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Going on a cruise summons up ideas of the ultimate in luxury and expense, but it is actually quite possible to go on a cruise these days at prices which compare well with other types of holiday.

A cruise offers the excitement of visiting a number of interesting places, with the view from the window of your cabin always changing, yet you are comfortable on board, not having to worry about making travel arrangements to get from place to place.

There are cruises that cover the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Baltic, the Black Sea, in fact just about every sea on the globe, taking in a marvellous variety of enchanting ports and destinations.

But how do you get to go on a cruise at a price that will not break the bank? One way to do this is to take a regular look at the bargains on offer. All the major cruise lines, such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, and Thomson Cruises, do special offers and late deals which are regularly updated.

But before you jump at the first tempting offer, there is still a little more research to be done, and this is in checking thoroughly what is and isn't included in the cost of your cruise. Most cruises include your cabin, meals, entertainment, and possibly some tea, coffee and soft drinks in the price. However there are a lot of other things that may or may not be included, because the fact is that, with cheap cruises, the cruise line does have to make up the revenue somewhere, and this may be with certain hidden charges.

An additional cost may be the flight to the port where you are joining your ship, and, if you want to keep costs down, one good way of doing this may be picking a cruise where you can join the ship at a port that is not too far from your home, and this will substantially cut down on the cost.

The catering on cruises is generally to a high standard, and service very good, with a choice offered of formal restaurants with waiters, or self-service all-you-can-eat buffets. However, bear in mind that a lot of cruise ships are now charging extra for certain a la carte items on the menu, which are considered to be in some way over and above the standard fair provided.

Cruise ships have lively bars, and there is entertainment in the evenings, with live bands, pianists, and singers, and at present there does not seem to be any trend to charge extra for this.

As well as the good life on board, one of the major attractions about going on a cruise is the shore excursions, and if you are looking to save money you need to check out whether the shore excursions will be included in the cost of your cruise.

So, by bargain hunting, and by carefully adding up the quoted price of the cruise plus any extras that have to be paid for separately, you could be well on the way to finding a good deal.