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2-for-l's - or second
passenger cruise free: 2-for-l's are offered occasionally by many
cruise lines including: Princess, Celebrity, Costa, and Holland
America. Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean do not
typically advertise 2-for-l's, but their promotional pricing can be
equivalent to a 2-for-1 discount. Generally, 2-for-l's are for the
cruise only, but on rare occasions they include air from select
cities. By 2 for 1 they usually are basically saying 1/2 price
from the cruise line's brochure "rack rates".
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Better than 2-for-l:
What could be better than 2-for-l? 2-For-1 plus an additional $500
off per person. This is promotion has been used by Holland America
and Princess.
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Added value: This may
include offers like; "Book a 14-day cruise and get 7 days free."
Other offers may include free shore excursions or a free pre- or
post-cruise hotel room. One cruise line offered a free 35mm camera, a
$700 value, if passengers sailed on a specific sailing date. Has been
used by Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Costa and Orient Lines.
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Flat rate specials.
Flat rate specials usually give one fixed price for the best
available cabin at the time of booking. There is usually one flat
rate for inside cabins and one for outside cabins. The offers are
usually for the cruise only, but airfare may be purchased for an
additional price. Commonly used by Princess and Norwegian Cruise Line.
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50% - 80% off the second passenger.
This is a nice sounding way for a cruise line to offer a 25%-35% per
person discount for a specific sailing. There is usually an
expiration date to these offers. Has been used Holland America,
Cunard, Costa, and Orient Lines.
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Reduced rate or free air add-ons:
Air add-on rates are offered by many cruise lines in conjunction with
their cruise only rates. Sometimes, special promotions are offered
where the air is reduced. For example, an air rate of $299 from
Chicago to Miami may be reduced to $149 or $99 per person. In some
cases, a promotion may be featured in which the quoted air add-on
rate is waived and offered free. Some times used by Carnival, Royal
Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian Cruise Line and Holland America.
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Senior citizen specials:
Reduced rates for seniors on select sailings is commonly used by
Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Costa and Norwegian Cruise
Line. One passenger in the cabin must be at least 55 years old to
receive the discounts. Don't cheat, because you must show proof
of age when boarding the ship.
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Be Flexible: If
you can be fleixble on when you go, your agent can find you a better
rate on "off peak" sailings. Remember, cruise prices are
dictated by demand, so if you can go when the demand is lower, you
can get a better price. (its as simple as that!). Best rates are
usually in the fall, and winter. Highest rates (Caribbean) are in the
summer when demand is at its highest.
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Repositioning cruises.A
change of itinerary is common with many cruise lines, particularly
with ships that reposition from the Caribbean to Europe or Alaska and
back again each season. Some repositioning cruises are deeply
discounted with 2-for-1 savings.
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Free upgrades:
Popular with Princess, Norwegian, Carnival, Celebrity and Royal
Caribbean. Most of these upgrades are unadvertised and may be
withdrawn without notice.
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Early booking discounts.
Contrary to what you may read on internet message boards, you will
usually get your best rate by booking at least six months in advance.
The idea is that the cruise lines want to reward those that book the
earliest. And... if the cruise line is looking for cabins to upgrade,
they always upgrade those that booked the earliest. If you book
early, and then later on the price of your cruise goes down, your
agent can have your rate reduced, so you have nothing to loose by
booking early. And... when you book early you get the best selection
of cabins, and you will be assured of getting your requested dining time.
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Discount for full
payment in advance: Popular with Crystal, Silversea and Seabourn.
Consumers who pay in full for their cruise 6 months in advance of
sailing can receive nice discount.
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Discounts for
combination or back to back cruises: Used by Cunard, Costa,
Holland America, Seabourn, Orient Lines and Silversea. Book one week
and get the second week for a reduced rate.
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Kids sail free or
3rd/4th passengers cruise for reduced rate: Some promotions are
specifically for kids. Costa has offered a "kids cruise
free" when two accompanying adults pay full fare. All cruise
lines offer reduced rated rates for 3rd/4th passengers in the cabin
with two full fare passengers.
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Group discounts. Organize
a group and receive group rates! Most lines consider a group to be 8
or more cabins. PLUS -- the
group leader cruises for free
(just pay the taxes). Affinity groups that travel together
such as family reunions, religious groups, clubs/associations,
corporate/incentive meetings, etc. receive group discounts as well as
free berths, depending on the number of passengers.
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Reduced single rates:
Single cruise passengers traveling alone typically pay 150-200% of
the double occupancy rate. Some lines have a limited number of single
occupancy cabins at reasonable rate. For Carnival we recommend for
singles to book a Cat 1A (upper and lower berths) for the best rate.
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Instant payment discounts.
Great discounts for passengers willing to pay in full at the time of
booking or within 48 hours. Popular with Crystal.
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Alumni discounts:
Past passenger discounts and promotions are becoming more and more
popular. Most lines have some program in place which offers extra
discounts or other perks to their past passengers. Especially popular
with Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, Crystal, Seabourn and Silversea.
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First Time Cruiser Discount:
Seabourn has offered discounts to passengers booking the line for the
first time. This is very rare, but it does happen.
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"Resident Rates":
Carnival, Royal Caribbean & Celebrity will sometimes offer
special reduced rates for residents of certain states. Don't cheat,
because you will be required to show proof of residence when boarding
the ship!
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Credit card promotions:
Some credit card companies offer additional savings, shipboard
credits or frequent flyer miles when you pay for your cruise in full
with that credit card.
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.......
and, of course ... Call The Cruiseman! 1-800-889-7683
