Cruise Deals

What’s a good cruise deal?

Going on a cruise is the equivalent of an “all-inclusive” stay at a nice resort. When you look at it that way, any rate below $100 per day per person sounds like a bargain.  As most hotels have different rates for suites versus “regular rooms”, so do cruise ships. You can easily spend two or three times the “bargain rate” for larger rooms with “luxury amenities” like living rooms, large balconies, bigger TVs, nicer bathrooms or access to spas and pools that aren’t available to everyone on the ship.

How to find cruise deals

“It pays to plan ahead” applies to many things in life and going on a cruise is no exception.  Getting the best “book early” deals usually means booking 6-9 months before departure.  The cruise lines publish their schedules a full year in advance, so it’s easy to keep an eye out for a departure and a price that works best for you.

We’ve also found that the cost per day is a little lower as the cruise is longer.  For instance, you’ll frequently find rates below $50/person/day on 14- or 15-day transatlantic cruises, while the standard rates for a 4-5 night cruise are $10-20 more.

At the opposite end of the timeline, you can also benefit from last minute cruise deals.  Cruise lines have to fill as many of their staterooms as possible, so they offer good prices as the departure date gets closer.  To get these kinds of deals you need to keep an eye out for lower prices on cruises leaving in the next 30-60 days, while remembering that a room type may sell out.

Every week the Cruise Guide Network updates its page of Last Minute Cruise deals with the latest offerings from all the major cruise lines.  Major cruise lines such as Norwegian Cruise Lineand Carnival also have their own “special offers” and “deals” pages.

cruise100

Compare Galveston Cruise Prices: See available sailings from Galveston and compare prices at CruiseDirect.