Pop open the Champagne and break out the streamers: If you have ever contemplated taking a cruise, 2009 is your lucky year. Prices are stunning, experts say. "Discounting for cruises hasn't been seen on this scale since right after the 9/11 terrorist attacks," said Dennis Schaal, Travel Weekly editor and Ask.com online travel expert.
He calls it "a buyer's market" that doesn't end with deals: Cruise lines are sweetening the pot by reducing deposits, suspending fuel supplements, including free stateroom upgrades and offering kids-sail-free deals, onboard credits, free excursions and special rates for single travelers. How low do the prices go? Check out these recent deals (prices exclude taxes and fees):
* For $32 a day, explore the Chilean fiords, sail the Strait of Magellan and round Cape Horn on a 14-night Norwegian Sun South American cruise from Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile (from $449 per person).
* For $44.75 a day, sail from San Diego to Baja on a four-night, round-trip cruise on Carnival Elation (from $179 per person).
* For $63 a day, take a 14-night, round-trip cruise on the Golden Princess from Los Angeles to Hawaii (from $882 per person).
One of the bonuses of taking a cruise is how far your dollar stretches. That $32- or $45-per-day cost buys a vacation that includes lodging, transportation, entertainment and food. It's one of the best buys available in travel, experts say. Some of the better buys are on Norwegian Cruise Lines, which has offered space on three- and four-night trips to the Bahamas for as little as $99 a person, less than $25 a day. It also has listed cabins on a 12-night Mediterranean cruise for as low as $39.91 per day, a total of $479 per person.
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