| When you think about cruises, what pops into your | | | | call in the same country. Determine which ones are at |
| mind? Perhaps you think about the rich and famous | | | | the top of your list, and be willing to forego others. |
| sipping a margarita, on the deck of the "Love Boat." | | | | You'll still be able to have the time of your life, even if |
| Well, guess again! By taking the right steps, you can | | | | you don't visit tons of cities along the way. |
| find some cruise tickets that are well within your | | | | 4. Get a basic room. |
| budget. Here are some tips to get it done: | | | | Travelling on a cruise is an adventure in and of itself. |
| 1. Be flexible about departures. | | | | So you if you want a cheaper ticket, forget about |
| You can find some great deals on cruise line tickets, if | | | | getting the fanciest room on the ship. After all, there's |
| you're willing to allow for some give-and-take. No, you | | | | so much to do during the cruise that you won't want to |
| won't have to depart on one particular date during the | | | | be cooped up in your room anyway. Whether you |
| entire year. But if you're willing to depart on a particular | | | | want to swim, play shuffleboard or dance the night |
| day of the week, depart from particular ports, and so | | | | away-sleeping probably won't be a top priority. |
| on-then you can save some big bucks. While making | | | | 5. Get your tickets online. |
| these adjustments to your vacation schedule won't | | | | As with just about everything else, you can buy cruise |
| cause your trip to be any less relaxing, they'll be less | | | | tickets online. By buying them directly from the cruise |
| stressful on your wallet. | | | | companies themselves, you can save a small fortune. |
| 2. Buy your tickets weeks in advance. | | | | You can also visit various travel websites on the Net, |
| Buy your tickets at least a few weeks before the | | | | which allows you to easily compare prices for cruise |
| cruise. If possible, buy them a month or up to three | | | | tickets. This is a whole lot easier than driving around or |
| months before the department. This can save you a | | | | making phone calls all day. One of the big benefits of |
| ton of money. It also makes business sense from the | | | | this approach is that you cut out the middle man-travel |
| cruise company, if you think about it. The sooner one | | | | agents, and their commissions. |
| cruise is fully booked, the sooner they can start filling | | | | 6. Don't buy tickets too early. |
| up the next cruise. And not only will you save money, | | | | If you buy your cruise tickets within three months of |
| but this will help you to get the particular deck or room | | | | departure, then you could enjoy savings up to 50%. So |
| that you want. So you could say that the early bird | | | | the key is to buy your tickets early-but not too early. |
| gets the cruise ticket! | | | | Cruises are no longer vacations for only those making |
| 3. Be flexible about ports of call. | | | | six-figure and seven-figure annual incomes. By taking |
| While ports of call can definitely add to the thrill of | | | | these steps, you can save a small fortune on a grand |
| cruises, you don't REALLY need to have 10 ports of | | | | voyage! |