Leave The Deals Search To The Experts
If you don’t have time for Twitter, online cruise research or gathering up a group of 20 friends, nothing beats a good travel agent to help you score a deal.
Because agents often book in bulk and work directly with the lines, they have access to deals that normal cruisers don’t. Cruise lines will offer their top agencies special discounts that the agents can’t promote on their websites, so even if you see a good deal online, it’s best to talk to a real person and ask for the best fare.
Even if savings aren’t necessarily there for every sailing, agencies often offer deals with value-added perks like onboard credit or prepaid gratuities, which can amount to nearly $100 per person on a weeklong sailing.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Best for: Luxury seekers
Why: Regent Seven Seas is arguably the most inclusive of the biggest luxury brands. Its fares include all-suite accommodations , meals in main and specialty dining venues, pre- and post-cruise tours and hotel stays, gratuities, shore excursions and beverages from liquor to sodas . The ships are on the larger size for luxury, carrying 490 to 750 passengers each — small enough to create a social onboard atmosphere without the crowds of a big ship, but large enough to offer spacious cabins and enough dining and entertainment venues to prevent boredom. Luxury touches abound, whether it be a butler in your penthouse suite or exclusive premium bath amenities designed by the L’Occitane line. The 750-passenger Seven Seas Explorer has over-the-top suites and the highest staff-to-passenger ratios in the industry. Wherever in the world you choose to sail, you will be truly pampered.
Night Transpacific Repositioning Cruise Fromtokyo To Vancouver
$64 Per Day
$828 TOTAL Trip
The Celebrity Millennium, departing May 20th, 2020 is a once in a lifetime opportunity to sail with Celebrity at this price! The ship just completed a 100 million dollar renovation with all brand new staterooms! It also get top honors on the list for BEST VALUE. The price is so good on this crossing, we have already sailed this route twice on the Millennium!
Enjoy 13 days of breathtaking cruising all the way from Tokyo to Vancouver. The itinerary includes: 11 days of sailing at sea and 2 port days with stops in Japan and Russia.
The highly rated Millennium holds 2500 passengers and offers some of the best service in the cruise industry. The Millennium delights guests with three pools, a spa, a casino, outdoor movie theater, gym, and a jacuzzis.
$57 Per Day
$709 TOTAL Trip
Departing on Royal Caribbeans Vision of the Seas will depart on an transatlantic voyage from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Barcelona, Spain!
This low priced cruise has port days in: St. Maarten, Canary Islands and Spain.
The Vision of the seas hold 2400 passengers and features an outdoor movie theater, basketball court, gym, spa, casino, a solarium, six jacuzzis, and three pools. This is a great chance to cross the Atlantic ocean at a cheap price.
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Are Cruises Cheaper Through A Travel Agent
Cruises should always be cheaper through a travel agent. If theyre not, then you need to find yourself a new travel agent!
Most cruise travel agents make money in two ways:
The bonuses that travel agents receive for hitting their targets can be huge. So when a sales target deadline is coming up, travel agents may be willing to sell cruises at cost price or even at a loss to earn their big bonus payment.
Whats more, some cruise travel agents use a specific business model whereby they buy up thousands of cabins in bulk for a cheap rate. Once the travel agent owns those cabins, they have to sell them. Even if they make a small loss on some of the cabins, its better than the loss that would be made if the cabins remained unsold.
As well as getting the best price on your cruise, there are other advantages to booking your cruise with a travel agent rather than directly with the cruise line. If youre booking flights and hotels too, a travel agent can get you the best package price, sort everything out for you and take charge if anything goes wrong.
To compare cruise prices from lots of different travel agents at once, I like to use Cruise Critic.
The Best Cheap Cruise Cabins
The cheapest cabins are inside cabins with no windows. I almost always choose an inside cabin when I cruise. The only reason I would choose a cabin with a balcony is if I were cruising to a scenic destination like the Norwegian Fjords or Alaska.
Other reasons why people pay extra for a balcony include claustrophobia or having a baby who will only take naps in a bed.
Sometimes, youll find cruise promotions offering free or cheap upgrades to balcony cabins. However, these are usually only on cold-weather cruises where you wouldnt want to spend a lot of time on your balcony anyway.
The cheapest inside cabins are called guarantee cabins. This means that the cruise line chooses your stateroom number for you and youre guaranteed a cabin of that type, or better. If you want to, you can pay extra to choose your own cabin number but in my opinion, this is rarely worth it.
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How To Find Cheap Cruises
First and foremost to start your hunt for cheap cruises, we always recommend visiting a third-party cruise booking site like Expedia, Orbitz, or others.
When you start your search, you have tons of different options. You can go straight to a cruise lines website to find deals. However, when you do that you are limiting your search only to trips on that companys cruises. Unless youre an avid fan of one cruise line, this isnt the best way to plan your voyage, since it gives you only a small sliver of whats out there.
On the aggregator travel sites you can set up search parameters for all the cruise lines at once, then sort by price, departure port, date and more. Thats why we like to start our search on these sorts of websites. It gives you all your options instead of just one line.
Beyond that, there are a few other simple tips for cruise fans shopping for dirt-cheap fares.
While we have a full list of rules on getting the best deal on a cruise, the easiest way to find an inexpensive trip is to keep these things in mind:
- Look for shorter cruises
- Sail when school is in session
- Book an inside cabin
- Sail aboard an older ship
These four factors will have the largest impact on what you pay for a cruise.
Night Repositioning Cruise Fromsavona To Pointe
$26 Per Day
$516 TOTAL Trip
Topping our list in the number one spot is the cheapest cruise in the world! Costa is known for being budget friendly, but this price is outta this world! For only $26 per day you could be sailing for 20 days from Savona to Pointe-a-Pitre on the Costa Magica.
Departing on December 6th, 2020 the ship will set sail with stops in: France, Spain, The Canary Islands, Martinique, Domincian Republic and St. Maarten.
The ship was refurbuished in 2017 and can hold up to 2600 passengers. On board amenities include 4 pools, 5 jacuzzis, casino, gym and spa.
We hope this list of the Cheapest Cruises in 2020 gives you some great ideas for your next vacation! Like we mentioned above, this list changes as ships get sold-out. We will be updating it frequently, so check back often!
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Cheapest Time To Cruise Alaska
Remember that cruises to Alaska have a relatively short window of time. The cheapest cruises to Alaska will often take place at the beginning of the cruise season and at the end of the season .
These times also are more vulnerable to inclement weather and some tours or ports may be canceled. So in order to save a few bucks, some flexibility is required.
Go When Others Cannot
All cruise cost factors being equal, the cheapest time to go on a cruise is when most others are busy or unwilling to go on that same sailing.
Most cruisers make a decision to go on a particular cruise based on their schedule at home, primarily related to their work or school schedule. Cruises that sail during times of the year when most kids are in school, or employers typically do not provide time off to their employees are the perfect time to snag a great deal on a cruise.
I will share good times of the year to consider cruises for many itineraries, but the common theme you will find among all of them is they are during times of the year when most families are not interested in cruising.
The other key factor to getting a deal is going on a cruise in what is known as the “shoulder season”. These are the weeks or months at the very beginning or very end of a ship’s time in a particular region when factors such as weather, fauna or flora are not at their optimal levels. That is not to say cruising in the shoulder season would be a disappointment, but rather, not when conditions will be absolutely perfect.
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Some People Prefer The Cheapest Cruise Cabins
If you don’t plan on spending a lot of time in your cabin , and you don’t mind the lack of natural light, a cheap inside cabin might be the best room for you. Why spend money on more space or windows if you’re not going to benefit from them? Instead, save that money for the purchases that are meaningful to you — whether that be shore tours, drink packages or thermal suite passes.
For some folks, inside cabins are their first choice. You might feel the same.
Book At The Last Minute
For those who can be spontaneous, flexibility can pay off. Check out our last minute cruise deals section, which features bargains on a variety of sailings leaving within 90 days — 90 days out being the typical point at which final cruise payments are due. In general, there are always plenty of Caribbean and Mediterranean cruise deals.
Other hard-to-fill cruises — such as shoulder season cruises and one-way repositioning sailings, where open-jaw airfare is required — can be deeply discounted at the last minute. 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.
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Should You Hold Out For A Last
If you want a cabin for two people and arent fussy about where you go, when you go or on which ship, then you can definitely save money by booking your cruise 6 to 12 weeks before departure. Prices are likely to drop at this time because balance payments are due and some passengers drop out.
However, if you want a family cabin for three or four passengers, then the sad truth is that you are very unlikely to find a cheap last-minute deal.
Cabins with extra beds are always in short supply. I once went to book a cruise the day after it went on sale and all the inside four-berth cabins were already gone!
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Does It Pay To Plan Ahead Or Should I Wait Until The Last Minute
Its an age-old question does the early bird really get the worm, or are there perks to taking a wait-and-see approach? If youre booking a cruise vacation, youll find there are benefits to both strategies. Planning ahead is a great way to score big savings, as Royal Caribbean often runs early saver deals to guests booking well in advance. Its also pretty safe to assume prices usually go up as availability goes down the closer you get to your sail date, so booking ahead is a surefire way to lock in a great rate. That said, booking a cruise at the last minute can also yield some unexpected savings but only if the itinerary youre interested in hasnt sold out yet.
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Cheapest Cruise To Mexico
The most inexpensive times to cruise to Mexico will be very similar to Caribbean cruises. The holidays of Christmas and Easter can be particularly busy for travelers in Mexico and costs will reflect this, with both higher cruise costs and flights.
The end of July through November can be some of the best times to book a cruise to Mexico in terms of pricing. But also remember the end of summer will also be unbearably hot at times in this part of the world, and hurricane season will be in full swing.
If the cost of a cruise is more important than the ideal temperature and meteorological implications, go for it.
In our article on 7 Tips for Scoring the Best Deal on a Cruise we mention that cruising during the off season is one of the best ways to stay within your budget. Using the information above you can find the cheapest time to cruise to the Bahamas or Caribbean in general.
Whats The Most Expensive Room Or Cabin On A Ship
Usually what they call the Owners Suite , but its more like an apartment. There are many affordable mini-suites and suites offered, and you need to compare the included amenities. The suites are targetted to people who live in large luxury homes and who expect more space, finer furnishings, and more attentive service. They are limited in number, book very far in advance, and are seldom discounted other than on a no cabin assignment basis.
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Rule Of Thumb For Cheapest Times To Cruise
While we believe that there are no bad times to take a cruise, certain weeks of the year are often cheaper than others. A good rule of thumb is that prices are likely to be higher around any holidays or when kids are out of school.
So basically the most convenient times of year to cruise are also the most expensive. Want to save money? Go against the flow. Book your vacation while everyone else is busy working or in school. Itll make your vacation photos that much sweeter when you come back to show all your friends how awesome your cruise getaway was as well.
What causes prices to change from week to week? It is all based on supply and demand. While some weeks are notorious for having high rates due to an increase in demand, the following weeks are generally the cheapest times to take a cruise.
It is worth noting that any week can have high prices if a specific sailing is selling well, even if it is during a week listed below. But if youre asking, When is the cheapest time to cruise? youve come to the right place.
Is It Better To Be At The Front Or Back Of The Ship
The highest deck at the front or back of the ship will have more rolling motion than the lower decks mid ship but in normal seas its barely noticeable. For getting around, it doesnt matter youre all over the ship anyway sometimes the front is convenient to your cabin location and sometimes the aft is. And if youre mid ship it might seem more convenient but you will always be walking to the front or aft of the ship at some point and returning. Mid ship feels like youre closer to everything.
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How Can I Maximize The Value Of My Cruise Vacation
There are plenty of ways to get more bang for your buck when you sail on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Every ship in the fleet offers a range of delicious complimentary dining options, but you can dig into even more crave-worthy flavor by purchasing a Specialty Dining Package for less ahead of your cruise. Add a Specialty Beverage Package which includes unlimited alcoholic beverages, soda, and more and your experience is as close to all-inclusive as it gets. And with so many complimentary shows and attractions onboard, you can easily fill every sea day without spending a single dollar extra.
Royal Caribbean also offers deals based on departure ports and destinations, so if youre a flexible traveler looking for great savings, you can plan your next vacation around which itineraries are on sale. 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 youre getting the best possible deal no matter when or where in the world you choose to set sai.
The Cheapest Times Of Year To Cruise
Telling you whats the cheapest month to cruise is easy. According to a 2012 Cruise Market Watch analysis of Royal Caribbean cruise fares for sailings worldwide, October is the cheapest month overall to cruise. And although that study was done a decade ago and for just one cruise line, the reasons why its the cheapest month to cruise havent changed.
In general, October is a month when weather conditions arent at peak loveliness. Kids are usually in school, so families arent planning vacations. There arent any major holidays .
Cruise fares fluctuate because of demand, and October just isnt an in-demand month on average in the cruise world.
But that doesnt mean all the cheap fares are only in Octoberafter all, some cruise itineraries dont even sail during that time of year! Depending on where you want to cruise and what week youre willing to sail, you can find rock-bottom prices on cruises at many other times of the year. You can often find a cruise thats much cheaper than any October sailing, if you choose the right week.
In general, look for times of the year when the kids are in school and its not a major holiday. Weather is also a major factor. After all, lots of us choose our vacation spots because were trying to escape the weather at homewere either trying to escape the cold or enjoy a reprieve from the heat and humidity! Cruising to a location when everyone else isnt clamoring to go is usually the best way to save money.
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