10 Money Saving Secrets For Your Next Cruise
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A cruise is a perfect way to scratch multiple countries off your bucket list. Unlike road trips and flying, cruises offer an all-inclusive experience, where your ticket covers accommodations, meals, transportation, and certain activities.
If travel planning sounds daunting, booking a cruise could be a good solution. It allows you to enjoy a stress-free vacation with plenty of amenities and activities all under one roof. There’s no need to create lengthy itineraries and figure out logistics when you could hop aboard a cruise ship and sail away!
But taking a cruise can be expensive. Depending on the length and destination, tickets can cost thousands of dollars, and worldwide cruises can have a whopping six-figure price tag.
With the cost of labor and goods on the rise, prices on cruises have been creeping up, too, as cruise operators pass operational costs to consumers. Although cheap cruises are harder to find, you can still score a good deal if you know when and where to shop for your cruise tickets.
Here are some of the ways you can find good prices on cruises:
1. Book Your Cruise Early or Last Minute
The early bird gets the worm when it comes to cruises. Major cruise companies often publish their new trips with a discount to entice people to book them.
These deals are often announced in newsletters and on companies’ websites, so keep an eye out for them ahead of time. Usually, booking your trip 6-12 months in advance gets you the best cabin choices and a good discount, but this time frame also varies by season and tour operator.
If you’re flexible, last-minute bookings (within a few weeks of sailing) can be heavily discounted as cruise lines try to get rid of unsold tickets and offer lower prices.
2. Skip That Oceanview Room
There’s no better way to start your day than by looking at the ocean outside your window.
Yet, one of the best ways to score a discount on your cruise tickets is by booking an inside cabin. Oceanview rooms are spectacular and often have more space, but they are also more expensive, especially on popular holiday cruises in high demand.
If you book an inside cabin, you can still enjoy all the amenities on board, and get outside as soon as you wake up to enjoy the view of the water.
3. Hire a Travel Advisor
If you are new to cruise travel and don’t feel like you can find the hottest deals on your own, hiring a travel advisor could be a good option. A travel advisor specializing in cruises can keep tabs on cruise prices and identify the best time for buying tickets.
Having someone knowledgeable about the industry can take a considerable burden off your shoulders, especially if you’re planning a family trip and already have a lot on your plate.
4. Book Off-Season Cruises
Cruises during the shoulder season (just before or after peak times) or off-season usually have lower prices. For example, Caribbean cruises in spring or late fall could be cheaper because they are outside the busy winter when many people want to escape to warm places.
Shoulder season cruises can also be less crowded and offer a better experience in a destination you want to visit after winter crowds dissipate. Cruisewatch is a great resource that tracks price changes for cruise tickets.
5. Bring Your Essentials
Some cruise lines allow you to bring limited amounts of drinks like wine and soda onboard. This can help you avoid high drink prices at bars and stores on a cruise ship.
Another great move is stocking up on essentials like snacks, toiletries, and sundries that will likely cost more on a cruise ship.
6. Limit Your Onboard Spending
Cruise ships have amusement parks, restaurants, shopping, spas, and fitness centers, where you can drop a pretty penny.
Cruise companies design their ships to entice more spending, but if you want to travel frugally, you might want to hold off on non-essential expenditures.
While you should enjoy your vacation, consider limiting unnecessary expenses like lavish meals and entertainment options. If your cruise is at least a few weeks, your bills could quickly add up and make your trip more expensive.
7. Take Advantage of Loyalty Programs or Discounts
Many cruise lines offer passenger discounts or loyalty programs to score deals and special offers based on your points and purchase history.
Some companies also offer discounts to military members, and seniors or college students, so it’s worth checking if you qualify for any additional benefits before booking your tickets.
8. Consider Repositioning Cruises
Repositioning cruises move ships from one destination to another (for example, Caribbean to Europe or Alaska to Mexico), and are usually cheaper because they include fewer stops. Even though you visit fewer cruise ports, you can still experience the thrill of being on a cruise ship, and save some money.
9. Be Flexible About Your Travel Dates
Not every traveler can hop on a cruise ship on a whim, and most people plan their vacations around major holidays, school breaks, or high travel seasons.
If you have more freedom, be flexible about your travel dates so you can adjust to offers and discounts, which often fall on the less busy times of the year when demand is lower and cruise lines come up with various incentives to sell tickets.
10. Look For Affordable Activities
When traveling on a cruise ship, it’s easy to fall into the trap of booking all-inclusive activities and tours, which usually cost above average, especially compared to local agencies.
Before you arrive at a new cruise port, check activities and transportation options offered by local operators to compare the prices.
Sometimes, a tour offered by a local company could cost you less than a tour organized by your cruise line. If you speak the local language and feel confident investigating things, booking your tours and activities independently could be worth a shot.
