15 Ways to SAVE MONEY When You Book a Cruise
If you’re planning to book a cruise, it’s important for you to know that it’s so easy to spend more money than you need to. Over the years, I’ve realised that people seem to be doing the same things wrong at this key stage of the planning process, and therefore they are spending hundreds (and sometimes even thousands) more than is necessary.
In this post, I’m going to tell you about 15 ways that you can save money when you book your future cruises. Some of these things might seem like common sense, while others might surprise you - it would shock you how many people don’t think about these things when they go through the process of booking!
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Let’s get started on the ways you can save money when booking your future cruises!
It’s time to stop wasting money when you book cruises - here are 15 ways to save money during the booking process!
1. Either Book Early, or Book Late.
One of the most frequently asked questions that I receive is ‘when should I book a cruise - is it better to book far out, or should I wait until the last-minute?’.
Unfortunately, it’s a difficult one to answer, and there are clear benefits to both approaches. If you book when cruise itineraries are first released, you stand the best chance of securing your choice of itinerary/ship at a good price, but then last-minute bargains can be found out there if you shop around.
If you’re interested in booking as soon as cruises are released for sale, it’s a good idea to speak to your cruise line to find out when this will be. Each cruise line releases their future cruises at a unique time, so it’s not as simple as everyone opening for sale on the same day!
If you’re interested in booking closer to departure, you’ll be keen to understand what’s known as the ‘final payment date’. Once you secure a cabin on a cruise and pay a deposit, you’ll need to pay the outstanding balance before the final payment date.
If you don’t pay the remainder of your balance, then you’ll likely lose your cabin, and it will become available for sale again. This is when, if you’re looking for a bargain, you might strike lucky! Some cruises that appear ‘for sale’ again following the final payment deadline can be real steals, but conversely if there’s not a huge amount of supply and there’s also a healthy level of demand, the prices can be high - it’s a bit of a gamble!
To find out when each cruise line’s final payment deadline is, it’s best to check their individual websites. I considered listing them here, but they could change in an instant!
Booking early has advantages, but booking late can be great, too. It’s a gamble, but it could pay off!
2. Drop a Cabin Category!
This one’s easy - do you really need that balcony, or do you really need that suite? Also, if you’d like to save a lot of money versus a suite or a balcony cabin, then do you even need a window?!
If the answer to all of the above questions is ‘no’, then you’ll be interested in what’s known as an ‘inside’, or an ‘interior’ cabin. This is a cabin category that is on the inside of the ship - in fact, there aren’t even any windows to the outside world in these cabins!
You might think this sounds like a terrible choice of cabin to cruise in, but you might be surprised to hear that some of my favourite cabins have been on the inside of the ship. If you’d like to know what I love about inside cabins in general, head over to the below YouTube video, where I explain why I absolutely LOVE inside cabins when I cruise.
Do you really need a window in your cabin? Saying ‘no’ to that question could save you a fortune!
3. Book a Guarantee Cabin.
When you book a cruise, you’ll usually be offered the opportunity to either book a specific cabin number for your trip, or you’ll be able to book what’s known as a ‘Guarantee Cabin’. If you opt for this option, you’ll not have to pay any extra to reserve a cabin number, as you’ll essentially be saying to the cruise line that you’re happy to be allocated a cabin closer to the sailing date.
This means that you’ll essentially be offered what’s left closer to the point of your cruise, which can sometimes mean that you’ll end up in a better cabin than the basic within your category. For example, there will often be multiple different ‘tiers’ of each cabin type, so booking a ‘Guarantee’ cabin will mean that you pay the lowest possible fare, but you could end up in a higher tier.
Personally, I’m more than happy to book these cheaper rates, but it is important to understand that you could end up in a cabin anywhere on the ship. That means that you could end up cruising at the very front (or back) of the ship, where you’re more likely to experience motion.
If you’re interested in saving some money during the booking process, it’s well worth thinking about!
Don’t mind where your cabin’s located on the ship? Try booking a ‘Guarantee’ cabin!
4. Cruise Off-Peak.
Did you know that the cruise world operates with clearly defined seasons? Each cruise region has both ‘peak’ and ‘off peak’ seasons, and cruising during the down period can really save you money.
If you’re looking at Caribbean cruises for example, then the peak season is typically from November to April, while the peak season in the Mediterranean is the Summer period (May to August). If you’re looking to cruise elsewhere in the world, you really should spend some time understanding when the peak period is, if you’re keen to avoid spending more than you need to on your cruise.
There’s also the option to cruise in what’s known as the ‘shoulder season’, which is essentially the period that connects the peak and off-peak windows together. The weather during this period will probably be a little more unreliable, but it can be well worth taking the risk when you see how much money you could save by doing so!
Personally, I love cruising during the off-peak months. Not only can you secure some real bargain cruise fares, but you also get to see the ports relatively light with cruise passengers. I’ve even taken off-peak cruises from the U.K. where we’ve woken up to snow on the ground - a really unique experience that you simply wouldn’t get during the busier and warmer peak season.
Cruising in the ‘off peak’ months can offer a totally different perspective. I experienced a very icy ship in the month of January in Europe while cruising onboard MSC Preziosa!
5. Take a Repositioning Cruise!
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I’m completely sold on repositioning cruises - I absolutely love them.
If you’re unfamiliar, this is the name given to a cruise that is completed in order for a cruise line to relocate a ship from one region to another. For example, at the end of the Caribbean season each year, lots of ships will relocate across to Europe. The task of crossing the Atlantic Ocean will be considered a ‘repositioning cruise’, as the ultimate goal of it is to allow the ship to reposition.
There are some incredible deals available on this type of cruise, for a number of different reasons. On repositioning cruises, you’ll typically find that they can be quite sea-day heavy with few ports of call, and they can also be longer lengths of cruises that are more difficult for the cruise line to fill.
I’ve previously paid for a 21-night repositioning cruise what I would pay for a 7-night cruise on the same ship, which is unbelievable! If you’d like to learn more about repositioning cruises, click into the video below.
6. Book with a Travel Agent, or Through a Cruise Search Engine.
It’s rarely cheaper to book a cruise directly with a cruise line versus booking with a travel agent. Of course, some people prefer to book direct, which unlocks the ability to call the cruise line with any questions that they might have (or about any issues which may arise).
I book the majority of my cruises either through my travel agent, or through a cruise search engine that I’ve been using for about a year at the point of writing this post. Let me tell you about it…
I discovered ‘World of Cruising’, which is a site that collates cruise offers from lots of different travel agencies. It’s an incredibly useful site to see which ships are offering which cruises, and when. The site offers cruises in British Pounds (GBP), but you’ll find the search and browse aspects useful regardless of where you are in the world.
Head over there now and take a look - if the fares are looking good, why not speak to your local agent to see if it’s something that they’re able to match? Just click here to go to World of Cruising now!
Check out ‘World of Cruising’ if you’re interested in searching for good deals on your future cruises. Click the image above to go there now! (affiliate link)
7. Don’t Book Air Travel Through the Cruise Line.
Similarly to the above point, there are benefits to booking air travel directly with the cruise line. For example, if your flight is delayed or cancelled, the cruise line will work on your behalf to get you a new route of travel to meet the ship.
There’s also a chance that, if there are a lot of passengers on your flight, the ship could be delayed to allow you all to meet it before it departs.
On the other hand, if you book your own air travel independently and something goes wrong, there’s little that the cruise line will be able to do to support you. Sure, you’ll probably be able to fly to the next port to meet your ship, but the additional expense of that will be your responsibility.
Although there’s a clear risk here, I very rarely book my flights through the cruise line, as they’re often so much more expensive. I always ensure that I build in a ‘safety net’ to my travel plans by arriving into the port city the day before the cruise - if something then goes wrong, I’ve got time to figure out a ‘Plan B’.
Want to save on air fare? Book your flights independently, rather than through the cruise line!
8. Consider Booking 3rd Party Tours.
When it comes to tours in the ports that you visit when you cruise, they can be expensive. I’ve met lots of people who have ended up paying more for tours on the cruise than they did for the cruise itself - it’s a huge income stream for the cruise lines.
Did you know that you don’t need to book tours through the cruise line? There are lots of options online that you can explore, and many of them will offer you a very similar (and sometimes even the same!) experience as what the cruise lines are offering, but at a fraction of the price!
If you take an excursion through the cruise line, you’ll have the added reassurance that the ship won’t leave without you at the end of the day, which is usually only really a consideration for full-day tours. Most tours will only be a few hours long, which means that you’ll have ample time to book one through a third-party, and then get back to the ship well before the ‘all aboard’ time.
I’ve previously used Viator, which is a website offering tours around the world. Go on - take my Viator challenge. Search what’s available for your upcoming cruises at your ports of call - you might just be surprised at how much money you could save by booking through a third party operator. Click here to go to Viator now!
Have you tried Viator? Click the image above to go to their website now! (affiliate link)
9. Pre-Book as Many Things on the Ship as Possible!
This one’s simple - when it comes to onboard experiences and packages, it’s almost always going to be cheaper to book these before the cruise than it will be to book them once you’re onboard.
Think about things like internet packages, photo packages, speciality dining packages and so much more. Most cruise lines will offer you the ability to save between 15% and 30% by pre-booking your package(s), so it really is a ‘no brainer’ in my opinion. If you’re going to add it when you get onto the ship, do it before you leave home and spend your hard-earned money elsewhere!
Planning to book Speciality Dining during your cruise? Try to add it before you leave home via your online account!
Drinks packages are another example of an aspect that will usually be cheaper to add to your booking before the cruise!
10. After You’ve Booked Your Cruise, Watch the Price!
Most people assume that the price you see online when you book your cruise is the price you’ll pay. However, you might be delighted to learn that this isn’t always the case.
Keep watching your cruise after you confirm your booking - if the fare price drops, you’ll often be able to speak to the cruise line (or your travel agent) about a fare adjustment. You may see your cruise fare reduce as a result, or at the very least you’ll be offered some onboard credit to spend on the ship.
If you had already agreed to pay the higher fare, then I see absolutely no reason why you wouldn’t do this - it’s like getting ‘free money’ from the cruise line, so keep watching those prices!
11. Choose to Cruise on an Older Cruise Ship.
You’ve seen the brochures and social media commercials from the cruise lines which show off their newest ships to the world. Of course, if you’d like to cruise on the newest ships available, then you’re going to have to pay a premium to do so.
This is something that I didn’t realise when I started cruising. In fact, my first ever cruise was on a very new ship - had I known about this, I’d probably have sailed on an older ship and saved myself a small fortune!
Take Royal Caribbean as an example. I’ve cruised on one of the oldest ships in their fleet (Rhapsody of the Seas) for about half of what I could pay to cruise on Icon of the Seas (one of the largest and newest ships in their fleet). In my opinion, I’d rather get on more cruises for my money than always cruise on the newest ships in the world, but this could be something for you to think about…
I took a cruise onboard Rhapsody of the Seas, and it was a bargain compared to Royal Caribbean’s newer ships!
You’ll pay a significant premium to cruise on the newest ships in the world!
12. Book Your Next Cruise While You’re on a Cruise!
If you want to save money when you book your future cruises (of course you do - you’re this far into this article…), then you’ll want to consider booking your next cruise while you’re onboard.
If you’re first-time cruiser, this tip isn’t going to help you save on your first cruise, but every cruise line will offer you incentives to secure another booking while you’re on their ships. Those incentives might involve onboard credit either on your current or future cruise, or they might involve discounts on the advertised fare of the future cruise.
There are also often options that involve purchasing gift cards / credit notes for the cruise line, which you can then apply to bookings once you get home. Not all cruise lines offer this option, but it can be well worth exploring if they do. If you know you’ll take another cruise with that cruise line in the future, why wouldn’t you look to purchase a credit note if the incentives for doing so were good?
Think about it - offering you these incentives is a cruise line’s way of ‘locking in’ your loyalty…
Did you know that you can often secure much better value on your future cruises by booking them while you’re on a cruise?!
13. Book a Longer Cruise!
You might be surprised by this one, but did you know that you can save money when you cruise by booking longer cruises?! Yes, it’s true!
The ‘sweet spot’ for cruises is typically around 7-nights. In other words, you’ll often find that a 7-night cruise is about as expensive on a ‘per night’ basis as they come.
If you’d like to save some money, you can find some much better value cruise options if you switch your cruise duration from 7 nights to 9 nights or 12 nights. These longer itineraries are often more difficult for the cruise line to sell through on for a wide array of reasons, but mostly due to the fact that anyone of working age will be unable to take longer periods of time out of their working schedule. This will reduce the demand for such a cruise, and therefore bring the prices down.
It’s not just longer cruise lengths that can be better value - sometimes it’s much better value to think about booking a ‘back to back’ cruise, where you book two 7-night cruises on the same ship instead of just one. You’ll often find that your cost per night drastically reduces, and your state of relaxation is going to increase exponentially as you now have double the amount of time on vacation…!!
Explore longer cruises if you’re keen to score a better value deal - you might be surprised at what you’ll be able to book if you make your vacation longer!
14. Booking a Luxury Cruise? Book as Far out as Possible!
At the point of writing this post, I’m not overly well versed in the ‘luxury’ cruise market. However, while I haven’t personally experienced many luxury cruise products first-hand, I have scoured the internet in search of good value deals on these ships.
What I’ve found is that it’s much more possible to find the better rates on luxury cruise ships if you’re flexible with your availability, but also if you’re able to book far in advance. I don’t see many last-minute cruise deals appearing for luxury products, but if you can book a few years in advance then you stand a much better chance of locking in a good rate!
Booking a ‘luxury’ cruise? You’ll probably want to secure your booking as far in advance as possible!
15. Scour YouTube for Lots More Tips and Advice!
Okay, you’ve made it this far, so you’re obviously keen to learn as much as possible when it comes to your future cruises, and also how you can be as savvy as possible.
One of my top tips is to spend some time on YouTube - there are so many content creators out there (myself included) who want to help save you money on your future cruises! The best thing is that it’s completely free to spend time watching the videos that these creators produce, and who knows - they might just save you a small fortune!
If you’ve enjoyed this post today, then please share it with anyone who you think will enjoy it. You can find lots of other cruise tips on my website, which you can navigate through using the menu at the top of the page.
Why not come over and see me on YouTube? In the below video, I run you through 10 charges on cruise ships that surprise lots of new cruisers - don’t let them catch you out! If you do watch that video next, please say hello in the comments - I’d love to hear from you!