Cheap Travel Series (4 in 1) Box Set

Cheap Travel Box Set

(CHEAP TRAVEL SERIES)

Terrance Zepke

Table of Contents

HOW TO CRUISE CHEAP

HOW TO FLY CHEAP

HOW TO TRAVEL CHEAP

HOW TO TRAVEL FREE OR GET PAID TO TRAVEL

How to Cruise Cheap!

(CHEAP TRAVEL SERIES)

Terrance Zepke

Copyright © 2017 by Terrance Zepke

All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, and photographic including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

All queries should be directed to www.safaripublishing.net.

For more about this author, visit www.terrancezepke.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Zepke, Terrance

How to Cruise Cheap! (Cheap Travel Series) Volume 1

1. Ocean Cruises. 2. River Cruises. 3. Adventure Cruises. 4. Cruise Tips. 5. Cheap Travel. 6. Cruise Consolidators. 7. Cheap Cruises. I. Title.

First edition

Cover design by A.D.I.

Contents

Introduction

Part I: Forty Cheap Cruise Hacks

Part II: How to Pick the Right Cruise

Part III: All About Cruises

Most Popular Cruise Destination

Five Longest Cruises

How to Avoid Single Supplements

When & Where to Cruise at the Lowest Price

Adventure Cruises

River Cruises

Barge Cruises

Resident Cruises

Holiday & Theme Cruises

Hidden Costs

Important Things No One Tells You

Best Cruise Incentive

Five Ways to Earn Shipboard Credit

How to Save Money on a Luxury Cruise

Packing Checklist

Resources

Introduction

DO NOT BOOK A CRUISE until you have read this book in its entirety. Please! Most folks are not aware of how complicated the cruise industry is. You can find seemingly cheap cruises online, but you probably won’t find the best cruise for you until you have learned more about cruise incentives, shipboard credits, cruise ship categories, cruise line categories, positioning cruises, loyalty programs, wave season, hidden costs, consolidators, and much more.

As a travel agent, I’ve had a lot of folks come to me for help with travel planning. Often times, the first thing they say is We’re here because we don’t want a repeat of our last vacation. After I’ve heard their story I realize that their cruise wasn’t necessarily bad, it just wasn’t right for them. Sadly, they didn’t understand what they were signing up for, or they realized they had better options after the fact, or they learned that they had overpaid. Did you know there are thirty-five different cabin rates for the same cabin?

Did you know there are three distinctly different Caribbean cruise itineraries? Do you know the difference between a river cruise and an ocean cruise? Do you know what an adventure cruise is? Do you know the difference between a premium and luxury cruise line? How can you choose the right option if you’re not aware of all your options?

And here’s a big secret the cruise industry doesn’t want you to know. They make eight-five percent of their money once you come aboard. That’s right. They only make a fraction of their income off ticket sales. They offer seemingly cheap cruise rates and then pile on sneaky fees during the cruise. So finding a cheap cruise is only part of the equation.

After reading this book, you will know what kind of ship you want to be on, where you want to go, and how to minimize costs throughout your cruise—but not by minimizing your cruise experience. Your choices may surprise you once you realize how many options you have.

A cruise is one of the best vacations you can take. Last year, more than twenty-eight million people went on a cruise. Here are the top five reasons that cruising is so popular:

*Travel far, unpack once

*Amazing destinations

*Do a little or do a lot

*Value for money

*Floating resorts

Cruise ships really are floating resorts. They have so many amenities and activities that some folks never disembark, despite stops at many wonderful ports of call! It is amazing the innovations taking place on ships these days, such as ice-skating rinks, rock-climbing walls, in-line skating, shopping malls, art galleries, surfing simulators, 3D theaters, zip lines, planetariums, retractable marinas, and more.

Cruises are the best value for the money, if you’re a smart cruiser—and I’m going to teach you how to be one. The thing that’s so appealing about cruising is that it is great for most folks—from families with small children to swinging singles—so long as you pick the right ship and itinerary. There are so many options that even the most active travelers will be content, or you can settle into a comfy lounge chair and do absolutely nothing!

So read on and learn all you need to know before you set sail…

Part I:

Cheap Cruise Hacks

Cheap Cruise Hacks

There are lots of ways to score big savings on the cost of a cruise and throughout the cruise. You do not have to utilize all of these suggestions. In fact, I’d be surprised if you did. However, I want to make sure you know all your options so you can choose the ones that work best for you.

1. Use social media. Twitter is probably the best venue for learning about cruise bargains. Here are my favorites:

@cruisecom

@cruisebuzz

@cruisedeals

@cruisefever

@cruisedealsbtd

2. You can also follow your favorite cruise line on Twitter to learn about their latest deals, such as Royal Caribbean @RoyalHotDeals, @PrincessCruises, and @CarnivalCruises.

3. Sign up for alerts or e-newsletters that share last minute deals and more. Two of my favorites are www.cruisecritic.com and www.TravelZoo.com. Sign up for price drop alerts to find out when fares are dramatically reduced so you can get the best price for your cruise. http://www.cruisecritic.com/price-drop/.

4. Book early. The key to getting the best deal is to plan ahead. For example, there is a wave season for cruising. This is from January – March. Sometimes, it starts as early as December so be on the lookout. This is the best time to find the lowest prices for most cruises for the rest of the year. Booking early also scores you shipboard credits and upgrades, as well as early bird rates. I’ve seen some great cruises offered for about $65 a day with great incentives included.

5. Last minute deals. If a ship is not full and it is less than sixty days until departure, prices get slashed to get those cabins booked. Cruise lines would rather give a cabin away than have it sit empty. Remember they make more money off shipboard activities than the fare.

6. Think older. Everyone wants to set sail on the newest ships, so those are the most sought after. But if you’re willing to travel on one of the older ships, you can score some deeply discounted rates. For example, Carnival’s Victory was built in 2000, so you can pay less than $50 a day many itineraries. And like many other older ships, it is still a great ship with lots of amenities, such as a comedy club, Seuss at Sea, miniature golf, Sea Arcade, Adults Only Retreat, Sports Bar, dive-in movies, spa, live entertainment, and lots of dining options. And another plus is that the older ships don’t hold as many passengers as these new mega-ships, which hold up to 6,000 passengers (only 2,700 passengers on the Victory with a crew of 1,100, so that’s roughly a 2:1 ratio). Another plus is that almost everything is included on older ships, whereas many activities involve extra fees on newer ships.

7. Use a travel agent. Hands down the best advice I can give you is to use a cruise specialist. Not only are they privy to the best deals and the latest news, but they know the industry far better than you will ever know it. I can—and do—share a great deal of information with you, but they can tell you about current deals and promotions. They can book your shore excursions, flights, arrange transfers, take care of specialty dining and spa reservations, and much more. Good agents get incentives from the cruise lines that they pass on to their clients. This includes cabin upgrades, shipboard credits, and more. Also, a good agent keeps an eye on pricing and rebooks the cruise using the lower rate if it becomes available.

8. Timing is everything. Pricing is affected by several factors, such as whether it is peak season or a repositioning cruise. You will pay top dollar in peak season. Conversely, you will save the most money on repositioning cruises. These cruises occur when a ship leaves a region at the end of the season and makes it way to another region where the cruising season is just beginning. For example, when the season ends for Alaska Inside Passage cruises, the ships relocate (reposition) to the Caribbean and Panama Canal. When the ships leave the Caribbean for the summer, they reposition to northern Europe. Passengers taking advantage of a repositioning cruise can save fifty to seventy percent off the normal fare. Repositioning cruises are one-way itineraries and more days are spent at sea than on a typical cruise. However, all the amenities are the same and your rate is slashed! Upon arrival, you can spend a few days enjoying the destination and then fly home.

9. Supply and demand is the name of the game. Rates will always be lower to the Caribbean or Alaska as opposed to the Galapagos Islands or Antarctica. This is because there are far more ships sailing Caribbean and Alaskan itineraries than going to the Galapagos or Antarctica. Even within the Caribbean, the prices vary greatly according to where you go. Typically, Eastern Caribbean cruises are the cheapest because these ships hold more fare-paying passengers. This means the cruise line can charge less per passenger than a Galapagos cruise with a 100-passenger capacity.

10. Cruises lasting ten days are more expensive than seven-day cruises, but seven-day cruises are often cheaper than two- to five-day cruises. Currently, the biggest demand is for short cruises. A lot of folks can’t get away from work or other commitments for more than a few days. It is important to remember that short cruises only have one or two ports of call. I don’t like two or three-day cruises because you barely get settled and relaxed before it is time to disembark. I prefer seven-day cruises.

11. Take advantage of discounts. Cruises offer lots of them, and you surely qualify for one of them. Senior citizen fares are available for travelers over fifty-five on most cruise lines. Members of organizations, such as AARP or AAA, are entitled to reduced rates on certain cruises. Members of the military, firefighters, EMTs, police, travel agents and other travel professionals, teachers, clergymen, and some government employees are extended special fares on select voyages. Always ask when booking.

12. Join a loyalty program. Cruise lines offer perks to their valued customers, just like airlines and hotels. By joining a loyalty program, you will receive invitations to members-only events on board the ship, upgrades, and priority boarding (a big deal!), plus certificates for up to $500 off select sailings. It’s free, so why not enroll? By participating in the program, you accrue points for everything. Points=freebies (free drinks, free priority reservations, free laundry service, free priority disembarkation, and more). Plus, loyalty members randomly get selected to dine at the captain’s table. I know a couple who has been invited three times now to join the captain. Invitees receive complimentary wine, a group photo with the captain, and are usually invited to a private bridge tour the next day or day after. Here is a complete list of loyalty programs offered by all the cruise lines, https://allthingscruise.com/after-your-cruise/loyalty-programs/.

13. Take advantage of 2-for-1 promotions. Most major cruise lines extend buy one fare and the second passenger travels free offers. These cheap fares are good on select cruises or are offered as last-minute deals to fill a cruise ship. A few cruise lines, such as Princess, often offer 2-for-1s, plus something like a $1,000 off the ticket price. Some cruise lines, such as Holland America, frequently use the incentive 50-80 percent off the normal fare for the second passenger. Don’t mistake this for the 2-for-1 deals. The second passenger in the cabin receives up to eighty percent off but does not travel free. If both travelers split the total room cost, discounts equal twenty-five to forty percent off per person.

14. Look for Added Value or Free Days. Book a seven-day cruise and get three days free. Or, sometimes travelers will receive add-ons, such as free shore excursions or complimentary pre-cruise or post-cruise hotel rooms. This is a popular strategy with Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

15. Another good deal is flat-rate specials or run-of-the-ship. A fixed price for the best available cabin is offered at the time of booking. Norwegian, Crystal, and Princess frequently offer these deals.

16. The more, the merrier. Or at least your cruise is cheaper. Many cabins allow the possibility of four beds: two lower twin beds and two berths that pull down from the ceiling and make two upper twin beds. These upper-level beds are as sturdy and comfortable as the bottom beds. If you’re willing to share a cabin with one or two other friends or family members, the cost of the cabin is greatly reduced for the third and fourth passengers. After dividing the fare four ways, it is often so cheap it is unbelievable. It may be close quarters, but if you don’t plan to spend much time in the room (and who does with all the shipboard activities), the additional savings make the trade-off very worthwhile. All ships built after 1990 have fairly large staterooms. Ships built before then have many different sized cabins and often the cheapest ones are rather small and wouldn’t have a set up for four beds anyway. I have done this several times and see no problem with sharing the room with three other people, except when getting ready for dinner. I used the spa shower to bathe and dress each night. It was nice and private and convenient.

17. Free or reduced airfare to the cruise embarkation point is another strategy used by some cruise lines to lure passenger aboard. This is usually only offered during wave season (Jan – March) when cruise lines pull out all the stops.

18. Group discounts are offered to associations, organizations, wedding parties, family reunions, churches, and corporate meetings. If you round up ten or more fare-paying passengers, your fare is usually waived. Even if you are only traveling with a few friends or five family members, ask if you qualify. The booking agent may knock up to fifteen percent off your fare.

19. Find out exactly when to buy or wait by using a virtual crystal ball. Well, sort of. Cayole is a travel agency that tracks thousands of cruises and uses more than six months of pricing records to statistically predict whether a cruise will go up or down in the short-to-medium future. This way you can decide to go ahead and book a cruise or wait for a better price. www.cayole.com.

20. Comparison shop. A particular cruise may seem like the best deal until you study what’s included. For example, if you have two cruise ships on the same route but one cost $2,100 and the other cost 2,900, which is the better value? Seemingly, the $2,100 cruise is the best deal but a little research shows that the $2,900 cruise is all-inclusive (tips, alcoholic beverages, shore excursions, and airfare). When you add these items to the $2,100 cruise, it adds up to close to $3,900. This is why you must comparison shop before making a decision.

21. Always ask about special deals and programs available on the ship, such as a Soda Card, good for soft drinks. Or a Beverage Card, which is good for many other beverages besides soda. Be sure to grab a bottled water or soda before you leave the ship for a shore excursion. You will not have to spend money on overpriced drinks while in port. Look for a more comprehensive discussion about drinks packages later in this book.

22. If going on a shore excursion, bring a picnic or snacks from the ship rather than buy lunch or dinner somewhere. On most ships, the kitchen will put together a picnic if you request it in advance. Or, simply take some fresh fruit, yogurt, and croissants from the breakfast buffet and have a delicious snack. Also, remember that while you have to pay for gourmet coffee served in the specialty coffee bar, the snacks (Paninis, quiche, salads, and pastries) are free. Stop in and grab some of these goodies as you head into port. Typically, the cost of food in the little places found near the harbor is moderately to high-priced as they are pandering to tourists, not locals. The savings is significant if you are on a ten-day cruise, which averages seven ports of call.

23. If you are interested in specialty dining, you should consider buying a dining package if the price is right. In other words, only buy it if the package is discounted and you plan on using it more than once. It is important to remember that the