First Cruise Tips

How to Get Best Cruise Prices

The answer to how to get the best prices on cruises depends on your sea ship travel vacation style -  cheap ship cruise deals, or luxury ship cruise packages all-inclusive deals. The discounts offer some of the cheapest  rates, but the great cruise prices are not all the fun. "Discount" and "Value" do not always match - a cheap discount may offer either an itinerary with little or no interest to you, or sailing an older ship, with less on-board activities and amenities.

The special prices on cruises call on the following "ports" exclusively - knowing quite a few tips and tricks, best of luck, time, and money, naturally, particular lines and ships. While there's nothing to be said about the "luck-time-money" issue (you either have it, or you don't), for both the thrill and prudence in finding your discounted sea voyage, here are the best nine recommendations to follow:

• Early Booking. Availability of all the best cruise ship accommodations, a great option for free cabin upgrades (paying less for the best), and the best availability for a particular destination (discount prices are not guaranteed with the early booking option). The cheapest ship fares are not always the best feature of the sea voyage, if YOU insist on the destination YOU want, on YOUR favorite ship, and in a cabin of YOUR likeness. Top luxury cruise companies all-inclusive (Seabourn, for example) offer a discount if you pay in full on booking. Another reason for early booking is that the  most popular deals sell out fast. A ship cabin may be booked up to 18 months in advance.
• Group Booking. The discounts are even sweeter, if you are able to talk others into sailing with you as a group. Attainable mostly by people, belonging to some group - a church organization, a book club, etc. The group booking discount (special pricing to groups of 15+ passengers) is not offered by all lines, but you should check this option out. Huge discounts are offered for larger groups, and to less attractive itineraries (including those in low season).
• Cruise with Value Added. The fare itself is not changing, but numerous additions "sweeten the deal": gratuities added, cabin upgrades (a stateroom in category, higher than the one you've paid for), ship-board credits (added by the line to your stateroom account), special amenities (like cocktail parties), free gifts (souvenirs, binoculars, etc.). Such deals may even offer two-for-one cruise fares, all inclusive cruise fares, kids sail free offers, free round-trip air transportation (with transfers between the airport and the ship), etc.
• Member Discount Programs. The cruise ship discounts often are the well deserved rewards to socially active people, who usually operate by several credit cards, and belong to diverse programs and huge organizations, like the military, AARP, AAA. If you are a member of such organization, there could be potential discounts or rewards as benefits for your membership.
• Special Cruise Offers. Sign up for the best specials and promotions on the line's official web site. You also may check their regular updates at Twitter, or Facebook. The good travel agent could also be of great help - some companies offer travel-agent finder on their sites (like Holland America, and Royal Caribbean, for example).

Notes:

• AAA (American Automobile Association) is a nonprofit association of 51 regional clubs in USA, with more than 53 million members, providing them on a local club level with products or services.
• AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) - a nonprofit organization in USA (over 40 million members, mostly seniors age 50+). It also sells insurance, investment funds and other financial products.

CONTINUING with How to Get the Cheapest Prices on Cruises - cheap Late deals, passenger ships Repositioning, Low Season travel, Past Guests Loyalty programs.

Single Person Cruise Single Cabin

The single occupancy cruise single supplement (offered by most of the lines), and the cheapest rates on cruise ships with single cabins. are the main features of the Single cruise travel deals (aka Solo cruise deals). Cheap Single cruise with no single supplement could be also offered as a bonus, cabin upgrade, special offers, as part of group booking, etc.

Single cruise Holidays, as sailings organized especially for singles, are another very well accepted type of land and sea travel deals. The Single Parent Cruise specials, though rarely available, offer great opportunities to share life experiences, to meet people with common interests, and to make new friends all over the world.

Single cruise vacations attract mostly people between 40 and 50 years old, who prefer the sea ship cruise travel as a way to socialize and connect. The single offers may pertain, either to dating services, or a group cruise for singles, sharing same interests, tastes, occupation, of similar age, etc. The Single Cruise Over 40, and the Senior Single Cruise deals are very popular options for sailing solo, often organized as specialty cruises.

Traveling solo generally means that a passenger simply needs another person of the same sex as a roommate, to share the cost of the trip. Some specialized in single travel agencies offer even roommate matching services. The feature activities on a single travel ship vacation include an introducing event, games, social gatherings, age-related events, dating events, parties, dance lessons, various classes, etc. As one of the most singles-oriented cruise lines, Crystal boasts the "Ambassador Host Program" - especially for singles, solo travelers, and mostly for the unescorted ladies on board Crystal's luxury vessels - with cultured and well-traveled hosts as dance and conversation partners.

The single occupancy cruise rates are in the category of the special rates (for most of the voyages, the line's official rates are based on double cabin occupancy). To avoid paying double the price you've expected, check the line's single supplement rates, i.e. how much exactly you are going to pay for a single cruise occupancy. The singles cruise price includes cabin, dining, on-board activities and entertainment, plus all specific singles events, organized by the travel agency (often, the fares also include the airfare).

The cruise single supplement rates depend on line and ship - between 110% and 200%, i.e. you are going to pay from 55% to 100% of the full cabin fare. Some major lines (like Carnival, and Holland America) offer the so called "single shares" - a solo passenger agrees to share the cabin with another person. The luxury Crystal line, with clientele of many singles on their vessels, has single supplement rate of 125%. Another  "all-inclusive" example is Silversea - single supplement rate of only 110%, but the ships sail on longer, and way more expensive itineraries.

Cruise ships with single cabins are relatively new, and very attractive option for traveling solo. And the fisrt among the cruise lines with single cabins is NCL Norwegian Line.

The best no single supplement cruise ship with single cabins is Norwegian Epic ship, the NCL's largest vessel. The Epic exclusively "Studios Staterooms" (a total of 128, many connecting), are especially designed and priced for solo travelers (size of 9m2 100 sq-ft). As a feature on-board venue for guests traveling solo, the Epic ship offers the Studios Lounge.

Best single cruise travel websites

• SinglesCruise.com
• SoloCruiseResource.com

Best cruise travel agencies for Singles

• Singles Travel International
• Singles Travel Company
• Singles Travel Service
• Escapade Cruises & Tours
• Luxury Singles Travel (including Singles Group Cruises).