The lead-in fare is the cheapest price in a cabin class on a particular sailing. When a cruise line advertises balconies from a number, that is the lead-in.
It usually corresponds to the least desirable cabin in the class: lowest deck, worst location, or a partially obstructed view. Better categories in the same class cost more.
CruiseSignal's published price data uses lead-in fares per cabin class, which is why the tables compare like with like across ships rather than mixing category levels.
