$50 a day for a Hawaii to Mexico cruise on NCL

Norwegian Cruise Line is offering a "Hot Deal" on a 10-day Hawaii to Ensenada, Mexico, cruise aboard the Norwegian Sun on September 29, 2007, starting at just $499 per passenger, double occupancy, for an inside cabin. That's about $50 a day! (Cheaper than staying home?)

Other current Hot Deals -- which must be booked between July 9 and July 13 -- include a six-day Canada and New England cruise roundtrip from New York on September 23, 2007, starting at $449 per passenger; and a week-long Bermuda cruise roundtrip from New York on September 30 starting at $469.

And how about this one: a 14-day South America cruise from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Valparaiso, Chile, embarking December 9, 2007, and starting at just $899 inside, or -- even better -- $949 per passenger in an oceanview cabin.

To take advantage of one of these, call your travel agent and ask for Promo Code PGSD1.

Vantage Travel drops singles supplement for November river cruises

Vantage Deluxe World Travel is charging no singles supplement (normally 25 to 50 percent of the double occupancy fare) on selected staterooms for its 11-day German Holiday Markets cruises on the Rhine and Main rivers in November.

Singles can travel in these staterooms for either $1,999 or $2,199, depending on departure date of November 22, 23, or 24. Prices include roundtrip airfare from Boston, New York, or Newark, New Jersey; low-cost supplements are available from a number of other U.S. cities. Vantage also includes a number of sightseeing excursions in the base price.

These cruises tend to sell out, so it's best to book soon if you're interested. Click here for more information or call 800/322-6677 and ask for promotional code EM1298.

One-week Alaska cruises under $500

If you act fast, you can snag a week-long Alaska cruise later this summer on either Princess' Island Princess or Holland America's Volendam. Both are available from Vacations to Go, an Internet discounter, but either deal could evaporate at any time.

The Princess cruise departs from Whittier, Alaska, near Anchorage on August 27 and visits Glacier Bay National Park and the Inside Passage en route to Vancouver, Canada. Inside cabins start at $499 per passenger, double occupancy. Click here for Vacations to Go Fast Deal #10971.

The Holland America cruise embarks September 7 at Seward, Alaska, also near Anchorage, and visits Hubbard Glacier before cruising the Inside Passage to Vancouver. Inside cabins start at $449 and oceanview cabins at only $489, a real bargain (you won't regret having a window on an Alaska cruise). Click here for Vacations to Go Fast Deal #23597.

Deals like this won't last long, so if you're interested, book now.

Go Mini-Cruising with Smarter Cruising

The Smarter Cruising Newsletter has just been released to Smarter Cruising subscribers. Right now they're reading about a mini-cruise I took to Canada recently.

For my money, mini-cruises -- voyages of two to four days -- offer some of the best values in cruising, and are among the best ways for first-timers to "get their feet wet."

For these reasons and more, mini-cruises are one of the hottest trends in ship travel, mirroring the general travel trend toward shorter trips.

Curious about mini-cruises? Why not take a peek at this month's newsletter by clicking here to read about my experience?

By the way, if you'd like to receive your FREE edition of the Smarter Cruising Newsletter in your email inbox next month ...

... all you have to do is click here now to sign up!

Early booking discounts for Viking River Cruises

You can save $500 per passenger in a double occupancy stateroom if you take advantage of early booking on any one of Viking River Cruises' 2008 itineraries, which include Europe, Russia, and China.

You need to book and pay in full for your river cruise by July 31, 2007. Click here for more information.

Win a free cruise to The Bahamas

Imperial Majesty, a one-ship cruise line that runs two-night cruises from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Nassau in The Bahamas, is offering a free cruise each week to one visitor to its website. All you have to do is sign up once with your name and e-mail address and wait for the potential good news by e-mail.

While these aren't expensive cruises -- you can get a stateroom for as little as $129 per adult passenger, though you can also pay up to $718 for a suite -- they are fun and entertaining, and include seven meals over parts of three days. They also take place aboard a grand old wood-paneled ocean liner, the MV Regal Empress, which is worth the trip in itself.

To try your luck at winning a cruise, click here.

Fourth of July sale from Royal Caribbean

From now through July 4th, Royal Caribbean is offering up some 30 summertime cruises on sale at savings up to $400 per stateroom. The cruises range from three-day mini-voyages to the Bahamas to 12-night Mediterranean cruises; destinations also include Alaska, the eastern and western Caribbean, Baja Mexico, Bermuda, Canada/New England, and the Aegean Sea.

You can book a stateroom for as little as $229 per passenger on a September 7 three-day Bahamas cruise, or $599 for a seven-night western Caribbean cruise departing August 26.

Remember, these prices are only good until 11:59 pm on July 4th. Click here for more information or call Royal Caribbean at 800/529-6918.