Some people think you have to have deep pockets in order to afford a cruise vacation. Truthfully, though, cruising can be cheaper per day than a reasonable hotel room. If you plan ahead, you can get your room and all-you-can-eat food for as little as $50 per day! I’m going to share my best tips for how to save on cruises, including how to help you book your cruise at the best price.

How to Save on Cruises

Book early 

The best months to book a cruise are early spring and fall.  It’s when people are dreaming of vacations, but not actually taking them.   Booking a year out can get you the biggest incentives, deal packages, and even room choices. When you book super early, you also can take advantage of time. If at any point between the time you book and the time you sail the price goes lower, you can always call and get them to change your price to the new discount!

The price difference is not always given back as cash but many cruise lines will give you the difference in on board credit.  This can help pay for gratuities, shore excursions and lots of other fun things though.

Book late

If you can’t book early, then be prepared to book last minute. While you won’t have the room choices of booking early, they would rather fill a ship than have empty rooms.  Look for cruises in the Caribbean to have the best last-minute rates as there are a ton of ships in the area and many are mega ships that hold 6,000 people. The best rates are all about supply and demand, and this is usually an area of the sea with a lot of supply! Booking late in some areas of the world will not get you a better rate, so you have to be flexible on your dates, location, and room types in order to save. Also, know that some ships are always sought after (like Disney lines), so booking late won’t save much.

Search the Internet

With any big vacation, spending time researching and planning always pays off. Do some research to pick the best ships, locations, and even times of the year to travel. Also, do some soul searching on whether you are a mega-ship person or prefer smaller ships.  Once you decide what you are looking for, sign up for emails from your favorite cruise lines. They’ll send out emails every few weeks with different promotions and you’ll be the first to know about BOGO offers, packages, kids sail free, and even flash sales.

Talk with a travel agent

While you can still book on your own (and I do recommend still doing your own research), travel agents can also help you figure out how to save on cruises. Ask if they have any secret sales or specials running. Also, ask if they have any groups going that you can join in on. Taking advantage of group pricing might save a bundle over current rates depending on when you are booking. Read More→