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Cruising is generally seen as a pretty affordable way to travel, where you get a lot for what you pay, but if you can still get an even better deal on your next cruise, why wouldn’t you?

There are some simple — and sometimes unexpected — ways you can go about getting a good price on an upcoming cruise, from working with a travel agent to taking advantage of oversold cruises. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Use a Travel Agent

While, with the rise of online travel booking aggregators, it looked like travel agents were going to become obsolete for a while there, more and more travelers are turning to travel agents for booking upcoming trips.

In fact, a TravelAge West article reported in 2023 that nearly 40% of surveyed millennial and Gen Z travelers said they would opt to use a traditional travel agent — and when a growing number of millennials are choosing to cruise, it’s likely that they’re using their travel agents to book those cruises.

There are many benefits that come with using a travel agent, including enjoying access to their expert insights as well as deals that you might not find otherwise.

Travel agents often have partnerships with travel brands, including cruise lines, that allow them to pass on savings to their clients.

Plus, if you make your final payment for your cruise, and then the cruise line lowers the price, a travel agent may be able to get you a reimbursement for the higher cost that you originally paid.

Just how much can you expect to save when you book a cruise with a travel agent? According to Redditors, it can be quite substantial, with some reporting saving $1,500-plus per cruise and others reporting booking cruises at less than $100 a night.

If you do decide to book a cruise through a travel agent, just be sure to choose a travel agent that has direct experience with cruising. You want someone who cruises a fair amount themselves, and that has long-lasting relationships with the lines, for the best deals and service.

2. Look for Booking Incentives That Will Save You Money in the Long Run

Many cruise lines will offer you special perks or incentives that, while might not automatically drop the cost of your cruise fare, will save you money in the long run.

For example, Norwegian Cruise Line might be offering a deal where you get 70% off your second guest, plus free fare for kids, free excursion credits and a free WiFi package.

While those perks won’t save you directly when booking your initial fare for the first cruiser, if you’re traveling with the family, it’ll save you on their fare. Additionally, if you know you’ll be purchasing WiFi and booking excursions directly with the line, you’d save money there, too.

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While it might not seem like a lot at first, consider that Norwegian Cruise Line’s WiFi packages start at $30 per day per device. If you’re on a seven-night cruise and traveling as a family of four, all with devices, that’s going to add up to nearly $1,000 for a WiFi package.

The best way to take advantage of incentives like these is to simply keep an eye on what deals and promotions are being offered by your favorite cruise lines at any given time. Sign up for their marketing emails (yes, they can be annoying, but they will keep you informed of upcoming deals).

Additionally, before booking any cruise based on incentives alone, sit down and do the math. You don’t want to end up not saving any money at all, because the incentives aren’t worth it. They should be something you’ll actually use and that provide you with value.

3. Book Your Next Cruise While Onboard the Ship

It’s never too soon to book your next cruise. If you’re having a great time on a certain ship and know you want to book a cruise with the line for some time in the future, consider going ahead and booking that cruise while you’re still onboard the ship.

Many cruise lines offer special deals and promotional rates for those who book a future sailing during a cruise.

Carnival Cruise Line does this (and, in fact, allows you to access the on-board promotional rate for up to a month after you leave the ship, just in case you’re not quite ready to commit), as does Celebrity Cruises, with reduced deposits required if you book on the ship. Disney Cruise Line provides an easy 10% discount if you book on-board.

4. Take Advantage of Over-Sold Cruises

This is a bit of a risky move, but it can pay off if you don’t mind a little gambling. (I’d also advise you only try this option out if you have a very flexible travel schedule and preferably live in or near a port city, so you’re not out time and money if you do get fully booted from a cruise.)

Basically, many popular cruise itineraries will overbook by around 105%, with the idea that some people will inevitably not show up for their cruises, allowing the cruise line to maximize profits and fill the ship, without the need to bump anyone from the sailing.

While this does happen most of the time and many people aren’t bumped from their staterooms, sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Everyone shows up on embarkation day and the ship finds itself without enough staterooms in the categories that were booked.

In this case, the cruise line doesn’t really want to completely kick you off the ship (that’ll mean less cruiser spending and potentially bad press). Instead, they might offer you a room in a lower category, at a highly discounted rate or for free.

Or, they might bump you from the ship, reimburse you and give you an additional free cruise later for your trouble, as happened recently when Royal Caribbean overbooked sailings to Bermuda.

So, if you don’t mind a little risk, it’s easy for you to change your travel plans on a whim and you don’t mind sailing on very popular itineraries, then you might just try to take advantage of often over-sold sailings and see if you can get a steep discount or even a free cruise or two out of it.

5. Join a Loyalty Program

If you frequently sail with the same cruise line, time and again, joining a loyalty program can get you discounts on upcoming sailings, as well as extra perks and savings on on-board spending.

In fact, many cruise lines automatically enroll cruisers into their loyalty programs with their first booking, so you may be eligible for certain discounts and perks currently, and not even know it!

Read Also: What is Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor Society?

If you join the MSC Cruises MSC Voyagers Club, you can get up to 15% discounts on future sailings. Depending on your loyalty tier, you can also get discounts on spa treatments, fitness classes, the minibar and laundry services.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Latitudes loyalty program, meanwhile, gives members early access to new offerings and members-only offers, while giving elite loyalty program members money-saving perks like free cabin upgrades and, if you achieve Ambassador status, an entire cruise for free.

6. Plan Your Booking in Advance

Don’t just plan your cruise in advance — instead, plan your actual booking process in advance. Decide, strategically and specifically, when you’re going to sit down and book that cruise.

Like most travel rates, cruise line fares fluctuate depending on demand and other factors. Generally, though, you’ll get lower rates if you book far in advance or barely in advance at all. If you book at least six months before sailing, or at the very last minute, that’s when you’ll see some of the best rates.

The only instance when this is not the case? If you’re waiting last-minute to book a cruise during the height of cruising season or if you’re trying to book on a brand-new ship.

Peak cruising season will differ according to where you’re cruising, but you can expect it to be mid-summer for Alaska cruises, winter and spring for Caribbean cruises and fall for New England cruises, as a few examples.

There’s such a great demand for cruises during these time periods, that if you wait last-minute to book, hoping you’ll get a better deal, you likely won’t

Similarly, brand-new ships are highly popular with avid cruisers as soon as they launch, so you’re unlikely to get a good deal if you wait. In these instances, you’re best booking far in advance for a better deal, rather than closer to sailing.

Think about when you’d like to book your cruise, and how when you choose to book will impact pricing, and plan accordingly.

7. Book as a Group

Booking a cruise as a group — whether that’s a group of friends or your entire family — will usually come with some discounts.

Norwegian Cruise Line, for one, will give you an extra up to 15% off if you book at least five cabins for your group. You can also get a free $100 credit per stateroom and other savings on drinks and dining.

The only downside to booking your cruise as a group is that, at least with NCL, you can’t really go through the normal channels of cruise booking. You’ll need to work with a group cruise concierge to plan everything out. This will require someone in your group to act as the group organizer.

However, if you don’t mind being that point person (I personally don’t find that it’s all that much more difficult than the normal cruise-planning process), you could see some great savings.

8. Look Out for Demographic-Specific Discounts

You can find cruise lines that offer discounts to certain individuals, such as those that have served in the military, teachers and seniors. Additionally, some cruise lines will run special discounts for residents in certain states.

This is intended to make cruising more popular with residents who live in states that historically do not have a high percentage of cruisers. It’s a marketing tactic, but one that can work for your wallet!

9. Book a Repositioning Cruise

A repositioning cruise is when a cruise line is moving one of its ships to another port. For example, if a cruise line uses a ship in Europe in the summer months and then uses it in the Caribbean in the winter, you might find a repositioning cruise that travels between Barcelona and Miami.

Or, if a cruise line uses a ship in Alaska during the summer months, and in the Caribbean during the winter, you might find a ship that goes between Seattle and Florida, via the Panama Canal.

Worth Reading: When Is the Best Time to Go on a Cruise for Each Region?

These repositioning cruises are typically much cheaper than the standard cruise for a few reasons. They’re one-way, not round-trip, so you don’t get the convenience of embarking and disembarking in the same port.

They’re also typically longer, as they require sometimes crossing an entire ocean. They also have a lot of sea days and fewer port stops. As such, they’re just not as in demand.

You can find repositioning cruises listed for booking on many cruise lines’ websites, including Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Viking and more.

10. Book Through Cruise Hive

Last but certainly not least, consider booking through Cruise Hive’s new booking platform. You’ll find both ocean and river cruises, and thousands of itineraries from a huge array of cruise lines, and you can organize them all by price so you get the very best deal possible.

Set your parameters around what you want to pay, see how your price will break down per night and according to the stateroom you prefer, all in the easily navigable search results.

You can even specifically search for cruises that offer specific amenities or perks for free, such as free gratuities, free WiFi, complimentary beverage packages and more, as well as search for cruises offering particular promotions and discounts.

How to Get a Good Deal on Your Next Cruise

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