ABOARD THE MARINER OF THE SEAS OFF THE COAST OF ECUADOR -- I'm sorry, did you say something? Oh, right. You want to know about what it's like to take a last-minute cruise.

Sure.

Just let me climb out of this deck chair and grab my flip-flops, souvenir drink cup and ``I Crossed the Equator'' T-shirt. My notebook is around here somewhere, too, and it's not too wet, at least most of it. I did take notes, I swear, at least at the beginning.

No, really. I have a little time to talk. Bingo isn't for another hour.

Aboard one of the world's biggest cruise ships, time drifts by for tranquil and serene passengers on a stunning trip. Some are traveling the entire 16,892 miles around the entire continent of South America, from Florida to Los Angeles in 47 days.

But here's the strange part. The 3,600-passenger Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas is barely more than half full. And less than two weeks before departure, fares for the final leg from Valparaiso, Chile, to Los Angeles were suddenly in the bargain box -- starting at $899 for 16 days.

Obviously the dismal economy prompted such fire-sale prices.

How could anyone with an urge to see South America pass it up?

``It was cheaper for us to come on this cruise than to take a trip across country in our RV,'' says Bonnie Ciegler of Key West, traveling with her husband, Otto.

With its exotic itinerary of Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and Mexico, this final leg of the cruise cost the Cieglers just $56 a day each, including lodging, entertainment and meals.

It cost me a bit more, traveling alone. I'll get to that.

The first hurdle to last-minute cruises, of course, is a big one -- getting someone reliable to go with you. Like most passengers aboard Mariner of the Seas, Patricia and Jim Trembley of Edmonton, Alberta, booked a year ahead, with plenty of time to plan, dream and look forward to the cruise.

Meanwhile, the Cieglers booked just 11 weeks in advance. They had time to arrange to be away from their volunteering schedule.

Me? I booked the cruise eight days before flying to Chile to board. No potential travel companion materialized on short notice; both my husband and a friend wimped out with some lame excuse about having to work.

That meant paying the dreaded ``single supplement'' -- the charge for a solo traveler wanting his or her own room, which can double the cost of a cabin. Was my bargain cruise in jeopardy?

Luckily, the last-minute cruise deal also included a huge break on the single supplement, which was slashed almost in half. Cruise experts say that if a cruise costs $100 a day or less, it's a great bargain.

Including the single supplement, I paid $127 a day for an ocean-view room. With a roommate, it would have been $87. (This isn't the season for South American cruises, but just to illustrate the point about last-minute bargains, last week you could have found deals on select European cruises this month by MSC, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Costa and Celebrity for comparable prices, $87 per person or less.)

I got lucky with my last-minute cabin.

Cabins in mid-ship -- not too far forward or back -- are considered quietest. But last-minute cruisers get the leftovers. The only cabin left in my lowly price range -- room 2582 -- was indeed mid-ship, but on the lowest level. According to the ship's map, it was equipped with bunk beds and was located next to the ice-skating rink. Not good.

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