Typically you can expect to pay around half the amount you would do if you were to fly to a European destination then travel around the country form there paying for you hotels stays at each place you visited!

The best thing about a cruise in Europe is pretty similarl to any other cruise you might take. Once you are on-board the ship, you unpack your luggage, put your clothes in drawers and into the wardrobes and then you’re ready to do just about anything. The cruise ship has in fact become a floating hotel. And you don’t have to pack and travel to another one!

Of course, what about the potential of seeing such interesting and romantic cities like Paris, Venice or Rome ? Once your ship had docked in port, depending on where you are, you’ll have the chance to take River cruises. Have you ever considered what it would be like to travel the waterways of the Danube? How about the Baltic Mediterranean seas? These opportunities are open to you if you’re seriously looking for Europe cruise bargains.

If you’re a bit of a history buff, taking a cruise in Europe is very different from the Caribbean. Its a given they both have their good points, but how much history has originated from Bridgetown in the Bahamas? There’s just something so exciting especially if you’ve never travelled to Europe before, about being exposed to this whole cultural experience. If you do decide to take advantage of a river cruise, you’ll be exposed to Old World sights and sounds, culture and history not like that of the major European cities.

And during the time you’re taking all of this in, when you’re back on the ship, you’ll be enjoying all the wonderful amenities that come with every cruise like the exquisite foods and the top of the line facilities like fitness rooms and spas. Not to mention the dancing and partying to the small hours fo the morning!

Your decision to investigate a European cruise is a good one. You’ll probably leave the experience with memories that will last forever. Not only will the cruise itself be a huge thrill but the excitement of it all will be in taking in the fantastic sights that are Europe.

In an ideal world I would probably describe the idle bargain cruise as one which ticks these boxes.

1. Visit the destinations and places you want to see
2. Has all the luxury facilities on board that you expect
3. The cruise is good value for money and a reasonable price.
4. The voyage takes place at the time of year and season of choice.

You might think that this is surely unobtainable especially if you are working to a budget and are really looking for a discounted cruise package. Not so however, with the right kind or research and preparation it possible to arrange a fantastic European cruise that meets mostly all the above criteria. Of course you may need to compromise a bit, but this should be limited if you do things right.

Occasionally you may well get lucky and with exactly the right cruise for you, what you might describe as a perfect cruise, straight away from a travel or tour operator, this isn’t all that likely but it worth having an initial look just in case.

Waiting until the last minute before booking anything is a way to get a discounted cruise, since the cruise line will be trying to fill all the available passenger space. You will usually be able to get a discount here, but make sure you check what’s included in the price, some meals and entertainment may be extra, you need to watch out for hidden costs since we are looking for bargains not nasty surprises.

If you can compromise a bit on the season, then this can make a big difference to the costs, sometimes its difficult especially if you are looking for a family European cruise, taking the kids out of school outside of term-time is usually frowned upon but if you can make arrangement with their schools this can be a great way to get a cheap cruise holiday.

Other ways to get a better package deal are to perhaps forgo some ship board amenities that you think you might not use much or even at all, this can save some money, also perhaps avoid some shore excursions if possible, perhaps even arrange your own this can turn a discounted cruise into an even cheaper bargain.

All Inclusive deals do exactly what the description says. Essentially it means that the price that you initially pay for your vacation covers everything that you will need, so that’s not only the room accommodation but all the food and drinks through-out the voyage. It may include extra facilities on board ship, however there may be some downsides to an all inclusive package that you should be aware of before you make your booking, like facilities that you might not want to use therefore making the cruise choice less appealing.

Firstly make sure that you read about all the details of the holiday, you will be provided these by your tour operator. In here it will describe to you exactly what is included and what is not. One thing to note is that in general when they say “all drinks are included”, this just means that you can go to the restaurants whenever you like and order tea, coffee or soft drinks. Usually this does not include alcoholic drinks like beer or spirits. As another quick point, on some ships, the coffee or soft drinks may not necessarily be free if you get them from the bars on board so you should check this before you order any.

It has to be said that an all inclusive package cruise is a good choice as long as you do your due diligence and make sure what’s included. Be careful though with some advertisements, some companies will offer you what looks like a great all inclusive prices, but upon closer inspection you may find out that some things are optional. Not knowing this until you board ship could be a costly mistake so make sure you check first.

Other thing to consider are to see if the things included in the package are the sort of things you would be interested in and make use of, there’s no point getting free extras that you don’t need, perhaps you aren’t looking for sport facilities, for example but instead would be more interested in having access to the high quality swimming pools that most ships offer or access to the night time entertainments.

At the end of the day you just can’t beat shopping around and spending time looking at the details. Unfortunately this is necessary, but in reality it can be quite enjoyable, after all going on a cruise can be very exciting and there’s nothing quite like planning out all the details, especially if you can save your self some money and get some good discount deals on your cruise.

As a final point, try and start looking for your cruise early, don’t leave it too late to do the research, that way you know exactly what is on offer, you may well wait until late on to actually book so knowing what kind of all inclusive deals are possible is something you should look into.

If you are a discerning traveller who is looking for a rather interesting as well as luxurious River Cruise in Europe here are some great tips and ideas.

Firstly why not fly to your European destination first, before boarding your cruise boat. This means you can spend more time cruising on water rather than travelling across land. Also this means that you get to see many more cities when you arrive as you travel between them by river since you can spend more time with the boat.

Since these types of cruises are well accommodated you can enjoy quality time with your surroundings as you travel through the countryside. With plenty of relaxing things to do you can just sit back on the deck and watch the European countryside drift by.

Due to the fact that the boats on these cruises are somewhat similar to a floating hotel you of course get all the luxury that you can ask for including fine food and wines. Another bonus is the different styles of potential river cruises. Some may be themed on visiting vineyards, giving you the opportunity to sample the finest wines Europe has to offer, some cruises will have excursions built into the price, making them a bargain, but if not you can usually pay a small bit extra to take part.

There are many travel companies that specialise in these kinds of cruises across Europe, usually focusing on individual countries, so for this reason it is best to deal with a single travel agent. They will be able to compare deals and help you understand the differences in accommodation and extras that you might want. For these reasons alone, making your next trip to Europe a river cruise should definitely be something that you might want to consider, especially if you enjoy luxurious river cruises.

If you think that you might like to go on a budget European cruise, but perhaps you don’t want to spend too much money then this should be no barrier to still having a good holiday cruise experience.

Of course, cruises on a budget will usually mean some forms of compromise, but this in no way should mean that the quality and service is reduced if you make the right choices and just follow a few simple rules. If you know where to look there are many cheap cruises to Europe easily available, I have put together here a few bullet points on the best way to get a good value European cruise.

Popular Destinations

Many cruise lines will all offer the popular destinations around Europe, so if you can do your research and compare the prices of various companies so you can get the best deal. You will definitely find some price variations, don’t forget to compare other facilities on board ship too though, that way you can compare like for like and make the best judgement.

Be flexible on Destinations

Since there are so many cruises in and around the European area, some destinations are less popular than others, these can be an ideal choice to get bargain, you just need to be satisfied that you wouldn’t mind visiting these places.

Ask the Cruise Lines

A good idea is to identify a few of the top cruise lines and look at what potential discounts they are offering, also if you can get hold of last years information, this will give you an idea as to what kinds of prices they can discount to. Also why not give them a call to find out if they expect any upcoming discounts on cruises, if you get in early you can get a great price.

End of Season bookings

End of season bookings are a great way to get a discount on your cruise price. Since fewer people to holiday at these time of the year (and don’t forget depending on the destinations the seasons will vary slightly) cruise lines and tour operators are usually willing to cut the price so that they can fill their ships with paying passengers. Finally, a cheap cruise doesn’t mean a bad cruise, there’s no reason why you can’t have a top quality vacation for less money it’s just that you may have to compromise slightly on destinations and times of year.

Before telling the best to best way to get a last minute deal, it can help to first understand a few things about why last minute deals exist and what they entail.

Just because a cruise is last minute doesn’t mean there is something wrong with it! On the contrary a last minute deal has the potential to be a fantastic European holiday with lots of features.

These last minute cruises tend to come about because they are very close to the time when the cruise will be sailing and the cruise companies will be trying to fill up all the remaining berths on the ship so they can maximise their profits. Of course this means that there is also plenty of chances for you to get yourself a cut price deal. Other reasons might inlude, end of season cruise timetables which can affect bookings. It is also possible that the ships may not be as popular, perhaps is older and has less facilities than a newer craft. For this reason is is extremely important that you choose a well known or trustworthy travel company to book through so you understand what you are getting for your money.

So once you have decided to look for a last minute european cruise deal, there are a few good ways of going about this that will minimise the stress and get you the best value for money.

Travel Magazine and Brochures

Simply by browsing the deals and advertisment in travel magazines you can get a lead on potential cut price deals that may be on offer with some companies, one you have this information you can then hit the internet to check out their discounted european cruise deals online. You probably should always check online first, since the magazines may get out of date quickly and most travel will companies will have a website that you can visit.

Travel Agencies

Using a local Travel Broker or Agent can get you first access to last minute deals, if you can build up a repoire with a local hightstreet business, they can tip you off about any last minute deals that might crop up. They will also be able to do comparisons for you with the cruise lines whilst you wait, which is great if you are not particularily comfortable with using online cruise comaparison websites.

Searching Online

The internet is your friend when trying to get a good last minute cruise package together, there are many sites that are dedicated to arranging last minute cruise deals for you, they will usually have the lastest most recent offers availble, so you should definitely give this avenue a look.

In Summary: The key to getting the best last minute cruise deal is to make sure that you are flexible, this may mean only having one or two weeks notice to get yourself organised. This is very important to bear in mind and of course you should always check the details of the cheap package deal so you know exactly what you are getting before you pay any money over even if it is last minute.