What are the hot trends in cruising? How will fuel costs affect the prices you pay? And what sort of stateroom do the experts book?

For a winter cruising forecast, we tapped the expertise of Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of CruiseCritic.com, the Web's largest interactive guide to cruising. The site covers nearly 300 cruise ships, over 60 cruise lines and 200 ports of call.

An unlikely convert to cruising (''I get seasick pretty easily on everything from a ride on a naval destroyer to a sailboat'') Spencer Brown is now a veteran, having logged well over 100 cruises.

Here is an edited version of our discussion.

Question: First up, the consumer issues. What will cruise pricing look like for this winter and into 2009?

Answer: What we are going to see . . . in fact, what we are already seeing in the last month . . . are absolutely amazing discounts. Most people buy cruises a fair amount of time in advance. Then the downturn happened and people stopped buying or became more careful. So on our site, we have seen a lot more deals and a greater variety of deals.

It's a fantastic value vacation. And that's not hyperbole. We're seeing $399 and $499 for seven-day cruises on new ships. That's crazy . . . crazy good for the consumer.

The Mexican Riviera is going to be really hot this year. And South America.

Q: Will there be a fuel surcharge on top of those prices?

A: Yes, but in most cases it's fairly reasonable, usually $10 to $15 a day. It's different for every cruise line, so the challenge is to read the fine print. I don't see that going down just because gas prices are going down. I think we are stuck with that for a while.

Q: Say someone has done the basic West Coast cruises to Mexico and to Alaska. What's a good next cruise for them to try?

A: I think South America is a phenomenal destination that combines a bit of Alaska with a bit of Norwegian fjords with a bit of Europe. It's the most amazingly diverse cruise. One day you feel like you are in Paris, the next day you feel like you are in the fjords . . . And I feel like the cruise lines are overexposed. So I think the pricing will be good in the shoulder season . . . November and late February/March. Otherwise, I would suggest the Panama Canal, which is sort of a blend of history and Mexico/the Caribbean, so you get some beach time as well.

Q: What's on the horizon?

A: I keep saying Asia is going to be the next popular region for cruise travelers interested in more exotic destinations and I'm curious to see if the Beijing Olympics will, via its coverage of China destinations, result in a boom. Cruising Asia really is a great way to sample the region for the first time to get a feel for the varied countries and cultures.

Q: What's the latest on homeporting?

A: Travelers do not want the expense of flying. So I think you're going to see more use of the regional ports. San Francisco is getting a little more traffic, and Los Angeles and San Diego are for sure. Cruisers will have more close-to-home options than ever before. You no doubt have to cruise alone sometimes for reviews.

Q: What are good cruise lines for the solo cruiser?

A: Two of the best are Crystal on the higher end, which offers specials where you pay 125 percent (instead of 200 percent, or double), and Fred Olsen, which is just now marketing to the United States. The Queen Mary 2 will be offering some good incentives to solo travelers.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@