsletter and have yet to subscribe,
you can get your FREE monthly subscription by going to:
http://www.smartercruising.com
and signing up. That's all there is to it!
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4) Rough Seas Ahead?: Watch Your Credit Card Balance
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When you board a cruise ship, one of the first things
you're usually asked to do is hand over a credit card so
that the cruise line has a guarantee of payment for
all your shipboard charges.
What you may not know is just how much of a "hold"
the cruise line may put on your available credit.
Say you have a credit limit of $3,000 on your card
and are already carrying a balance of $1,500. If the
cruise line then puts a $1,500 hold on your credit, you
will have maxed yourself out -- without even knowing it.
Then, when you go to use the same card to charge
something in port, you may get an unpleasant surprise:
your card is declined (or you unknowingly exceed your
credit limit, which could be even worse).
One solution is to carry two separate credit cards,
one for use on the ship and one for use in port.
If you only have one card, however, make sure it has a
high enough credit limit to pass muster. If in doubt,
ask the ship's purser how sizeable a hold they're putting
on your card.
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5) Visit Clark's SMARTER CRUISING BLOG!
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If you haven't had a chance yet to check out my
Smarter Cruising Blog, you can find it at
http://SmarterCruising.blogspot.com.
It's loaded with up-to-date tips for saving money
on cruises in a wide variety of ways.
Please come for a visit -- I've recently done postings on
special sales from MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and
Norwegian Coastal Voyage, along with other
items of interest, such as a current Imperial Majesty
promotion that could win you a free cruise.
And keep checking back often -- I often post items
that have a short window of opportunity,
such as special sales and discounts that cruise lines
offer for a short time only -- sometimes just one day!
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Do you have a comment you'd like to share with other
Smarter Cruisers?
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Leave a comment on my Smarter Cruising blog:
http://smartercruising.blogspot.com.
Let's keep the cruising conversation going!
Happy cruising,
Clark Norton
The Smarter Cruiser
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