I wanted to get a group of my friends to go on a cruise. I tried looking online but there are so many sites that are really confusing. There are like hundred of thousands of them but I'm not sure who to trust. Can anybody refer me to a website of a really good website and perhaps a travel agent they know that is nice and a gets good bargains for me and my college buddies? Thanks I really appreciate it.
I went to Travelocity.com to pick out the cruise I wanted. You have to be careful some sites add a fee to the booking that you will not get charged through the cruiseline. They show a lower rate but with their fee and sometimes higher port charges it usually comes out the same. I am going on the Adventures of the Sea end of May. I booked directly through the cruiseline for the same price. Right now Travelocity is offering money back on some cruises if you use a MasterCard. I have also booked through travel agents. Just do some surfing. I compare with Travelocity.com, Trip.com and the cruiselines web site that I choose. First you have to decide what cruiseline and ship you want to sail on.
Hi Tim - I surf the web alot for travel bargains. Just booked a cruise for my family from www.cruisesonly.com (Susan Sandell was the agent - she was great). ANother good website is www.bestpricecruises.com. I did price checks (including port charges, taxes, fees, and insurance) with multiple sources (travel agents, websites, and directly with cruise lines). I think if you KNOW exactly what you are looking for - then try one of the websites I mentioned (Travelocity is also good, as Jacqueline mentioned). But if you have no idea what cruiseline to go on, etc - then contact your local travel agent to do the legwork. I have been on Carnival, RCCL and Cunard - I think college guys would enjoy Carnival and RCCL's newer ships - like Adventure of the Seas.
I first decided on the exact cruise/cabin/dates then went to each of the trusted websites. I went all the way through each one to compare the final - enter your credit card number here - price. I also waited and waited and watched the prices fall to see which sites would follow in price reductions. The site that I picked was SterlingCruises. I found it best to book my own flights as well. I chose Orbitz.com for the flights.
In the end, I saved about $250 on the cruise and $400 or more on the flight. I booked about 2 months before the sail date (which by the way, is now only 15 days and 4 hours away!! Yee Haaa!).
Do your research on the shore excursions too! I don't exactly know how much money I saved here but I've been told that it's cheaper to book on your own rather than through the cruise line. When we go on the cruise, I'll take notes as to the cost of the tours through the ship & bring the details back to Cruisemates. Hopefully somebody else will beat me to it so I can have this info before we go.
Serfdude, Tim, one problem I see immediately is your "age group". Most cruise lines will not allow people under the age of 25 to occupy a cabin without someone older in the cabin. The acception is for newlyweds and children traveling with parents in another cabin. You may need a good local agent to find a cruise line that will let a "group of college" students book a cruise. Again, like others have said, shop around. Major agencies employ cruise experts: American Express, Galaxsea Cruises, AAA, MyTravelCo, Orbitz, Travelocity, icruises, bestpricecruises, etc. all have good reputations and book a lot of cruise travel. It does take some work for all of us. On this web site, put in a request in the "I want to Cruise" option. You will receive annonomous response to your particular questions with a quote. Narrow down your requirements first. When, how long, where? etc.
Bon Voyage
Dear Tim, since you really don't know what you are looking for, and as you said there are thousands to choose from, get yourself to a travel agent, find one that deals with a lot of cruises, some TA are designated reps for specific cruise lines and they can get you some great deals. Go in with a couple of your buddies, sit down and ask questions to the TA , they will then be able to "custom-fit" you for your cruise. Its nice to have a someone you can talk to face-to-face with any and all questions. Definately bring up the age requirement question, the cruise lines have cracked down on letting singles under a certain age cruise alone, there were a lot of big problems a few years ago with "spring-breakers" running wild and trashing a couple of ships. I believe the general rule is that no-one under the age of 18 is allowed to book a cabin unless there is someone over the age of 21 in that cabin.
Looking for a good cruise deal
Linear Mode
