Cruise bargains coming

Cruisers who prefer a good bargain may soon find plenty on luxury ships.

By 2003, the cluster of luxury vessels in construction or on drawing boards will nearly double the capacity of that once-rarefied end of the spectrum.

Cunard Line president Larry Pimentel told Travel Weekly magazine that this rapid growth will prompt a cycle of "stealth-speed" price decreases as cruise lines lower rates sharply to attract passengers.