Des Moines, Iowa (January 21, 2004)

Economic Growth Requires Smarter Cruise Shopping
Bargains are still available, but only for the smartest few
Smart cruisers get the few remaining bargains

With the revitalized economy, cruise travel agencies are reporting a surge in cruise bookings. This higher demand means higher cruise prices, but a limited number of bargains will still available for travelers who understand and can leverage the structure of the cruise industry. A new web site called CruiseCompete.com makes even the beginning cruise shopper an expert in a hurry.

"The cruise lines know that each cabin on each sailing has to be sold before the sail date or it becomes worthless," says Bob Levinstein, CruiseCompete's CEO. "So they give travel agencies--who sell almost 90% of their cabins--financial incentives to sell more cabins on their ships. These incentives include higher commission rates; bonuses (called over-rides) for meeting specific sales goals; and the ability to pre-purchase discounted group space on the most popular sailings. Not surprisingly, most of these benefits go to high-volume agencies."

But consumers can only benefit if they know which agencies have the best deals on the sailings they want--and if they're willing to pass the savings on. That's where CruiseCompete.com comes in.

CruiseCompete lets travelers search for and select a specific cruise ship and sail date, then receive quotes from multiple, independent travel agencies to get the lowest price. Free and anonymous, the site allows the traveler to contact the best-priced agencies directly for further information or to book the trip. Typical savings can be in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on the type of cruise.

"Sure, a better economy means more demand," says Levinstein. "But as new ships continue to launch, passenger capacity steadily increases--and the deals are there if you know where to look."