No vacation beats a cruise vacation in my opinion. You arrive at the cruise terminal and are usually checked in and on board the ship within 30 minutes and from there you are taken care of and pampered more than I have experienced on any luxury hotel or resort. Everything except for certain drinks are included in the cruise price and you can eat delicious meals 24 hours a day and enjoy the cruise ship's entertaining from early morning to late evening.
Of course all this comes with a price tag, and I have seen up to 600% difference between the best lowest and highest price.
First of all you need to be aware of the difference in the cruise prices during the different seasons. The low season is late summer/early fall and you can get incredible good deals during this time of the year. The downside is the risk of hurricanes and possible unbearable heat at the tropic destinations. Personally this is my preferred time to go on a cruise. When you book your cruise you probably book based on the destinations and the amount of cruise days. You need to know that you are guaranteed the amount of cruise days you ordered, but they do not guarantee that you will actually make it to the promised destinations. Circumstances in wind and weather can be reason for the captain to change plans and take you somewhere else and maybe even cancel one or more of the ports you were suppose to arrive in. It has never happened to me, but I believe most cruise lines will credit you for a lost port.
When I go on a cruise I do it primarily for the time I spend on the ship. For that reason I have no problem booking my cruise in September and take the chance with the hurricane season and the captain changing his route. I know I will get my amount of days on the ship and I know I will enjoy every minute of it.
Another way to save on your cruise vacation is to keep and eye on the specials. Go to the cruise lines websites and sign up for their news letters. This way you will get the cruise specials delivered right to your mailbox.
These are the 4 largest cruise lines:
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
Norwegian Cruise Line
Princess Cruises
Carnival Cruise Line
Rebecca D. publishes her product review blog at <a href="http://www.review9.com">review9.com</a>. You can read more about <a href="http://www.review9.com/travel/cruise/find-the-best-deal-on-your-next-cruise-6.htm">cheap cruise vacation deals</a> and other cruise related subjects in the vacation section of her blog.
