Here’s how to get two cruises for the price of one.
After all, cruises cost quite a lot, don’t they.
But first a question for you…
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How Many Luxury Cruises Can You Afford?
You see… a cruise can be as cheap or as expensive as you like.
That’s a bold statement, isn’t it, David?
I suppose it is.
But here’s another question (we are going somewhere with this)…
What’s the Difference Between a Basic Inside Cabin and a Large Suite?
- Size?
- Space?
- A butler?
- A view?
A suite is pretty cool – and rather very nice to have.
But how long do you intend to remain in your cabin?
How much time will you spend enjoying those additional luxuries?
On a cruise which visits lots of different places, you’ll probably not be spending much time in your cabin.
Our First Cabin
On our first cruise, we saved up and selected a nice cabin with a balcony.
You probably know the story…
It was our 25th wedding anniversary… and it was our very first cruise… so we wanted to make it special.
We didn’t know any different.
If you’ve not heard our story, you can read it here. We saved up to afford a delightful cabin with a nice balcony where we could relax in the sunshine.
But we were so busy exploring the Caribbean Islands that we hardly had time to use the balcony.
Second Cruise Choices
So when it came time to book our second cruise, we chatted about it.
“You know, we probably didn’t make good use of that balcony”
“You’re right. It was nice to sit down and relax with a book. But we could do that on the deck”
“OK, let’s book an inside cabin, then. They’re much cheaper.”
“You’re right. In fact, we’ll probably be able to afford two cruises for the price we’d have to pay for a nice balcony cabin.”
Best Price Cruise
Listen… If you’re not that bothered about booking a particular cabin.
And if you don’t mind which deck – or which part of the ship…
And if you’re willing to give up some flexibility…
You can get rock-bottom prices. Especially at certain times of the year such as Black Friday.
And if you play your cards right… you’ll book the cheapest inside cabin and then the cruise company might decide to upgrade you to a better cabin.
That’s happened to us a few times.
Nothing To Do With Money
David Kirkland, the author of The Intelligent Cruiser, says:
Enjoying the perfect cruise has absolutely nothing to do with how much money you spend.
We’ve certainly proved that to be the case.
So you have the choice.
1. You can spend a lot on a few extra luxuries.
2. Or you can cut right back – and still enjoy a luxurious cruise.
Sorry… I mean enjoy two luxurious cruises for the price of one!
Your Bargain Cruise
Have you enjoyed a great cruise for a bargain price?
Tell everyone about it in the comments box below, and let’s keep this conversation going.
Watch The Video
I’ve made a 3-minute video from what’s in this blog post.
So why not pop the kettle on and watch it.
Hi David
My name is Frank we got an email I think 2012 February it was for a cruise section of the world cruise fr Val paraiso in Chile to Brisbane it included all flights was 19 nights on Arcadia we had 4 port stops cruised by Easter island and the people of the Pittcairn islands came aboard to sell their goods we couldn’t go ashore great day all the same I realise it was quite a lot of sea days but we loved it oh yes and it was a balcony cabin we managed to delay flights home from Brisbane for 5 days as we have family there all this cost us an amazing £1300 p/p we would do it again for that price absolutely amazing can you give us the advice to repeat this cruise happy cruising Frank and Gaynor
Great to hear from you, Frank.
That world cruise section sounds like a great bargain. Lots of memories too.
Often the bargains are by booking early. For example, a month ago we received an email from P&O, offering 10% off their 2021 world cruise and various sections on bookings made before 29th April this year.
One way to keep informed of the bargains is to join your favourite cruise companies’ mailing lists (sounds like you’ve already done that). And also some of the independent cruise specialists such as Iglu.
You can also join our own email list for “cruise offers”. I rarely send out an email to anyone on that list unless it’s a cruise offer I reckon is worth shouting out about. But feel free to join it: https://howtocruise.co.uk/cruise-offers/
Sometimes, cruise companies will offer price incentives when people might not be eager to travel to a particular destination. For example, the early Caribbean season after the devastating hurricanes in 2017. We snapped up an offer and had a wonderful Caribbean cruise for a bargain price – and at the same time helped the Caribbean Islands’ economies at their crucial time of rebuilding.
We normally always book an inside cabin. Very occasionally we book a sea view if the on board spend for a seaview is equal or more than the difference.
In November 1996 we were offered an upgrade to a balcony for £100 each. We took it and I never stepped on the balcony once as I felt I was too high and worried that I’d fall overboard if I tripped. My husband only went out on it first thing to save putting the webcam on to see the weather. Complete waste of £200.