Sunday, March 31, 2024

How to Find the Best Cruise Deals, According to Travel Experts

how to get the best deal on a cruise

With a high demand for cruises once they resume and an overall increase in pricing, cruise passengers are looking for ways to continue to cruise affordably. As the name implies, a Kids Sail Free promotion is an offer in which kids can sail “free” on a Royal Caribbean cruise. In reality, this means that any third guest and higher in a cabin who is 12 years old or younger can sail free on a cruise longer than four nights. If your schedule is flexible, you should book a cruise during the shoulder or off season instead of the peak season. 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.

Cruises

If you are open to which line you sail, then third-party websites give you the ability to search more cruise lines and itineraries to find a better price. Among the most common repositioning cruises are sailings between the Caribbean and Europe in the spring as lines move ships to the Mediterranean for summer. Similarly, there's always a wave of repositioning cruises between Europe and the Caribbean in the fall. Traditionally, the summer months of June, July and August have been high season in many cruise destinations like the Caribbean, Europe and Alaska. The periods around major holidays — such as Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day — also are considered the busy season for cruising and bring higher prices. Have you seen any deals not found anywhere else either with a cruise line, the loyalty program or through a travel agent?

Cruise Deals by Destination

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Through years and years of bookings, the cruise lines know which rooms are most desirable and charge accordingly. Even if fares for the coming year don't come down soon, you can find ways to save when booking a vacation at sea. Did you know that you will never pay less by booking directly with the cruise line. It’s actually cruise line policy and the arrangement they have with travel agents.

Tips for Finding Cheap Cruise Deals

Cruise ship internet access is pricy; you might pay more for a week on board than you do for a month at home! If you don't have to be connected at all hours, skip the cruise ship Wi-Fi plan and seek out free or cheap Wi-Fi in port. Many port terminals have free Wi-Fi, or you can grab a cup of coffee or a drink at an establishment in town with complimentary Wi-Fi for customers.

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Hotels With Cruise Shuttles For Every Major Port in America

how to get the best deal on a cruise

Despite being one night longer, the trip was priced at just $955 per person for an interior cabin. Over the past two decades, ships have seemingly transformed from simply seagoing vessels to floating amusement parks. From huge waterslides to promenades, robot bars, roller coasters, ice rinks, and more, it’s hard to believe what they can put on a new ship these days. That’s why cruise lines have largely eliminated last-minute discounts. The cruise line’s website, Expedia, Cruises.com, Travelocity… the list of sites where you can search for trips is endless. First, you can see from the blue line (price for an interior room) that prices to travel last minute are consistent with the same time a year later.

Going Going Gone Rates

Cruise lines like to sell their "berths" (cabins) as far in advance as possible. If you plan and book your cruise more than six months in advance, you will often get the best deal. Some cruise lines also offer "low price guarantees," so if the fare drops after you book, you will get the lowest price. If you book far in advance, continue to monitor the fares, and report any price changes to your travel agent, who should be able to either get you a refund or a cabin upgrade. Because many cruise ships regularly reposition between Europe (where they spend the summer) and the Caribbean (where they spend the winter), transatlantic crossings are inevitable. To attract guests, the cruise lines add interesting onboard activities and guest lecturers to the voyage, and they lower prices.

Of course, booking last-minute airfare might wipe out any savings. Plus, you'll have a limited selection of cabin locations and dinner seatings. But if you're flexible and can drive to a cruise port -- or have plenty of frequent flier airline points to burn -- it's a great way to take a cruise without breaking the bank. Nearly every mainstream cruise line offers special deals that let you save on the total cost of your cruise vacation.

You'll also find some repositioning cruises every year between the Caribbean and Alaska, and between the West Coast of the U.S. and Asia. We recommend checking Royal Caribbean’s detailed list here to check if you qualify for any discounts. We checked NCL deals on Alaska, Hawaii, and beyond to help you discover the best deals available. Sign up for our newsletter and we'll send the best deals to you - 100% FREE.

Sign up and we'll send you the best deals to your inbox - 100% FREE. This can be a great place to look for additional deals that you might otherwise miss. You can even get notifications sent to your phone if you really wanted to keep on top of the latest deals that you can get.

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.

Or, if you live in the Northeast, check if there are any cheap deals from Cape Liberty, Boston, or Baltimore. You might be surprised to find a cheap cruise leaving from a less common cruise port. Peak season varies by destination, but generally coincides with school holidays. Summer, holiday weekends, and school breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break tend to see the most demand for cruises. Despite this, we’ve noticed a pricing trend for the past two years on select Alaska itineraries.

Therefore, competition among the cruise lines is high, and they are constantly offering better cruise deals for the Caribbean than for anyplace else in the world. Since North Americans do not have to travel as far to their embarkation port, the air cost is not as much as other cruise destinations. If you can be patient, cruise lines will sometimes offer extremely good last minute deals on upcoming cruises sailing in the next few weeks (or days).

As previously mentioned, wave season runs from January through March. The corollary advice is that cruise lines will sometimes drop prices or offer value-added promotions on cruises that have too many available cabins left a few months before its scheduled departure. You can find cheap deals on last-minute sailings, especially if you're not picky about which cabin you get. For casino lovers, the deals are abundant, and come from several sources. Taxes and port fees are not included, and upgrade fees will apply if you want anything other than an interior room. Carnival also directly offers casino players discounted and comped cruise fares, often with bonus free play and free drinks for the player and a guest.

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