Step by Step: Find Cheap Cruises

By Mark Kahler, About.com Guide

A recent cruise advertisement by a major line featured a seven-day, inter-island tour of Hawaii. This cruise started at $1,959/person for an interior room in late August. If you were willing to hold off until Jan. 1 for the same cabin and the same cruise, your price was cut by more than half to $949. Cruise ships are larger than ever before, and the lines must fill all those cabins no matter what the season. So you're likely to find rates that drop quickly in the slower periods. If you're able to arrange your travel time to coincide with one of those off-peak times, you'll save a lot of money.