There is an old adage that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. And in these times of slashed holiday prices it is good advice to do some homework - like carefully reading the fine print and checking what those omnipresent asterisks and 'from' cautions really mean before parting with the hard-earned.
In the travel business it has reached a stage where punters, understandably, do not expect to pay "full price" for anything and, as a matter of course, enjoy free bonus nights at luxury hotels, free air links and other add-ons to sweeten an already sweet deal.
It's rife throughout the travel scene but nowhere more pronounced than in cruising, whether the luxury on the high seas variety or the boom segment of holidays afloat, river cruising through Europe.
Unless you have some inside running, you have little option but to accept that the prices on offer are, in fact, X,Y or Z percent below "previously published" or "brochure prices".
Whatever; there is no suggestion of scams or rip-off . . . nothing more sinister than creative marketing of a product which, itself, has no option but to deliver or sink without trace, given their reliability on repeat business and word-of-mouth recommendation.
Veteran cruiser and industry authority David Ellis, who shares some of my scepticism, points out there is, at the moment, a huge over-supply of cruise capacity - a hangover of the global financial crisis.
Americans are certainly not travelling as much as they did pre-GFC. The British and Europeans generally have also reined-in, albeit to a lesser extent as far as world cruising is concerned.
As Ellis points out, the pinch came at the worst time for cruise lines which had just placed binding orders for new ships to meet growing demand. Cancellation of these orders would have cost them dearly.
Then we have the phenomenon of bizarre new superliners - like Oasis of the Seas" - which carry over 5000 passengers. And while lolling around in a virtual floating town is not everyone's idea of fun, they have a following and etch into the seriously depleted market.
The superliners, however, have their own problems. Their very size puts many of the traditional and popular ports of call off limits forcing them to anchor outside and ferry their holidaymaking hordes ashore.
This can be a source of great annoyance, being forced to squander short-enough "time in port" being ferried back and forth.
Sifting through voluminous cruise "bargains" another thought occurred. One such offer, for example, was legendary Cunard-level luxury at a whopping 60 per cent off a cruise which is not scheduled until March 2012 - 19 months away!
And while the discount urged potential customers to "get in quickly" one wonders what the going rate will be for empty staterooms much closer to departure.
Here are a few samples of what's currently on offer in the discounted cruise stakes:
TRY THIS ONE IF YOU'RE GAME
IF you book, through ecruising.travel, a 20-night cruise in the liner (not cruise ship, please) Queen Mary 2 from Cape Town to Sydney, scheduled for January 2012, you not only qualify for "50 per cent off the original advertised price" but get a grab bag of super inclusions.
Try two nights in Dubai, a flight to Nairobi, Kenya, and the famed Masai Mara Game Reserve with a hot-air balloon flight over the wildlife.
There's also time-out in South Africa's Winelands and Cape Town.
This is not a cheapie but consider the breadth of the package
The $14,269 (per person, twin share) ticket includes air and taxes from Australian mainland capitals to Dubai, two nights at the Dubai Raffles, the flight to Nairobi, your night at the Fairmont Norfolk with breakfasts, a scenic flight over the Great Rift Valley, five nights at Fairmont Mara Safari Club with all means and daily game watching trips plus that magical balloon flight.
There's another night in Nairobi, a flight to Cape Town for three nights at the acclaimed One & Only and a Table Mountain tour.
The cruise (remember the cruise?) leaves Cape Town after another day and a half, heading for Durban, Port Louis in Mauritius, then to Perth, Adelaide and Sydney, with all on-board dining and the Cunard experience.
For full details on this one ring 1300 369 848.
ANCHORAGE IS JUST THAT
ANOTHER out-of-the-ordinary "discount" is a 12-night package to Alaska with the cruising component in the five-star mega liner Diamond Princess.
Rates vary slightly depending on dates of travel but if you choose the 28 May, 2011, departure, for example, the price would be $4289, or about half the "original" (including return air and taxes from Sydney).
You have a week aboard Diamond Princess, sailing out of Vancouver for Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Anchorage with sightseeing cruising in unforgettable Glacier Bay and College Fjord.
The equally exciting and scenic land component involves a trip on the Midnight Sun Express into Denali National Park for two nights at the Wilderness Lodge, a natural history tour of the Park, a visit to Mt McKinley and luxury coach trip back to Anchorage for the homeward-bound Sydney flight. There are seven other departure dates between May and September 3, 2011.
For full details phone 1300 369 848 or visit www.ecruising.travel
RIGHT ROYAL WELCOME BACK
Early bookings are not the only reason for discounted cruise prices.
Venerable Cunard has come up with another - you get even more off the top if you are a repeat customer aboard the ever-so-grand Queen Elizabeth.
Their 24-night cruise from Los Angeles to Sydney in Her Majesty is currently $7359 pp twin share (or 60 percent below the original) which includes air and taxes from Sydney, a night at the iconic Beverly Hilton, airport/hotel/ship transfers and, for good measure, up to US$750 per stateroom in onboard spending credits, depending on the accommodation category you book.
If you are a repeat passenger, the prices can drop as low as $6819pp.
The Queen leave Los Angeles on January 29 next year bound for Lainhana and Honolulu, then across the Pacific to Apia and Pago Pago, Samoa, Denarau, Fiji, and New Zealand's Bay of Islands, Auckland and Wellington ahead of Sydney.
This program represents the Best of British from gourmet dining and classic movies to (wait for it) country house soirees and garden parties.
Visit www.ecruising.travel
AND THERE'S MORE
NOT in the mega-liner class, maybe, but Oceania Cruises' mid-size Nautica is big on elegance and intimacy if not in cost.
Cruiseco travel agencies currently have Nautica's 25-night program from Hong Kong to Dubai on ''special" for $6590pp twin share or 40 per cent "below regular prices" with the ticket covering airfare and taxes to join the ship in Hong Kong and the return air leg from Dubai-Sydney.
Also included are a pre-sailing night at the Sheraton Grand Stanford and a night, at the other end, in the Sheraton Dubai Creek.
The cruise itinerary is an exciting one including Da Nang and ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Singapore, Phuket, Thailand, must-do Rangoon (or Yangon, for p.c. sake), Cochin and Mumbai, then Muscat ahead of Dubai.
LOTS OF SEA TIME BUT THIS IS QM2
This one's a year and a half away but think of the anticipation as departure date comes close.
A 21-night fly/cruise/stay package from Sydney to Hong Kong aboard state-of-the-art Queen Mary 2 is the stuff of dreams and ecruising.travel has it on its books for $5289pp twin share, or about 60 percent under original.
There's even a Hong Kong Peak Tram pass thrown in for extra good measure, as well, of course, as the airfare and taxes for the Hong Kong-Sydney leg.
The 148,500 tonne Mary2, who stopped the traffic on her Sydney inaugural (picture) departs Sydney on March 7, 2012, for Rabaul and Saipan, then a full day and evening in Osaka ahead of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
And as one would expect of a ship of this breeding, the 11 full days at sea on this outing will be well occupied with a choice of five swimming pools, casino, cinema, planetarium, library, a mind-bending selection of watering holes and a spa and gymnasium for the recovery process.
Dining aboard QM2 indulges most tastes from Asian and a very British Grille to Italian and a Chef's Galley which provides interaction between chefs and guests. There is also room service if you must.
This is another one on the ecruising.travel list. Call 1300 369 848.
Caption: Big choice: Intimate luxury cruising comes with SeaDream (front) or you can opt for a virtual seaborne city experience with megaliners like Jewel of the Seas. Both ships are pictured in the Caribbean.
GOING TO EUROPE?
Now Europe's coming to you
BARGING through France... farmhouse stays in Italy... self-drive adventures or coach and rail programs anywhere in Europe... these are just a few of the vacation ideas to explore - right on your doorstep.
About 30 of Australia's leading European holiday companies will mount their annual travel Expo in both Parramatta and Sydney this year, presenting a virtual one-stop shop for those canny enough to forward-plan.
Set for the Mercure Hotel, Rosehill (Parramatta) on Saturday, October 16, then Sydney Mercure the following day, the sessions will give potential travellers the chance to discuss their holiday plans one-on-one with travel advisors from airlines, railways, cruise and coach lines, hoteliers and national tourist offices.
The annual expo is an initiative of The European Travel Experts (ETE) Group.
The Parramatta event will be the first time organisers have ventured outside the eastern State capitals - recognition of "the Cradle City's" status as Sydney's second CBD and hub of the burgeoning travel market in Sydney's Greater West.
In addition to snaring some exclusive value-packed holidays, visitors to the European Expos will also be in line for great prizes like a holiday for two in Scandinavia worth over $12,500. (The prize offers two return economy-class with one upgrade to economy extra class, a six-day canal cruise in a double cabin and two first class Eurail flexi passes valid over 15 days within a two-month period.
ETE member Euan Landsborough, of Albatross Travel, said participating travel experts had been hand-picked for their areas of expertise to avoid any overlap of advice.
All have practical travel knowledge, enabling them to provide sensible planning tips and advice. "For example, if you want to book an Italian farmhouse stay, speak with Southern Italian Tours; for canal-boat cruising in France, talk to French Travel Connection,'' Mr Landsborough said. "Self-drive holidaymakers can chat with Global Cars and whichever mode of transport you are after, there will be an expert there for you."
Entry to the Expos is by gold coin donation in aid of The Smith Family.
The ETE group comprises Albatross Travel, Beyond Travel, French Travel Connection, globalCars, International Rail, Nordic Travel and Southern Italian Tours For more information email admin@eurotravelexperts.com.au or visit www.eurotravelexperts.com.au | 
