How I Saved $1000 on My Cruise: Money-Saving Secrets
Going on cruises is one of my favorite ways to travel! I love cruising so much that I spent five years living and working on cruise ships.
Even after I returned to land for a new career, I continued to cruise as a guest with multiple cruise lines. Of course, the Pandemic brought the cruise industry to a screeching halt.
I finally took my first post-Pandemic cruise in 2023, and once again, I’m hooked! The gorgeous ships, the exciting itineraries, and the mouth-watering cuisine are back!
Do you know what has changed? The PRICES! Cruises—like gas and groceries—have gotten a lot more expensive since 2020.
From finding cruise bargains to savings hacks, I’m sharing all the ways I saved over $1000 on my cruise to Hawaii in 2023.
In this post, I’m going to explain:
How the season affects cruise prices
Which special itineraries tend to cost less
How booking a specific category of stateroom will save you money
How using a travel agent can get you a better deal
How perseverance pays off
How the time you book affects your final price
Which rewards credit cards can help you save more
Related: Cruise Add-Ons That are Worth the Splurge,
The 13 Must-Have Accessories For Your Cruise
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means that if you click and buy a product, I may make a commission at no cost to you. Please see my disclosure policy for details.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Watch my YouTube video here
Book off-season
After I took my first post-Pandemic cruise over spring break, I was ready to book my next cruise vacation. Actually, the day after I returned home from my cruise, I was looking at future cruise dates!
Naturally, with a school-aged child, the next reasonable time to cruise was summer break. Wow, the prices were high! I couldn’t believe how expensive even the three and four-day cruises were. I was hoping to take advantage of Royal Caribbean’s “Kids Sail Free” promo, but unfortunately, summer dates are excluded from this sale.
I nearly gave in and accepted that I would have to pay a hefty price for a short cruise. I actually booked a 4-day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico, for July which was $3294.35 for 2 adults and 1 child in one balcony stateroom. The bargain chaser in me was itching to save more money, so I kept looking for other options.
That’s when I found several cruises in October which were 8 days and sailing to Hawaii (!!) and cheaper than the 4-day cruise in July!
These dates were eligible for the Kids Sail Free promo which explains some of the savings. My daughter has fall break in October, so I got really excited when I saw these cruises!
Bargain Cha$ing Tourist Tip: Summertime is the most expensive time to cruise other than the week of Christmas. You will find bargains by booking slightly “off-season” in April, September, and October. 
Don’t sail away with all of your savings!
2. Book a repositioning cruise
I couldn’t pass up a good deal, so I canceled the 4-day Mexican cruise and booked an 8-day cruise to Hawaii in October. This particular sailing is a repositioning cruise.
That means that the ship has finished a season at a specific location and needs to travel to a different destination to start a new season and itinerary.
These cruises have more sea days for traveling and fewer ports. Repositioning cruises tend to be less expensive than a “closed loop” cruise that leaves from and returns to the same destination.
My cruise left from Vancouver after the Alaska season and sailed to Hawaii before sailing to the South Pacific and Australia. These cruises are unique and only available at specific times of the year, but can save you money on your cruise fare.
3. Book a guaranteed room
The next way I saved on my cruise is booking a guaranteed room. This means I chose the stateroom category (inside, ocean view, balcony, etc) but I didn’t choose the deck or whether my stateroom is in the front, middle, or back of the ship.
The cruise line assigned the stateroom about 8 weeks prior to sailing. When booking a guaranteed room, there is always a chance that the balcony view may be “obstructed” by a lifeboat .
This was the case when I booked my guaranteed room. For some cruisers, giving up the control of choosing their exact stateroom location is too risky. For me, the savings of booking a guaranteed stateroom was $1000, so I couldn’t justify that price to handpick my stateroom.
4. Consider the cruise line’s upgrade program
How I saved a lot of money on my stateroom by using Royal Caribbean’s Royal Up program
Update: I mention Carnival Cruise Line by mistake—Carnival does not have an upgrade bidding program
I found a hack that could work for you too: Royal Caribbean has a stateroom upgrade program called Royal Up. (Celebrity, Princess, and Norwegian Cruise Lines have similar programs).
I was able to bid on a higher category stateroom (in my case, a balcony without an obstructed view) about 6-7 weeks prior to the cruise. I won my bid, and was able to upgrade my guaranteed stateroom to a non-obstructed balcony stateroom for only $110!
Keep in mind, this method is not full-proof. The probability of winning a stateroom bid depends on availability and how close the ship is sailing to capacity.
Veranda stateroom on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas
5. Use a travel agent
A huge piece of the cruise booking puzzle is finding an awesome travel agent and booking with them repeatedly. A great travel agent is going to find any available discounts and maximize your onboard credit.
They can also “hold” a cruise price for up to a week so that you aren’t put “on the spot” to book immediately. Booking with the same company repeatedly will also save you money through “loyal customer” discounts.
Check out the sales at Cruise Direct:
Quantum of the Seas docked in Hawaii
Although you can book a cruise online with a click of a button, I highly recommend you talk to a person on the phone (and not through the website’s chat feature).
Booking a cruise is not like closing your online shopping cart. Talking to a travel agent will give you the most up-to-date prices and discounts.
In my experience, the cruise prices quoted by the travel agents on the phone have always been lower than the listed prices on the booking websites. Unfortunately, not all travel agents are fantastic.
I have had a few experiences with disinterested travel agents that reminded me more of a call center interaction than a cruise booking service. My advice is that if you feel like you are not getting the best service, do NOT book with that agent.
Call back and talk to a different agent or pursue a different company. Finally, do NOT book a cruise on impulse! Take time to talk it over with your cruise companions and think about it for at least a day, if not longer.
Booking on impulse can lead to regret and also lost money. Cancelling a cruise can cost you your deposit and accrue cancellation fees.
6. Be Diligent
To get the best bargains, you have to chase them. You may need to shop around: look at different cruise lines and talk to different booking companies. I compared a cruise travel agent, Costco, and Tickets at Work, my work’s travel discount site, when pricing this cruise.
Ultimately, the cruise booking agency that I have used in the past offered the lowest price. Cruise prices are like airline fares—they are not static. The price changes depending on the day and time of day.
Be cautious accepting a price that seems exessively high to you. Three different travel agents quoted me three different prices (ranging between $2200 to $3120) for the same cruise over the course of two days.
This view shouldn’t cost you all of your savings!
Plan for the unexpected: Don’t forget travel insurance!
7. Book Early
Finally, book early to get the best prices. The rumor is that you will find the best prices when the cruise lines initially release future cruise dates.
This can be as early as two to three years prior to departure date. I have not taken advantage of this advice yet because I’m still hesitant to book years in advance.
Look what happened to everyone’s travel plans during the Pandemic! I also don’t want to wait years for my vacation. Still, the demand for cruises is increasing, and waiting to book may result in you missing out on deals or the entire cruise.
For example, if you need more than one stateroom, need adjoining rooms, or want to pay the lowest fare with an inside stateroom, be prepared to book early.
I booked the original Mexico cruise in March for a departure date in late July, and all of the inside and ocean view staterooms were already sold out.
Of course, cancellations can make staterooms available around the time that the final cruise payment is due. You probably don’t want to take that chance if you’re serious about booking a particular cruise. I booked my Hawaii cruise six months in advance, and prices for the same category stateroom increased after that.
The Next Cruise travel agents onboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
Another option is booking a future cruise while onboard a cruise. Cruise lines offer discounts and onboard credit to entice you to reserve while onboard.
While sailing the Royal Caribbean cruise that I’m referring to in this post, I took advantage of the onboard offer to pay a reduced deposit for a cruise booked within a year with a travel agent. If booked within two months, I can save up to $600 depending on the stateroom category.
8. Use the Cruise Line’s Credit Card
Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival, and Princess cruises have their own credit cards that earn onboard credit, cruise upgrades, and even future cruises through points.
Because I have sailed with Royal Caribbean in the past, I was eligible to apply for the Royal Caribbean Visa. Upon spending $1000 in 90 days, I earned 30,000 points which equated to $300 in onboard credit. I accrued the $1000 quickly by charging the balance of the cruise, and was able to apply my onboard credit to my upcoming cruise.
In summary, I reserved an 8-day cruise to Hawaii at a lower price than a 4-day cruise to Mexico.
My total savings including my onboard credit was $1281. I was able to get this amazing deal by booking a guaranteed stateroom on a repositioning cruise off season through a travel agent.
Additionally, I bid for an upgrade, and earned points through my cruise line credit card. I booked early and was diligent in finding the best price.
I hope my savings tips can help you get a bargain on your next cruise!
