Chocolates on the Pillow part II
by Anne Vargas
The bottom is falling out of the housing market. Economists say we're in a recession headed for a depression. Others say we're already in a depression. Businesses are failing. People are losing their jobs. The markets plunge and soar and plunge again; everyone is nervous. So is this a time to be planning a cruise? Take a look:
Eight nights Mexican Riviera from $370 ~ Weeklong 
cruises from $299
Ads like this are easily found these days. When people are hesitant to spend money it affects everyone. Restaurants close because people don't go out to eat. Stores suffer if there aren't enough customers so they try to get them in the door by having great sales. The same is true for the cruise industry; they need passengers on their ships that have to sail, whether full or not, so there are real bargains to be found in the cruise industry, as well right now.
Cruising has come a long way in recent years; ships today offer so much to do they are almost a destination unto themselves. And don't forget, the price includes meals, entertainment and endless daily activity options. Compare the cost of a seven-day cruise against seven nights in a hotel where you would have to add the price of your food plus whatever you are doing wherever you are that presumably would cost something. On a ship you unpack once and can then spend your days relaxing as you put worries about the economy on hold and focus on deciding what to do next (there's never time enough for everything) or what time (or how often) to eat. And there will be a chocolate on your pillow every night.
Does a cruise to sunnier climes during the grey days of winter sound tempting? You can get to both Mexico and Hawaii from the ports next door in California and there are always “good deals” to the Caribbean from the east coast.
The choices of itineraries and ships are endless and if the whole thing is new to you the options can seem overwhelming. Basically there are three categories of cruise lines: Budget, Mass Market and Luxury. Within each category the cruise lines and ships are “rated” using a star system; this information can be found on-line (www.cruisecritic.com) or in travel books. Most importantly, within each category there are bargains to be had and there are several ways to discover them. Another article at another time will focus on specifics and differences of cruise lines and their ships; this one is all about bargains.
According to the Travel Industry Association, more than 64 million Americans went on-line to ferret out bargains last year. If you are comfortable planning a trip on the Internet there are a dizzying number of sites to help you. Sorting through all the options might be easier for people who have cruised before than for first-timers.
In that case there are travel agents who specialize in cruises. I “Googled” cruise travel agents in Reno NV and was presented with a list of local agents who deal with cruise lines, their websites and phone numbers so if you want to turn the search process over to them that's easily done. A good cruise specialist should be able to tell you how one line differs from another and help you find what you want.
But it can be fun to search the web yourself. For example, if you go to cruisecompete.com and register as a member (free) you can post a request to cruise by price, date, itinerary, cruise line, or ship. Cruise brokers will bid against each other to get your business and you will receive competing quotes. You're under no obligation to buy anything if you don't like what you see.
To determine exactly how that works I visited the site, 
chose the category Cruise Deals and selected a 16-day circle trip from San Diego-Hawaii-San Diego on a Holland America ship. It was listed as “from $1,295 per person.” That's about $81 a day (remember, that's room & board and entertainment.) Then I did some comparison searching, specifically requesting that same itinerary and got an offer of $1,034 via Cruise.com and $1,099 from both Cruisesonly.com and Cruises411.com. So, as the song says, “you'd better shop around”. Still in quest of the really good deals, I found a 4- day San Diego-Mexico-San Diego cruise on a Carnival ship for $189, which is about $43 a day. And if you can manage the airfare, have the time and always wanted to see South America, Holland America has a 22-day cruise from Santiago Chile to Seattle, WA for $1,460 ($67 a day). These are examples that might entice you to investigate on your own and find a cruise that suits your budget and appeals to you.
For investigative purposes I used the following recommended travel websites but there are many others: CruiseCompete.com, CruisesOnly.com, CruiseStar.com, Cruise411.com, SmartCruiser.com, Cruiseoftheweek.com.
FROM? That lowest price is invariably for what is considered to be a less desirable cabin or cabin location, thus the word “from”. Inside cabins have no window; an outside cabin will cost more, suites more still, etc. Cabins at the extreme front or rear are also what some people prefer to avoid (the middle of the middle of the ship being most popular) but I've been in those far-flung locations and they were fine...and we're talking budget here. And there is nothing wrong with an inside cabin; there are curtains hanging over a make believe window and these cabins are invariably the quietest. And there is so much to do you won't spend much time in your cabin anyway.
So, to sea or not to sea, that is the question...