some tips:
when booking a cruise, go to dargal.com and pick out your dates and cruises (it's the easiest way to find a cruise on any line) then, when you find one that is the $ you like and the dates you like, call the actual cruise line, sometimes I find their interline pricing is better priced.

When booking hotels, always find best pricing on expedia, then call the hotel, see if they offer employee discounts with your airline ID - if not, check their rates against expedia's... if expedia is less expensive, ask if they will honor that price. It's always best to book directly with the hotel... easier to cancel or change if you are flying in on standby

sign up on Twitter and facebook fan pages for your favorite hotels - we get specials all the time from there.

go to tripadvisor, Frommers or lonely planet.. always look for your city you are going too, then check the top rated hotels... usually I find a few really high priced ones, then the best rated value ones, I read the first ten or so reviews and pick from there.

check the FAQ's for each city on any of the above sites as it will give you the answers to most of your questions