BudgetTravel

Bakersfield, Calif.: Is November a good time for a Mediterranean cruise that includes the ports for Rome, Florence, Naples and Nice? Thank you.

Carolyn Spencer Brown: Autumn in the Mediterranean is actually the very best time to go! While, sure, you might get rain and such, you might not -- and it's warm enough for short sleeves and cotton sweaters, at least in the daytime, with none of the absolutely sweltering heat of summer. The other huge benefit? You miss out on the crowds. In summer, Europe's port cities are popular with land travelers to begin with; add in 5 - 10,000 people a day coming off cruise ships -- and it's a throng.

Third plus? November's a value-priced time to cruise. So: you'll get a better deal, have more quality time in port, and temperatures will be comfortable. Sounds good to me¿.

Just bring an umbrella.

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Phoenix Metro - Ariz.: What can you tell us cruisers--factually and statistically--about the "internal" policies and practices of the various major cruise lines serving North America, to discount cruise fares if there are unsold cabins six weeks or less before the cruise departure date? Such discounts, if significant percentages, could be of great value to clients who are able to travel "on short notice." As a solo cruiser, I am particularly interested in discounting policies of the cruise lines that would tend to reduce the "single supplement" by significant percentages, or even eliminate it, for "last minute" solo cruisers when there are unsold cabins only a few weeks before cruise departure. Responding by highlighting differences between specific cruise lines, as to these practices, would be helpful.

Carolyn Spencer Brown: Hi, Phoenix.

Last-minute cruises are defined roughly as those sailings that depart between 60 days and six months in the future. In terms of facts and stats, there's no magic number that the cruise lines adhere to (so, if a cruise is leaving in two weeks, there's no guarantee that it will automatically be discounted by 50 percent or $100, etc.).

You indicated interest in cruises six weeks out or even sooner. You'll often find the best discounts are on off-season cruises (there's a reason why it isn't sold out, after all) -- Caribbean during hurricane season, for example. For the best variety, however, consider sailings about 60 days out. The two month mark is almost always the "last call" for travelers to cancel existing reservations without penalty. If there are more cabins leftover than a cruise line would like, they will often reduce the fare -- sometimes quite heavily -- so that they can sell out the ship.

Some cruise lines will extend a discount on solo supplements on close-in sailings, or, if you are really lucky, eliminate the surcharge altogether -- but again, there's no hard and fast rule as it all depends on how well a particular ship is selling, the time of year, etc. Your best bet for finding an affordable cruise as a solo traveler is to shop around and, again, remain open to traveling during non-peak times. And one last thing to consider is upgrading to a luxury cruise. Upscale brands like Crystal and Regent Seven Seas Cruises are among the cruise lines that offer occasional price breaks to solo cruisers (surcharges of 25 percent of the fare or less). So you may be able to sail for less on a luxury ship than you would on a mass market ship with a heavy supplement!

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Ashburn, Va.: Tell me, when truly is the best time to go on a cruise to avoid the kiddies but not get caught by a hurricane?

Carolyn Spencer Brown: Hi. Hurricane season officially falls between June 1 - November 30 and in the past few years I've seen it start early once and end late (well into December!). I'd suggest January, post holiday, as a good time to avoid the, er, kids (and it's one of the best times of year, at least in the Caribbean and the Mexican Riviera, to snare a really great deal).

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St. Petersburg, Fla.: Hi Carolyn, How has the declining economy and the state of the airlines affected the cruise line industry? Even in this climate, it seems like cruise fares are actually climbing non-stop!

Carolyn Spencer Brown: The only thing that's really climbing, St. Pete, is fuel surcharges that cruise lines are levying on passengers (it's up to $10 per person per day in some cases). We're seeing fares at frankly pretty decent rates, otherwise, and hear from cruise travel agents that we can expect summer prices to continue to drop, especially in Alaska and Europe....

Stay tuned!

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