Late Cruise Deals

(Please scroll down for the best late cruise deals or click here)

 

Who doesn’t want to go on a cruise? Spending days lazing around, and seeing all the beautiful places while unpacking only once… And you know that if you get a late cruise deal and book a cruise close to its departure date, you can enjoy the same benefits and amenities at a much lower cost due to the amazing discounts offered for such late bookings! So why book any other way?!

 

What are late cruise deals?

A “late cruise deal”, or a “last minute cruise deal” as it is sometimes called, can save you tons of money. Basically, you get a fabulous discount on the initial marketed price or suggested price if you book the cruise close to its departure date. The logic is simple – any cabin or suite that is unoccupied when the cruise sails doesn’t earn the cruise company any money.

 

If there is an opportunity to sell the room, the cruise company would be eager to do it at any cost – and this eagerness increases as we get closer to the departure date of the cruise. That’s why you end up getting fantastic deals and discounts if you book the cruise at the last minute. (This is also the reason why cruise lines start selling their cruises so much in advance – sometimes more than a year before the actual departure / sail date!)

 

When is the right time to book to get the best late cruise deal?

Like we saw, the closer you get to the actual sailing date, the more discount the cruise line is likely to offer. However, if you keep waiting for the best deal, you run the risk of missing the sailing – the cruise might get fully booked! That is something you would want to keep in mind. So, when to book a cruise to get the best deal?

 

The ideal time is to actively look for a deal 2-3 months before the departure date / sailing date, and to book 1-2 months before the departure date / sailing date.

 

How to get the best late cruise deals?

Best advise – keep your eyes open. Keep looking at the cruise section of major travel websites and the website of the cruise line. If you have been monitoring the prices closely, you would know when the deal is good! You can also subscribe to newsletters of these websites and cruise lines so that you are the first one to know about the promotions, discounts and deals.

 

Remember, you can always negotiate with the cruise line directly – they should be able to give you the biggest discount because if nothing else, they don’t have to pay commission to anyone else! A good way to ensure that you get the best price is to travel during the low season or the off season for your destination. But please remember that the low seasons vary according to your destination, and you might not get the best weather at these times.

 

Are late cruise deals right for you?

Remember, late cruise deals are not for everyone – it needs a lot of patience, perseverance and stability to get the best cruise deal! Here are some factors:

 

You can miss the cruise

This is the biggest risk that last minute cruise deal hunting carries – there is a real possibility of not going on that cruise you have been eying for months! If you are not prepared for this eventuality, you should not wait for late cruise deals.

 

Your schedule needs to be flexible for late cruise deals

If you have a set sailing date in mind, late cruise deals are not going to work for you. For the best cruise deals, you need to be flexible about the departure date so that you can get the desired cruise itinerary for a bargain price.

 

You are traveling in a group

If you are traveling in a group, it would probably better to stay away from these late cruise deals – the possibility of multiple cabins being offered at a bargain price is very low, and you might end up not getting all the rooms that you need.

 

Reaching the port of embarkation

You book a late cruise deal at the last minute. This means that the arrangements to reach the port of embarkation also need to be done at the last minute. So, opt for late cruise deals only if you can be sure that you would be able to reach the port on time.

 

Also factor in the cost of any such travel in your total cruise cost – does this travel cost increase because you book it at the last minute, thus offsetting some of the money that you saved through the late cruise deal?

 

You don’t get the desired cabin type

Through late cruise deals, you end up saving a lot of money on the cruise. But you need to keep in mind that you would be one of the last passengers to be booked on the ship. The people who would have booked before you would naturally have gotten a preference in selecting their cabins, and you would get only what is left.

 

You don’t get the desired cabin location / deck

The same applies to the deck – you would only get what the people before you haven’t chosen. This usually means lower decks for the same cabin type. This also means you can get the cabin just above the theater or next to the stair case (which means constant noise).

 

You may need to compromise on other aspects of the cruise

Extending the same logic, you may need to compromise on some other aspects of the cruise – for example, you might not get the dining time you prefer.

 

The bottomline for late cruise deals

Late cruise deals can save you a lot of money – if you keep in mind the above mentioned factors, and are prepared for them!