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105 Supersmart Strategies
Here's our comprehensive look at the best ways to travel: how to find a deal, avoid lines, pack, fly, tip, and more.
Erik Torkells & Brad Tuttle
June 2007 issue
Tuesday, May 22, 2007;
PART SEVEN: CRUISES
Arrive at the port the night before
Walk right off the ship and head home
Don't forget your passport
Book your own excursions
Let cruise brokers fight over you
Make the first day count
Go fishing for deals
Consolidators such as CruisesOnly.com, CruiseStar.com, and Cruise411.com basically act as travel agents, but they sell cruises at steeper discounts than are found elsewhere. Recently, cruise lines have prevented these brokers from advertising their best offers--but that doesn't mean they don't have 'em. Ask about unadvertised deals and upgrades.
The cruise line doesn't care if the traffic was bad or your flight got delayed because of the weather. The ship will leave without you, and the responsibility to catch up with it is yours and yours alone.
At the end of the cruise, if you carry your own bags, you can often disembark before everyone else.
Travelers returning to the United States by sea after visiting Mexico, Canada, the non-U.S. Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Bermuda don't need a passport until January (at the earliest). But anyone sailing before then should bring it anyway. If something unfortunate happens and you need to fly home, having a passport will make things considerably easier.
You can save money by finding out who's running the shore excursions or similar outings and booking directly with them. It's not without risks: If you book an excursion with an outside operator and don't get back to the ship in time, you're out of luck; but when you book through the cruise line, the ship will wait.
CruiseCompete.com is a website where you post info on the cruise you want to take, and then agents bid against each other to get your business. You're under no obligation to buy anything if you don't like what you see.
Your bags won't arrive at your cabin for a few hours after you board, so pack everything you might want in the interim (a book, swimsuit, sunblock...) inside your carry-on bag.