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.
These Are The Most Affordable Cruises Ranked By Cost
Cruising doesn’t need to be expensive, and these itineraries are serving up serious ~vacation~ vibes without the massive price tag attached.
This article will be looking at some of the cheapest cruises in 2021 that are 4 days long, from anywhere in the world. The prices will be recorded in USD and will reflect the average starting price per person . This article will not be looking at promotional deals just the regular price of the cruise line and without the added cost of the amenities. Travelers looking to book their next perfect cruise should always read the fine print during booking and be aware of any add-on costs . Use this article as a guide when doing research!
Chart Showing Cheapest Cruise Weeks
Even though this chart is a few years old, not much has really changed in terms of when the cheapest time to cruise throughout the year will be. This chart is from Cruise Market Watch and highlights the average cost of a Royal Caribbean cruise for an inside cabin throughout the year.
Use this chart more as a visual than a concrete unit of measurement for the specific costs of cruising during these times. Again, this graph was made in 2012 but general rules of pricing during the weeks of the year are still valid today.
Notice the price spikes during Decembers busy holiday season, followed by the sharp decrease in pricing early in to January. This chart is a great way to see the cheapest cruise months at a glance.
Leading into Spring there are some price increases for cruise vacations as people get ready for spring break. These prices, however, are still lower than the dramatic increase during the peek cruise season of June and July.
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Three Things To Remember When Booking A Cheap Cruise
1. Smaller is cheaper Smaller boats tend to be less expensive since they offer fewer amenities and attractions.
2. Cruise in the off season Traveling off season will get you markedly cheaper fares.
3. Take a repositioning cruise Repositioning cruises are when cruise lines move ships from one part of the world to the next in anticipation of the upcoming season. These cruises are a great way to cross an ocean or sail down a continents coast on the cheap and can be found on any cruise booking website.
What about your flight? Dont book your flight with the cruise book it separately. Check out this guide to finding a cheap flight to lower that cost.
Looking For The Best Cruise Lines For The Money Porthole Cruise Readers Shared Their Favorites For Rca 2020
Who said your next vacation has to break the bank? Cruising is one of the most affordable vacations, particularly for families, thanks to all-inclusive dining, entertainment and amenities as well as constant deals, perks and promotions offered by cruise lines all over the world. Some cruise lines even cater to cruisers on a budget so they get to enjoy all the fun and excitement of a cruise vacation without spending a fortune doing so.
Porthole Cruise readers voted for the best cruise lines for the money and the results are in. Click the link below to jump to each cruise line!
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Navigator Of The Seas
Navigator of the Seas. A cruise ship or a work of art? Not only does it sail effortlessly through the waters, it contains some of the cruise industry’s most amazing features – a rock-climbing wall, a basketball court, an ice-skating rink and an in-line skating track. Dare we say there’s more? What about a five-story theatre, a casino, a miniature golf course and a spectacular three-story dining room? This 138,000-ton nautical wonder has it all.
The Cheapest Time Of Year To Cruise
Certain months are much cheaper than others and this depends very much on the destination and the weather that you can expect at that time of year.
The cheapest time to cruise in Europe and the Mediterranean is December and January . This is mainly because the weather is cold.
The cheapest time to cruise in the Caribbean is August, September and October. This is because of hurricane season and the risk that cruises may miss ports or be cancelled altogether due to bad weather.
If your cruise is cancelled due to a hurricane youll get about two days notice, so hopefully, you wont have taken your flight, but youll probably have packed your bags!
The most expensive time to cruise is always Christmas and New Year when prices will skyrocket to double or triple the normal price. The UK school summer holidays can be pretty expensive too.
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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.
Rule #: Dont Get Distracted By Cruise Line Sales
The cruise lines are like department stores they constantly run sales and special offers. Sometimes it is 50% off the second fare. Sometimes its lower deposits. Sometimes its onboard credit.
Weve found that there is a constant flow of deals, and they usually are all about the same. In other words, we dont really think you should let it influence whether or not you buy or let it affect the timing of your purchase.
Yes, it is possible that one deal might be better than another. However, they typically end up around the same price. If a cruise line really needs to fill rooms, they will simply lower the price of the specific cruise instead of offering a fleetwide discount.
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Night Caribbean Cruises Cruise Only
The table below shows example prices for a selection of Caribbean cruises. These cruises are during the months of April, August and November.
Only one example from each cruise line was used for the comparison, prices do vary even within the cruise line based on the cruise ship but the prices below do provide a good example of what to expect.
Drawbacks of Cruising The Caribbean in Peak Season:
- Cruise ships are usually full
- Ports can be busy
- Children arent off school
- Have to make bookings ahead of time
How To Get Cheap Cruises: An Insider Guide
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click one, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Before I became a full-time blogger, I worked in the marketing department of a well-known specialist cruise travel agency for five years.
In that time, Ive sat at my desk and watched the price of cruises go up and down, and up again.
Ive seen cruises priced at £13 per night and cruises that cost over £4,000 per night. Ive spotted some incredible deals and Ive also scratched my head at why some cruises are priced so much higher than others.
I always like to have at least five cruises booked at any one time. People ask me how I afford to go on so many cruises? Am I rich? Do I have a rich husband? Alas, the answer is no! Ive just learned how to get cheap cruises from working in the industry.
Cruises arent expensive if you know how to find the cheap deals.
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Brilliance Of The Seas
Brilliance of the Seas is just another example of Royal Caribbean’s commitment to making your at sea vacation experience one you will never forget. More outside cabins, glass elevators facing the sea, nine-story glass-constructed Centrum, state-of-the-art technology and of course, their Gold Anchor ServiceSM that is second to none, are just a few of the ways this cruise ship will make your journey special and unique.
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.
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Payments / Refunds On On Royal Caribbean Cruises
You will get a full refund if you notify RCCL in writing 75 days prior to your sailing date . Consult the chart below to determine the cancellation charges applicable later. Note: No refunds will be made if you do not show up for your cruise or if you interrupt or cancel your vacation once it has begun. When calculating the days prior to sailing, the day of sailing should not be considered as one of the days. The day of sailing is considered the first day of the cruise, therefore, the penalty period will commence one day prior to the day of sailing. This cancellation policy applies when reserving with RCCL US Office only. Guests should contact their local Royal Caribbean International Office or Travel Agent for full details of applicable cancellation policies. Effective August 1, 2010, new reservations will fall under the following cancellation schedule:
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Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody Of The Sea: 3 Nights In Cyprus
This cruise line is a perfect blend of a budget with fun, with a ton of onboard activities like a rock-climbing wall, culinary classes, whirlpools in the Solarium, and an outdoor movie theatre by the pool! Before setting out to sail, travelers can explore Haifa, Israel’s port city. There’s no shortage of cultural and historical sites to explore at Haifa, whether it’s visiting the oldest Monastery in the world at Stella Maris Monastery, or UNESCO’s Baháí Faith’s Baháí World Centre. Rhapsody of the Sea will take cruisers to Limassol, Cyprus. When in Limassol, explore the ancient Kolossi Castle that was built in the Middle Ages or find some great deals at MY MALL Limassol, one of the city’s largest malls.
- Departs at: Haifa, Israel
It doesn’t have to be all about relaxing by the pool or enjoying your day at the spa this cruise line is equipped with a transparent waterslide that topples and turns you over around the ship! This cruise ship doesn’t have a curfew travelers can enjoy a nice drink at The Lime and Coconut, or catch a live production of Showgirls in the onboard theatre. Travelers will then be taken to California’s Catalina Island, where they can soak up the sun at Descanso Beach or sail the waters on a catamaran.
- Departs at: Los Angeles, California
- Arrives at: Los Angeles, California
- Departs at: Rome, Italy
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Night Repositioning Cruise Frombarcelona To Tampa
$59 Per Day
$821 TOTAL Trip
Chase the Autumn Blues away by hopping on Caribbeans Rhapsody of the Seas. Its setting sail November 7th, 2020, and tickets are super affordable.
This repositioning cruise deal landed in our number 4 spot and is sure to impress. Enjoy 14 days of gorgeous cruising all the way from Tarragona to Tampa.
The itinerary has port stops in: the Canary Islands and the Bahamas. This ship holds up to 2400 guests and was recently renovated in 2016. Definitely a bucket list cruise at a truly affordable price.
The Best Cheap Cruise Ships
Youll find some large price differences between different ships in each fleet. Cruising on a newer cruise ship will cost more than a cruise on an older ship. Why? Well, newer cruise ships are larger with more facilities on-board. People get excited about new ships and dont mind paying more, especially for the maiden voyages.
Are new cruise ships better? Not always. Cruise ships are thoroughly refurbished every three years, so even on the oldest ships youll never find peeling paint or shabby furnishings.
Royal Caribbean charges around $1 more per drink on the newest ships, which doesnt sound a lot but it can add up. Royal Caribbean drinks packages cost more on the newer ships too.
Rather than looking for the biggest, newest ships, dont rule out some older ships which will be as good as new once you get on-board.
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Answered: Which Cruise Line Has The Cheapest Drink Package
Cruising and drinking go together like peanut butter and jelly. Sure, you dont have to drink if you dont want to, but its by far one of the most popular things to do on the ship. You only need to look to the dozen or more bars that dot a modern cruise ship to know that having a drink is a popular pastime at sea.
The one drawback of that love of drinking is that it can get extremely expensive. Beers on a ship can cost about $8 after gratuity. Want a cocktail? Expect to spend $10-12 each. It would be simple to rack up a $100 bar tab on a single evening.
Enter cruise line drink packages. For those that plan to drink heavily on their cruise, these packages are the perfect solution. You simply pay one set daily price and then you get pretty much anything you want to drink on the ship . So instead of worrying about your bar tab, you know exactly what youve spent and can just enjoy yourself.
Now, you should know that cruise lines wouldnt have these packages if they couldnt make money on them. There are a few rules around the packages that can make them more expensive for passengers.
First, drink packages have to be bought for the entirety of the trip. While you are charged on a per-day basis, you have to purchase them for every day of the cruise. Second, if one adult in a cabin purchases the drink package, then usually all adults have to buy it as well. This prevents people from buying one package and sharing it.
Independence Of The Seas
Independence of the Seas is the third in the spectacular Freedom class of ships. Upon her debut in the United Kingdom, she is the largest ship ever to be home-ported in Europe. Guests across the globe will have access to the same amazing onboard innovations offered by our other Freedom-family ships, as well as a variety of exciting European itineraries to choose from.
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Cheapest Sale Package: Norwegian Cruise Lines
While Carnival offers the cheapest drink package in terms of the upfront price, you can find cheaper packages via sales. Case in Point: Norwegians Free at Sea offer.
Heres the gist when you book this sale, you get a number of free perks with your cruise. The number of perks you can choose depends on the type of cabin you choose. More expensive cabins get passengers more perks.
One of the perks is a free beverage package. That means if you book the Free at Sea offer, you can get the drink package at no additional charge.
Now there is some fine print you should know about.
First, just because the drink package is free doesnt mean you wont pay anything for it. Norwegian charges a 20% gratuity on the value of the package. Right now it is priced at $99 per day, so with the 20% gratuity, youll spend $19.80 per day for the free beverage package.
One other thing weve noticed is that booking the offer that gives you the beverage perk actually means youll pay a higher cruise fare. Fares can be hundreds of dollars cheaper when you book a Sail Away room, which arent eligible for the Free at Sea offer.
In other words, that free beverage package can end up costing quite a bit. Thats why we consider Carnivals CHEERS! package to be the cheapest drink package from a cruise line.