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Wave season brings cruise discount pricing
The “Wave Season” officially started this month and tens of thousands of Americans each day will be booking cruises, prompted in part by lower prices, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
The cruise season’s busiest time of the year continues through March.
Cruise lines are celebrating Wave Season with attractive advance-purchase incentives that include stateroom upgrades, two-for-one fares, onboard credits, upgrades from economy to business class air and discounts of up to 60%, CLIA said.
“A recent poll of CLIA’s member agencies indicates that more consumers are booking their cruise vacations four to six months in advance,” said Terry L. Dale, president CLIA.
CLIA’s member cruise lines visit some 1,800 worldwide ports of call on nearly 150 ships that range from 3,000-passenger floating resorts to intimate luxury yachts carrying 150 guests.
David Brams, president of World Wide Cruises in Ft. Lauderdale, told Where to go Next that pricing for soon-to-depart Caribbean cruises from January to March is down 10% to 20% from this time last year. Some sailings in January and February are going for as little as $399 a week.
Even sailings during the peak summer season are being marked down 15% in some cases, says Mike Driscoll, editor of Cruise Week newsletter. “And these deals are not limited to isolated sailings and cabin categories,” he said.
Driscoll said many of the best bargains are for Caribbean cruises out of New Orleans, “for somewhat obvious reasons.” People in the region there still are rebuilding, so cruising is off their radar,” he said.
Pricing also is down for cruises in Hawaii, say industry watchers. Prices for 2007 cruises to Alaska and Europe are about the same or up a bit from last year.
Report by David Wilkening
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