Everybody loves to get a good deal, but like anything else, when discounts are constant, they start to lose their significance. In the case of cruise promotions, the stream of sales can become straight-up overwhelming to navigate. Top cruise lines regularly run concurrent discounts on different elements of booking: free third and fourth passengers per cabin, onboard credits, discounted cruising fares, free Wi-Fi and more.
What gets complicated—particularly if you are comparing different itineraries on different cruise lines—is parsing which bundle of discounts and perks will get you the best deal for the trip you intend to take. Sometimes, the biggest advertised discount won’t snag you the best savings for your specific trip. For instance, an advertised deal of a large percentage off the base fare might be calculated against a higher standardized rate than what passengers typically pay—kind of like MSRP for a new car.
Further, some of those aforementioned perks like free Wi-Fi and drink packages may be valuable to some people, and useless to others. Ultimately, to find the best deal for your specific trip, you’ll want to calculate your total trip cost rather than focus on individual, line-item promotions. Here are some tips for cutting through the noise and getting the best price.
Unfortunately, there’s no single trade secret on the best time to book a cruise. Rather, it depends on your priorities. But her top tip for getting the best deal is to be flexible with your travel dates—which doesn’t necessarily mean committing to off-season travel (like heading to the Caribbean during hurricane season, though doing so will likely cost less than a New Year’s Eve sail to the tropical destination).
Rather, “once you've narrowed down your top choice in ships, even comparing fares from week to week can uncover some pretty big savings, as prices can vary quite a bit from one sailing to the next," McDaniel says. To make the most of last-minute deals, she suggests tracking specific itineraries from 90 days out, when cruise lines may adjust their rates based on overall ship capacity and cancellations from booked passengers. Just remember, with this strategy, you’ll need to remain flexible with the specific ship, available guest cabin and other details of the trip.
You can also take note of wave season, the annual promotion period for cruise deals that typically happens between January and March. During this time, most cruise lines unfurl deals on sails throughout the year, but whether those sales are steeper than other savings events remains to be seen. However, the long promotion window means you can take a moment to consider your options rather than feel pressured to take the plunge, lest you miss out on the best deal, as is the case on other big annual discount moments, like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
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