Savings on Crystal Cruises for 2008

Earlier this month, we posted an item on how to save money on some luxury Crystal Cruises for 2007. Now here's how to save some serious money on selected Crystal Cruises in 2008.

For new bookings made before September 14, 2007, passengers can save 20 percent on all deluxe stateroom accommodations (including verandah staterooms) and 10 percent on all penthouse accommodations on Crystal Symphony's 13-day "Epicurean Odyssey" voyage departing May 25, 2008, from Athens to London. Fares start at $3,995, or about $300 a day -- the price of many first-class hotel rooms in Europe these days.

And if you combine the same May 25 cruise with one directly prior to or following it -- forming a 27-day cruise to Egypt, the Mediterranean, and Western Europe, or a 24-day journey from Greece to the Baltic Sea -- you can save 20 percent on all categories of staterooms and suites for new bookings before September 14. That represents savings of from $1,000 to $2,530 per person.

Combine all three cruises into a 38-day voyage and receive combined savings of $3,480 per person.

The food-and-wine-themed May 25 cruise is part of Crystal's 11-voyage "Value Collection" for 2008: sailings of 10-17 days through the Panama Canal, South America, the Mediterranean, Western Europe, the Caribbean, and a trans-Pacific voyage from Los Angeles to Hong Kong. A November 10, 2008, 13-day sailing from Miami to Los Angeles transits the Panama Canal; prices for that one start at $2,995 per person. Value Collection savings range up to 52 percent.

And there's more: Returning Crystal passengers (who automatically become Crystal Society members) will receive a $150 shipboard credit per person if they book a Mediterranean cruise on the Crystal Serenity departing July 19 or 31 or August 24, 2008.

Returning Crystal cruisers also automatically save between three and four percent on their next cruise. All guests receive a 3.5 percent discount when they pay in full six months in advance of their cruise. And if you book your next cruise while on board your current cruise, you'll get a four to 4.5 percent discount off the upcoming cruise.

For more information, call Crystal at 866/446-6625 or click here for the line's website. Bookings are handled exclusively through travel agents. Call 888/722-0021 if you need an agent recommendation from Crystal.

Photo of Mediterranean coast courtesy of Crystal Cruises.