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6 Tricks I'm Using To Beat Today's Soaring Cruise Fares
2K views
Jan 19, 2025
Every cruiser can see that cruise fares have been rising scarily fast, and cruise lines are telling Wall Street investors that they expect fares to keep rising well over inflation as demand for cruising is so high. But despite that, I have found ways of paying less than most people on every one of the 12 upcoming trips I've got booked. I'm going to show you how I, and other smart cruisers, cruise for less than others in this time of rising fares. For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron: --------------------------------------------------- * Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products: --------------------------------------------------- * T-Shirts: http://bit.ly/TFTStore * Mugs, notebooks, hoodies etc: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/tipsfortravellers?ref_id=22354 My social media: --------------------------------------------------- * Blog: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com * Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge * Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers * Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/garybembridge * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bembridge
View Video Transcript
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every Cruiser can see that cruise fairs
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have been rising scarily fast and cruise
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lines are telling Wall Street investors
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that they expect fairs to keep Rising
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well over inflation because demand for
0:10
cruising is so high but despite that I
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found ways of paying less than most
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people on every one of the 12 upcoming
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trips that I've got booked welcome
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aboard I'm Gary benbridge and I'm going
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to show you how I and other smart
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Cruisers cruise for less than other
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people do in this time of rising fairs
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first I try and book When lines launch
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new itineries when Cruise Lines launch
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new itineries you're going to get the
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best prices for any Cruise because fairs
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move up from launch prices due to
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Dynamic pricing lines use lower fairs at
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launch to get us to commit and then as a
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ship fills up fairs are programmed to
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keep shifting upwards before the
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pandemic when ships were selling less
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fall you could sometimes find last
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minute deals that came close to or beat
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those launch prices but these days this
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is rare although I will share some late
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booking tactics that can work in a
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different way later I really like that
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when Cruise Lines launch new itineries
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in addition to having the lower fairs
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they often have offers like getting a
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grade higher for the price of a lower
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grade and bonus extras for example at
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launch I booked a bucket list 31 night
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South American circum navigation on
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Holland America for 18 months time I got
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a great fair but also the launch deal
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included the have it all add-on covering
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drinks Wi-Fi gratuities and some
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Excursion and speciality dining credits
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this is worth over $2,000 that's about
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£1,700 that other people are going to
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have to pay when they book this later I
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also booked a 25 night region 7 se's
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Navigator West Africa trip at launch
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because they not only offered a grade
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higher special so got a conage cabin
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which has way more perks for the price
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of a balcony cabin but they threw in a
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three night post stay in Cape Town
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visiting sites and Safari Parks I'd have
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been charged for that if I'd booked
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after the launch period the next tool I
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use a lot are promotions now while this
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smart sound really obvious there's some
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important things I've discovered you
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must focus on and be aware of if you're
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looking at using promotions first of all
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I sure I'm ready to take advantage of
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promotions I keep a list of all the
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places the cruise lines and ships I'm
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interested in but I hold of booking
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until any of those actually go on offer
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most Cruisers tend to focus on the much
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High much publicized Black Friday Cyber
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Monday and the New Year wave season
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promotions when all cruise lines are
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promoting and fighting to get bookings
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because this is a huge booking time a
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big percentage of bookings happen in
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these times I don't though because I'm
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not sure from what I've seen and looked
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at that those deals are as deep and
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promising as they make out especially
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compared to the ones I find in the more
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ad hoc promotions run during the year I
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see much better and deeper deals the
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deals seem to be way better because they
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seem to run them when when the liines
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are trying to hit say sales targets at
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the end of a quarter or end of the year
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or they need to fill up certain sailings
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with capacity these ad hoc deals usually
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run for short periods of time perhaps
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over a weekend so you need to be on the
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ball to catch them so how on Earth do I
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do this two ways first I'm signed up for
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email newsletters for every Cruise Line
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I'm interested in as this is what they
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use to announce promotions second I keep
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an eye on social media mostly Instagram
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and Facebook Facebook because they run
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them there too as a tip make sure you
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follow the various Cruise Line accounts
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on social media and interact with
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various Cruise posts on those sites
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because then the advertising will Target
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you as the algorithms know you're
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interested in cruising over the years
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I've kept email folders to track Cruise
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Line promotions and here's what I've
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found are the best ones to look out for
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and the ones that I use these days flash
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sales have great deals with deep
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discounts bonus add-ons upgrades or EXT
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onboard credit I recently used one when
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booking a crystal Cruisers Asia trip to
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review this newly launched line from
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Japan to Manila I could get a better
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cabin than the entry level one I could
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afford by using their limited time
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upgrade promotion another trending
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promotion is driven by lines seeing more
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families and people sharing cabins so
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the office have the second third or
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fourth person sharing a cabin free or at
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a huge discount so I use this promotion
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to make some incredible savings versus
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what other people will be paying that
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missed the promotion so for example I
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used one of those promotions when it
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broke to book a 16 night celebrity
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silhouette Canada greenard and Iceland
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trip that I really wanted to do was on
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my list I saved a fortune because the
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second person had 75% of the fair we
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saved almost $6,000 £5,000 versus if we
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booked without waiting for that
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promotion as a frequent Solo Traveler
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promotions are an important way to
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cruise for less and although not that
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fre I rely on these promotions the
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reason I was actually able to cruise the
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Kimberly in Australia was Seaborn ran a
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20% solo supplement deal on selected
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sailings via one of the email
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newsletters so I jumped on that there
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are other promotions that may appeal to
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you but do less to me like the advanced
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full payment discounts added discounts
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for loyalty Travelers and so on I have
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some rather unusual tips that people
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just don't think or know about that I'm
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really excited to share but before I get
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to that here's one that I get asked
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about most often I personally use this
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trick less often but it does work and
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this is around booking a future cruise
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on board as a line will usually offer an
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added discount available only on board
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for example I was on Silver Endeavor in
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and Artica recently and they were
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offering a 10% discount if booking any
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other silver SE cruise this was on top
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of any other promotions or discounts
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available at the time like the 5% I get
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from being a repeat Cruiser I only book
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on board if I already have plans to
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cruise on a particular line now in this
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case knowing I was going on silvery and
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I really wanted to do a reposition
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cruise that I'd seen from Alaska to
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Japan on Silver Nova in 20 months time
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because I want to try the new ship I
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held of booking and I booked it once I
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was on the ship so I got a 15% discount
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15% and not just the 5% if I'd booked it
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before I actually boarded that cruise
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now let me move on to some of the more
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unexpected and unusual ways I find I can
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cruise for less than other people on the
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same ship as me the first of these is
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going on a group Cruise or a bundled
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Cruise here is a group Cruise example
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really close to home I'm hosting my next
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group Cruise in 2026 which is a 15 night
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Honda America zadam Panama Canal cruise
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I negotiated and locked in group fairs
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just as that cruise was launched to get
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those launch prices I have seen the
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fairs for that cruise now rise
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significantly I know by how much when my
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sister decided recently she wanted to
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come on the group cruise we had to look
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online and my group rate was almost 30%
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less than the going rates right now so
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she's coming on the group at the group
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rate knowing she's paying way less than
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many people on board in the same cabin
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grade will be group packages are also a
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useful way to find late deals if a
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specific sing is not full occasionally
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the cruise lines will offer group rates
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to clear a block of cabins to to travel
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agents that create and sell packages
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bundled with flights hotels and
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transfers these then disguise any
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discounted cabin fairs from us
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passengers as there's no direct you know
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comparison of the actual Cruise Fair
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possible now you'll find these offers
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mostly via online cruise travel agents
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or those that take ads in the weekend
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papers because they can clear these at
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relatively short notice I personally
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don't use them because I plan my cruises
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way ahead and I like to choose my
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specific cabin which these usually do
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not allow me to do next is a very
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underused way to cut your fairs by using
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other people to do it for you many
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Cruise Lines will give a credit to be
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applied to current or future bookings if
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you refer a new traveler to them and
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they make a booking and the person who
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you refer will also usually get a credit
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so reducing their Fair too for example
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on the silver NOA cruise I mentioned I
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have had $350 cut off the fair as a
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follower of the channel name me as
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referring them they also got $350 off
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their cruise on Silver SE I can have up
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to 10 people naming me as a referral and
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receive a total of
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$3,500 added discounts I'm about to head
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off on a region 7 se's cruise and they'
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have highlighted their ambassador
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program where both myself and the person
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referring me will get
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$250 if they completes a form with my
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loyalty number within 14 days of them
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doing a booking so if you ever make a
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booking based on one of my
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recommendations consider naming me as a
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referrer and we can both benefit or of
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course if any of your friends or family
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have been on a line you have not then
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name them as referring you you both
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benefit as I mentioned earlier last
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minute Cruisers are less of an
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opportunity to get lower fairs than in
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the past but there are a few things that
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you can and should do if these appeal
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some Cruise Lines offer last minute
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options for example hun America have
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standby fairs if you can get to the port
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at short notice silver SE offer what
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they call Essential fairs close to
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sailings and others list last minute
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cruises on their sites like I noce
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celebrity do for example although it is
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easier to check online travel agents
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focusing on Last Minute cruising than
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going you know side by side many Cruise
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Lines use travel agents to clear unsold
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cabins rather than advertised last
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minute discounted fairs on their site
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why well it could mean the people who
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booked already spot the lower prices on
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the cruise line side and start hassling
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them to reduce their higher fair to the
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low one by using these agents that clear
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these last minute cabins lines can
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reduce that risk one that has an active
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last minute listing is a site that I've
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mentioned many times before my videos
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which is vacations too.com they have a
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90-day ticket page listing up in at last
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minute cruises with discounts if you
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have a favorite last minute Cru site
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that has worked for you please please
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leave that in the comments to help me
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and fellow Travelers know what they are
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of course one of the key things to do to
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make sure that you aren't paying more
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than than others on your cruise once you
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booked is to do Fair tracking I have an
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article on my blog at tipsfor
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travelers.com slfa tracking on what it
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is and how to efficiently do it there is
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another way to cruise for amazing value
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which is to do reposition cruises
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because they can cost half the usual
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price per day so join me over in this
10:49
video to find out more
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