An upside to economic downturn: Cruise bargains better than ever

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - Ahoy, bargain hunters. In a dismal economy, one steady bright spot is the falling price of cruises, hotels and airfares.

Cruise deals are similar to what they were in the aftermath of 9-11, and some are half the price of last year, say travel agents.

"They're as good and even better," said Steven Kalt, vice president of Bee Kalt Travel in Royal Oak, Mich. "For example, Ruby Princess for Alaska in May is starting at $499. Rates for Europe keep going down.

"If you can afford travel, you will never have a better opportunity."

Lower hotel occupancies mean slightly cheaper hotel rooms nationwide (the average hotel room in the United States went for $103 a night in mid-January, a 2.7 percent drop from a year before, according to Hendersonville, Tenn.-based Smith Travel Research, which tracks lodging data). And many hotels have a deal of a third night free when customers stay two nights.

Because of lagging demand, airfares are down 6 percent from last year, according to fare data from Travelocity. And the deals abound.

Because cruise ships have to sail whether they are full or not, lines have hacked prices drastically on certain routes, especially longer cruises to more exotic destinations, and especially at the last minute.

Cruise prices are down 50 percent for South America, down 18 percent to Europe and down 10 percent-15 percent for the Caribbean, according to Mike Driscoll, editor of the industry journal Cruise Week.

Lines also have dropped fuel surcharges of up to $12 a day that were implemented last year during the height of the gasoline price surge.

Caribbean cruises out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, are especially good deals, with fares starting at about $538 for seven-day cruises, said Debbie Reilly, an agent at Cruise Holidays in Shelby Township, Mich.

Any cruise that costs less than $100 a day is generally considered a bargain by cruise watchers.

For cruisers who want a balcony, an eight-day cruise for $896 is a deal on Carnival Miracle this spring, said Cathy Daldin, owner of Shamrock Travel in Rochester. Mich.

Cruise deals should continue throughout 2009, because nine new cruise ships are set to debut this year, adding 20,706 more cabins to an already sodden market.

Meanwhile, airlines and hotels will have to adjust prices depending on demand.

With U.S. jobless rates approaching 10 percent, the pool of Americans who can afford to travel is shrinking. But for consumers who can still afford it, bargains are just waiting to be plucked.

For instance, the Web site Cruise.com advertises an 11-night trans-Atlantic repositioning cruise on the Norwegian Jewel sailing April 17 from Miami to London _ for $599.

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"If you are available to travel without much notice and have an agent who searches, last-minute deals can be found," Reilly said. "We are told we will see more and more specials as this year goes on. Let's hope so."

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Ellen Creager: ecreager@freepress.com

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© 2009, Detroit Free Press.