How to save on a cruise: 33 money-saving tips from an expert cruiser

Table Of Content

• Get the best cruise deals with loyalty
• Ways to Find the Best Cruise Deals and Promotions
• How to Find the Best Cruise Deals
• Cancel then rebook if you find better cruise deals
• Consider shoulder or low season travel.
• Keep an eye on Going, Going, Gone rates

All that said, if you're willing to take a risk on the weather and aren't planning a land tour up to Denali, you can score a deal on a high-end Alaska sailing during these off-peak times. Combine those factors with a shoulder-season fall travel date (between mid-September and the week before Christmas), and you have yourself a more affordable luxury cruise. It depends on the destination, but in The Bahamas, Caribbean, and Mexico, the hottest deals are typically for cruises in January, February, September, and October. In Alaska, look for deals on cruises sailing in May and September. View award-winning vacations sailing from your backyard and discover deals you won't have to go great distances for with our collection of cruises near you.

Get the best cruise deals with loyalty

If you love relaxing sea days and would revel in spending day after day in the middle of the ocean, an ocean crossing is a surefire way to get a luxury cruise experience for less. Guests sailing with luxury all-inclusive line Silversea also have the option to add flights by booking the Door-to-Door All-Inclusive package. You may also be able to find — and book — reduced-cost flights directly through the cruise lines.

Ways to Find the Best Cruise Deals and Promotions

Just check your email or visit RoyalCaribbean.com/cruise-deals to stay up to date on promotions, sales and special offers. You can even browse sailings and deals by homeport, destination and season, so you can rest assured you’re getting the best possible deal no matter when or where in the world you choose to set sai. Like all products, supply and demand contribute significantly to the cruise fare.

How to Find the Best Cruise Deals

If you are planning to book a balcony cabin, always check pricing for this choice too. In some cases, the Club Balcony may cost just under $100 more per person than a standard. ● Norwegian's frequent cruiser's loyalty program, Latitudes, offers discounts onboard, as well as insider deals and members-only pricing.

Because of the logistics of getting to and from the cruise, as well as duration of the sailing, repositioning cruises can be a tremendous value. Simply put, less people are willing to book these because it requires more vacation time or they'd have to find a different way home. Of course, booking a cruise that far in advance is difficult for many people because most people don't plan vacations years in the future. But if you have the flexibility, this is the best strategy for netting a great cruise price. Not only will booking a cruise years in advance get you a rock bottom price, you're also going to have plenty of cabin types to choose from. The first type of cabins to sell out on a cruise are almost always suites.

Book early if you have special needs or a large party

It is extremely difficult to predict though and it’s fairly useless to try and organize a method of tracking it. Checking it at set time is a good idea but there are plenty of other ways that you are going to be able to find the best cruise deals possible. You can drive yourself a little mad sometimes trying to predict the changes in cruise deals.

Consider shoulder or low season travel.

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Enlist the help of a travel agent who can monitor pricing after you've booked, and who can request a re-fare to the lower rate. Repositioning cruise deals, whether transatlantic or something less dramatic like ships moving into and out of Alaska, are some of the lowest cost per night/per person deals available. If you pay attention, you can find several opportunities to get drinks for free on a cruise ship. Many of the onboard art auctions pass out Champagne or sparkling wine to attendees, and sometimes the ship's shops will offer liquor tastings in an attempt to convince you to buy a bottle. If you're a suite guest or loyalty member, you might be eligible for free drink vouchers, happy hours or events with comped drinks. It would make sense that you would find the cheapest fares right before the ship sails.

If you’re looking for the absolute cheapest, best cruise fares, keep your destination availability open. All of Royal Caribbean’s cruise ports have something to offer, from the coral reefs of Australia to the cruise line’s private island of Perfect Day at CocoCay. Flexibility is key to finding the best cruise deals; if you’re flexible with your departure port, you may have a better chance at finding a cheap deal.

Keep an eye on Going, Going, Gone rates

Below, we've assembled six of our top tips for finding a bargain on a cruise. These are travel hacks that can work any time — not just when fares are rising. Combine a few of these strategies, and you are sure to find the best cruise deals available on your next sailing.

Every region of the world that a cruise ship sails has peak and off-peak times, so if you can take a cruise during the less popular times you will find some of the best cruise deals out the season. The best cruise deals aren’t as hard to find as you might think. Even if your cruise fare isn't dirt cheap, you can still get more value from your vacation dollars when you pay for that vacation at sea with the right card. For example, book with The Platinum Card® from American Express and its Cruise Privileges Program will get you double Membership Rewards points, onboard credit and cruise line-specific perks. Or perhaps you can use your cruise final payment to make the minimum spending requirement on a new credit card and get a slew of points or miles you can use for a free trip down the road.

European cruises often cost about the same price per day as a Caribbean cruise. For Americans, the issue is the airfare, but for Europeans, the total cost can be less than the Caribbean. ● Norwegian holds a unique position when it comes to cruises in Hawaii -- it's the only major line allowed to operate cruises that remain within the Hawaiian Islands.

Wonder of the Seas is one of the cruise line’s newest ships, and it’s priced accordingly. We generally suggest booking through the cruise line’s website. We like this because it takes out the middleman in booking your sailing. Should there be an issue, you can call the cruise line directly and everything is dealt with through their site. Some of the best bargains in the cruise world are the voyages that cruise ships make as they reposition from one part of the world to another. But even if you book all your land trips on your own, you might want to use a travel agent who is a cruise specialist to book your next voyage.

One big reason is that cruise-selling travel agents often have access to lower bulk fares for sailings that aren't available to the general public. Big travel agencies will block out large chunks of cabins on ships soon after they open for booking to lock in such group fares, then sell them over the coming months. Royal Caribbean markets their newest and biggest cruise ships more than the fleet’s older vessels, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid smaller cruise ships. By searching for cruises on older ships, you’re almost guaranteed to find cheap cruise deals. Whenever I book a cruise, I first email my travel agent for a quote; the quote I receive is often cheaper than what I could find on Royal Caribbean’s website.

While it may seem as though e-mail isn’t as big as it once was, it is still a vital source of contact for businesses. They can instantly connect to people who they know will be interested in the deals that they will have to be able to fill up their ships quickly. A company that relies on algorithms could see prices change several times a day, sometimes even from hour to hour.

13 ways to get the best cruise deals

Table Of Content

• Cancel then rebook if you find better cruise deals
• How to Find the Best Cruise Deals
• How can I maximize the value of my cruise vacation?
• Book a Cruise Late—Just a Few Weeks (or Days) in Advance
• How often do cruise fares change?

You might have heard of “wave season.” This time of year — running from January through March — is supposed to be when the cruise lines offer the best deals. That’s due to the cold weather in most of the country making people think of warmer places combined with the passing of the Christmas holiday. It is definitely true that more booking activity goes on during this period. Although most passengers “Loyal to Royal” won’t reach Pinnacle Club status, they can still receive the benefits of discounted cabins and onboard offers. Even if you don’t find the cheapest cruise deal available, you’ll still save significant money with Crown & Anchor benefits like free drinks and complimentary laundry.

Cancel then rebook if you find better cruise deals

For families, a kids sail free promotion is one of the most lucrative offers Royal Caribbean has, especially if you book a suite since the per-person savings are highest in these luxurious cabins. As mentioned earlier in this article, prices tend to go up over time as more and more people book a sailing. But sometimes a sailing doesn't sell as well as Royal Caribbean wants, and you can find a price drop meant to spur sales.

How to Find the Best Cruise Deals

Know when prices aren't set in stone and negotiate a lower fee to save on your in-port purchases. You can often barter over the price of crafts, food or souvenirs in open-air markets, or negotiate rates for taxi tours or rides. Always be friendly and polite when haggling, and be prepared to walk if the vendor does not accept your offer. If you’ve already paid in full, it’s still worth calling the cruise line if you see a lower fare. The lines want happy customers and will sometimes work with you to compensate for the new lower price. First, you should be monitoring the price of your cruise after you book if you want to save money.

How can I maximize the value of my cruise vacation?

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While Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Quantum Class ships are as amazing to cruise on as they look, they do not usually have the cheapest cruise fares out there. In addition, bundling multiple vacation elements together can help you save on individual costs. Luxury and river lines sometimes offer promotions that will include economy-class airfare, or a pre-cruise hotel stay at the price of your upscale cruise. For some lines and sailings, you can forget it unless you book months -- or a year -- in advance. This is particularly true for bucket-list voyages to places like Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands and world cruises -- some of which can sell out in a single day.

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You’ll never be downgraded from the option that you’ve chosen but there is a possibility that you could be upgraded. This increased flexibility will allow you to save a bit of money and enable you to get the best deal possible. Companies have always used every avenue that they possibly could in order to advertise their products.

Top cruise lines will give discounts to large groups and you could even get free berths as part of the deal. Firstly, you could simply cancel then rebook your cruise at the cheaper price. This can depend on their terms but it can save you a lot of money. Another option is to contact the cruise company and ask for a refund on the difference, and some will give you this in-store credit.

Book a Cruise Late—Just a Few Weeks (or Days) in Advance

I'm happy to share the wealth, so to speak, so you can avoid money mistakes and stretch your travel budget as far as it can possibly go. It’s difficult to compare apples to apples as different ships sail to different ports at different times, but we found two similar cruises to compare. If you know the cruise line you’d like to sail, we suggest booking directly through them.

It usually takes a lot of digging and a little math to unearth real Royal Caribbean deals. But once you know what to look for -- and where and when to look -- spotting deals becomes easier. How much of a bargain is a cheap cruise that requires you to spend twice as much on airfare? For instance, you'll typically see more Anchorage-to-Vancouver voyages on last minute lists than the more affordable round trip Seattle itineraries.

ISLE SEE YOU IN GREECE THIS SUMMER

But many times, there is no huge advantage to booking a year or more in advance (although you will have more cabin options). A room with two people being charged an extra $5 per person, per day would rack up $10 per day — or $70 in room location charges over the course of a week-long cruise. That may not sound like much to some of you, but that comes about to about 4-6 drinks from the bar if you were to want to spend your money on alcohol instead. While not every cruise line does it, many will charge you different amounts for the same class of room in different locations of the ship. For example, a room on a higher deck will cost more than one on a lower deck.

Every week, Royal Caribbean publishes a PDF flyer online of their “Going, Going, Gone” rates. This list of last-minute cruise deals is one of the most convenient ways to check for the cheapest cruise fares available. Instead, keep your search flexible and search for cruises of varying lengths. Many experienced cruisers book repositioning cruises to get the best cruise deal. Cruise ships sailing in destinations like Alaska or northern Europe must move (reposition) to warmer locales in the winter months. Repositioning cruises include many sea days and are usually longer in length, so they might not be right for you.

In other words, you don’t see that much of a discount — if any — by waiting until the last minute. It’s no guarantee that you’ll get the lowest rate offered for your cruise, but these rules will help you be smarter about buying your vacation. The older ships are, of course, older, and they sometimes don't have quite as much to offer on board as the newer ships. While there are many cruise travel hacks that still work, there are also specific things you can do to actually find those great deals and promotions this year.

You'll have to act fast if you want in on these days because by week’s end, most of the deals are gone. In exchange for this ambiguity of room selection, you can often save hundreds of dollars off your cruise fare. One way to turn an average cruise price into a great deal is to let Royal Caribbean pick your exact cabin. The most common type of repositioning cruises are transalantic and transpacific cruises, where the ship moves between North America and Europe or Australia. The great thing about the Voyager and Radiance Class ships is that you are not compromising a ton on the onboard experience, but will save a lot compared to the bigger ships. Though not as exciting as sailing for free when you book a large group cruise, small group perks are out there too.

Alternatively, a private tour guide for a group may not always save you money, but you will usually get more value out of a small-group tour that you can customize to your preference. Your cruise ship's spa or boutiques will often host seminars about wellness practices or understanding gemstones. These events are really marketing plays to get you to sign up for spa treatments or buy shoe insoles or jewelry. However, they often convince people to attend by giving away spa credit or jewelry in a raffle. If you've got nothing better to do on a sea day, you might show up in the hopes of winning something. Spa tours and port shopping lectures also run raffles (plus you might get a free massage for a minute).