Home Page Specials

Sydney, Australia

On the home page for recently revamped CruisePlanners1.com, there's a prominent slide show rotating through five images.  Clicking on any given image will bring up a related page.  One image is usually a featured weekly promotion, and if you visit the site often enough, you may begin to recognize the ones that are not that one. 

Before getting to that one, let me mention CP Vacations, which is currently one of the featured images and is also linked near the bottom of the home page.  While at first glance these won't knock you out as exceptional values, when you consider the inclusions like transfers, pre-cruise hotel stays and sometimes even air, they not only save you planning hassles but save you money on a seamless cruise vacation package.  Check them out to see if they work for your vacation plans.

While all of the information linked to the images is worth looking at once, the Weekly Travel Deals page is probably of most immediate interest to most people, as it sometimes contains exclusive offers from Cruise Planners which can be outstanding but must be booked within the stated time frame.  If that happens to include a cruise that works for you, this can be a great opportunity.  Other times, the featured promotions are for a handful of the many, many groups we have that may include special amenities or pricing.

Pearl Resort in Fiji

There's another section for Specials below the slide show.  It features three visible specials, and then you can use the navigation arrows to see more.  Clicking on these specials may bring up a page that confuses you, because I frequently see "Special CP Pricing!" that is higher than the lead rate just above it.  I think that is stupid too, but for whatever reason, that's how the corporate promotion office does it.  Sometimes, it is because that special price is for a higher category than interior, such as ocean view or balcony.  Other times, it is simply because that is the best rate in a held group that includes special amenities, and perhaps the reason for including the promotion was to hype the onboard credit.

What you should know is that for most "open" groups, I can actually get you the best currently available price and combine it with the group amenities.  However, to be clear, when groups get within about four months of the sail date, amenities may no longer be available, so it's good to lock them when you see them.

Just to confuse things further, the lead rates listed, which are the lowest nationally advertised rates being promoted by the cruise lines, may not be the lowest prices available.  When you call me or email me to find a cruise for you, I go through different rate codes to find the one that works best for your situation, and our new easy-to-use booking engine is designed to do that if you book it yourself online. 

Kaanapali Beach, Maui

So, to clarify, the "special" price may not be as low as the "lead rates" listed, and the lead rates may not be as low as the rates you may find if you book on our online search engine or call me.  Confused?

Well, rather than feeling confused, just consider yourself informed. .

However, among the Specials, sometimes I do post my hand-selected specials.  These are frequently flash promotions which are available for a day or two and then are gone, usually for a fast approaching embarkation date and after most passengers have made final payment.  These can be great values, if you can get the time off and necessary air isn't sky high by the time they're available.  Surprisingly, I sell very few of the flash promotions.  As I've said before, most people like the idea of a last minute deal, but few have calendars empty enough to take advantage when the time comes.

Bora Bora

I do occasionally see special deals for advance purchase, and I will occasionally put those into the Specials area.  However, you should know that the number of specials that I put online are minimal compared to the ones actually available, especially if you suddenly find yourself with vacation time scheduled just a few weeks away and no plans.  You should know that in peak seasons like summer and Christmas/New Year, the opporunities are considerably less, and as I said, if you wait until the last minute, even if the rate you dreamt of is available, your calendar will probably no longer accommodate you.

By the way, if you would like to receive weekly Travel Deals from us, simply subscribe with your email.