AOL Travel Ideas

Cruise Tips: Five Things to Splurge on During Your Next Voyage

Paul Lasley — 2013-01-29T07:53:00+00:00

Sometimes spending a little more during a cruise can buy you a lot in comfort and convenience. Consider these cruise tips.

SPECIALTY DINING
Splurge one night for a meal in one of the ship's specialty restaurants. Onboard steak houses typically offer the best value: For a $20 to $35 surcharge, you can enjoy a meal that would easily cost twice that ashore, and the quality can be exceptional.

The most popular restaurants often sell out early during cruises, so book your reservations as soon as you can. Also: Some specialty restaurants charge for dinner but offer complimentary dining at lunch. It's something to check out when you board.

EARLY BOARDING
Rather than spending a couple of hours hanging out on folding chairs in the cruise terminal, you can avoid long lines and start enjoying your cruise in the comfort of the ship. You might not have access to your cabin right away -- it takes time to clean them all -- but you'll have access to food and a bar or two. Or, you can snag your place in the sun early.

Cruise lines offer priority boarding to those with special needs, suite passengers and members of the line's VIP club. Travel agents can also often arrange for priority boarding. Carnival offers an early boarding option for a fee of approximately $50, which covers all cabin occupants.

GROUP PHOTOS
Group photos and portraits are often a good deal. Most ships now have several stations around the vessel offering different backgrounds where you can have photographs taken. The quality is often as good or better than you might find in your hometown studio. A color 8x10 print might cost about $20, a great value if you're traveling with your family. And remember, there's no obligation to buy the photos if you don't like them.

BEVERAGE PACKAGES
Several cruise lines offer prepaid packages for soft drinks or alcoholic beverages. Passengers pay upfront for unlimited sodas or alcoholic drinks, instead of paying for each drink in a lounge. Depending on your personal consumption, a package might make sense.

Do the math before you buy. Packages vary widely on cost and on what they include: alcoholic beverage packages cost about $50 per person per day; soft drink packages about $5 per person per day. Some luxury lines include all beverages, including alcoholic drinks, in the cruise fare.

LAUNDRY SERVICE
Some ships have free laundry machines on board, some do not. All have valet laundry services for guests. The system works pretty much like valet service in hotels, but on a ship it's usually much cheaper. However some lines offer laundry service by the bag. Fill a bag and they will do it for one flat fee. This is a great deal for families who don't want to spend valuable vacation time doing laundry.

[Photo of 150 Central Park restaurant on Allure of the Seas/Royal Caribbean]

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Cruise Tips: Seven Ways to Save on Your Next Voyage

Paul Lasley — 2013-01-28T16:03:00+00:00

Filed under: Cruise, Tips & Tricks, Budget

Cruising remains one of the best values in travel. On most cruises you can enjoy the adventure without paying extra for food, entertainment or most onboard activities. But increasingly, cruise lines have implemented fees that add to the lines' profits -- and threaten to bust your cruise budget. Here are some tips on how to save on your next cruise.

BUY A LESS EXPENSIVE CABIN ON A MORE EXPENSIVE SHIP
Not the other way around. Wherever your cabin is located on the ship, you'll typically have better food and service on a more luxurious line. Note: Make sure all cabins on the ship have access to the same amenities. Some ships have designated dining and lounge for certain cabin classes.

KEEP AN EYE ON THE INTERNET
If you're a do-it-yourself person, it's possible to book a cruise yourself online. Industry experts are divided, though, about whether you'll save money. Cruise lines work to protect their distribution channels and to some extent, are able to prevent discounting. But check cruise line websites frequently for price changes and special deals. Also, check websites that offer last-minute deals and flash sales. Checking these resources also keeps you informed of price changes so that you're a more informed consumer, however you choose to book.

BE FLEXIBLE ON YOUR SAILING DATES
Some departure dates for similar itineraries can be less expensive. Seasonality is a big factor. The best prices for Alaska cruises, for example, are typically early or late in the summer season. In the Mediterranean, prices will typically peak in July and August.

CONSIDER REPOSITIONING CRUISES
They're generally offered when lines move a ship from Europe to the Caribbean, for example, or to and from Alaska. They're usually affordably priced. Search for "repositioning cruises" and find many options.

BE SHORE EXCURSION SAVVY
Some excursions, like touring St. Petersburg, Russia's Hermitage Museum can be once-in-a-lifetime treats. But you can walk around most Alaska and Caribbean port towns on your own and get more from the experience than seeing them from a tour bus window. To explore deeper into the destination, consider going in with other passengers to hire a taxi; you can visit most of the sites included in the shore excursions, but at your own pace. Just remember: If the taxi breaks down, the ship won't wait for you. (If a shore excursion motor coach is delayed, it will.)

CONSULT A CRUISE-EXPERIENCED TRAVEL AGENT
Travel agents can alert you to deals you might not find on your own, and they typically have "preferred" relationships with certain lines, which can mean special perks for you. Among them: early boarding and spending credits. Knowledgeable agents can also help steer you to a cruise that suits your personality and budget. Plus, if something goes wrong, you have an ally.

BE PATIENT WHEN BOOKING SPA TREATMENTS
They're often more expensive onboard than ashore, but there are ways to save. While there's always a sales push when you board, patience can be rewarded. As the cruise progresses, you'll often be bombarded with special deals. And if you don't go ashore on days in port, you can sometimes save at the spa.

[Photo credit: Getty Images]

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2013 Cruises: River Cruising, Exotic Ports and More Trends for the Year

Paul Lasley — 2013-01-08T14:21:00+00:00

Filed under: Cruise

Some 20 million passengers cruised in 2011, and indications are that the market remained strong in 2012. This in spite of a disastrous cruise ship accident and a spike in oil prices. All signs point to a healthy forecast for 2013 cruises. Here's a glimpse at what travelers can look forward to in the coming year.

RIVER CRUISING ROLLS INTO ITS OWN
If cruising is booming anywhere, it's on the world's rivers. Lines such as Viking River Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and AmaWaterways are building dozens of new vessels. Travelers have discovered that riverboats travel slowly and dock in the center of towns, combining the convenience of an ocean cruise with the up-close experience of a land tour.

With its scenic Rhine, Danube and Rhone rivers, Europe provides the biggest market, but U.S. waterways such as the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio are once again hearing the sounds of paddlewheelers like the American Queen, which entered service in April. The Mekong in Vietnam and the Irrawaddy in Burma (Myanmar) are seeing cruises from companies like Pandaw River Expeditions, whose ships are replicas of colonial river steamers.

Also of note: Egypt recently reopened a section of the Nile between Luxor and Cairo that was closed to riverboats for some 15 years. The addition of more than 400 miles of river extends the cruising range of hotel boats like those of Sonesta.

EXOTIC PORTS BECKON
As more experienced travelers discover cruising, they're demanding more exotic ports in their 2013 cruises. Although there aren't many distinctive ports left to discover, lines are seeking out unusual destinations. Some large ships, for example, now call at Canakkale, Turkey, to visit ancient Troy; and La Spezia, Italy, which is close to the Cinque Terre region, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Another out-of-the-way stop: the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

OVERNIGHTS ENHANCE PORT STAYS
Ships aren't just taking passengers off the beaten path, so to speak. They're also offering more time in port. Ships become hotels, allowing passengers to go ashore to enjoy cities like Venice, Italy; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Mumbai, India, by night.

SHIPS BECOME THE DESTINATION
Continuing a trend that began a few years ago, today's large ships offer such a variety of onboard activities that many passengers view the ships as destinations instead of merely transportation. Cases in point: Royal Caribbean International's Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, the largest cruise ships in the world, offer surfing, zip-lining, ice skating and rock climbing. Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Epic has a bowling alley onboard. Carnival's newest ships have elaborate water parks, ropes courses and even two-level miniature golf courses. Princess Cruises' Royal Princess, debuting in 2013, will feature a laser shooting range.

FAMILIES FLOCK TO FAMILY-FRIENDLY SHIPS
Activities both onboard and onshore reflect the growing number of multigenerational travelers on 2013 cruises. Lines aim to please everyone from children to grandparents. For instance, teens between 15 and 17 years old line up to party in Club O2 aboard Carnival Cruise Lines' new ships like the Carnival Breeze. The lounge has the decor, music and ambiance of a South Beach club. In 2013, Disney Cruise Line's shore excursions designed just for kids include a hands-on visit to a traditional Venetian mask-making shop and a chance to make pizza in Rome. Even luxury lines like Crystal Cruises are installing expanded facilities for kids. Who's paying for everyone? Some grandparents are footing the travel bills for the whole family.

CRUISE LINES EMBRACE SINGLE PASSENGERS
Like multigenerational families, singles are a growing market. A few cruise lines are making halting steps to attract them. Conventional wisdom in the cruise industry dictates that a cabin should have two occupants, so lines typically charge individuals more. However, since singles now make up about 44 percent [according to the U.S. Census] of the U.S. population, cruise lines are grudgingly waking up to that market's potential. Increasingly, lines are offering low single supplements or even waiving them on some sailings. Due to the success of the single cabins on its Norwegian Epic, NCL is offering 59 single cabins on the Norwegian Breakaway, scheduled to set sail in May.

FOOD CHOICES GET MUCH, MUCH BETTER
After years of providing abundant, filling, mostly forgettable food, cruise lines are offering true fine dining on 2013 cruises. Eating in a room designed to seat half a ship's passengers is still pretty much akin to dining at a large banquet, but the coming year will see more specialty restaurants associated with celebrity chefs. Many of these options will be included in the cruise fare, but some will carry a surcharge.

Nobu Matsuhisa's Silk Road restaurants on Crystal Cruises' Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony approach the excellence of the chef's venues in Los Angeles, London and Tokyo. There is no extra charge for Guy Fieri's Guy's Burger Joint, located on some Carnival ships, and it dishes out some 1,200 burgers a day on the Carnival Breeze alone. French chef and TV star Jacques Pepin has brought his dining concept to Oceania Cruises with Jacques on the Oceania Marina. And Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian will introduce Ocean Blue, a seafood restaurant on the Norwegian Breakaway. Also: Look for more light and healthy spa fare and vegetarian meals on ships.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES EXPAND
On Cunard's Queen Mary 2, actors from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts -- whose graduates include Anthony Hopkins and Alan Rickman -- provide workshops as well as performances, and experts from the Royal Astronomical Society lead seminars. In Crystal Cruises' learning programs, passengers can study piano and filmmaking and hone their computer skills. Celebrity Cruises has licensed Apple Stores onboard, and classes fill up almost before the ship sails. Holland America Line offers programs on cooking, history and art and a computer learning program in partnership with Microsoft.

[Photo: Kent Phillips/Disney]

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