JetBlue Enters New Waters

On Jan. 11, JetBlue launched a new service which allows travelers to book cruises on 17 major cruise lines through its dedicated website, cruises.jetblue.com. To spread the word, JetBlue is offering the following promotion.

The Real Deal: Book a cruise through JetBlue and a JetBlue flight to the port of call and receive a $20 per person discount on each leg of air travel.

When: Travel must be completed by Sept. 30, 2007.

Details: Cruise prices include port charges, all meals and nonalcoholic drinks, and onboard entertainment and activities. Based on double occupancy. Shore excursions, airfare, and airport taxes are additional. There is also a $20 processing fee per cruise reservation. For general guidelines on evaluating deals, click here.

Book By: Feb. 16, 2007.

Contact: JetBlue, 800/887-8111, cruises.jetblue.com.

Apart from this introductory online-only promotion, there are no book-by deadlines for cruises, and you can book a voyage as far in the future as June 2008.

JetBlue is so confident in its competitive cruise rates that it has come up with a best price guarantee. If you book a cruise through its website and then find a lower rate for the same cruise after purchase, the company will refund 110 percent of the difference.

We decided to put JetBlue to the test. We found a Carnival four-night Caribbean cruise on Fascination, departing from Miami and stopping in Key West, Fla., and Calica, Mexico, starting at $189 per person for an interior cabin with a departure on Sept. 10 or 24, 2007.We then found the exact same itinerary on both sidestep.com and kayak.com for the same starting price of $189.

We also found a Princess Cruises seven-night Alaska cruise on the Sun Princess, departing from Seattle and stopping in Ketchikan, Cruise Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, British Columbia, starting at $599 per person for an interior cabin with a departure date of May 6, 13, 20, or 27, 2007. Again, we found the same cruise at the same starting price on both sidestep.com and kayak.com.

What's the verdict? Travelers will certainly save by booking a cruise through JetBlue, but not necessarily more than they would by booking through another robust search engine. JetBlue, however, does provide the convenience of booking your cruise and, in many cases, JetBlue flights to the port of call through the same service; the limited-time promotion (see above) also sweetens the deal.

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