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There are more than 200 cruise ships that you can choose from today. But the one thing that they all have in common is that a little advance planning and “insider” knowledge can help you save time and money on your next cruise. Here are the “top ten tips”:

1. Maximum flexibility = Maximum savings. Most travelers have some flexibility in their travel dates, especially if planning ahead of time. Let your cruise specialist know that you can consider alternate departure dates that may have lower rates available. Keep in mind cruise lines will offer better prices and perks on sailings that are not nearing capacity.

Tip: Shoulder or off peak sailings offer the deepest price cuts. For example, the departure right after the New Year cruise might be substantially lower.

2. Ask if guarantees are available. This requires that you have a little gambling spirit. Many cruise lines will offer a rate on a particular cabin category instead of an actual stateroom number and in effect guarantee that rate to you. Then the cruise line has the option of assigning you a stateroom in either that category or better.

Sometimes you win and end up in a cabin several grades higher and sometimes you end up in exactly the category you were guaranteed. Remember, there is both an upside and downside to this program.

Tip: Completely understand the process before booking a guarantee.

3.Upgrade programs. Often, your cruise specialist may offer a cruise line upgrade program. This means that you book and pay for category ‘B’ and will be moved to a higher category ‘A’. Again, there is an element of risk here. The fact that a stateroom may be in a higher category does not always mean it will be a more desirable cabin. For example, you might be in a nice mid ship balcony stateroom on Deck C and get an upgrade to a balcony stateroom on Deck A.

While your new assignment may be the same size and have identical amenities you might end up in a less desirable location such as near an elevator or at the extreme end of the ship. And there are outside cabins that have views partially blocked by lifeboats or other equipment. On the other hand there are many instances of guests being upgraded several categories to wonderful staterooms.

Tip: Advise your cruise specialist that you will consider upgrades offered but you want to have final say on any changes before they happen.

4.Special Fare Eligibility – One of the reasons that savvy cruisers find a knowledgeable cruise specialist and stick with them is the fact that there are many special fare programs that may or not be visible to cruisers doing casual research on the web. These include things like regional fares that are made available to residents of selected states.

Caution: If you are offered a regional fare and you don’t live in that area and can not prove residency, don’t do it. Cruise lines have the right to check your eligibility on sailing day and charge for the difference before you board. It does happen. Some of the other special fares being promoted today include active duty and retired military fares, union member fares, police and public safety discounts, airline or hospitality rates and more.

Tip: If your cruise partner is a member of any of the these groups, the discounts usually apply to everyone traveling in the same stateroom.

5. Past Passenger Specials – Virtually every major cruise line has a loyalty club for its members with different levels and benefits. Joining is free and entitles you to special perks and discounts when you book on that line. For many commonly owned cruise lines such as Carnival Corporation, the offers extend across all the brands such as Carnival, Princess, Holland America etc. Ditto for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.

Tip: Many cruise lines started operation before computers become common and can not easily retrieve date for cruises you may have taken several years ago. However, if you send a letter to the cruise line listing the ships and cruises you have been on, most will take your word and credit you with those unrecorded sailings. This might have the effect of moving you from Gold to Platinum level and significantly improve the benefits.

6. Check for Group Rates: Many cruise agencies hold what is known as block space on ships. That means that they have reserved space at group rates, which can be up to 20% lower than individual rates. Many agencies that reserve space for groups hold aside several cabins for individual clients who might be able to depart on this date.

While you may be traveling as a group, your cruise experience will be as an individual traveler. The downside might be that your dining time or section is affected by the group program. The upside is that you might benefit from some group amenties such as an onboard credit, free shore excursion etc.

Tip: If your cruise specialist offers group rates, understand the features, benefits and limitations completely before you book. From the cruise line perspective you are a member of the group and fall under the policies and procedures for groups.

7. On board re-booking. Most cruise lines now allow you to book your next cruise with that line while on board. They may have what is known as an on board sales consultant or even a desk. This is usually a great opportunity to save. Generally, the cruise line will throw in some strong perks to retain your loyalty to their brand. Onboard credits on the future cruise can be quite substantial. Upgrades and other benefits are usually significant.

Tip: Many cruise lines realize that you may not be sure when and where you want to cruise while on your current voyage. Not to worry, because most have a program where you can book on board with the flexibility to change to other sailings and ships via your cruise specialist when you get home and keep all the benefits. This is a truly a win win for you!

8.Seek out Value Adds. Over the past few years, cruise lines have instituted something known in the trade as The Level Playing Field. This was instituted to attempt to control the rampant rebating and discounting that occurred in the post September 11 travel slump. Basically, now the cruise lines have been partially successful in putting the genie back in the bottle by requiring cruise agents to all use the same pricing feeds.

Because cruise agents do not purchase and re-sell the cruises but are paid a commission, the cruise lines themselves totally control published rates. One of the unintended side effects of Level Playing Field pricing is that the cruise lines had to find a way to promote challenged sailing dates. And they did this by creating Value Added features. They can include benefits ranging from dollars off certificates, on-board credits, pre-paid gratuities, free spa treatments, specialty dining experiences, casino credits to a free bathrobe or camera.

Tip: Ask your cruise specialist to seek out sailings that offer value adds. They can significantly impact your bottom line.

9.Arrange your own airline tickets. If you need to fly in to your embarkation port most cruise lines have flight programs known as Air/Sea arrangements. The good news is that includes the flights and often meet and greet and transfers. The bad news is that in order to publish these add-ons the cruise lines have negotiated the fares far in advance and try to set the rates on a cost average basis.

To you, it generally means that these add-ons may be up to 50% higher than the fares you can get by arranging the flights yourself. The one exception to this in many cases are Europe cruises where many lines maintain bulk contract fares. So it is always a good idea to comparison shop. Most lines allow you to purchase just the transfer package so you are able to create your own air/sea package at significant savings. And of course if you have several thousand airline miles collecting dust, this might be a good time to try to use them.

Tip: If you are arranging your own flights, make sure to allow plenty of time for flight delays etc. Savvy cruisers will often invest in a pre-cruise hotel the night before the cruise so that they can avoid the stress caused by late arriving flights. Remember, if the airline leaves you on the tarmac for 7 hours and you miss the ship, that voucher for a free flight will not seem very appealing. And unfortunately, the airline will not compensate you nor will the cruise line refund your money as you are counted as a no show.

10. Travel Insurance: What is the one thing you must bring on your cruise that you hope never to use? Trip Insurance! As you can see in #9 above things can and do go wrong. An affordable comprehensive trip insurance policy can cover many of these contingencies including, lost baggage, trip interruption, medical evacuation and more.

Your cruise specialist can explain the various programs available as there are several. Mark sure you understand fully the coverage and limitation before accepting coverage and keep in mind that you can not get coverage retroactively. It is a small, but absolutely vital part of your vacation expenditures. Keep in mind very few medical insurance polices cover you while out of the country and basic homeowner policies often do not compensate for lost luggage or other events. Just as in land based trips, the carriers responsibility to you is extremely limited by their contract and should a medical emergency arise on board or ashore you are responsible for all expenses incurred.

Tip: Cancellation coverage is very specific. Understand what is covered and not covered. You can not decide not to go at the last minute without incurring substantial cancellation charges. And if you have any pre-existing health issues, this may or may not be a covered event. That is why it is important to actually read the coverage.

Joe Ewart is a 30 year cruise industry veteran and a member of the Cruise Lines International Association Hall of Fame. He is CEO and editor of http://www.CruiseJungle.com an informational cruise web site designed for consumers.

Cheap and honeymoon, two words that most people don’t think go together. But there are ways to save some money on that vacation after the craziness of a wedding, which usually uses up every last dollar that you, the happy couple have. A cheap honeymoon doesn’t mean spending the night in some cheap motel either. With a little effort and some planning a cruise can be a great way to keep that honeymoon expense in check.

Honeymoon cruise can be anything from very expensive to affordable for just about anyone. It just depends on the package you get and the length of the cruise. A cruise is also a lot of fun, hassle free and will leave the newlyweds with many unforgettable memories.

Cruises are cost-efficient vacations, especially if you leave from your home port rather than flying to meet the ship. While this isn’t always possible for the more land-locked, for those who live close to cruise ship home ports it can be a great way to have an inexpensive honeymoon. Many cruise lines also offer honeymoon packages which can significantly lower the price, and if you choose to take your cruise off season chances are you can save even more money.

Probably the biggest way a cruise can save money is that almost all of them are all-inclusive. This means that everything including your meals, room and board, and ship board entertainment are paid for up front. You will need extra money for things like alcoholic drinks, duty free shopping, and off ship excursions to the many ports of call, if you choose to leave the ship.

Another way to save money on a cruise is to book your trip before a major holiday when many cruise lines offer bargain prices. And if you have been on a cruise before book with the same company as they normally offer discounts for returning customers. Last but not least be sure to shop around and see what the different lines have to offer. If you look hard enough you are sure to find a cruise that will satisfy any budgetary constraints you may have.

You may choose destinations to visit almost anywhere in the world for your cruise and be sure that you will be entertained, pampered, well fed and secure. If you choose honeymoon cruises to exotic locations like the Suez Canal or Australia, the Caribbean, Central or South America, or the more local destination of Hawaii, you will smoothly sail while you sleep or partake of ship board night life and enjoy the exotic ports of call and beautiful islands during the day, where you can go island exploring, enjoy pristine tropical beaches, go on scenic tours for day excursions, and other numerous off the boat adventures.

So if you think you can’t afford an exotic honeymoon then think again. For a cheap honeymoon a cruise can be a great way to go.

For more information about a cheap honeymoon cruise check out the website Honeymoon Destinations.

Here are five great reasons that the cruise vacation deal you decide upon might not be quite so extravagent after all.

In fact it might even save you more money than you might believe…

1) You only need to unpack once and visit a number of places – Unlike most vacations, where if you want to move about you have to pack/unpack no end of times (I once did 13 hotels in 22 days and felt like I needed a vacation at the end of it!). Then, once you stop at a port of call, you have the wonderful opportunity to see all sorts of varied destinations, all without paying another cent at all. How about that for a great cruise vacation deal?

2) All your food is included – It’s the ultimate all inclusive and more! Not only are all your meals free (apart from the absolute once a cruise treat of a special meal in an exclusive restaurant that some cruises now have), when you want a snack, they’re on tap, whenever you want, 24/7! From breakfast, through elevenses, your cruise vacation deals leads gently to a relaxing lunch and afternoon tea. Then it’s a dinner like you’ve never, but never, experienced before! Are you ready to watch that waistband then?

3) And did you hear that the entertainment was all free too? – On one of the great cruise vacation deals you can easily get nowadays, every kind of entertainment you care to think about is ready and waiting for you free! That’s evening stuff and to fill your days as well. Broadway style shows; jazz bars. Cinemas to smoochy dancing too. Remember the days when you had as much varied entertainment as you could handle? Well here it is again!

4) Kids need looking after? – Well, there is enough entertainment for all age groups as well. So the grown ups can have their fun and the kids theirs too – it’s a win-win! You can even get a minder for them in the evenings, though that might cost you a little of your spending money! During the day, your cruise vacation deal will give you organized entertainment to suit all ages, so feel safe in the knowledge that they are having the time of their lives too!

5) The price is pretty much fixed – No unexpected out of control meal deals. No costly retals of equipment to keep the kids amused. In fact, apart from the alcohol you consume; land excursions and, well, of course shopping, with your cruise vacation deal you know just what it’s going to cost you from the start – so no nasty surprises either. Your budgeting can start well ahead of your vacation and you can get a clear expectation of what your additional daily costs are going to be too!

Are you getting the picture? There is a whole world of value in a cruise vacation deal and at the end of the day, this may well be the best deal of the whole vacation market.

(c) 2007 Hawaiian Cruises Online. Look no further – all the Hawaiian Cruising information you’ll ever need, in the 50+ pages that are totally free. Destinations; cruise lines; ‘what’s on’; eating options and more, all at Martin Haworth’s website, http://www.Hawaiian-Cruises-Online.com

Many families are taking cruise vacations these days. The various cruise lines have taken on board (if you will forgive the pun!), that there is a market out there. And several of them are playing the family cruise vacation card these days.

So, if you are considering this for the next time the family go on vacation, what might you need to consider – and, above all, what will it be important to pack, particularly when you have your kids along, to ensure that everyone has a good time?

Prevention is Better Than Cure

Depending on the age of the kids going on the family cruise vacation, there will be some best practices to make sure that they stay well during the trip. It’s always better to prevent illness, wherever possible, than it is to get into the realms of treatment.

That said, if anyone is going to be sick on vacation, a cruise ship is probably one of the better places, as they pretty well always have excellent facilities to fix you up – and that includes your kids.

Three key areas:-

1) Tummy troubles

Number one issue on any vacation, just as often as a family cruise vacation, is the irritating sickness and diarrhoea that can happen anytime.

Often caused by little more than a change in the chemical balance of the water we drink, these illnesses can be debilitating and need close attention. The rule is the younger or older we are, the more likely the effects are to be severe.

The easiest prevention is to avoid anything that might trigger an upset by drinking plenty of simple fluid. Seafoods, rich and spicy dishes are the most likely foods that can cause problems. Drinking bottled water may help too.

On a family cruise vacation, you need to pack some essentials for kids. The very best thing you can ensure that you have are rehydration salts. Basically, sickness and more particularly diarrhoea prevent the absorption of fluids back into the body, which is how we normally keep the right fluid balance.

When this is not working, due to some bug, overheating or eating something that ‘didn’t agree with you’, kids and elderly especially need to get that balance rectified as soon as possible. So take some rehydration sachets that you can buy from any pharmacy and give small amounts frequently.

If in any doubts, particularly with young children, checkout the sick bay onboard sooner rather than later.

2) Sunburn

A great family cruise vacation will, hopefully, find everyone enjoying a bit of sun, which is great for any trip. In fact absorbing the sun’s rays is good for our health as it promotes the body to make Vitamin D, which is valuable.

Trouble is it is easy to get too much sun. When onboard, it is easy to get burnt unless you make a real effort to get protected. This is for three particular reasons:-

– There may be a breeze on the ocean, which masks the strong rays of the sun. You feel a cooling wind, which stops you feeling the sun as much – then it’s easy to burn, esp[ecially for children whose awareness is not yet fine tuned.

– Secondly, there is a lot of reflected light that comes off the ocean and bounces burning rays upwards.

– Finally, children’s skin is especially susceptible to sun damage, whether on a ship on the ocean or otherwise.

It’s vital to get protected well, with a very high factor and keep protected. Then a nasty attack of sunburn will be avoided.

If burnt, always seek good medical advice. Sunburn is no different from any other burn and can easily lead to serious consequences. Drink plenty of fluid as damaged skin loses fluid far more easily than usual. Seek medical advice early if in any doubt.

3) Travel Sickness

Generally modern cruise liners are very well stabilized, so it’s not that common to have sea-sickness. The routes plied on family cruise vacations are not those where you might expect a rough journey (though it can happen!).

That said, susceptible folk may feel ill even if the ride is on an ocean that’s as smooth as a millpond, so it might be best to take precautions, especially if you know that one of your kids is likely to feel a bit queasy.

You pharmacist will be able to advise you what is available where you come from. One thing that can often work really well are little wrist bands that you can get that have a little dimple on them, facing inwards onto a pressure point on the wrist.

These are non-invasive and non-ingested, so are a lot less likely to cause side-effects. Often available in attractive colors for kids, they might be a solution to a problem that never gets it’s feet wet, because you nipped it in the bud!

Everyone wants a relaxing time when away, so for a great family cruise vacation, have a think about the best ways to ensure everyone, including the kids, feels well too.

Always check with your medical advisor before taking the actions suggested or implied in this article.

(c) 2007 Hawaiian Cruises Online. Look no further – all the Hawaiian Cruising information you’ll ever need, in the 50+ pages that are totally free. Destinations; cruise lines; ‘what’s on’; eating options and more, all at Martin Haworth’s website, http://www.Hawaiian-Cruises-Online.com

Are Baby Boomers that much different from other cruise passengers? According to many cruise line executives this one group of guests has probably created more changes in cruise ship programming than any other travelers since Noah’s Ark. The same group that made cell phones, BMW’s and flat screen TV’s a cultural phenomena is having a strong impact of how cruise lines go to market.

At a recent industry conference sponsored by Cruise Lines International Association, Marketing Chairman Dan Hanrahan (who is also president of Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises) pointed out that the lifestyle and interests of baby boomers has led to some unique new experiences on board for all passengers.

Baby Boomers, he said, tend to collect experiences as they get older versus physical possessions. So computer classes are often more popular than Bingo.

While at home, busy boomers dine out more often and therefore seek a wider variety of dining experiences on board a cruise ship. This has led to a movement from one or two main dining rooms with fixed seating times to more flexible alternative restaurants approximating the feel of a good bistro at home. Flexibility of dining times has led to a change in the old first and second seating system that has been around for 40 years. One cruise line, NCL threw out the concept completely when it introduced Freestyle Cruising a few years back and its new ships boast up to 10 restaurants touting an eat-when-and with-whom-you-choose option. Most other contemporary cruise lines offer a more limited version of this concept ranging from Princess Cruises Anytime Dining to Holland America’ recently announced As You Wish open seating program in a section of their main dining rooms. Along with the dining hours and options, healthy lifestyle selections on cruise ship menus including spa cuisine has been a steadily growing trend.

Speaking of spas, cruise ships have witnessed a transformation from a small sauna and one massage table to elaborate complexes that offer everything from Thalassotherapy pools to hot stone massages. On board gyms have followed that trend with most ships now dedicating thousands of square feet and coveted ocean view space to their exercise facilities.

Ashore, Boomers seek excursions that are more action-oriented although soft adventure is the key here. They want adventure but in a comfortable environment. Cruise lines call it Culture in Comfort. Forget the tours buses, today’s cruisers are more likely to be found river rafting in a cave or cycling down a volcano than buying t-shirts at a local shop.

Cruise ship casinos have evolved from afterthoughts to carefully planned and important centers of revenue. The rule of thumb is the larger the ship, the more extensive the casino. The notable exceptions are Disney Cruise lines (a corporate choice) and NCL America (Hawaiian law) ships that offer no casinos at all. But on the rest, you can find everything from the most popular slots to Texas Hold em poker.

Of course, Boomers need to stay connected, so internet cafes on the ships are an important asset to them. And while some of us don’t especially like this idea, cell phones are beginning to work at sea as well as in ports where there is service. Busy boomers are used to instant gratification in their communications world and expect this to carry over to cruise vacations.

And last but not least are the musical proclivities of the boomer generation. They grew up on jazz, blue grass and rock and roll. The cruise lines keep this in mind when planning and selecting musical groups and live shows. In the mind of these travelers the only rap they are interested in is probably a sea weed wrap at the spa!

See you on board.

Joe Ewart is a 30 year cruise industry veteran and a member of the Cruise Lines International Association Hall of Fame. He is CEO and editor of http://www.CruiseJungle.com an informaational cruise web site desgined for consumers.