You Can Get a Cabin at the Dock

Q. Do you have information about "stand-by cruising"? My friends are going on Sun Princess out of Fort Lauderdale. I would love to go with them. Does Sun Princess offer stand-by rates, if so what is the procedure? How much of a discount and what time do you have to be there in hopes of a vacancy? Do I contact the cruise line ahead of time? Sandy Caldwell, West Palm Beach

A. You can't buy a Princess ticket at Port Everglades, but you can call Princess reservations the morning of the cruise and leave your name and number and they will call back and tell you whether a cabin is available. Other cruise lines such as Carnival do sell tickets at Port Everglades and Port of Miami, so you can turn up at the docks with your swimsuit and ball gown, and buy a (probably) cheap ticket for a cruise sailing that day. Of course, you are betting on the ship having empty cabins. But if the ship is sold out you can run over to another cruise line office at the port and try your luck.
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