There are several ways to find the cheapest cruise fare when shopping for cruises. From discounts and promotions to the cheapest time of year, this article will help you find the cheapest cruise deals.
1. Watch for Sales and Promotions
It seems like the price of travel would never really change, since the cost to get from one place to another should always be about the same (with the exceptions of fuel costs and inflation). However, air lines and cruise lines regularly offer sales and run special promotions, just like any other industry.
One of the easiest ways to keep up with all of the latest deals is to subscribe to a few email lists. If you have a favorite cruise line, you can subscribe to their newsletter and you’ll be automatically notified each time they run a sale. You can also subscribe to a list like ours, which will give you the best offers from all cruise lines.
If you’re not interested in email notifications, you could simply bookmark each of the cruise line’s websites or subscribe to an RSS feed from a website or blog that notifies readers of recent deals. (CruiseMagic’s RSS feed is here.)
2. Get Senior, Student, and Military Discounts
Most cruise lines offer year-round discounts for seniors, students, and military members. These discounts require a valid ID that will either be presented to your travel agent or at the ship before you board. Sometimes cruise lines even have special promotions specifically for seniors or military members, so if you fall into one of those groups it can be worthwhile to keep an eye out for these specials. Moreover, you can usually combine these discounts with other sales.
3. Consider Shorter Cruise Durations
The shorter the cruise, the cheaper the fare. For example, Holland America usually has one-day cruises for $69 or $79. There are many 3-4 day cruises from various cruise lines that will only run you $100-$200. If you live close enough to the embarkation port that you don’t have to fly there first, and you’re just interested in a quick getaway, a short cruise is a fun way to get out of town for a few days.
4. Get a Good Travel Agent
Even in the modern era of online travel booking, travel agents are still an important part of any well-planned trip. When looking for the cheapest cruises, your travel agent will be a vital part of your search.
Travel agents are very familiar with cruise promotions because they’ve seen them year after year. Travel agents are also in frequent contact with representatives from each cruise line and will be able to negotiate prices and amenities on your behalf. In addition, having a long term relationship with a good travel agent is highly beneficial to you because your agent will become familiar with your preferences and will be able to notify you of specials that are of your particular interest.
5. Arrange a Group to Get a Group Rate
The more people you bring on your cruise, the cheaper it can become. This can be anything from your family to a group of hundreds.
Cruise lines that are good for families (Royal Caribbean, for example) will often run specials for free or reduced fares for your 3rd and 4th guests. This allows you to bring your kids or another couple along for free.
Bigger groups like clubs or other organizations can arrange large group cruises. The organizer can reserve hundreds of staterooms on one cruise ship and get a discounted rate, very similarly to how conventions reserve many rooms in a hotel for a cheaper rate. Organizations can arrange conventions and events on cruise ships, too.
6. Go During the Cheapest Time of Year
If you can go on a cruise during the off season, you’ll have a better chance at finding a cheap rate.
- Caribbean: Go in September or October for the best deals. Avoid April during Spring Break, and avoid December and January when everyone wants to escape the snow for a tropical vacation.
- Alaska: Go in May or September, outside the busy summer season.
- Europe: Europe is pretty expensive most of the time, but if you really want a cheaper fare, go in January, February, or March, when the weather isn’t as good. Pro tip: Make sure to book a ship that has a retractable glass roof over the pool.
- Hawaii: Do not go during Spring Break or over the Holidays.
7. Sail on One of the Older Ships in the Fleet
You can get a great bargain by cruising on one of the older ships. There’s nothing wrong with them, and most have even been refurbished to bring them up to date. For example, all of Royal Caribbean’s ships are currently being refurbished to give them all the latest features that the new ships have.
On the other hand, cruise lines debut a brand new ship from time to time, and make a big deal about them in the beginning. You might be able to find a special promotion for the first few sailings but it’ll probably still be more expensive than going on one of the older ships.
8. Look Out For Repositioning Cruises
Some cruises are round trip (say, Miami to the Caribbean and back to Miami) and others are just one-way (like from Seattle to Alaska, after which you must fly back to Seattle.) A “repositioning” cruise occurs when the ship has sailed from its home port to a destination, and now needs to return to the home port.
These trips can be less port-intensive, meaning they don’t stop at as many ports (or possibly none at all) which reduces the price for you. The ship still has to sail back to the home port, so the cruise line might as well fill up the cabins with people, even if it’s not quite as exciting of a voyage.
9. Grab a Last Minute Deal
When a ship will be departing soon, the cruise line would love to fill up any remaining cabins. At this point, they offer cheap fares to get as many people onboard as possible. Carnival is especially good at advertizing these fares with what they call “Pack-and-Go” rates. We even have a page of last minute cruises that is updated every day, with cruises leaving in the next 2 days.
These last minute cruises can be a little tricky because you also have to get yourself to the ship. Remember that if it’s leaving from Florida and you live in New York, you’ll have to fly there first. (This is another example of the utility of a good travel agent.)
10. Consider the Difference Between a Cheap Cruise Line and a Discounted Cruise Fare
There are value cruise lines and there are luxury cruise lines, and you can find sales for both. The difference is in the experience of the vacation.
Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC cruise lines tend to have fares on the lower end of the spectrum. Cruise lines like Holland America, Princess, and Disney are usually in the middle of the range, and luxury cruise lines such as Seaborn, Silversea, Crystal, and Oceania feature high-end luxury ships.
When you’re shopping for the cheapest fare, ask yourself whether you want the cheapest low-end or the cheapest high-end fare. Carnival might be the cheapest cruise option overall, but it might not offer the type of experience you prefer.
CruiseMagic.com is your go-to online cruise agency for the cheapest cruises from all cruise lines. Get a coupon for $50 off your first cruise when you sign up today.
Happy cruising!
