Are you dreaming of sailing on a big ship and looking to save money on a cruise?
Cruise is a nice choice now you need to save money shopping around all travel sites
Unfortunately you get mislead by looking at the final price
We forget about what’s inside every cruise package
I remember my Cancun vacation in Mexico, I came to 2 matching offers except one of them is giving $100 Visa gift card
There are few affiliate links, if you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you
This means you can come to an offer that is more expensive compared to another one
But it includes addons like food package you will buy it anyway
This will make your expensive offer cheaper than what you thought
That’s why I have this post on how to save money on a cruise so let’s us begin with
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What is the cheapest month to go on a cruise?
Actually the cheapest month to save money on a cruise is to choose late summer and fall
But why? simply because it is the hurricane season
I recommend to buy a cruise insurance to protect yourself from any cancellation
Also you can hunt for deals on the first 2 weeks of December and in spring
Can a travel agent save you money on a cruise?
If you buy from a travel agent, they will not charge you more on any cruise
Actually travel agency make money from a commission they take from the cruise line
Hence, it will not cost you money by using a travel agent as middle man
On the other side, travel agency keeps track of a drop in your cruise price
Is a balcony room worth it on a cruise?
It is worth it if you are looking for a magnificent view
But if you are expecting a balcony to smoke there, most cruises don’t allow smoking in balcony rooms and cabins for safety reasons
Again, if you are looking for privacy, let me tell you not some balcony staterooms have less privacy than the others
Make sure to speak to your travel agency to know how your stateroom look like
Are free cruises really free?
No free cruises, this is a scam
I know a friend who signed for a free cruise and paid I believe $169
That’s nothing compared to what you will pay in a cruise line
Anyway she got cancelled 2 times because of no available dates
The second time, she was not able to reschedule the airline
I know Royal Caribbean may offer a free cruise asking volunteers for a test cruise
You can sign up on Royal Caribbean and keep any eye on this offer
Usually it is the first week of December
Can you negotiate Cruise prices?
Most of the times, cruise lines don’t negotiate prices
But that doesn’t mean you cannot negotiate other packages that you would definitely need which translate to money
Like food packages or extra 2 bottles of wine
Bottom line, you still have a chance to negotiate on necessary cruise packages to save money on the final price
What are the tips to follow to save money on a cruise?
I discussed earlier if you need to save money on a cruise ignore the final price
And look for what each cruise line package can provide you
See if you can modify these packages to get what you need
At the end, come up with what you will pay finally in this cruise line vacation
Also I will show you below how to save money on a cruise before and after booking
1- Travel off peak for serious savings
Sometimes they call it off season or off peak whatever it is the same thing
All you have to do is to avoid summer holidays, spring break period and Christmas
As I said earlier, cheapest is end of summer and first 2 weeks of December
2- Book restaurant packages
You can save money on all inclusive cruise lines by eating in the free dinning venues
In reality, sometimes you need a special menu and get a break from the open buffet
That’s why you can book specialty restaurant packages during part of your stay on the cruise
3- Check out daily drinks specials
Save money on any cruise line by checking out daily drinks specials
Be flexible and go for special drink of the day
One day it can be a Pina colada and another day white or red wine
4- Bring your own wine
Some cruise lines save money by allowing you to bring your own wine
This saves money for you as there is no way you can compare the price of buying a bottle of wine from liquor store against buying it on the cruise
5- Save your wine by putting a cork in it
If you already bought a bottle of wine you can still save money on your cruise by asking if they can keep it for you and label it under your name
Most of the cruise lines permit keeping bottles of wines for customers
They know that some couples cannot finish their bottles in one dinning session
I mean it doesn’t hurt if you ask and you can even ask about keeping your bottle of wine before you even book your cruise line
6- Lower decks are cheaper
Always lower decks are cheaper as higher decks have better view
If you are looking to save money on cruise then go for lower decks
7- Choose an Inside cabin
Similar to hotels where street view is cheaper than sea or ocean view
For cruise lines, inside cabins are cheaper than balcony staterooms
8- Ask for price adjustment
Keep checking prices as you can ask the cruise line for adjustment if the price drops
Definitely knowing in advance that you can make a price adjustment gives you hope that you can save money on your cruise
9- Don’t onboard a too far cruise
Of course far away cruises require booking flight tickets
Sometimes you may need to book a hotel too if you arrive at night and your cruise sails in the morning
To save money on any cruise, choose a close by cruise lines
So you don’t pay for transfer to and from your cruise line
10- save money with transatlantic and re-positioning cruises
Transatlantic cruises sail in the ocean with less stops on ports
This will save money on cruise price as the cruise doesn’t dock on ports
While repositioning cruises is similar to a one way ticket where your cruise goes to a new destination point
11- Get free cabin with group discounts
Travelling with friends would make a group discount of 16 or more possible
You will be able to get a group discount and enjoy a free cabin
12- Save money with shorter cruises
This is no brainer any shorter cruises will save you money
13- Avoid booking on new ships
Older ships are cheaper as new vessels have higher prices in the first few years
14- Call your travel agent
As I said earlier, calling your travel agent will not raise the price for you
Travel agency can negotiate the best price you can get by offering addons incentives
Again you will lose nothing using them
15- Book your insurance external
Booking your insurance with a cruise line is pricey
I recommend to save money buying cruise insurance external source
16- Sign up for last minute deal emails
Most cruise lines offer email sign up to send you announcements and last minute deals
If you are flexible on your date of cruise you can get really last minute deals
17- Take enough batteries and electronic supplies
If you are using electronics devices like camera then take extra batteries
You don’t want to buy batteries or charger on the cruise as you will pay inflated price
18- Stay switched off
If you want to save money on your cruise then stay away from buying cell phone plan
That’s what I meant by staying switched off as you are on vacation so enjoy your time
19- Buy your foreign currency early
You know roughly how much pocket money you would need on your cruise
Buy your foreign currency before you onboard as foreign exchange on the cruise will not be on your favor
20- Laundry Packages
Most cruise lines span for more than a week
Definitely you would need to do a laundry to keep your clothes clean
Look for what is included in your cruise line package when it comes to laundry
Some cruises offer free laundry while others provide laundry packages
What should you not buy on a cruise to save money?
There are some items you should not consider to buy on any cruise to save money
First items are accessories related to electronics like batteries, charger or camera bag
Second items are all personal care products like toothpaste, sunscreen or feminine care products
Third items are all over the counter medication like Advil or Tylenol
Fourth items are buying foreign currency on the cruise line
Last but not least, if you are permitted to carry your alcohol on your cruise ship then do so to save lot of money on your cruise vacation