Last-minute cruising

Fine print alert! Read the offer very, very carefully, because it will specify exactly what your purchase entitles you to. An inside cabin is no bargain if you suffer from claustrophobia. In most cases, airfare add-ons, so useful with tricky itineraries, are not available at all. You cannot request a cabin number or type of cabin and typically, though not always, you will not get an in-demand suite or balcony cabin cause they're usually snapped up early in the selling process. Some do, however, offer options to "buy up," but that could cost you as much as simply buying the cruise through your regular channels.

Fine Print Alert ... Continued! Is the price for two people or per person? Double occupancy? Look carefully for information on service fees, government taxes and port charges, which often aren't included in the sale price.

Where to Shop
Here are some of the resources we at Cruise Critic have had luck with:

Cruise Critic's own Cruise Sails newsletter is a weekly (and free!) service available to subscribers, featuring great deals on popular ships sailing less than 120 days out. How good are the deals? How about an 11-night cruise on Celebrity from Tampa to the Caribbean from $599 per person (sailing date: February 21, 2005)? Click here to sign up. Also, Cruise Critic's regular Bargains area is another good place to check for up-to-the-minute deals.

Check out Cruise Critic's Ship Shop, where advertisers highlight last-minute discounts, bargains and exclusive offers for Cruise Critic readers.

Luxurylink.com is a travel auction site specializing in the highest of high-end travel. The site occasionally adds a cruise to its mix of resorts, offering deals (if not dirt-cheap bargains) on really unique or pricey voyages -- think lines such as Crystal, Windstar and Silversea. If you want to see what luxury cruising is all about without breaking the bank, this is the way to go.

Cruise.com is one of a number of online travel agencies that have incorporated a "hot deals" feature into its site. Other great sites to try are Travelocity, Expedia, cruiselocators.com, Cruise411.com, CruiseBrothers.com, CruCon Cruise Outlet and Cruise Club of America.

Moment's Notice is a long-timer in the last-minute game. In fact, the Brooklyn-based company has been selling trips for decades. It's embraced the Web beautifully, with an easy-to-maneuver site. Moment's Notice is a membership organization, but the $25 per-family fee is well spent -- particularly on deals like a seven-day Canada/New England cruise onboard Carnival from just $459 per person (sailing date: September 13, 2004).

Again, don't underestimate the value of your own travel agent. Pester him or her to think of you when good deals come across the fax or pop into their inbox. Or better yet, make it a point to call every once in awhile to say, "Hi, whaddya got?"

Cruise Critic, which launched in 1995, is a comprehensive cruise vacation planning guide providing objective cruise ship reviews, cruise line profiles, destination content on 125+ worldwide ports, cruise bargains, tips, industry news, and cruise message boards.

Cruise Critic has been honored by the Society of American Travel Writers with its Lowell Thomas Award and was recently named in Travel + Leisure's "Best 35 Travel Sites" list.

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