25 Cruise Booking tricks So You Never Pay Full Price Again
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Some travel things you just have to pay full price for, but cruises aren’t one of them.
Mike and I have spent years figuring out how to travel on a budget, and cruises are one of the easiest ways to do just that.
But just because cruises are easy wins does NOT mean the pricing isn’t complicated, and it does NOT mean the deals aren’t hard to find.
So, I’ve compiled these 25 tricks that will help you find the best deals. Some could save you a couple hundred bucks, and a few of them, if used together, could get you on a ship for a fraction of what the person in the next cabin paid.
25. Book 9-12 Months Out
I realize this one might sound obvious, but most people don’t commit early enough.
Book early and you’ll get the widest cabin selection. Look for mid-ship cabins (which are better for motion) and specific deck levels. Sometimes you’ll even find higher categories at early-bird pricing.
The cruise lines also run their biggest promotions during Wave Season (January through March), so if your timing lines up you can grab early pricing AND wave season perks at the same time.
The nice thing is that most bookings will let you cancel or modify without penalty before your final payment, so the risk of committing early is really a lot lower than most people assume.
24. Don’t Buy Travel Insurance Through the Cruise Line
The cruise line will offer you insurance when you book, but I highly recommend skipping it and buying third-party travel insurance instead.
Third-party policies are almost always less expensive and more comprehensive. The coverage that matters most for cruising is trip cancellation, medical evacuation, and medical care.
Your regular health insurance may not cover you in international waters or at foreign ports, so just a heads up..
🚨 My approach is to run every policy comparison through InsureMyTrip before I buy anything.
23. Book an Inside Cabin and Don’t Look Back
I get it.. You won’t have a balcony. I know, I know.
But think about it.. you sleep in the dark anyway, so does it really matter all that much? The ship is your destination. What matters most is the pool decks, restaurants, shows, sea days, etc. Most cruisers spend MAYBE two hours a day inside their cabin.
An inside cabin on a newer, nicer ship will beat an oceanview cabin on an older, smaller one pretty much every time. So, put your savings toward experiences instead.
✈️ Planning a trip? Let us do it for you. Click here!
22. Set Price Alerts and Watch Them
Cruise prices change constantly, sometimes even week to week. CruiseWatch.com is the tool most people in our travel community swear by. Set an alert for your sailing and it’ll notify you when the price changes.
Royal Caribbean’s Cruise Planner also shows deals on add-ons and base fares.
The key phrase here is “watch them.” If you set the alert and immediately forget about it, what good is that? Check in every couple of weeks, or more often if you’re eager and able to.
21. Cruise in Shoulder Season
We all know that peak cruise season means peak pricing, and that includes summer, school breaks, and major holidays. That’s when fares are highest and ships are fullest.
Spring and fall are a different story. April through May and September through October can be 20–40% cheaper than peak weeks for the exact same ship and itinerary. There will be fewer families, smaller crowds at ports, and overall better prices.
This is genuinely one of my favorite easy wins on the whole list if you have any flexibility at all.
20. Make Wave Season Work For You
January through March is when cruise lines have tons of promotions. The industry calls it Wave Season, and you should use it to your advantage.
Wave Seasons is when cruise lines roll out their most aggressive perks like free gratuities, free specialty dining packages, reduced deposits, bonus onboard credit just for booking during that window, etc.
If you stack it with an early booking, you can land your best price AND perks at the same time.
We make a habit of checking cruise prices in January even if we’re not planning to sail until later in the year because more than once it’s been the right time to pull the trigger on good deals.
19. Book Your Shore Excursions Independently
Most people don’t know this, but cruise line excursions are marked up, sometimes 25–40% more than booking the same tour directly through the local operator or through Viator or GetYourGuide.
Viator is my personal preference. We’ve used it in numerous countries and destinations.
In a lot of ports, the cruise line is literally reselling the local company’s product with their commission baked into the price. And that’s fine. I get it.. business is business. But that also means I can take my business elsewhere or go direct.
One real caveat is that cruise line excursions guarantee the ship won’t leave without you if the tour runs long whereas independent tours don’t.
The workaround is to book anything that gets you back to the ship at least two hours before all-aboard time, or look for options on Shore Excursions Group that specifically offer a ship-return guarantee.
For most ports on most itineraries, independent tours are the smarter and cheaper option.
18. Bring Your Own Wine on Embarkation Day
Most major cruise lines let you bring one bottle of wine per adult when you board.
This is a “wine-only” deal, so no beer or spirits allowed. But one bottle per person on a sailing with two adults adds up when you’d otherwise be paying $12–15 a glass at the bar.
(NCL generally doesn’t allow BYOB, so always check your specific line’s policy before you pack anything, of course.)
17. Buy the Drink Package Before You Board (On Sale)
If you’re going to get a drink package, do not buy it on embarkation day at full onboard pricing. Buy it in advance through the cruise line’s pre-cruise portal, and ideally you buy it on sale.
Royal Caribbean’s Cruise Planner runs flash sales every few weeks. I go back and check mine every couple of weeks in the months before a sailing.
Celebrity’s cheapest day tends to be Wednesday. Black Friday is historically the lowest price point of the year across most major lines. I recommend earmarking this blog post to remind yourself of that when Black Friday rolls around.
And if you buy the package and the price drops before you sail, cancel and rebook through the portal; most cruise lines allow this.
16. Pre-Book Specialty Dining at the Pre-Cruise Rate
As I’m sure you know, specialty restaurants cost extra on most ships, and they’re almost always cheaper to book before you board than to pay for at the door.
On Royal Caribbean, pre-booking through the Cruise Planner can save around 20–30% off the on-board price. On a busy sailing, if you wait until you’re onboard you might not even get the nights you want, or any at all.
My rule is to book it before I sail, check it off the list, and enjoy dinner instead of stressing about reservations once we’re at sea.
📌 Read Next: How To Thousands of Dollars On Travel (so you can travel more!)
15. Look for Kids Sail Free Promotions
If you’re cruising with kids, it’s worth timing your booking around this option.
Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC all run “kids sail free” or similar promotions periodically. They typically apply to the third and fourth guest in a cabin.
You pay for two adults and kids go for port taxes only. These deals tend to pop up during Wave Season and don’t stick around long, so jump on them if you see them!
Better yet, reach out to us and we’ll contact you when the time is right. We are travel agents and specialize in this!
>> Click here and we’ll help you book your trip for free!
You can also sign up for the cruise line’s email list. Sure, you’re going to get a lot of emails, but that’s how you find out about the best deals before they disappear.
📌 Read Next: Cruise Lines For Families, Ranked
14. Ask About Military, First Responder, and Residency Discounts
A surprising number of eligible people never think to ask about these kind of deals.
Military discounts for active service members, retirees, and veterans are available on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Celebrity, usually verified through ID.me.
Some lines extend discounts to first responders too. Florida and California residents sometimes see deals on sailings from their home ports specifically.
These can often be combined with other promotions. I’ve heard from readers who saved hundreds just by asking about something like this, so it’s always worth bringing up.
13. Use Credit Card Points and Miles
A few angles here worth knowing about:
Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Venture, and Amex Membership Rewards all let you apply points as statement credits toward travel purchases, including cruise bookings.
The major cruise lines have co-branded credit cards too, with welcome bonuses that can offset a huge chunk of your first booking. And the Chase Sapphire Reserve annual travel credit can apply to cruise charges directly.
If you’ve got points sitting around and a cruise on the horizon, run the numbers before you pay cash. I never pay cash for travel without checking what my points are worth first.
12. Understand “Free Perks” Deals vs. a Discounted Base Fare
Cruise lines love advertising free perks like “free drink packages”, “free gratuities”, and “free specialty dining”! I’ve seen it all, and I want you to pause before falling for it.
Instead, do the actual math first.
A free beverage package worth $80 a day per person, for two people, on a 7-night sailing = over $1,000 in value. A $300 base fare discount isn’t close, so you should take the package.
Free gratuities run roughly $18–20 per person per day, about $280 for a 7-night sailing for two. If the fare discount beats that, take the discount.
Neither is automatically better. The math depends on your specific sailing and how much you really drink.
✈️ Planning a trip? Let us do it for you. Click here!
11. Book a Guaranteed Cabin Category
When you book a “guarantee” cabin, you pick the category (inside, oceanview, balcony) but not the specific cabin number. The cruise line assigns you something in that category or higher.
Guarantee cabins are often priced lower than selecting a specific room in the same category. And sometimes you get bumped up at no extra cost. There’s not a guaranteed, but it happens.
The catch is you don’t get to choose where on the ship you land. If you’re prone to motion sickness and need to be mid-ship, or you have real preferences about deck level, this one probably isn’t worth the gamble.
If you’re flexible, it’s a solid way to save a little without giving up anything that matters to you.
Read Next: 25 Things The Cruise Stewards Aren’t Telling You About Your Cruise Cabin
10. Pounce on Last-Minute Deals If You’re Flexible
Cruise lines discount heavily when sailings have unsold cabins, sometimes down to half the original price about 3–6 weeks before departure.
This works best for couples or solo travelers who can act fast. Families need specific cabin configurations (connecting rooms, multiple beds), and those go first. But if it’s just two of you and you can commit on short notice, the prices at this stage can be jaw-dropping.
Websites To Watch
CruiseDirect, Vacations to Go, and the cruise lines’ own last-minute deal pages are worth bookmarking if this kind of spontaneous booking is your style.
9. Buy Discounted Cruise Gift Cards
Costco and Sam’s Club periodically sell cruise line gift cards at a discount. It’s not always available, but when it is, you’re getting free savings on a purchase you were already going to make.
Chase Offers and American Express Offers sometimes run 10–15% cashback on cruise line purchases. We check both portals before any major travel booking. Stack those with your regular credit card rewards on top.
These little wins add up more than you’d expect across a full vacation budget.
8. Watch Your Price and Rebook Before Final Payment
This is probably the most universally useful hack on the list for anyone who books in advance.
Most cruise lines let you re-price your booking if the same cabin category drops before final payment, which is usually around 90 days before sailing.
Royal Caribbean honors this consistently. Norwegian goes a step further and gives you 110% of the price difference as onboard credit if you catch a drop.
Set a reminder to check your price every couple of weeks after booking. If it drops, call your travel agent (which could be ME! 😉) or the cruise line and ask for the new rate.
A lot of people have no idea this is an option, but it is!
7. Use a Cruise-Specialized Travel Agent
This one is free. Travel agents are paid commission by the cruise line, not by you.
A cruise specialist (not a general travel agent, but someone who specifically books cruises all day) can get you access to things you can’t get on your own.
Group rate inventory held at lower prices, extra onboard credit on top of whatever the cruise line is already offering, active price monitoring after you’ve paid, and, most importantly, someone to advocate for you if something goes sideways while you’re at sea.
This is one of the most consistent recommendations across every cruise community we’re part of.
And guess what? We are travel agents, and we’d be happy to help you book your next cruise for ALL the perks!
>> Click here and we’ll help you book your trip for free!
6. Stack Your Discounts (The Meta-Hack)
A lot of these hacks can be combined at the same time.
Wave Season booking + travel agent OBC + shareholder benefit + military discount + discounted gift cards + credit card points = amazing deals!
Cruise lines allow most of these to layer together. People in our travel community have shown up to sailings with over $800 in combined credits and discounts already locked in.
5. Join the Loyalty Program Starting on Cruise #1
Every major cruise line has a free loyalty program. Carnival’s is VIFP, Royal Caribbean’s is Crown & Anchor, Norwegian’s is Latitudes, and Princess has Captain’s Circle.
You earn points per night sailed, and higher tiers unlock things that are useful like priority boarding, onboard credit on future sailings, free specialty dining nights, and complimentary laundry, among other things.
The mistake I see constantly is people not signing up until their second or third cruise. Sign up before cruise #1. Every single night you sail counts from the very beginning!
Read Next: 21 Cruise Mistakes Families Make On Their First Trip (And How To Skip Them)
4. Look Into Back-to-Back (B2B) Sailings
A back-to-back sailing means booking two consecutive cruises on the same ship. One ends, the next begins, and you stay.
Loyalty points accumulate faster, you often get a fare discount on the second sailing, and cruise lines typically put on a small gathering for B2B passengers on the turnaround day, usually a cocktail party or some kind of priority access, because they appreciate your commitment.
3. Book a Repositioning Cruise
This is the underused gem on the list, and I believe think more people should know about it.
Repositioning cruises happen when ships need to move between regions. These sailings are priced to fill quickly, often at 50% or more off the per-night rate of a regular cruise on the same ship.
The trade-off is that they’re one-way, so you’ll need a flight home from wherever the ship ends up. Factor that in and the math still usually lands in your favor, especially on a transatlantic.
Plus, repositioning itineraries have more sea days than port-heavy routes. If you love being on the ship, that’s not a downside at all.
2. Buy Cruise Line Stock (100 Shares Gets You Real Onboard Credit)
This one surprises people. It certainly surprised me when I found out.
If you own at least 100 shares of Carnival Corporation (CCL), Royal Caribbean Group (RCL), or Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), you’re eligible for onboard credit on every cruise you take with any of their brands.
That includes up to $250 per stateroom on sailings of 14 nights or more, $100 on sailings of 6–13 nights, $50 on shorter ones. You submit a brokerage statement about 2–3 weeks before sailing and the credit shows up in your account.
100 shares is an investment, and stock prices move around obviously. But if you’re a repeat cruiser, the OBC adds up cruise by cruise, and it stacks with almost everything else on this list.
*Please note, I am not a financial advisor. Always speak to a financial advisor about any investment decisions.
✈️ Planning a trip? Let us do it for you. Click here!
1. Get a Casino Offer
This is where some of the best deals in cruising are.
Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, Celebrity, Princess, and Holland America all have casino loyalty programs. Sail with them, spend time in the onboard casino, and there’s a chance you’ll receive follow-up offers for deeply discounted or outright free future cruises.
Free typically means you pay port taxes only, sometimes under $100 per person total for a Caribbean sailing.
You need to sail with the line first to get into the system. Once you’re in, stay active.
There’s also casino status matching. Platforms like URComped let you take casino status from one cruise line and try to match it with another. It’s gotten more limited than it was a few years ago, but it still exists in 2026.
People in our travel community have pulled multiple free cruises this way.
The Wrap-Up
Cruise pricing rewards people who pay attention.
Every person on your ship paid a different price than you did. Some paid more. A few paid dramatically less, because they knew which levers to pull and when.
You don’t need to use all 25 of these. Pick two or three that fit your situation and your flexibility level. Even that can knock a meaningful chunk off your next sailing.
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