Selecting a cabin
As with many other types of travel, the low-end and high-end cabins are the first to go, says Eggers. The cheapest cabins are the inside cabins, which have no windows or portals and are about 150 square feet in size. On the luxury side, Norwegian Cruise Line offers villas with more than 5,350 square feet of living space.

Eggers recommends a 175- to 250-square-foot cabin with a balcony for those willing to spend a bit more. "With a balcony, you can leave the sliding door open at night and hear the ocean and in the morning order room service and eat breakfast out over the water," he says.

Most cruise lines and cruise travel Web sites offer floor plans so you can see where the different cabins are located. Those in the middle of the vessel are the most stable, and you might look at those if you have a tendency to be seasick.

Genord recommends that you find out what's below and above your potential cabin before you select one. "We were on the second deck from the top and above us was where one of the nightly entertainment venues was located," he says. "We had to listen to the same singer sing the same songs until 11 p.m. every night and then the noises of the staff as they cleaned up and rearranged furniture for the morning."

Travel agent or do-it-yourself
Unlike other types of vacations, travel agents still dominate the cruise industry. Even do-it-yourself Web sites such as Priceline and SureCruise.com offer free travel advice to those wanting to book a cruise over the phone.

"We offer cruises with all the major cruise lines and while you can do a lot of the research online, many people want to talk to a cruise consultant to help out with details like selecting a cabin or finding out what types of seatings are available for dinner," says Brian Ek of Priceline.

Talula Guntner, a travel agent and professor of travel and tourism at Northern Virginia Community College, says that an experienced travel agent can help you figure out the best type of cruise line, and many have traveled themselves on a number of the cruise ships.

"It's a travel agent's job to help you find out what your motivations are for going on a cruise, what type activities you'll enjoy and who you'll be traveling with so you can get the best vacation experience," she says. Some agencies and agents specialize in cruises and they may have the most comprehensive information and also may get the biggest discounts from the cruise lines.

Bainer answers the booking question this way: If you're talking about a cruise on Carnival with 3,000 people and you don't care who you're eating with, or whether you have an inside or outside cabin, then yes, you can look online. If you want the best value, work with a travel agent.

First-time cruisers may need more hand-holding since there is such a variety in ships and destinations. If you've gone on cruises before and know exactly what you're looking for, you'll probably be more comfortable booking one on your own, either directly through a particular cruise line or through an online discount Web site.

Bargain hunting
Since the industry is still so dominated by travel agents who work with the cruise companies, cut-rate bargains aren't as easily found as with, say, air travel or hotels. Even the discount Web sites have similar prices and the special sale promotions from the cruise lines tend to rotate from one site to another, says Ek.

However, virtually no one pays the full prices advertised in the cruise lines' shiny brochures. As with most other types of travel, booking out by a year or at least six months improves your odds of snagging a good rate.

Cruise lines do demand a deposit when you book, but if fares go down in the meantime, you can usually talk to your travel agent or the cruise line and get them to give you the cheaper rate, says Guntner.

Eggers says that traveling during the shoulder seasons, such as between Labor Day and Christmas, but not including Thanksgiving, is one way to secure a discount price. Any dates around holidays, such as New Year's and Valentine's Day, and the summer are likely to be more expensive.

If you book your cruise through an airline cruise site, you can rack up lots of frequent-flyer miles as a bonus. United, Continental and American all have cruise sites where you can book a cruise and get your airfare.