Finding the perfect cruise deal

If you want to get the most for your money, you’re pretty adventurous and you don’t mind not knowing where you’re going until the last possible minute, booking a last minute cruise could be the right approach for you. You’ll definitely get more for your money than you would otherwise have done and if you’re an adrenaline junkie, then the nail-biting wait to see how low each cruise’s price will go before you lose your nerve and slap down your money just enhances the fun of picking a trip. Don’t assume that the rest of the family are as relaxed about this approach as you are though – while it suits a lot of imaginative and fun-loving single travellers to book a last-minute holiday to get the best cruise deal, you do need to remember that there are pros and cons to the last-minute booking approach.

Pros

You can save up to 50% on the advertised cost of a holiday.
If you are cheeky, as well as saving on the cost, you can hold out for some extra benefits such as full board for half board price.
Often it happens that to fill a cruise, a company will reduce the cost drastically which means that lines or destinations that would normally be out of your price range will suddenly become affordable in the fourteen days or so before sailing day.
It can be thrilling to book on the spur of the moment!

Cons

Bear in mind that depending on the destination and the cruise line you book with, you may have to organise passports, visas and inoculations and if there isn’t enough time left for all that, your holiday plan may fail. If there’s only just enough time left, you may stress yourself to the limit in trying to get this organised.
The cabins that are left, on which you apparently get such a good offer may be the least attractive on the ship, close to the engines or next to the disco, for example.
You don’t get much time to research destinations before you travel or to plan what you’re going to pack or the shipboard facilities you want to use
Excursions and popular on-board events may be fully booked up so you miss out on great happenings by booking at the last minute.

Given that you know the benefits and risks now, and if this sounds like something you’d like to try, you need to watch the websites of the cruise lines, or deal with a specialist agency that will ring you when last minute offers are available: socruise.com can supply you with up to the minute information about last minute deals that could be perfect for you.