Technorati Tags: bahamas travel deals, cruise travel deals, dirt cheap travel, inexpensive vacations, travel all inclusive deals, travel deals cruises, travel good deals

Wouldn’t it be better if they found you instead? Today’s cruise travel deal tip is about how to become an informed traveler. In this case, knowledge is definitely power, so that when you find that killer cruise bargain, you can seize the opportunity.

How do bargain cruises “find you” exactly? Look, search the internet daily for that cheapest cruise if you like, but do you really think you will find every deal anyway? How much time do you actually have on your hands - seriously? There are a number of companies who provide regular updates on fantastic bargain cruises. Budget cruise notifications are simple to sign up for, and more importantly - FREE!

Discount cruise announcements offer the cheapest cruise deals as well and educate you on industry trends, cruise prices, and common itineraries. In a short time, you will know a great cruise bargain price for a 7 night Alaska route on Carnival Cruise Lines or a 10 day Caribbean sailing on Princess Cruise Lines.

So there are a number of online services that provide email alerts, but one is clearly head and shoulders above the rest. This website currently has over 14 million subscribers and is considered the web’s premier source for travel good deals, including cruise bargains.

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3 killer tips to getting the best bargain cruise travel deals out there. This short audio podcast reveals the insider secrets to give you the inside edge to a great budget cruise deal. Click the > button below to start playback.

For visitors with a slow connection or if you prefer the text version, read it here Cruise Travel Deals - 3 Little Known Secrets to Save Big.

WATCH THE VIDEO VERSION INSTEAD

Check out the video version of this podcast here VIDEO - 3 Budget Tips for Cruise Travel Deals.

Technorati Tags: budget cruise, cruise bargain, cruise bargains, cruise travel deals

Time to ring in the new year with a bunch of cheapest cruise travel deals. Didn’t get the travel gift you really wanted for Christmas? Well, why not treat yourself with one of these fantastic bargain cruises?

Transatlantic Routes

• 17 Days for $625 - Costa Cruise Lines departing Everglades, FL on March 15th and hitting Bahamas, US Virgin Islands, Barbados, and Barcelona, as well as several other ports. $747 gets you and oceanview cabin upgrade. Learn more or book it here.
• 11 Days for $474 with up to $100 onboard credit - Norwegian Cruise Lines through CruCon departs Miami enroute to England, Spain, and Azores. Learn more here. Book by 1/12 to get up to $1000 shipboard credit special (varies with room type). *Note: deal souce TravelZoo Top 20 emails.

7 Nights Caribbean from $379

Norwegian Cruise Lines offers 8 departure dates in February and March. Itinerary is round-trip from Charleston, SC and stops include Nassau, Grand Bahama, Port Canaveral, and a private island. Step up to oceanview for as little as $429! Reserve your cabin here.

14 Nights South America for $799

Celebrity Cruise Lines departs Buenos Aires, Argentina March 1st and hits 10 ports in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Upgrade to an oceanview room for an additional $99. Get the details here.

7 Nights Mexican Riviera from $349

Norwegian Cruise Lines offers 8 departures in February and March with roundtrip itinerary from Los Angeles. Ports of call include Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Find out more here.

12 Days Down-Under for $805

Princess Cruise Lines itinerary departs Sydney February 10th and includes 3 ports in Australia and 5 ports in New Zealand. For $100 more, get an oceanview cabin. Book it today here.

Airfare Specials to Get to the Port of Departure

Fares starting at $39 for US routes via AirTran Airways. Book by 1/15 to take advantage of these specials. Check it out here. *Note: deal souce TravelZoo Top 20 emails.

Technorati Tags: bahamas cruise deals, bargain cruises, caribbean cruise deals, cheapest cruise, cruise european, cruise travel deals

Here are my 5 best insider secrets to finding cruise travel deals - specifically free of charge or at least really cheap. At least one of them should be a good fit for your situation and get you out there on the high seas this year!

Secret #1 - Speak Your Mind

If you’ve ever been on a cruise, you know there is a an endless array of entertainment and educational opportunities on board. Everything from ballroom dancing, to origami classes, to seminars on wine tasting. Did you know that each of those presenters AND their family get a complimentary cruise in exchange for a couple of 1 hour work sessions? Would you work for about 4 hours to get a killer cruise travel deal?

Secret #2 - Bring Your Friends

Taking a free cruise would be great, but how much better would it be if you brought along your a few of your favorite people like friends and/or family? Well, that is one of the most common ways to get your cruise travel deals at no charge. All you have to do is organize a group and book 4 to 8 rooms, depending on the cruise line’s policy. How about your church or club groups? Sports teams? Business colleagues? You can be sailing on a real cruise travel deal for free with just a few phone calls.

Secret #3 - Shop Till You Drop

This is one of my favorite cruise travel deal tricks - go shopping! I want to share with you a website where you can go and shop online, at a significant discount, at hundreds the most popular retailers, and then be rewarded with FREE TRAVEL! They offer rewards for free cruises, luxury resorts, and condo vacations - all for doing the shopping that you wanted to do anyway. And, no, you don’t have to spend a fortune - rewards are available at just $50 in spending. Oh, and did I mention that this all comes entirely free to you? Check out the details on how to shop and travel free.

Secret #4 - Cruises for Life

All of the secrets I’ve revealed help you get that free cruise, one time. Well what’s better than 1 free cruise - of course a lifetime of cruise travel deals!!! And what if you never had to search again for that deal, you just went to one place and knew you were getting the best prices out there? I can show you how to get free cruises forever - you just have to cover the taxes and off you go. Better yet - but you can give those cruises away as gifts to your friends, family, or to promote your business. Travel memberships also include wholesale pricing on resorts, condos, tours, all-inclusives and tons of other great stuff.

Secret #5 - Become An Agent

No, I’m not suggesting you change careers and become a travel agent, unless that idea really interests you. But did you know that travel agents get the absolute best cruise travel deals available? Agents have access to FAM or familiarization trips organized by travel vendors to show off their amenities to agents and encourage sales. These trips are discounted up to 80% and even sometimes free to agents. In addition, agents can get complimentary cruises instead of commissions for booking a certain number of rooms with the cruise lines. Talk about a cruise travel deal! Could you refer a few friends to your website to get a free cruise?

Get more details to become a travel agent now.

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Finally booked your first cheapest cruise deal? You must be excited! Now take 5 minutes and learn some basics about cruise travel deals so that you can really enjoy your big vacation.

Technorati Tags: cheapest cruise, cruise travel deals

Looking for a great vacation for you and your family? Want to make sure you find the best cruise travel deals available? The travel industry has changed a lot in the last 10 years and more and more adventurers are booking their own travel online. This cuts out the middle-man (travel agent) and ensures that you can research the details yourself and get a great cruise travel deal. The question isn’t where can you get a cruise deal, it’s how do you find one that you can feel confident about and know that you are not getting ripped off.

As with most significant expenditures, you will want to do a bit of research to make sure you are getting the best cruise travel deal. Since you are likely not going to rely on a professional to advise you, a little bit of time spent in the planning stages is prudent. Things you should always investigate:

Ports of Call

Which ones do you want to visit? What exact itinerary fits for you? You never want to pick a cruise simply because it looks like a travel good deal. It needs to be one you and your family would choose, even if price weren’t an issue.

Cruise Lines

Same rules apply here. You haven’t saved anything on your cruise travel deal if you simply choose a lesser quality cruise line to save a buck. If you don’t want entry-level accommodations, don’t choose a boat known for budget travelers. The food won’t be as good, the service less attentive, and at the end of the day you will not feel like you got a bargain.

Hidden Fees

All cruises have additional charges beyond just the standard traveler fare. But some choose to introduce them ala cart, while others offer a “full meal deal.” You cannot avoid costs like port taxes, tips, and beverage fees, but just make sure when looking at multiple advertised prices or fare quotes that they are comparable in terms of what is included. A 5 day cruise for $399 sounds like a pretty good price until you realize there is $179 for port taxes on top of it, a $49 fuel surcharge, and a mandatory onboard 10% tip that will be added to your bill at the end of the voyage. It turns out that the better cruise travel deal was the competitor offering a similar cruise for $549, but all of those charges were bundled into the deal from the beginning. Buyer beware.

Learn more about hidden fees in the 2 part feature Cruise Travel Deals - 4 Hidden Costs You Must Know About.

What is the Buzz?

Especially if you are a first-time cruiser or are trying a cruise line that you have not been on before, it’s a good idea to find out what others are saying. Online forums, traveler review, friends, family, and coworkers are a good source of experience to draw on. Remember that there are always going to be complainers and you can’t please everyone all the time, but if 60% of travelers say they would never again take a cruise travel deal from Company X, then you may want to heed their advice.

Great cruise travel deals can be found from many different websites and a variety of providers. Orbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia will offer some decent prices and specialists like Cheap Cruises and Cruises Only run great deals on any flavor of cruise you like. Just make sure you know what you are buying so that you can get on with enjoying the vacation of a lifetime!

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It seems like everyone is promoting some great cruise travel deals online. But if you want the absolute cheapest cruise, check out these secret techniques that no one is talking about.

For visitors with a slow connection or if you prefer the text version, read it here Cruise Travel Deals - 3 Little Known Secrets to Save Big.

Select military personnel can now snag the ultimate cruise bargain - a no charge cruise as a thank you for their service in the middle east. Any US military who has been in Iraq or Afghanistan currently or in the last year is eligible for a rare freebie.

This one day cruise from Ft Lauderdale, FL to the Grand Bahama island offers soldiers a chance to relax with their family and forget about work for a day. The cruise, run by Discovery Cruise Lines boasts all the amenities of a standard voyage including buffet meals, Vegas-style entertainment, onboard activities like spa and salon services, pools, exercise facilities, and casino.

Voyagers will not pay one red cent for the day which starts at 7:45 am and returns to port in Florida at 10:00 pm. In addition, since many are still overseas or not able to take leave in the short term, the offer will be available through December 2010.

Contact Discovery Cruise Lines directly to make a reservation online at or 1-800-93-SHIPS. You will need your reservation receipt, military ID, and a letter from your unit commander confirming dates of service in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Technorati Tags: bargain cruises, cruise bargain, cruise bargains, military cruise, military travel

The first part of this video showed you hidden costs that show up before your leave for your cruise bargain. This second installment focuses on a few unexpected costs that can bite you once you are ready to go on your cruise bargain. Gotcha!

If you missed the first video, watch it here VIDEO: Hidden Costs in Cruise Bargains.

For readers with a slow connection or if you prefer the text version, read it here Cruise Travel Deals - 4 More Hidden Costs You Must Know About.

Technorati Tags: bargain cruises, cruise bargain, cruise bargains