How do you know if a cruise is sold out?

Your best bet is to go to one of the on-line sites (cruise.com is excellent) and try to make a reservation for your cruise. You'll see the availability (or non-availability) of accommodations in every category, stateroom by stateroom. If your sail date isn't listed, it's a sellout.



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It may be a little-known fact, but like airlines, cruise lines sometimes overbook their ships. Cruise lines strive to sail full but know some passengers will always cancel at the last minute. As a result, cruise lines sometimes overbook ships so that they can still sail full if people cancel late in the game.

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Starting the online booking process is your best bet at getting a glimpse of how many cabins are available. Sites like Costco Travel and Best Price Cruises do a good job of showing full deck plans with available cabins, though you'll need to manually check all the categories and decks for available rooms.

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If a cruise is filling up quickly, the company has no reason to release a sale to entice customers. But if a cruise's departure date is fast approaching and the ship is only partially booked, prices will drop, and complimentary add-ons will increase, resulting in some happy customers.

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According to an extensive study that followed price drops in the cruise industry, Thursdays may be the best day to book a cruise. Prices associated with travel are always in flux due to supply and demand, so the prices of a cruise can change daily. Prices could spike on a Wednesday and drop, well, on a Thursday.

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To fill vacant cabins, a cruise line might slash fares. Offers for last-minute cheap cruises come out after everyone who booked in advance makes their final payment, which, depending on the line and itinerary, could be 60 to 90 days before embarkation.

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Most Cruise Lines' websites provide information regarding the cruise schedule and the availability of cabins. You can also check the dates and capacity of the ship to get a better sense of how full it is.

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The only way to figure out how many rooms are left on any particular cruise is to do a mock booking.

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Getting off a cruise ship is not the same as checking out of a hotel. You can't just leave the ship when you feel like it. Small and luxury ships may have flexible, even leisurely, disembarkation plans. However, the final day on most big ships is a madhouse.

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Nope. Cruise lines keep this information to themselves. The best way you can have things is to watch how many cabin categories are available, which rooms, etc.

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Cruise ships can only hold a certain amount of provisions so they must be restocked nearly every time the ship comes into port. The amount of provisions that a ship can hold is usually related to the size of the ship. You may also see a fuel truck pumping fuel into your ship.

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It's not often that you find a classified ad like cruise ships for sale. However, it does happen from time to time. Cruise ships range in price from USD 2 to 350 million and come in all shapes, sizes, and designs.

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Most cruise lines have port agents stationed in the port area to assist if your ship has left without you. In cases when cruisers are late returning to the vessel, the ship's crew will often remove the passengers' essential items -- passports, cell phones and medication -- from the ship to leave with the port agents.

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Book two rooms. No way around it. There are no rooms set up for 6. Once they get to their cabin, they can sleep however they wish but they will have to get two rooms.

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A select few cruise lines do offer standard staterooms that will accommodate five passengers, and this is going to be the most affordable option for families trying to work within a budget. However, as a standard cabin the square footage is, standard, so there will be no additional space for a larger group.

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The answer to this question varies a lot by person, their travel habits, spending preferences, length of the cruise and destination. Many people suggest $100 per day, and this has generally worked well for me in my cruising experiences.

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Many people suggest $100 per day, and this has generally worked well for me in my cruising experiences. Here are some guidelines to help you decide how much money to bring on a cruise.

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With its full fleet sailing as of May, Carnival Cruise Line is helping lead the comeback for Carnival Corporation. The brand is expected to operate at 110 percent occupancy for the all-important summer season, according to Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation.

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Prices, for instance, can't be negotiated. While some cruise lines, particularly river cruise lines, may give you a set discount, most ocean lines expect you to sell your group space at the current prevailing rate (though that can include any current promotions).

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On the final morning of a cruise experience in most countries all guests must leave the ship before the guests joining the next cruise can board. In most environments the latest time to leave the vessel will be between 10:00am and 11:00am.

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While there is not a clear winner across all of the categories, Carnival, MSC and Royal Caribbean offer the lowest prices for those wanting to cruise. These costs were compared solely on the cruise fare, which does include complimentary dining venues as well as most of the onboard activities and entertainment.

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