The Secret to Booking a Cruise at a Deep Discount

Everybody loves cruising – it’s easily one of the most popular ways to vacation.
And why not? With modern ships, exceptional amenities, great food and exotic ports of call, today’s cruise ships are floating resorts, with something for everyone.
But do you know what’s even better than taking a cruise? It’s getting that cruise at a big discount – sometimes as large as 82%.
These kinds of discounts are readily available to knowledgeable travelers who know how to find them. In this article, we’ll give you the knowledge you need to do the same.

Why such a big discount?

The first (and key) thing to understand is this: The ship is going to sail, full or not.
The second thing is, to a cruise line, sailing with empty cabins is extremely unprofitable.
So at a certain point (usually within a few months of the departure date), the cruise line would much rather sell any empty cabins at a discount than have them remain empty (their attitude is “something is better than nothing”).
But, selling cabins at cheaper prices poses an issue for them – since passengers have already booked at full fare, the cruise line really doesn’t want to offer the remaining rooms at a cheaper price on their own website.
So these cruise lines work with third-party companies/websites that specialize in offering cruises at a discount. This way, the cruise line itself doesn’t seem like it’s selling the room at a discount, yet they can fill up the ship like they want to. Plus, the vacationer who sought out the bargain gets a cruise at a much lower rate – everybody wins.

What do you need to do?

There are a couple things you should be aware of in pursuing the best cruise prices:

• Be a little flexible on the departure date and itinerary. Cruising at any time offers terrific value, but there are benefits to being able to travel on fairly short notice or to shifting your departure date or itinerary to take advantage of a great offer.
• Register with a company that is authorized to offer deals on these unsold cabins (signing up is completely free of charge, by the way). Vacations To Go, the world’s largest seller of cruises (in business since 1984) is one of the more popular websites handling these kinds of bookings.

But that’s about it – if you are willing to spend a little time searching and are flexible on travel dates, you can get a terrific cruise for pennies on the dollar. Bon voyage!

LIE shut for hours after home falls off trailer

The eastbound lanes of the Long Island Expressway were closed for more than four hours overnight Wednesday at Exit 34 in North Hills as Nassau County police investigated a motor-vehicle accident.
The roadway reopened shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday. Police said a mobile home being transported on the LIE fell off its trailer and onto the roadway.
A police spokesman said early Thursday there did not appear to be any injuries and the accident remains under investigation.

Cops: Man loses toe after gun discharges

A Ronkonkoma man lost a toe when a shotgun in the bedroom of his home fell onto the floor and accidentally discharged late Tuesday night, Suffolk County police said.
The identity of the man was not released. Police said he was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The accident occurred at 11:31 p.m. at a home on Bradford Avenue, police said. Police had no available information about the shotgun gauge -- or what caused it to discharge.
Police said the force of the blast caused the victim to lose a toe on his right foot.
There were no charges in the incident, which police said has been ruled an accident.

Police: Spy in bag probably died by accident

LONDON - A spy whose naked, decomposing body was found inside a padlocked gym bag at his apartment likely died in an accident with no one else involved, British police said Wednesday — a tentative conclusion that is unlikely to calm conspiracy theories around the bizarre case.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt said the death of Gareth Williams, whose remains were found inside a bag in his bathtub in August 2010, was "most probably" an accident, but that the facts could not be established beyond a reasonable doubt.
Hewitt said that a police review had found little evidence of foul play in a death that has spawned a host of theories, from assassination to sexual adventure gone awry.
Williams worked for Britain's GCHQ eavesdropping service and was attached to the overseas espionage agency MI6 when he died.
The police verdict disagrees with a coroner's inquest, which concluded that Williams had probably been killed by another person in a "criminally meditated act."
Hewitt said the police position "is that, on balance, it is a more probable conclusion that there was no other person present when Gareth died."
"But the reality is that for both hypotheses, there exist evidential contradictions and gaps in our understanding."
Some have raised the possibility that Williams locked himself in the bag as part of a sex game gone wrong. Investigators found that he had visited bondage and sadomasochism websites, including some related to claustrophilia — a desire for confinement in enclosed spaces.
However, none of Williams' DNA was found on the lock on the bag and his palm prints were not found on the rim of the bath.
But Hewitt said there was no evidence that the flat had been cleaned to remove forensic traces and nothing to suggest a struggle or a break-in.
"I believe that what we are dealing with is a tragic unexplained death," he said.
Williams' relatives said in a statement that they were disappointed that the facts were still not clear, but still believed it was likely he had been killed.
"We consider that on the basis of the facts known at present the coroner's verdict accurately reflects the circumstances of Gareth's death," the statement said.

Dad calls cops on his son to teach him a lesson & you won't believe what happened next

James Comstock of Iowa refused to buy his 19-year-old son Tyler cigarettes on Monday. Angry, Tyler took off in his dad's work truck. The truck belongs to a lawn care company. In order to teach his son a lesson, James called the cops. The lesson was deadly. What started out as an argument over cigarettes ended with Tyler being shot to death and his father dumbfounded and grieving. How did this all go so wrong?
Read more ¿Qué más?: 13-year-old shot by police for being armed with a toy gun
Police were able to locate Tyler Comstock in the truck shortly after his father called. They tried to pull him over, but he wouldn't stop. It turned into a chase with Tyler reportedly ramming the cop car at one point. The chase led to the Iowa State University campus. Dispatch audio reveals that twice a police staffer recommended that officers end the pursuit. For some reason, they didn't.
Tyler eventually stopped the truck, but he did not get out and he kept revving the engine. At that point an officer shot at him six times and killed him.
Let me make something VERY clear. I am in no way condoning Tyler's behavior. He should have pulled over, he should have listened to the cops. Even so, Tyler was not armed and it's not like police thought he was armed. Supposedly, they were worried about public safety if he took off again. However, they were perfectly fine with shooting off a gun six times in a public place. I get it that he was not cooperating, but why shoot to kill? Is that really the only option?
My condolences to the Comstock family. I am so sorry that a stupid argument ended with the untimely death of a young man.

11-year-old becomes a dad after being sexually assaulted by friend's mom

In an absolutely shocking story, an 11-year-old New Zealand boy became a father after conceiving a child with the 36-year-old mother of one of his classmates.
It's such an unbelievable and awful scenario that I can barely process it.
Read more ¿Qué más?: Vigilante daughter beheads her own father after he rapes her
The woman, who remains unidentified for legal reasons, allegedly pressured the then 11-year-old student into repeated sexual encounters over a period of time before becoming pregnant. The disturbing affair was discovered after the boy, who is now 12, approached his principal to confess the truth and seek help putting a stop to the liaisons.
Child Youth and Family services apparently took custody of their baby two months ago. Though the woman now faces criminal charges, she is reportedly still denying that there was any sexual contact between them. The worst part? She won't be charged with rape. Under New Zealand law, rape is only applicable when males forces sex. Females who force unwilling partners to have sexual relations are charged with sexual violation. Can you believe that?!
The whole story is too disgusting for words. This evil woman forced this little kid into having sex with her, gave birth to his baby and is now denying it ever happened? I don't know how anyone can exploit a child like that, especially when they themselves are a mother to a kid of the same age! It's beyond horrifying…and it's even worse knowing that the law prevents her from getting the charge she really deserves. The truth is, rape is rape whether it happens at the hands of a man or a woman.
My heart breaks for this little boy, who now has a child despite the fact that he's just a baby himself. In fact, some reports say that if his age is confirmed, he will be the youngest known father in New Zealand…and it's all because this woman took advantage of a child and forced him to grow up too fast.