Summer Is The Best Time To Book A Winter Holiday Cruise

With the dog days of summer upon us and temps reaching into the 90’s almost every day, now is the best time to book your winter Holiday Cruise at deep discounts off regular prices. Cruises are more affordable than ever and feature cruise lines and ships to suit everyone’s budget and taste. With the slippery weather and wind chill factors just months away, don’t let another Holiday Season pass you by without booking a sun-filled getaway.

“Cruising is a great way to celebrate the Holidays and give every member of the family the gift of sunshine and relaxation,” says Jamie Erdman, Brand Manager of DiscountCruises.com. “Cruises of today are a vacationer’s dream. They can be customized to fit everyone’s tastes, offer activities for a wide range of ages, and really stretch your vacation dollar -- as they include just about everything from your meals and your accommodations to world class entertainment and new and exciting ports of call.”

Erdman counsels that by booking a winter cruise now, in addition to receiving discounts of up to 30 percent, vacationers will also gain valuable onboard credits direct from the cruise lines that can be used as cash while onboard towards excursions, spa treatments, cocktails and more -- saving vacationers even more money.

Here are some additional tips from Erdman on how to make the most of a cruise vacation:

• Take advantage of Home Porting – There are 30 embarkation ports around the continental US, and 75 percent of Americans live within a three-hour car ride of a cruise port. Home Porting is a growing trend in cruising because you can drive to the ship, park at your leisure, and save substantially (on average $1,000 for a family of four) on airfare, baggage fees and hotel stays. With the money you save, you can extend your cruise for a longer period of time, or upgrade your accommodations.

• Do your cruise research at an online cruise aggregator website rather than through an individual cruise line, and speak with a cruise professional before you purchase your cruise vacation. For the same money you will spend on the price of your ticket, a cruise expert will give you objective information about each cruise line, and explain the big or subtle differences between carriers, their various cruise itineraries, dining options and ports of call. In addition, an expert will tell you how to obtain the deepest discounts, accrue the most onboard credits and suggest excursions and sightseeing highlights to help you get the most from your experience. The best cruise experts are cruisers themselves.

Here are four ways to work with a cruise expert online:

o List your questions for a cruise expert on the website chat line
o Speak with an expert using the website’s toll-free number
o Email your questions, and receive your expert’s responses
o Once you’re ready, book your cruise online through a cruise website like DiscountCruises.com

• Here’s a secret: Book your next cruise before completing your last one – one in five Americans has been on a cruise, and if you have a good experience the first time, chances are, you’ll want to do it again. There are several great incentives to booking your next cruise while still onboard:

o You’ll receive deep discounts on your next cruise while accruing the most onboard credits
o You’ll have up to five years to use your reservation
o It’s takes only a $200 deposit to hold your reservation
o You won’t have to choose a destination at the time that you book
o Even if the price of the cruise goes up, you’re locked in at the lowest rate!
o Since most Americans take an average of two vacations a year – booking your next cruise before going ashore, is a great way to insure a luxury vacation at a
great price.

Erdman concludes, “Whether you’re interested in a European river cruise, an ocean liner vacation in the Caribbean or Mexico, or an island-hopping cruise adventure in Hawaii, for an average of $100 a day, it’s hard to beat a carefree vacation with three meals a day, unlimited snacks, complimentary room service, Broadway-style entertainment, and varied activities for every age group.”

About DiscountCruises.com
DiscountCruises.com together with HotCaribbeanDeals.com, and FlightCenter.com, are three online brands owned by FC USA Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Flight Centre Limited (FCL), headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, and publically traded on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). The global travel organization has been in business for more than 30 years, and has a presence in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China, India, Dubai, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Canada, and transacts more than $15 billion dollars’ worth of travel annually.

For more information contact:
Karen Sperling
Sperlingreene PR and Marketing
201-543-7421
ksperling@sperlingreene.com