Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Booking a Cruise
If you've developed a r elationship with a fav orite travel agency, then
by all means, leav e the details to the tried-and-tr ue specialists. Many
agents will pr opose a package deal that includes air fare to y our port
of embarkation. It's possible to purchase your air ticket on y our own
and book y our cruise ticket separately, but in most cases y ou'll save
big bucks by combining the fares into a package deal.
You're also likely to sav e money—sometimes
lots
of money—b y
contacting a specialist who focuses on cruise bookings. He or she will
be able to match you with a cruise line whose style suits you, and can
also steer you toward any special sales or pr omotions.
Here are some trav el agencies to consider:
Cruises Inc.
(
&
888/
218-4228
or 800/854-0500; www .cruiseinc.com);
CruisesOnly
(
&
800/278-4737;
www.cruisesonly.com);
The C ruise Company
(
&
800/289-5505
or 402/339-6800; www.thecruisecompany.com);
Kelly Cruises
(
&
800/837-7447
or 630/990-1111; www.kellycruises.
com);
Hartford H olidays Travel
(
&
800/828-4813
or 516/746-
6670; www.hartfordholidays.com); and
Mann Travel and C ruises
(
&
800/849-2028;
www.manntravels.com). Cruise lines don't profit
if their megaships don 't fill up near peak capacity , so price wars pop
up all the time. The companies listed abo ve ar e tuned in to last-
minute sales resulting from the price wars.
You're likely to sail to the Caymans fr om M iami, which has
become the cr uise capital of the world. O ther depar ture por ts in
Florida include Port Everglades (at Fort Lauderdale), Port Canaveral,
and Tampa.
Cruise Lines
•
Carnival Cruise Lines
(
&
888/CARNIVAL
[2276-4825]; www.
carnival.com): Offering affordable vacations on some of the biggest
and most vividly decorated ships afloat, Carniv al is the brashest
and most successful mass-mar ket cr uise line in the world. M ore
than 17 of its vessels depart for the Caribbean from Miami, Tampa,
New O rleans, Port Canav eral, and S an Juan, and some of them
specialize in 7-day or longer tours that feature stopovers at selected
ports thr oughout the eastern, w estern, and southern Caribbean,
including Grand Cayman. The cruises are a good value and feature
nonstop activities, plus lots of brightly color ed drinks. Passengers
tend to be y oung at hear t, ready to par ty, and key ed up for non-
stop, round-the-clock fun. While it's one of the best lines to choose
if y ou're single, Carniv al's ships cer tainly ar en't o verrun b y sin-
gles—families (who appr eciate the w ell-run childr en's pr ograms)
and couples are definitely in the majority. The average onboard age
29
2
