Cruising has never been a bigger bargain—for those in the know. Wendy Perrin gives her insider tips on snagging real deals and steering clear of those hidden charges.

If you've been waiting for the right moment to grab a remarkable deal on a cruise, your ship has come in. Dwindling demand caused by the country's recession, combined with increased supply thanks to the introduction of seven new ships last year and fourteen this year, have plunged cruise lines into such a state of anxiety to fill cabins that they are advertising some of the lowest prices on record, from Western Caribbean sailings on Celebrity Cruises for $49 per night to a transatlantic voyage on Holland America for $44 per night.

At the same time, however, it's never been more important for the buyer to beware. "Many of the 'deals' are phony," warns Richard Turen, a veteran cruise expert and owner of the elite travel agency Churchill & Turen Ltd. in Naperville, Illinois. The cruise fare you see advertised is not the price you'll end up paying. On mass-market lines the advertised fares—usually for the smallest, windowless cabins—are so incomplete as to be virtually meaningless: They don't include an array of mandatory charges such as taxes, port fees, and staff gratuities that, along with highly recommended additional expenses such as cruise insurance, add hundreds of dollars to your overall bill. As for the luxury lines, whose per diems are much higher because so many more of your shipboard expenses are included in the upfront price, their ads focus not on low price tags but on impressive-sounding percentage savings and free extras—e.g., "50 percent off, plus free airfare." But 50 percent off what? "As for the free airfare," says Turen, "with some cruise lines there's an $800 charge for that free airfare."

It doesn't help that today's consumer is pressured to act fast. Sales that last only a week or so may not provide enough time to figure out the actual monetary value, or the hidden costs, of the "two-for-one pricing," the "free balcony upgrade," or the "prepaid gratuities" on offer. And the fact that the cruise lines have eased their booking policies—cutting deposits in half, postponing cancellation deadlines, introducing "cancel for any reason" waivers—only makes it that much more tempting to put down a non-refundable deposit without doing your homework first. So how exactly can the savvy traveler play this game to win?

Use a travel agent who is a top producer for the cruise line you want to sail with.
It's never been more important to book through the right cruise agent—a person who has close relationships with the decision makers at your preferred cruise line, based on the volume of business his or her agency does with that line, and who will draw on those relationships to negotiate on your behalf. Cruise lines nowadays are making exceptions to their rules in the customer's favor, but only on a case-by-case basis and upon individual request. You need an advocate who can reach the head of the cruise line on the phone, get a policy emended or a penalty waived, provide you with a refund if the cruise fare drops after you've paid, be the first in line for free upgrades given out by the cruise line, etc. The place to identify top producers for specific cruise lines is "Wendy's Rolodex of Top Travel Specialists" (August 2008).