Cruising is a great way to see the world - if you don't mind some days at sea, are prepared to spend perhaps hours in a port rather than days in a port, and oh yes, unpack once ! There are quite a few discount cruise sites around so I would recommend that your brother "googles" cruise sites, has a look at them and then subscribes to a few - he can always unsubscribe. Companies such as Cunard and P&O regularly do RTW cruises, and you can usually embark / disemark at various ports. For example, my brother-in-law flew to HK and joined the cruise there to Southampton, UK rather than boarding at Sydney. As with fights, you need to consider the level of comfort that you want therefore the cost of your fare will reflect that "comfort" (window v inside; balcony v window etc). Generally speaking, there are some terrific early bird cruise fares (the 33 night cruise I booked in Sept 07 now costs some $3K+ each more than we paid). On the other and, if you are inclined to book things at the last minute cabins are often advertised at a much reduced rate but of course you may not get the deck / cabin of your choice. Like FF programs, cruise lines reward or recognise past passengers who may be offered special deals / advanced booking opportunities etc. And once you are on board, you may be able to get a letter of offer for a future cruise where you get on-board credit on presentation of the letter when booking. Finally, why not combine cruising with some other form of travel, eg train or coach etc to get from one port to another and that way your brother can enjoy more time in places he wants to stay as well as being spoiled rotten on a cruise?
