Cruising has quickly become one of my husband, Justin’s and my favorite ways to travel. You get to have one comfy “hotel” room, but get to wake up in and explore a new place every single day, plus have some yummy food and drinks along the way.
But cruises aren’t exactly cheap—a seven night Caribbean cruise on a non-luxury brand can cost up to $8,000 per person! So, if you’re looking to travel on a budget, here are 10 tips for how to save money on cruises (including some hacks that I know you haven’t heard of before!).
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How to save money on cruises
1. Book a sailing during the off-peak season
Cruise fares are typically dynamic and, like anything else, prices soar when demand is high. So, if you’re traveling during peak times, like spring or Christmas break, chances are you’re going to be paying a premium.
Most destinations also have a peak season. For example, one of our huge bucket list trips was going on an Antarctica cruise, which has a peak season from around December through February.
However, Antarctica cruises typically start around late October and end around early April.
There may be some minor differences depending on what time you go. For example, towards the beginning of the season, you won’t be able to sail as far south, given that there will still be lots of ice, and, at the end of the season, there will be a lot less snow on the land (and a lot more penguin poop!). Still, you’ll see the same magnificent landscape, ice formations, and wildlife, but with MUCH cheaper fares (like, more than $5,000 cheaper per person!) being offered towards the beginning or the end of the season.
2. Buy a gift card for your favorite cruise line through CardCash
One of the most underrated ways to save money on cruises is to use an app called CardCash, which essentially buys other people’s unused gift cards and then sells them for up to a 35%(!!) discount.
It’s a great and SUPER easy hack to save money while traveling in a variety of different ways—they offer gift cards for everything from hotels to airlines and, of course, your favorite cruise lines.
For example, here are some of the discounts on cruise lines that they’re offering at the time I’m writing this:
- Carnival Cruises: 7% off
- Princess Cruises: 4% off
- Royal Caribbean: 7% off
- Celebrity Cruises: 12% off
- Holland America Line Cruises: 3.5% off
Plus, these savings can usually be combined with other discounts or promotions offered by the cruise lines.
Additionally, I love that you don’t have to fart around with getting a physical gift card in the mail. 85% of the gift cards sold on CardCash (and, at the time I’m writing this article, 100% of the available cruise gift cards) are digital gift cards, meaning you’ll simply receive an email with all of the information you need to use it towards your next cruise.
If buying other people’s unused gift cards makes you feel a bit uneasy, you can put your mind to rest—CardCash offers its customers a 100% guarantee that the dollar amount specified in your order will be valid for a full 45 days from your date of purchase.
Just make sure to read the fine print when you’re purchasing as different cruise lines let you apply the gift cards or certificates in different ways.
For example, you might not be able to apply the gift card to the initial deposit amount or you might have to use it directly with the cruise line and not through your travel adviser.
On the bright side, some cruise lines offer flexible ways to use gift cards. For example, Carnival Cruise gift card holders can add their giftcard balance to their Sail & Sign onboard accounts and then use those funds at onboard venues, including the ship’s spa, bars, and even its casinos!
This is such a no brainer way to shave off a HUGE chunk of your cruise bill with just a few clicks.
3. Get an early bird discount
Many cruise lines, like Virgin Voyages, Royal Caribbean, and Holland America, offer early bird discounts for booking at least 12 months in advance, with incentives like up to 80% off the second passenger on a reservation or free drink or WiFi package upgrades.
The cruise lines offer these steep discounts because they want to secure bookings, fill cabins, and manage inventory. And you can take advantage of these deals to save some serious money or score free upgrades PLUS get your first choice of cabins!
4. Book a last minute cruise
If you have a lot of flexibility, you can save a TON of money by booking a cruise that’s departing within the next couple of months. Cruise lines often offer super steep discounts to fill empty cabins.
For example, CruiseDirect offers last minute cruise deals—at the time I’m writing this, they’re offering three night cruises on MSC, costing as little as $152 per passenger and even four night cruises with luxury brands, like Celebrity, for $403 per passenger.
Obviously, not everyone is going to be able to swing hopping on a four day cruise from Vancouver with four weeks notice, but if you’re retired or have a flexible job, this is an awesome way to save thousands of dollars on a cruise.
5. Book your next cruise onboard
Most cruise lines offer incentives, including discounts and onboard credit, for booking a future cruise while you’re already onboard.
Incentives vary, but here’s just a few examples:
- Disney Cruise Line offers a 10% discount for passengers that book a future cruise while already onboard and up to 25% off when booking a Placeholder Reservation for select sailings.
- Norwegian allows onboard passengers to purchase a $250 cruise credit for a future booking on a cruise of at least three days or longer. This cruise credit is treated as up to $500 in instant onboard credit, which can be used towards the deposit on your future cruise.
- Seabourn passengers that book while onboard get 5% off a future cruisefare, so long as they put down a $500 deposit (and the remainder of the deposit within 10 days of disembarkation).
This obviously only works if you’re a serial cruiser, in which case, I’d also recommend joining loyalty programs for your cruise line of choice. Almost all of them are totally free to join and people who cruise a lot can earn perks and discounts the more you cruise.
For example, Royal Caribbean’s membership program, the Crown and Anchor Society, offers perks that range from $2 of free play at the onboard casino up to access to a members-only lounge and a complimentary dinner at an onboard specialty restaurant. Another bonus of becoming a member of the Crown and Anchor Society is that you’ll receive a status tier loyalty match on Celebrity Cruises, which is the more luxurious and adults-focused sister to Royal Caribbean.
All that being said, I’d still recommend shopping around and choosing a cruise that best matches your interest, instead of rushing into a booking to score onboard credit or more loyalty points—you’ll usually be able to save WAY more money that way.
6. Use a travel advisor
To be honest, before we started cruising, I thought that travel agents were a thing of the past—with online booking platforms making it simple to book things yourself, who needs ‘em?
Turns out that travel agents (who have generally rebranded themselves as travel advisors) are very much alive and well, especially with the post-COVID boom of luxury and adventure travel.
Travel advisors can offer a variety of different perks—some have group bookings on certain sailings and can offer massive deals, while others might have pre-arranged smaller discounts with specific cruise lines. They also may be able to offer special perks when you book through them, like complimentary onboard credit or drink packages.
For example, we booked a polar expedition cruise through a travel advisor, who offered us a discounted rate on the cruisefare, $250 each of onboard credits (which we used towards a kayaking excursion), and a bottle of champagne that was waiting for us in our cabin when we boarded.
The one thing that I would caution against, though, is that you still need to do your research, both with respect to your travel advisor and the cruise you’re signing up for. Travel advisors are, at the end of the day, salespeople that are pretty much solely compensated on a commissions basis and, accordingly, may be incentivized to push cruises that might not be perfectly matched with your interests.
Are you looking for a reputable advisor to book your next cruise? Reach out to us at booking@uprootedtraveler.com and let us know where you’re headed so we can connect you with the right one.
7. Book a repositioning cruise
One unique way to save money on cruises is to try to find a repositioning itinerary, when a ship moves one-way from one region to another, based on seasonal demand. These cruises are often transatlantic or transpacific and oftentimes have lots of at-sea days.
There are definitely some drawbacks of repositioning cruises as compared to a normal sailing. For example, there tends to be less port stops despite typically being longer sailings and some features of the cruises, like onboard entertainment or merchandise, may not be fully available (e.g., many cruise lines use repositioning cruises as an opportunity to try out new shows).
On the other hand, you can usually get pretty solid deals on them—for example, at the time I’m writing this, an 18 night transpacific cruise, heading from Sydney to Honolulu, on Celebrity costs about $1,500 a person, which is a little more than twice as much as a one-way plane ticket between those two cities. If you’re a full-time traveler, have a super flexible schedule, or need to get from one continent to another, that’s definitely not a bad deal for 18 nights of accommodations, food, AND transportation!
Repositioning cruises also tend to hit more unique ports and typically are way less crowded than a standard one—we love not having to fight for a lounge chair!
8. Evaluate whether the extras are worth it
Cruise fares can often look deceivingly affordable until you start adding on all of the extras, like alcohol, WiFi, and specialty dining packages.
These can add up FAST and, in my opinion, typically aren’t worth it. For example, a premium drink package on most cruise lines usually costs at least $70 per day—unless you’re planning on drinking at least four drinks per day, I’m not convinced most people actually get the value of the cost that they’re paying.
With respect to getting internet while you’re onboard, you can always rely on finding WiFi while you’re in ports or consider using GigSky, a new eSIM company that offers data onboard some of the most popular cruise ships in the world at a fraction of the cost of cruise line’s WiFi packages. Even cooler, GigSky offers certain eSIMs that work both while you’re onboard AND at port, so you can stay connected throughout your entire cruise (you can find out more about this service in our review of GigSky).
9. Book your own excursions
I’m going to make a sweeping statement that should surprise no one—excursions booked through a cruise line are SO overpriced and, in my opinion, not worth it.
There are undoubtedly some real benefits of booking excursions through the cruise line, mainly that the ship will wait for you if something goes wrong during your outing and you’re late for the all-aboard time.
But, in my opinion, the benefits of booking your own experiences far outweigh the risks.
You get to review and choose which tour companies you go with, meaning you can vet by whether the operator is locally owned and if they drag you to unwanted souvenir shops or tourist traps (which is quite common on excursions booked through cruise lines). You’ll have more options for what kind of experiences you want to enjoy while you’re at port AND it’s usually way cheaper than if you book through the cruise line.
Since there is a risk that the cruise will depart without you if you miss the all-aboard time, just be sure to quadruple check when you have to be back at the ship and only book excursions that give you plenty of buffer time (i.e., at least two hours before the all-aboard time) to get back.
10. Monitor your cruise fare
Even after you’ve picked your cruise and paid your deposit, I’d recommend keeping an eye on the publicly listed fare, as most cruise lines offer some form of price matching, especially if you make the request before your final payment.
Just be aware that a lot of cruise lines will not offer you a cash refund and instead, will provide you with a cabin upgrade or onboard credit. But, hey, a swankier room is a swankier room—espeically if you get to enjoy it for the price you’re already paying!
I hope I gave you some good ideas on how to save money on cruises, so you can go on the trip of your dreams! Do you have any good money saving tips that I missed? Let me know in the comments below!
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