Travelers who like their thrills cheap — and perhaps somewhat risky — ought to book their summer trips now.
Carnival Cruise Lines is attempting to recover from the recent Carnival "floating biohazard" Triumph incident by offering deeply discounted Caribbean cruises.
It's really a steal, with fares starting at just $289 per person (as little as $58 per night). With the caveat, of course, that you could get stranded in the Gulf of Mexico.
The website is currently offering budget-friendly trips aboard the woebegone vessel starting on June 3, when five-day trips out of Galveston (with stops in Progreso and Cozumel) are available starting at $479.
Book a trip for October, though, and it's really a steal, with fares starting at just $289 per person (as little as $58 per night). With the caveat, of course, that you could get stranded in the Gulf of Mexico mid-sail.
These cheap tickets are actually high compared to the trips offered in April out of Florida, including a five-day cruise aboard the Carnival Ecstasy (from Port Canaveral to Freeport, Nassau and Half Moon Cay in The Bahamas) starting as low as $32 per night (or $159 in total) and a four-day trip on the Imagination (which departs from Miami, with stops in Key West and Cozumel) for $28 per night (or $149 total).
As Bloomberg notes, that's less than a night at the budget-friendly Motel 6.
The total price includes meals and some (non-alcoholic) drinks. Just think of all of the lobster dinners you could consume! And the famous Warm Chocolate Melting Cake! And the soft serve ice cream!
In the meantime, the not-so-triumphant Triumph is still stationed in Mobile, Ala., where last week hurricane-force winds blew the ship loose from its repair dock. The ship suffered a hole in its stern . . . So float at your own risk.
Carnival Cruise Lines is offering cheap trips in April — starting as low as $32 per night, meals included.
