I will be in Florida on vacation and have never been on a cruise. But I've heard that if a person shows up at the dock the day of departure, there are some very good deals to be had. Is this true? and does anyone have any experience with doing this? <BR>Any info would really be appreciated.

Don't count on it.<BR><BR>Ships have to turn over passenger lists a couple of days in advance to immigration/customs agents. I think all cruises need to be booked at least 3 days in advance.<BR><BR>If you are interested in cruising - you can get last minute rates a few weeks in advance.

Thanks for the info Karen. What you say makes sense, and I hadn't really thought of that part of it. <BR>Guess I'll try booking ahead of time.<BR>

I have heard of that, but that's only if thy aren't booked, and u woudln't wan to ruin your vacation by thinking you're going on a cruise and then showing up and not getting on.

I beleive this carrying on of the immigration forms will cease soon. These forms will have to be mailed or faxed in to the cruise line well before the sailing or the documents will not be released.<BR><BR>Paul

Paul, what makes you say that?<BR><BR>The point is to have an accurate head-count of who is on the ship, This can only be done by collecting forms as people walk up the gang-ways. There are always no-shows.

Here is a last minute deal that I found. &quot;Bask in sunlight and savings with 3- and 4-day Freestyle Cruising getaways aboard Norwegian Majesty from Miami either January 24 or February 3, 2003. January 24, 2003 3-day cruise, $149 inside/$179 outside run-of-ship savings. February 3, 2003 4-day cruise, $199 inside/$229 outside run-of-ship savings. Request program code SD1.&quot;

Majesty is over 10 years old AND it is a Norwegian ship.

Definitionally, &quot;last minute cruises&quot; are those which are booked within 24 hours of sailing. It is NOT what some TA says to create hype for a cruise 2-4 weeks out.<BR><BR>Nowadays, can a cruise be booked within 24 hours of sailing? And what is the procedure? That is the question.

Yes, cruises can still be booked at the last minute. Apparently the new INS directives are not working.<BR><BR>Paul

I have a friend in the Executive Office at Carnival. Carnival does not allow people to walk up to the ship the day of sailing and book the cruise. It would surprise me if other lines allow this.

Oh, definitely not. No walk-ups. any cruise line.

How far out must a booking be? The day before, two days before?

At this point I do not know of any standard regulations. Depends on each individual cruise line. I doubt they can process in one day.<BR><BR>I imagine filling out the new immigration forms when checking in will really mess up the embarcation process. Unless they have a separate desk.<BR><BR>Paul

Thanks everyone for the input. I did manage to get a great deal on Travelocity sailing on Jan 20 from Miami. We are on the Imagination for a 5 day cruise and paid $317 including all taxes for an outside stateroom. I didn't really know there were good deals to be had, so I'm very happy.<BR>