Bermuda Cruise: $589

There are inside cabins available on the April 25 sailing of the Norwegian Dawn from New York to Bermuda for $399 a person, double occupancy, which comes out to $589 per person when taxes and Bermuda’s rather substantial port fees are added.

It’s a very nice price for a Bermuda cruise, which tend to be comparatively expensive. For those of us who live in the Northeast, it’s an opportunity to cruise without paying airfare.

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Cruise Deals On Travelocity

Travelocity is promoting a cruise sale that includes four-day cruises out of Florida for as low as $172 per person, double occupancy, which comes out to $230 with all taxes and fees included.

That rate gets you four nights in an inside cabin on Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas for a Bahamas cruise on several September and October  departures from Port Canaveral, Fla. The cruise stops at Coco Cay, a private island owned by Royal Caribbean, and Nassau.

Another notable deal: a seven-night cruise on Celebrity’s Century for $399 per person, in an inside cabin, adding up to $509 with taxes and fees. This rate is available only on the May 3 sailing out of Miami with port calls at Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Coco Cay.

Bargains — Relatively Speaking — On Luxury Cruises

The Miami Herald has a story this morning about the luxury cruise line Silversea, its newest ship and its new focus on “value.” That is to say, the pressures of supply and demand have forced luxury cruise lines to discount prices.

So it’s now possible, if you shop carefully, to get a week-long luxury cruise for around $2,000 a person. For this you get a truly all-inclusive experience, with drinks and tips, on a small ship with luxury accommodations and extremely attentive service. (No hairy chest or belly flop contests .)

This is still out of my league, but if you have the cash and the urge to splurge, now would be a good time to do it. Relatively speaking.

Repositioning Cruises From Less Than $50 Per Day

Twice a year I indulge a fantasy: that I will take a transatlantic repositioning cruise. This happens in the spring, when the cruise lines move their ships from the Caribbean to Europe, and in the fall, when they bring them back.

It doesn’t hurt that these one-way cruises can be tremendous bargains, sometimes available for less than $50 a day per person, half of my $100 threshold for what constitutes a reasonable bargain in cruises. That’s  inclusive of food and much of the entertainment, pretty much everything you truly have to pay except tips and airfare.

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Caribbean Cruise From Miami: $324

A sweet little Caribbean cruise bargain caught my eye this morning – $324 per person double occupany for five nights in an inside cabin on the Celebrity Century.

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Huge Cruise Ship Gets Mixed Reviews

There have been plenty of obsequious press reports about Royal Caribbean’s mammoth new Oasis of the Seas cruise ship, but not everyone is hopelessly in love.

Arthur Frommer has slammed the whole concept, Jim Walker at Cruise Law News has some pointed questions about security and pollution, and even some of the travel writers and bloggers now being feted on a special voyage for the press are not entirely smitten. Jason Cochran, while impressed by the ship, points out on WalletPop that “passengers who immerse themselves in this floating circus might as well not be at sea at all.”

I point this out for the sake of a little balance. In other words, just sayin’.

Australia’s Right To Get Spiffed

You gotta fight for your right to party, as the Beastie Boys so poetically informed us. Except in Australia.

In Australia, the right to party is vigorously protected by the Human Rights Commission, which has rejected attempts by the Carnival cruise line to prevent youthful binge drinking aboard its ships. Carnival wants to require passengers under 21 to be accompanied by a parent of guardian on voyages between Nov. 1 and Jan. 30, which corresponds to the summer break Down Under, The Australian reports. 

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Huge Cruise Ship Fails To Impress Arthur Frommer

Arthur Frommer writes that the sight of the mammoth new Oasis of the Seas cruise ship makes him gag. He ties it to an entertainment-driven consumer culture that doesn’t really embrace real travel. It’s a refreshing point of view, and one that reminds us that Arthur treats the travel industry without fear or favor.

Cruise Safety Bill Passes House

The cruise ship safety bill has passed the U.S. House and now awaits Senate approval, the Associated Press reports. This is a good thing.

High Tea On Carnival, And Other Anomalies On The Seas

The mass-market cruise lines have long been identified by their customer base: young partiers on Carnival, middle-aged types and families on Royal Caribbean, old folks on Holland America and slightly more well-to-do people on Princess and Celebrity.

There’s some truth to the stereotypes. The various lines market themselves to certain demographic elements. But other factors can be more important in determining who takes a cruise and what the atmosphere is like.

Carnival’s reputation for floating wild party boats took a serious hit with me last fall. Much to my delight, our cruise on the Carnival Spirit from Vancouver to Honolulu was as sedate as afternoon tea. In fact, tea was served on days at sea, with a string trio playing classical music. I kid you not.

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