Who to contact to Cruise

Many of the Cruise Lines are beginning to announce 1^st Quarter Winter Promotions. Many years ago, there was a week in January / February when business was overwhelming for the forthcoming year. Like everything, that changed. The Cruise Industry "Claims" that this "wave Week" has transferred to Wave Month and / or Wave Season. Similar to the marketing that has grown over the years for the original day after Thanksgiving, I noticed this year that we have Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Yes, in the business world, anything that drives in business and makes a profit is a success and the Cruise Industry is no difference.
Many of the offers that will appear are good ones, but also carry some very strict enforcement and terms and conditions. I don’t have words of wisdom or advice to give, as our company policy is to look at any and all promotions, look at the terms and conditions and the restrictions, then see what is the best rate and promotion we can provide to OUR clients. Like any business, the Cruise Lines make these promotions and set up so it will be financially beneficial for them, not you.
One Cruise Lines offers a promotion which is "non refundable deposits and payments". The rate is lower then other promotions they have, but people who book online or directly with that line do not find out about what they are stuck with until it is too late. There is also the companies which have people book online directly and never talk to a human being. Often with many of these companies there is a "service fee" that is charged at the end or is hidden and most people do not even know they have just paid more then they needed to.

A couple of areas, we watch. When the cruise lines runs another promotion and that rate or deal is better, we change the original booking to the new reduced rate, otherwise the customer is stuck with it and spends more money. Many companies do not watch for new promotions and do not bother looking after the client. Over the years, we have saved hundreds of dollars for our clients because a better promotion came along.
For people who book directly with the cruise lines or completely online, remember, when booking directly with a cruise line, the person you are talking to is paid by the cruise line, so they do exactly what they are told. One of the funniest situations I hear about and see is that clients think the people working for the Cruise lines know more about the cruise. There are a number of Call Centers around the country (and even outside the US) that the cruise lines use. The majority of people working at them have never been on a cruise and have no clue what they are talking about. If it is not in the script, they can not handle it.
Part of the point I am trying to get across is The Smart Consumer will deal with a Cruise Specialist Company. Not a regular Travel Agency that deals with all kinds of things, not the person that works out of their home and makes money part time, not the Online agency that requires everything to be done online, but companies such as ours which:
1> Have a physical Office
2> Has gone through & Certified by the Cruise Lines to know their product
3> Has cruised on that cruise lines ships
4> Has cruised on the ship you are interested in
5> Does this full time and is updated with the industry
So as we here at The Cruise Outlet review and prepare for the January > Winter booking rush, we will maintain our style of booking for our clients and get them the best offer and rate available.
Visit our website at www.thecruiseoutlet.com which has all the ships and sailing dates as well as the current cruise line rates. Pick you ship and sailing, call or email us and let us give you the best price available. Almost every ship and sailing we are able to offer on board credits of as much as $500. Per cabin. This is money for you to spend on your cruise as you see fit.