Cruising The ‘Wave’ Season For Big Deals
When you think of cruise ship terminology, you think of phrases like ‘hard to port’, ‘throw him in the brig’ and ‘shiver me timbers’. But if you’re thinking of joining the thousands of new passengers cruising this year, there’s one phrase you should pay attention to. The term that you cannot do without is ‘wave season’. There’s no surfing involved (unless we’re talking about the internet variety arf arf), and it’s nothing to do with the Queen’s royal duties. Instead ‘wave season’ is something that will save you money on Seabourn cruises 2011 and other cruise lines.
Once you’ve put the expensive Christmas holiday season behind you, you’ll often find yourself in the first two months of the year, thinking about where to Holiday. Travel agents and operators are inundated with bookings in this period, and mirroring retail and the January sales, the best offers are being put out by the Cruise industry at this time. Deals can net you everything from a better basic price to a better smattering of extras to a free class upgrade. Crystal cruises are currently offering two for one fares for example. UK Cruisers will be particularly keen to cash in on these deals as the increase in VAT to 20% will have a negative effect on already expensive cruises.
The deals depreciate over time, so a booking today will be better value than one at the close of the season. As allowances and capacities are exceeded, upgrades and extras will likely disappear. But the wave season isn’t the only worthwhile time to get your holiday booked, so don’t worry if you miss it. Just as in retail, the ‘January Sales’ are often little more than a way of getting rid of the stuff that isn’t selling. And it simply isn’t good business sense to play all your cards in one period of the year (when everyone else is doing so too). Savvy cruisers will recognise that upmarket lines like Regent cruises put their best deals out before the New Year even starts. With the sailing season in full swing, if you’re flexible, it’s often cheaper to get on a cruise at short notice. 2011 may just be the year of the cruise.