Discover the different types of cruise deals and the benefits of each, so you can bag a discount when it comes to booking your next cruise holiday!
Going on a cruise holiday certainly has its perks. It involves far less planning on your part, offers the option of all-inclusive services and often costs a little less than regular all-inclusive resort holidays – especially where family cruises are concerned. In fact, a cruise ship can actually make for a far more luxurious and relaxing holiday environment than a luxurious resort. What makes it all the more special is that it enables you to cross several new destinations off your bucket-list without too much legwork.
Moreover, you can also lookout for a variety of cruise deals, catching one of which would cut down on your expenses by a huge margin. So, whether you’re dreaming of an Italian cruise adventure or perhaps even setting sail for somewhere further afield, let’s find out some of the most commonly seen deals you can get from below.
Early bird deals
If you’re a committed cruise lover, you might like to plan your holiday ahead of schedule, an early bird deal is the best way to benefit from cost-savings. While the discounts won’t be as high as some of the other deals around, it’s still a great way to ensure you get the best cabins in the most accessible location on the ship, while at the same time saving yourself some cash.
Seasonal promotions
Just like other travel and hospitality industries, cruise liners offer an array of seasonal deals and discounts to attract customers, both during peak and off-peak cruising seasons. Off-peak seasons, including the winter, offer the biggest price cuts, but there are also plenty of deals to be had during the summer and spring holiday seasons. Besides, some cruise liners – like Costa Cruises – offer reduced rates for select destinations during the school holidays.
Last-minute deals
Just like the airline industry, operating a cruise ship is an expensive proposition. Therefore, passenger cruise ships usually don’t tend to depart with empty cabins. So, if there’s a ship that isn’t selling out as expected, or there just happened to be some last-minute cancellations; cruise liners slash the prices by a huge margin in order to fill the empty cabins as quickly as possible.
As a result, last-minute cruise deals are often your best chance to bag an affordable cruise holiday. While there are no shortage of last-minute deals among the big cruise liners, you might have to compromise on your dream destinations. If you’re not too picky, however, the huge financial benefits probably outweigh the risk of waiting until the last minute to book.
Other occasional offers
Many cruise liners also offer one-time, promotional deals to attract both first-time cruisers and seasoned pros. These deals are often valid for a shorter period of time, usually with eligibility criteria to meet. At the time of writing, for example, Costa Cruises is offering a huge 30% discount on select itineraries for their first-time guests!
Enjoyed this post? Check out these articles before you head-off:
- Top 5 Mediterranean Walking Holidays
- Work vs. Wanderlust: Balancing Work and Travel
- Disabled Holidays Abroad: Travelling with a Disability
This is a great resource for anyone who wants to take a cruise. Cruises are so much fun, but if you don’t do your homework, you could end up paying way too much.
Thank you Surekha, glad you think so 😀
My wife and I have never went on a cruise, so this information will be very helpful if we can ever get on a cruise! Great post!
Good to hear it Roger 🙂
My husband and I keep talking about going on a cruise, I think they would make such a wonderful holiday for us. I kind of like the appeal of a last minute deal and going somewhere you might not normally choose.
Same here, I do enjoy a last minute trip!
I love cruising and we are busy saving for one for next year. I think a lastminute one would save us money
I’d love to go on a cruise, it must be really fun 😀
There are so many deals for cruises now, my parents love cruising and I swear they get information sent daily. It is certainly a much more affordable holiday than it used to be
Definitely, if you go for an all-inclusive package it’s often cheaper than what you’d pay at a big resort.
A cruise can be such a lovely holiday to go on, but seeing the prices can be quite off putting. It’s great that you can get good savings, and find affordable deals. Makes it much more accessible.
I know what you mean – I do love a good bargain!
I would love to go on a cruise one day and see what it’s like/ see lots of different places in one trip. We’ve looked at Royal Carribean and Norweigan so far x
I’d love to go on a Caribbean cruise!
It has never occurred to me that there might be last minute offers for cruise ships, but yes, of course, there are. They wouldn’t want empty cabins, I’m going to keep an eye out. Mich x
Definitely worth a look 😀
All of those sounds like wonderful cruises to join. Never been to one with the family but hopefully someday we will.
Fingers crossed you’ll get to do one 😀
As someone who has been considering going on a cruise for quite some time, this is incredibly helpful. I will definitely be checking out seasonal promotions for the school holidays.
Hope you manage to find something 🙂
We’d love to take a cruise and it’s great there’s so many deals to be had. I love the idea of everything being right there where you need it.
Same here. The new Virgin ship looks absolutely stunning!
I am just starting to look into booking a cruise for 2022 so this post is being added to my research folder that I am building.
Aww, glad to hear my post will be helpful for you Laura.
I’d love to go on a cruise but the price puts me off so this helpful for providing ideas on how to get it cheaper. Love the idea of a last minute deal cruise and getting a location you might not have considered.
Same here. It’s good to know it’s possible to find affordable options.
I always thought of a cruise as being a big expense so its great to hear there are lots of ways to save some money with these kind of offers! I would love to go on a cruise myself one day, it seems like such a great way to see lots of places at once!
Same here – it’s surprising how affordable it can be!