Cruise Newsletter

Below is a copy of our current cruise newsletter. To subscribe to our weekly newsletter, absolutely free of charge, please click here. To email this newsletter to friends or family, click here. Please note that the FastDeals are subject to availability and sell out quickly.

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Dear Vacations To Go Customer,

Cruise ships offer a variety of cabin types to accommodate every preference and budget. Vacations To Go has access to every available cabin on every sailing and our website will display the deepest discounts for each of the four cabin types -- suite, balcony, oceanview and inside.

I have scanned all the sailings in the next 90 days, and listed below are the best deals according to the type of cabin.

To see all sailings offering suites for at least 70% off, click here.

To see all sailings offering balcony cabins for at least 70% off, click here.

To see all sailings offering oceanview cabins for at least 70% off, click here.

To see all sailings offering inside cabins for at least 70% off, click here.

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Next, we've arranged some fantastic offers for our customers with 15 different cruise lines. These deeply discounted offers may include free amenities or shipboard credits, which are as good as cash on the ship and can be used toward onboard purchases, like internet and beverage packages.

Royal Caribbean has just slashed rates on a variety of last-minute cruises visiting Alaska, Europe, the Caribbean and more -- save up to 76%. Also, receive shipboard credits of up to $150 per cabin on select sailings. Children ages 12 and under pay only port fees and taxes when sharing the same cabin with two adults on certain departures. Book by April 10. See dates and prices.

MSC Cruises is offering terrific discounts to our customers -- save up to 80%. Plus, get free drinks and free Wi-Fi on a variety of upcoming sailings. Book by April 15. See dates and prices.

Cunard is providing our customers discounts of up to 51%. Plus, get shipboard credits of up to $1,200 per cabin on select sailings. Book certain suite categories and receive free drinks and free gratuities on some sailings. Book by April 17. See dates and prices.

Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours is offering discounts of up to 55% off sailings in a variety of destinations. The line's all-inclusive fares cover meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, Wi-Fi, gratuities, shore excursions in every port and airport transfers. Book by April 19. See dates and prices.

Victory Cruise Lines is offering savings of up to 41% on small-ship cruises on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway and along Canada's coast. Rates include all onboard meals, unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, Wi-Fi, a pre-cruise hotel night and a shore excursion in every port. Book by April 30. See dates and prices.

Celebrity has reduced rates by up to 82%. Plus, get shipboard credits of up to $250 per cabin, a free Classic Beverage Package and unlimited Wi-Fi on select cruises visiting Alaska, the Caribbean and a variety of other destinations. See dates and prices.

Oceania is offering Vacations To Go customers discounts of up to 68%, plus get pre-paid gratuities, shipboard credits of up to $600 per cabin, free specialty dining and unlimited internet access on select sailings. See dates and prices.

Princess is offering our customers discounts of up to 72%, including newly slashed rates on a variety of upcoming European voyages. Plus, get shipboard credits of up to $85 per cabin on select sailings. Also, the third and fourth guests pay only port fees and taxes when sharing the same cabin with two adults on some departures. Get drinks, Wi-Fi and pre-paid gratuities on certain voyages booked at eligible rates. See dates and prices.

Holland America is offering our customers huge discounts of up to 60% and shipboard credits of up to $500 per cabin. Plus, pay only port fees and taxes for the third and fourth guests in the stateroom on certain voyages and receive all of the following perks on cabins booked at eligible rates: 1) a signature beverage package for two, including select alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, 2) a specialty dining package that includes up to three meals at select venues, 3) a free Wi-Fi package for two guests and 4) a shore excursion credit of up to $600 per cabin. See dates and prices.

Azamara is providing huge discounts to our customers -- save up to 84%. Also, pay a 50% reduced deposit and receive shipboard credits of up to $450 per cabin on select sailings. Rates include gratuities and drinks. See dates and prices.

Seabourn has reduced rates by up to 48%, plus get new exclusive pricing on last-minute cruises and shipboard credits of up to $1,000 per cabin on select departures. The upfront fare of a six-star Seabourn vacation includes gratuities, open bars and fine wines at lunch and dinner. See dates and prices.

Seabourn also unveiled new itineraries for 2027-2029. For dates and prices, click here.

Virgin Voyages is an adults-only line providing fantastic discounts of up to 84%, with exclusive rates for Vacations To Go customers on a variety of sailings. Prices include select non-alcoholic beverages and unlimited internet. See dates and prices.

Norwegian is offering our customers huge discounts of up to 87% and onboard credits of up to $150 per cabin on select sailings. Cabins booked at eligible rates also get 300 minutes of internet access and a $50 per cabin credit to be applied to each Norwegian shore excursion. See dates and prices.

Regent is providing exclusive discounts to Vacations To Go customers -- save up to 76%. Plus, get shipboard credits of up to $400 per cabin on eligible sailings. Pricing includes gratuities, select alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, specialty restaurant dining, unlimited internet for at least one device and select shore excursions. See dates and prices.

Atlas Ocean Voyages is offering savings of up to 55% and shipboard credits of up to $500 per cabin on a variety of sailings. Pricing includes one free cultural immersion on every voyage, one GB of Wi-Fi for each guest, unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, a fully stocked in-room mini fridge and all gratuities. See dates and prices.

As always, all offers in this newsletter are for new bookings only and subject to availability. Restrictions may apply, and some free amenities and shipboard credits may apply only to eligible rates. Past guests of some cruise lines may see better rates on select sailings.

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I'll now cover a few key factors to keep in mind when choosing a cruise ship cabin. Selecting your oceangoing accommodations is largely a matter of personal preference and budget. Here are the main considerations.

Type of Stateroom

In the most general terms, there are two types of staterooms: inside cabins with no view, and outside cabins with views. Some higher-end ships, particularly six-star vessels, have only outside cabins.

If you're planning to spend most of your vacation exploring ports and hanging out in the ship's public areas, and regard the cabin as no more than a place to lay your head at night, then an inside cabin can be your most affordable option.

If you want to see the outdoor scenery from your room, choose an outside cabin. These include oceanview cabins with portholes or picture windows, and balcony cabins that provide a private veranda.

Suites are the best outside accommodations on a ship and provide more space and more amenities -- like butler service, priority spa or dinner reservations, exclusive dining venues and priority embarkation and disembarkation. The majority of them sport balconies as well. Balcony cabins and suites usually occupy the higher decks.

Families and others traveling in a group can consider adjoining cabins with a private connecting door and family suites that accommodate more than four people. These are in very high demand, and I usually recommend that clients book these types of accommodations at least four to six months in advance -- or even earlier for peak summer, spring break and holiday travel periods, or for regions with short cruising seasons like Alaska. Keep in mind that two staterooms, either next door or across the hall from each other, may cost less than a family suite.

Staterooms that accommodate three or four passengers (called triples or quads) are more plentiful but still limited in number. In addition to two twin beds that can be pushed together to make a larger bed (queen- or king-size, depending on the ship), triples and quads will have either a convertible sofa bed or upper berths that pull down from the wall or ceiling, or both.

Our Find A Cruise Ship tool lets you search for ships with adjoining cabins and suites that accommodate up to eight people. It also allows you to search for ships with single-occupancy cabins and wheelchair-accessible cabins.

Travelers with limited mobility also can click here to refine their search for ships with wheelchair-accessible cabins and additional features like roll-in showers, fold-down shower benches and additional grab bars. Travelers with limited mobility also can request a cabin near an elevator.

The earlier you book, the greater choice you have in cabins and the greater likelihood that you can choose a specific cabin.

Cabin Location

Cruise lines tend to price staterooms according to their location, much like real estate. Midship cabins are desirable because they offer the most central location for accessing restaurants, bars and entertainment options, and you'll typically pay more for this.

If there are shipboard facilities that you know you'll use often -- the spa, children's club, kids-free deck, aqua park, sports court or pool -- focus on cabins near those places (again, you may pay a bit more to be near these popular spots). Otherwise, be prepared for a long walk, particularly on today's megaliners.

To ensure a quiet cabin, avoid locations near elevator banks and stairwells or directly below high-traffic areas like restaurants and nightclubs. Forward cabins on lower decks may be susceptible to noise from the raising and lowering of the anchor, while those at the back, or aft, may get some engine noise and vibrations. Passengers in cabins directly under the pool deck may be treated to the sounds of the ship's crew arranging lounge chairs in the very early morning hours.

If you are prone to seasickness, a midship stateroom on a lower deck will minimize the amount of motion you feel while the ship is sailing.

To see deck plans that display the location of cabins and public spaces on more than 325 ships, click here.

The Cabin Guarantee

So far, I've covered the options for those who book their cruise far enough in advance so that they can choose a particular cabin to meet their specific needs and desires.

If getting the lowest rate is more important than securing a certain cabin, consider a cabin guarantee. This is an option available from the cruise line that guarantees you a specific type of stateroom -- inside, ocean view, balcony or suite -- but does not allow you to choose a specific cabin or even a specific deck. Your cabin will be assigned by the cruise line just before sailing, and no changes are allowed. You will receive at least the minimum category in the type of room you paid for.

When offered, guarantees generally are the least expensive type of reservation you can make, and they are popular because of the attractive pricing and the possibility that you could be upgraded to a higher category. However, it's important to understand that an upgrade is never guaranteed, and it is not possible to know the odds of an upgrade at the time of booking, so be sure to book a category that you will be comfortable in for the duration of your cruise.

Vacations To Go has access to every available cabin on every sailing, and our cruise counselors will be happy to quote the lowest available price for whatever you seek.

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Here are today's Top 10 Cruises, brand-new specials from the world's best cruise lines. Click the FastDeal # for details.

1) Caribbean, 7 nights on MSC Cruises, departs Galveston Apr 19, starting at $317, save 83%, FastDeal # 38652

2) Eastern Canada & New England, 7 nights on Holland America, departs Boston May 9, starting at $519, save 63%, FastDeal # 15422

3) Caribbean, 7 nights on Carnival, departs Galveston Apr 25, starting at $494, save 82%, FastDeal # 23790

4) Alaska, 7 nights on Celebrity, departs Anchorage (Seward) May 15, starting at $624, save 77%, FastDeal # 40886

5) Caribbean, 7 nights on Royal Caribbean, departs Galveston Apr 12, starting at $696, save 62%, FastDeal # 39382

6) Northern Europe, 11 nights on Norwegian, departs Southampton May 31, starting at $909, save 92%, FastDeal # 30016

7) Greek Islands, 7 nights on Princess, departs Athens (Piraeus) May 30, starting at $1,049, save 53%, FastDeal # 33257

8) Transatlantic, 12 nights on Oceania Cruises, departs Miami May 4, oceanview starting at $2,849, save 63%, FastDeal # 22672

9) Alaska, 7 nights on Regent, departs Anchorage (Whittier) Jul 8, suite starting at $5,005, save 73%, FastDeal # 15810

10) Mediterranean, 10 nights on Seabourn, departs Lisbon May 10, suite starting at $5,324, save 25%, FastDeal # 20015

To search for discounts of up to 85% on cruises, use our Find a Bargain tool.

Once you've found a FASTDEAL, call us at 800-338-4962 (US and Canada) and a cruise counselor will attend to your needs. International customers, please email or call us at +1-713-974-2121.

Please email me your comments, suggestions and questions at alanfox@vacationstogo.com and I will respond the same day.

Sincerely,

Alan Fox
Executive Chairman
Vacations To Go