Travel Maven Blog ...... David Molyneaux posts from TheTravelMavens.com

How to find bargain rates on cruise ships

Looking for a cruise bargain? One way to find a good deal is to watch for special rates that cruise lines offer when they are unable to fill all their cabins, starting about two months before the voyage. A ship that sails with empty cabins is leaving money on the shore.

The best deals go to vacationers who are flexible about ships, dates and itineraries. Seldom will you find bargains during the holidays and other peak vacation seasons.

If you want specific ships, dates, cabins, or popular itineraries, your best bet is book early, not late, to take advantage of early-booking discounts, which can be substantial. Now is a good time to look at next fall and winter. If you are thinking about Alaska, try to make a decision by this summer for summer of 2009.

Finding a great last-minute deal is possible if you are flexible and will have no difficulty getting to the port where the cruise begins, which is why Florida residents fill most of the last-minute bookings out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

The Internet and a local travel agent who specializes in cruises are the best resources for deals. Travel agencies regularly receive faxes from cruise lines trying to fill ships. If there is more space available than expected, the cruise line will reduce the fare to sell out the ship.

Repositioning to Europe

One of the best deals -- if you like long days at sea -- is on ships being repositioned between ports that serve winter cruises in the Caribbean and summer journeys in Europe.

For example, when I was researching availability on the Balmoral, left, Fred. Olsen Cruise Line's newly refurbished ship operating out of Miami, I found some deals on the ship's 17-night repositioning cruise scheduled for April 14 from Miami to Rome.

In mid-March, discounted rates on the Trans-Atlantic cruise started at $1,145 per person for an inside cabin for two people, $1,405 for an ocean view cabin, $1,670 for a cabin with balcony, $1,780 for a suite.

For information on the ship, ask your travel agent, call Borton Overseas at 1-800-843- 0602 or go to FredOlsenCruises.

Click for my review on the Balmoral, seen above docked on Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos. The ship on the right is the Seven Seas Navigator.

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Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. CLICK for articles on cruising, Florida, Europe, adventure and travel gear and gadgets.

Disegalitarianism on the high seas

As cruise ship leaders look to the future, they see creeping disegalitarianism.

That 17-dollar word comes from Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Caribbean International.

What Goldstein sees, and what other cruise executives acknowledged during last week's Seatrade conference in Miami, is that cruise companies are selling different kinds of vacations on the same ship -- the more you pay, the more exclusive is your cruise experience.

In years past, said Goldstein, when a passenger stepped outside his cabin -- whether an inside nook or an expansive suite -- all passengers were equal. Their experience on the run of the ship was the same. They ate in the same dining rooms, watched entertainment together, and shared places for deck sitting.

Now, however, every new big ship includes some exclusiveness -- luxury services that will be available only to the highest-paying passengers. These include not only concierge lounges and butlers, but also private decks with pools and hot tubs, and alternative restaurants open specially at breakfast and lunch.

"We started with two garden villas on each ship," said Colin Veitch, president of Norwegian Cruise Line. "That has grown to 14, a ship within a ship." NCL's spacious garden villas have their own courtyard, pool, deck and other services. "It's a concept for people who want exclusivity. We will take that significantly further on our new ships."

"We are breaking the ships into different areas for different kinds of passengers," said Gerald Cahill, president of Carnival Cruise lines. Carnival is adding a spa section with cabins and a private elevator to its new Carnival Splendor, which debuts in Europe in July.

"We are building exclusivity into all our ships," said Richard Sasso, president of MSC Cruises.

Disegalitarianism is partly the result of price competition among the cruise lines. At their bottom price, cruises long have had an advantage of being cheaper than a similar vacation at a land resort. Now, cruise lines continue to add higher priced experiences for other passengers who want more exclusivity.

Meanwhile, we are all cruising on the same ship, which reminds me of a line from "Animal Farm," which I paraphrase: All passengers are equal, but some passengers are more equal than others.

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Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. CLICK for articles on cruising, Florida, Europe, adventure and travel gear and gadgets.

 

Eggs over easy on Fred. Olsen's Balmoral

After five days in the Caribbean as a minority to 1,000 passengers from the United Kingdom, I can report that we all got along well on the cruise ship Balmoral.

This was not a scientific survey among passengers, who were mostly older adults. But I did chat with dozens of folks from the UK, and some of the 300 North Americans who had been enticed aboard by a program of big band music. All had an upbeat attitude.

Of course, it was easier for the Brits, who are accustomed to traveling on ships operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines with a decidely British atmosphere, attitude and cuisine.

The UK passengers hardly were inconvenienced by the occasional dollops of Americanism that Fred. Olsen added to the Balmoral in anticipation of its first group of guests from the U.S. side of the Atlantic -- ice buckets in the cabins, ice tea served in the afternoon. You would think that Americans are unable to travel without ice, which is true.

The Balmoral, a newly refurbished and lengthened ship bought from Norwegian Cruise Line, is the first Fred. Olsen vessel to be based in the United States -- though only for four cruises out of Miami in March and April. Next fall, Fred. Olsen will be back in Miami for the season.

For North Americans, the Balmoral is a change from the typical cruise ship that heads into the Caribbean from Miami.

You won't hear the cha-ching of slot machines from the casino, because there is no casino, only two gambling tables in a quiet lounge, right.

Don't look for a burger bar or pizza station.

And bring your tux (or rent one aboard) for the weekly formal nights, because even though you can get away with wearing a dark suit, you will be in the small minority if you wear one.

But don't worry about the cultural clashes or the food.

I found everyone, passengers and staff, in good humor, and I never ate a mediocre meal in Balmoral's three dining rooms, each with views of the ocean.

The best views are from the Spey restaurant on deck 10, above.

My toughest task was obtaining eggs over easy for breakfast -- a work in progress.

The British prefer eggs sunny side up, and half a dozen or more stared at me from a serving pan my first morning in the buffet line. When I asked a cook behind the counter for eggs over easy, he reached into the pan, turned the eggs over and plopped them on my plate.

The second day, the cook, at my direction, put two eggs back on the grill to turn them, which resulted in eggs over hard.

The third day, I asked the same cook to make me two eggs from scratch, over easy, but he apparently decided that easy meant undercooked, which I realized when I sat down to eat.

On the fourth day, with a little more instruction, the cook mastered eggs over easy. We both smiled in satisfaction. On such simple accomplishments are international relationships cemented.

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Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. CLICK for articles on cruising, Florida, Europe, adventure and travel gear and gadgets.

To learn more about the history of the ship that is now Balmoral, read Peter Knego's MidShipCentury blog.

 

   

    

Joining the British on a holiday cruise

Most ships cruising out the United States are Americanized, in atmosphere, routines and food. Think burgers and fries, slot machines and a casual attitude toward dress codes. Foreigners are encouraged to blend into this American style of life at sea.

On a ship called the Balmoral, we are floating among the Caribbean islands this week in a grand experiment: The British are in charge, and the North Americans are expected to fit in. It is a life mostly without burgers, without slot machines, and with a strict expectation that passengers will follow the rules of proper dress.

The Balmoral is the first ship of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines to be based in the United States -- though only for four cruises out of Miami in March and April. Next fall, Fred. Olsen will be back in Miami for the season.

The cruise line hopes to attract North Americans, perhaps 15-20 percent of the passengers, but has no intention of changing the product, which is decidedly British.

So, we will have daily opportunities for good-natured clashes of culture among Balmoral's 1,300 passengers, 300 of whom are Americans and Canadians who booked the cruise largely because of the program of Big Band sounds. Buddy Morrow & the Dorsey 7 and the Music of Your Life Trio are performing throughout this journey and on a March 13 trip also out of Miami.

The cruise is a reminder that the United States and Great Britain not only are two countries separated by a common language, but also by simple customs that come into play on a cruise, especially in the dining rooms. At breakfast, for instance, we eat different kinds of bacon (Britain's is more hammy), different sausages (bangers), and the British folks like their eggs sunny side up.

Tomorrow, I am asking for eggs over easy. I will let you know how all this plays out.

For a free subscription to Travel Maven, type your email address in the box at upper right or add an RSS feed.

Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. CLICK for articles on cruising, Florida, Europe, adventure and travel gear and gadgets.