Early-Bird Cruise Savings

The Real Deal: A seven-night cruise and meals from $399 per person--almost $700 off the typical rate!

When: Depart Jan. 7, 2007; add $100 for Feb. 4 and $170 for Mar. 4 and Apr. 1

Details: Meals are included; port taxes and fees are an additional $203 per person

Book By: Oct. 20, 2006; afterwards, the price jumps to $1,069

Contact: Gate 1 Travel, 800/682-3333, gate1travel.com

The western Caribbean cruise begins and ends in Fort Lauderdale, with stops in Key West, Florida; Grand Cayman Island; Roatán, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico. The lowest rate of $399 is based on an inside cabin aboard the misleadingly named Costa Mediterranea, with 12 decks, four pools, four bars, three restaurants, a library, and a casino. Upgrade to an ocean-view cabin for $100 per person or to an ocean-view cabin with a balcony for $300 per person.

Be warned that as of January 2007, U.S. citizens will need to present a passport when returning by air or sea from the Caribbean islands, Bermuda, Canada, Panama, and Mexico. The State Department will likely be swamped with applications come January, so we suggest applying for a new passport as soon as possible. (The Travel Industry Association of America is pushing the government to postpone the deadline, but hasn't had much luck yet.) For details on the new requirements, visit: travel.state.gov/travel

Getting There: The lowest fares we've found for Fort Lauderdale in early January are: $149 (Spirit) from New York City; $200 (Northwest) from Chicago; $215 (AirTran) from Houston; $259 (AirTran) from Minneapolis.

For a complete list of Gate 1's cruise bargains, all of which must be booked by Oct. 20, visit gate1travel.com/cruises. Here are two more that caught our eye:

A seven-night Ancient Treasures cruise making stops in Bari, Italy; Katakolon, Greece; Izmir and Istanbul, Turkey; and Dubrovnik, Croatia. Cruise-only rates start at $869, and air/cruise rates at $1,569.

A seven-night Baltic & Russia cruise beginning and ending in Copenhagen, Denmark, with stops in Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm, Sweden. The cruise-only rate starts at $1,059, and the air/cruise rate starts at $2,039.

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