From taking a bucket-list cruise to Alaska for just a few hundred bucks per person to seeing the Caribbean for $14 per day in cruise fare, I’ve done it. And now, I’m sharing my techniques of cruising dirt cheap.
There’s no arguing that cruising has gotten more expensive in recent years, but with the tips and techniques I’ll share, you can make sure you’re not paying too much and get the best deal possible.
The Current “Lay of the Land” With Cruise Prices
Anyone who cruises regularly knows that cruise prices have gone through the roof since the travel boom following the pause in 2020 and 2021. Those days of sailing dirt cheap (less than $50 per day) are likely gone for now. It seems that no matter what price a cruise line throws out there, someone is willing to pay it, driving up the pricing for the rest of us.
If there is a glimmer of hope, it’s that it feels things are softening just a little bit. This is anecdotal, but I’m seeing some more aggressive marketing than I used to. And when I booked a cruise to Alaska a couple of months ago, there were some dirt-cheap prices for late April and May.
So yes, cruise pricing is still strong, but it seems to be coming in a little bit. The good news? That means it’s easier to find deals, especially if you know how to shop for your trip.
There’s No “Magic” Website With Lower Prices (Save Your Time)
They say time is money, so let’s cover a tip that will save you some time when it comes to cruise shopping. That’s the fact that you can stop going to every website looking for a deal.
There are dozens if not hundreds of websites where you can buy a cruise, from the cruise line website to places claiming huge discounted fares. I’ve searched tons of places and what I find is that they all have the same price, no matter where you buy. There’s not some magic website where you can find cheaper deals.
I will say that many swear by travel agents, and say they can find better deals, so don’t shy away from them. But when it comes to booking websites, searching dozens of different places is a waste of time. I just book directly through the cruise line though I use the aggregator sites to see all my options before I narrow things down
Costco members can sometimes find good deals as well, but other than that, you don’t have to worry that one site will have a better price than another.
The AARP Discount Means 10% Off Immediately (If You Can Get It)
About six months ago, this way to get the best deal on a cruise would be later in my list because it was such a great offer. Today, it’s great for certain lines, but not for others.
I’m talking of course of AARP discounted gift cards. AARP offers discounted gift cards to members on their website for everything from restaurants to movie theaters. That includes cruise gift cards.
They sell them for 10% off face value, so a $500 card is only $450. That’s an instant 10% off your cruise.
It used to be that Carnival, Princess, and Holland America offered cards. They’ve stopped selling them, limiting your options to just Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.
So if you’re sailing those lines, it’s a great deal. Take advantage. If not, then this tip won’t actually save you money.
What to Know About Cruise Sales
It makes sense that if you want the lowest price on a cruise, you should buy when it’s on sale. Similar to how going from website to website doesn’t change the price, I can tell you that cruise line sales don’t really matter that much either.
Truth is that cruise lines run sales constantly. If you go to a line’s website, you’ll see some sale being advertised. I track them regularly, and often they are extended. Or if a sale is ended, it’s tweaked only slightly before being reintroduced.
Right now ships are sailing full and at higher prices than they have in the past. While I am anecdotally seeing some possible softness, there’s still little reason to drastically cut prices. Those sales are instead a psychological tool to get people to book instead of a discounting tool to actually fill the cruise ships.
So you can wait for a good sale, but chances are what you see is the best you’ll get.
See a Price Drop After Buying? Here’s What to Do
What happens if you book a cruise and then there is a big sale? Or more likely there is simply a price drop? That automatically means you didn’t get the best deal, right?
Likely not. After you book your cruise, your work isn’t over if you want the best deal. You should continue monitoring the price of your trip to see if it does drop. Not every day, but once every week or two is smart.
If it doesn’t drop, congrats, you got the best price you could. If it does however, you want to contact the cruise line. Some fares have protections for price drops built in. But even if yours doesn’t you still want to give them a call. Often you’ll find that the cruise line will work with you. It’s not all the time but it can be that they refund the difference or give you onboard credit in the amount of the price drop.
Again, this doesn’t always work, but for the 5-10 minutes you’ll spend to ask, it’s well worth it.
Older Ships Save You Tons
So far, I’ve covered some decent tips to save time and money on booking your cruise. But if you want the best deals, then the next few tips are really the heart of what you need to know.
That starts with the fact that the cheapest cruises you’ll find are on older ships. You can often sail a similar length and itinerary as a newer ship, but for drastically cheaper.
For instance, I found a trip aboard Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas — an older ship — for eight nights to the eastern Caribbean in June 2026. It starts at around $1,500 per person.
But a similar trip on Star of the Seas — it’s newest ship — for only seven nights starts at around $2,250.
Now, there’s no arguing this is a different experience on these ships. But if you’re mostly worried about getting the best deal and want to get to sea, then there’s no doubt that older ship is where the deals will be.
Open Up Cruise Lines for All the Deals
We all have our favorite cruise lines. And for many, loyalty — and the perks that come with it — is a big deal.
But if you want the best deals, then you have to open up your sailing across multiple lines. That one reason I’ve spent hundreds of days at sea but I’m not really high on any single line’s loyalty program. I definitely spread out my sailings.
There are some lines like MSC and Carnival that tend to be less expensive than others. But you can also find some good deals on other lines that maybe you thought were too expensive. For instance, last summer I found a deal on Celebrity that was just as cheap as anything you’d find from a budget line. No surprise, it was on an older ship in the fleet.
To search across lines, I like to use aggregator sites like Orbitz that list all the cruise lines. That can help you to narrow down what’s offered across lines during the time you want to sail. Then I usually book directly with the cruise line to cut out any middle man in the process should I need to change anything with the booking.
One-Way Trips Are Insanely Cheap
The absolute best deals I’ve found on cruises should likely come with an asterisk next to them because they certainly aren’t for everyone. If you can make them work, however, you’re getting a wild deal.
I’m talking about one-way or repositioning cruises. Most people think of cruises as round trips and the vast majority are. But then there are time where a ship repositions from one home port to another. They don’t want to sail empty so they still sell the cruise. But because people still have to figure out how to get back home, there isn’t huge demand. Low demand means lower prices.
Royal Caribbean has 14-night cruises across the Atlantic starting at $900 right now. On NCL, you can sail for 10 days from Portugal to Puerto Rico with stops in the Virgin Islands for about $700.
Yes, you do have to figure transport back home, but you won’t find a better deal in cruising.
The Biggest Factor in What You’ll Pay
I’ve talked a lot about getting the best prices on your cruise, but if you want to get the best deal, there is one thing that towers over everything else in what you’ll pay. It’s all about when you sail.
Now, I know that not everyone has the ability to sail whenever they want. But if you have flexibility, then you’ll save tons. Trips to the Caribbean in the summer can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars more than the exact same trip taken during the fall or spring. When it comes to Alaska, trips in the shoulder months of May or September are way less than sailing in June or July.
It really comes down to simple supply and demand. In times like the summer or the Christmas holidays, more people have time off work and kids have time off school. That makes going on a vacation much easier. With more demand, cruise prices rise to compensate.
Times like January or February or September through November see fewer people able to take off work and prices drop accordingly. If you’re flexible with your dates, it’s by far the easiest way to ensure you get the best price.
