Cruises Becoming a Hot Ticket Item Fast

Travelers dreaming of a cruise should book their trips now or run the risk of missing the boat, according to CruiseCompete.com, a cruise vacation competitive pricing website. A record 10.6 million people will enjoy cruise vacations by the end of this year, with strong demand for cruise vacations on track to reach an even higher mark.

What is driving this trend? The economy is strengthening and more people are recognizing the value of a cruise versus land travel. At the same time, fewer new ships are entering the market, limiting capacity growth. As a result, many sailings for winter and summer have already sold out, particularly those visiting the Caribbean and Europe.

"We work with the largest cruise travel agencies in the country and they are booking sailings for next year at an unprecedented rate," said CruiseCompete CEO Bob Levinstein. "Many of the most popular sailings are already sold out, and others have limited space available. There's still time to book many of these ships, but it would be wise to move quickly."

Prices for cruises can still vary significantly in this market, because the country's largest agencies receive discounts and bundled pricing from the cruise lines, which can be passed on to consumers at the discretion of the agent.

CruiseCompete.com offers a free service that allows people to simultaneously contact more than 100 of the largest travel agencies in the country to request quotes for a specific cruise. The name of the cruise line and ship is required along with the date of departure and destination and the agencies provide their best pricing. Travelers typically receive five to six quotes from which to select their cruise.

"Whether you are a first-timer or experienced cruise traveler, there's no more essential tool in cruise planning than CruiseCompete.com," Levinstein said. "We help consumers save hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on theircruise vacations."

CruiseCompete.com was launched in 2003 to save consumers time and money by enabling them to secure price quotes for cruises from multiple travel agencies without having to contact each one separately. To date, more than 100,000 customers have accessed CruiseCompete.com to request cruise prices from nearly 100 member travel agencies around the country. CruiseCompete, LLC, is an independent company not owned by or affiliated with any travel agency.

(Source: CruiseCompete, LLC)