Table Of Content
- Rule #9: DO book your cruise when you find a rate you like
- Book spa treatments while at port
- How to save on a cruise: 33 money-saving tips from an expert cruiser
- $3,899 pp — 12-Nt. Alaska – Free Shore Excursions, Gourmet Dining & Wi-Fi
- Don’t assume an interior stateroom is the best deal
- Use a travel agent
If you’re set on visiting a particular port—whether Bermuda or Santorini—you’ll be more limited in cruise options. Having more limitations means you have fewer options available, meaning you’ll miss out on some of the best cruise deals. Just as it's important to be flexible on your cruise ship and departure port, you should also be flexible on your cruise itinerary in order to find the best deals. The most important factor when looking for the best cruise deals is flexibility. The more flexible you are when planning a cruise, the better chance you have at snagging an amazing deal for your vacation. If that were how things actually worked, however, the cruise lines would go insane trying to plan.
Rule #9: DO book your cruise when you find a rate you like
When the ship is docked, you can get spa treatment packages for much cheaper than on land in a destination city. Take the morning for a spa treatment and the afternoon to explore the area. Signing up for Carnival's email promotions is the best way to never miss out on a Carnival cruise deal. Here are some other basics to make sure you are always getting the best deal possible. It’s a good package and one that is more than adequate for the whole family. Upgrade to premium and pay only the price difference if you want a more extensive selection of wines, cocktails, draft beers, and bitters.
Book spa treatments while at port
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. If you're flexible and can travel on short notice, you sometimes can find a last-minute deal for cruises where the line is scrambling to fill berths. Cruise lines often open departures for bookings with the lowest prices at which they want to sell the trips. Then, as the departures start filling up, they slowly raise prices on the remaining inventory. These are months when kids are typically back in school and family travel drops off, resulting in diminished demand for many types of travel, including cruises. Even if fares for the coming year don't come down soon, you can find ways to save when booking a vacation at sea.
How to save on a cruise: 33 money-saving tips from an expert cruiser
This time invested in researching cruise lines, cruise ships and cruise destinations will pay off with a better cruise vacation. 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.
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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. At many big lines, you'll find that the newest, most amenity-filled cruise ships sell at a premium price. A key thing to know here is that last-minute discounting isn't as common as it used to be.
If you have any preference about your cabin type or location, you’ll want to book as early as possible to make sure you get exactly what you want. If you’re traveling with a group and want to book cabins that are next door to each other, you’ll also want to book ahead of time. However, if you’re super flexible and don’t care what type of cabin you’re in, where it’s located, or even what cruise you’re on, you can often find some good deals at the last minute. Marriott Bonvoy also offers a 110% best price guarantee — if you find the exact same cruise priced lower within 48 hours of booking, you’ll be refunded 110% of the price difference. United Cruises offers a 110% best price guarantee — if you find the exact same cruise priced lower within 48 hours of booking, you’ll be refunded 110% of the price difference.
Cruise deals are due to a combination of factors—time of year, demand, and departure port—which means a good deal doesn’t equate a bad cruise. If you have never cruised before, do research on cruises and become knowledgeable before planning your cruise. Finding a cruise deal is often a combination of timing, planning, and just good luck. Sometimes it's just getting a free cabin upgrade to a higher deck on the ship or moving you to an ocean view or balcony cabin because you have booked a cabin category guarantee. If everyone waited until the wave season because the deals were better, then the cruise lines wouldn’t have anyone book the other nine months of the year.
Don’t assume an interior stateroom is the best deal
Parking a car for a week is almost guaranteed to be cheaper than airport transfers, flights and a pre-cruise hotel for a family of four. Cruise lines love casino players because they spend money on board. Once you've established yourself as a member of a cruise line's players club, you may find yourself the recipient of cruise discounts and complimentary casino cruise offers. You can definitely save on a cruise when all you have to pay are taxes and fees. Because agents often book in bulk and work directly with the lines, they have access to deals that normal cruisers don't.
Use a travel agent
13 expert-approved tips for saving money when booking a cruise - CNN Underscored
13 expert-approved tips for saving money when booking a cruise.
Posted: Fri, 07 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
And for giving up that privilege, many lines discount guaranteed cabin bookings about $50 to $100 per person off the advertised fares. Just about every agent and agency -- including Cruise.com (@cruisecom and Best Travel Deals (@cruisedealsbtd -- is tweeting its best cruise deals. For example, MSC Cruises provides discounts of up to 10 percent to active and retired military families on almost all sailings. AARP members can find exclusive senior discounts on multiple lines when booking through the AARP Travel Center Powered by Expedia.
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). Sail once with a cruise line and you're eligible to join its loyalty program. All members are eligible for select past-passenger cruise fare discounts, but the most loyal members can access free upgrades or even free cruises.
While providing an excellent itinerary, one-way cruises see less demand compared to roundtrip sailings due to the inconvenience of starting and ending in different ports. Despite this, we’ve noticed a pricing trend for the past two years on select Alaska itineraries. One-way Alaska itineraries tend to offer fantastic cruise deals, often as low as just $550 per person including taxes and fees. Finding a “cheap” cruise deal does not mean you’re sacrificing a quality vacation, either.
In some cases, the Club Balcony may cost just under $100 more per person than a standard. For example, the Alaska cruise shoulder seasons are April, May, September and October. Cruises during those months will be the best deals NCL offers on Alaska cruises. The best NCL cruise deals come out during the months of January, February, and March, when everyone is longing for a sunny and warm getaway.
The flyer is published once per week (usually late on Monday) but it is not updated throughout the week. Therefore, it’s recommended to check the flyer on late Monday night or early Tuesday morning in order to help ensure all deals listed are still available. As cruises book up during the week, the deals listed on the PDF may no longer be valid. Some of the longest itineraries—such as repositioning cruises and transatlantic itineraries—see the lowest price per day of any cruise itinerary. Being open to more unique, longer itineraries can be a good way to stretch your vacation budget further and have more time onboard. Despite the lack of flexibility, booking a guarantee cabin is one of the best ways to make a great cruise deal even cheaper.
We’ve spent years studying the cruise industry and have come up with our best rules to follow to make sure you’re getting the absolute best rate with as little headache as possible. Furthermore, Cruise Critic makes no guarantees for availability of prices advertised on our site. Listed prices may have blackout dates, qualifications or restrictions. Consider using less expensive forms of transportation to explore a city during your port stop. Local buses and subways can be more affordable ways to get around, plus offer a glimpse into local life.
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