Best Cruise Deals Are a Few Clicks Away on CruiseCompete.com

Best Cruise Deals Are a Few Clicks Away on CruiseCompete.com

DES MOINES, Iowa, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Every day more consumers learn that a cruise -- with food and entertainment included in the fare -- provides tremendous value for the travel dollar. But many people do not realize cruise prices can vary by hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on which travel agency they use. How can you find that best deal for your particular cruise when that deal is hiding anywhere among the 17,000 travel agencies in the United States?

CruiseCompete.com (http://cruisecompete.com/ ), the world's only competitive cruise pricing Web site, has the answer. Simply select the cruise you want and your request immediately appears in the accounts of more than 100 member travel agencies. These are high-volume agencies purchasing cabins in bulk and they have better rates on most sailings than ordinary retail agents or the cruise lines themselves.

Live agents view consumer requests and respond with quotes that include all taxes and charges -- making price comparisons a breeze. Your contact information is kept strictly confidential until you decide to contact the agent with the best deal. Most people receive three to six quotes to consider with no obligation to buy. Agents are also available via phone or e-mail to provide more information or advice. Most bookings are made via phone with a live human being, and do not require sending credit card information over the web.

The CruiseCompete service, which is free to consumers, is especially valuable now that the cruise market is so hot. "The cruise lines can't build new ships fast enough to accommodate demand," said CruiseCompete CEO Bob Levinstein. An estimated 10.6 million sailings were booked in 2004, a banner year for the industry. The most popular sailings for 2005 are filling up, and all expectations are for continued rapid growth.

"Prices are going up overall, but so is the gap between the retail price and the price that an agent holding group space on a particular sailing can deliver," said Levinstein. "CruiseCompete is an easy way to connect with the agent who just happens to have lower-priced space on the sailing you need."

In addition, strict new rules from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian cruise lines will dictate what travel agencies can and cannot advertise. "Once we get to January, the only prices allowed in ads or on publicly-accessible web sites will be retail prices," says Levinstein. "To get the best rate, you'll have to request quotes from agents. Quotes via CruiseCompete are private, password-protected communications, so they are exempt from these restrictions -- making our unique model even more valuable to consumers."

Launched in 2003, CruiseCompete.com enables consumers to secure cruise quotes from multiple travel agencies without having to contact each one separately. More than 100,000 customers have used CruiseCompete.com to request cruise prices from over 100 member travel agencies. CruiseCompete, LLC, is an independent company based in Des Moines, Iowa.


Source: CruiseCompete, LLC

CONTACT: Heidi M. Allison, +1-248-652-2198, Allison@allisontaylor.com ,
for CruiseCompete, LLC

Web site: http://cruisecompete.com/


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