Jaw-dropping Cruise Bargains in the Coming Weeks and Months

About once every two weeks, I'm invited to speak on a podcast or radio show, and the question is always asked: "What's the best deal in travel right now"? My answer is always the same. I give a plug to our National Parks and then go on to cruising. Really, in terms of costs there are few vacations that can match water-borne ones for value. Some cases in point:

The Norwegian Pearl (photo by Bernard Sieker)

• Norwegian Sky: Four-night sailing round-trip from Miami to the Bahamas, $129 on November 1 (that's just $33 a day!)
• Queen Mary 2: 23 day voyage for $1800 between New York and Cape Town, South Africa ($82 a day for one of the most elegant, luxurious ships afloat). Departure January 13
• Costa Atlantica: Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale, via Bermuda 14 days for $549 on October 24.
• Norwegian Pearl: Board on Halloween in Miami for a round-trip through the Caribbean costing just $399 for a full week at sea
• MSC Poesia: 10 days in the Caribbean (boarding and debarking in Fort Lauderdale) for just $299. This price holds for a November 11 sailing.

To find these prices, simply surf the web either to the cruise line sites directly, or the sites of such discounters as VacationsToGo, OnlineVacationCenter or CruisesOnly.