Ride the wave to a bargain

Wave season is what travel agents call that point in the year when most cruises are booked and it lasts from January to about mid-March.

Because we’re all out there, looking for our dream holiday, the smart bargain hunter will find a fantastic deal, not least because there’s rocky water predicted ahead for the cruise liners. Some customers are already refusing to pay the fuel surcharge on cruises and the US courts may actually rule this illegal. So in a time when 12 new ships are due to be added to the world’s cruise options, offering a further 22,039 beds, and when people are complaining about surcharges, there should be some serious discounting in the wave season. So shop hard – if you’re using a travel agent, ask them to tell the cruise line you’re a regular rebooker if you like the line so you should get an upgrade, if you’re booking online, seek out all possible discounts and see if you can bear to wait for a last-minute deal.