Maximize Pleasure While Minimizing Costs at Sea

Taking a cruise, once the province of the rich, now is within reach for much of the rest of the vacationing world, but even so, not everyone can afford a suite with a private steward who brings cappuccinos on demand, or even a room with private balcony.

As a veteran of more than half a dozen cruises ranging from a transpacific voyage when I was a child to a trip with two preschoolers to a luxurious Greek islands cruise, I’ve had a variety of experiences to draw on--and picked up a host of tips along the way. Some suggestions to help you make the most of your time at sea:

* Try to be flexible about the itinerary and departure (“I can go anywhere in the Caribbean in January on X, Y or G cruise lines,” versus “I’ll go to the Caribbean only from Jan. 14 to 23 on the X line”).

By perusing cruise brochures from your travel agent, you can decide early on about such issues as the maximum you’re willing to spend, the lowest cabin category you’ll accept and so on. Give this information to your agent with instructions to call if a match comes up. If your agent calls with a deal, don’t waffle. These cabins go quickly, with the best obviously going first.

The other option is to book a cruise and ask whether the ship offers a cabin “guarantee rate” in which you pay for a particular level of cabin and the cruise company promises it will put you in any higher category cabin that is available at sailing. Sometimes people get bumped up two to three levels at no extra cost.

* Don’t pay more just for a higher deck, at least on the newer ships. Although ships vary, on Celebrity’s Mercury, our home on the high seas for a cruise in January 1999, our cabin had the same 174 square feet as cabins four flights up, yet the posted difference in price was $600 a cabin. The ship had eight elevators, so getting from deck to deck wasn’t a problem, and because our cabin wasn’t on the way to anywhere, there was no loud through traffic or spillover noise from nearby public areas.

* If you like some downtime in your cabin, book one of the ships with large picture windows in their outside cabins. I enjoyed spending an hour or so a day sitting in the window (although it wasn’t designed for this), alternately reading and watching the passing scenery. On the other hand, if you’re a party-until-dawn sort who uses the cabin only to shower, change and sleep, skip the window and save some money.

* Schedule your cruise during the school year but not during school vacations. In fact, just before and after major school vacations, when most families are planning for or recuperating from the holidays, cruise lines tend to offer additional savings to fill their ships.

* Don’t automatically use the air-cruise package. You can sometimes find a lower air fare on your own. With a little research and by staying in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., one extra day (which we wanted to do anyway), we saved more than a third of the proffered fare and avoided the red-eye flight that we would have been assigned.

* Explore several kinds of trip cancellation insurance options. With an 85-year-old father and kids, we were less worried about our health than the health of family members. Our agent was able to find us an insurance policy that included them in case we had to cancel because of their health. And it cost less than standard insurance she first offered.

* Once you’re on the ship and have settled in, go to the concierge desk and ask for a copy of any and all information the personnel is willing to give you: daily itineraries, ship maps, movie schedules, whatever. Take that information to your cabin and study it. Then return with any questions you have.

My husband, Steve, wanted to sign up for a ship-sponsored shore excursion that he’d read about in cruise literature but found it had been canceled. The concierge told him about an onshore company that offered the same package. Instead of having to settle for shopping, we got a $50 semiprivate dive (versus an $85 12-person dive at the next destination).

* Early on, do a reconnaissance tour with a map of the ship in hand. Get yourself mentally situated and visit all the out-of-the-way places. Ask about anything that piques your curiosity.

Our favorite discovery on the Mercury was the spa, a luxurious swimming-size Jacuzzi with reclining benches, a steam room and a men’s and women’s sauna, complete with individual lockers, towels and toiletries. This was advertised in the ship’s literature, but we had assumed there was a charge. By visiting it anyway, we learned it was complimentary for all.

* Make use of the multitude of dining options: Order room service; make a dinner reservation at one of the on-deck restaurants one night; carry your food back to the aft deck, where there may be bistro-type tables with festive umbrellas. There’s plenty of time to get into a dining rut again when you get home.

* In many ports you can get a shore excursion that’s identical to the ship’s offering by joining with other adventurous cruisers and hiring a taxi driver at the dock for a private tour. You may even pay less than you would have on the typical hurry-up-and-wait schedule of the cruise’s crowded tour buses. Just be sure to be back on time.

* Ask for late seating. The ship is virtually yours during the early seating because many people are eating or preparing for dinner in their room; the restaurant staff isn’t rushing you out to have time to clean for the next seating; and the evening entertainment is less crowded because many in the early-seating crowd turn in early.

* Don’t forget the extra touches that can add richness. Buy flowers at one of the early stops and ask your room steward for a vase. Spread your purchases around the room as decoration. Various levels of room service are offered depending on what kind of cabin you have booked; find out what’s available and take full advantage. This is your home for a week, not an airline seat. Enjoy it.

* Take some of the money you’ve saved and use it to splurge on something special in one of the ports. We bought a painted wooden tropical fish, which we keep on our living room table. And each Sunday morning, as I look up from the newspaper, there it is, reminding me of our cruise.