The Cheapest Time to Cruise (And When Prices Actually Drop)
Two people can pay wildly different prices for the same cabin on the same ship. The difference is almost never luck - it is the week you sail, the month you book, and whether you counted the extras before you compared fares. Here is when cruise prices actually fall, and what the fare does not include.
When is the cheapest time to cruise?
The cheapest time to cruise is late September through the first half of December, after the school holidays and before Christmas, with early May and late January also cheap. In every region the shoulder weeks at the start and end of the season cost least. Book during wave season, January to March, for the best perks, or inside 60 days for last-minute cabins - but factor in that flights are usually dearer by then.
When cruise prices drop, month by month
Cruise pricing follows school holidays almost exactly. The weeks nobody can travel are the weeks that cost least, and that pattern holds across every region.
| Period | Price level | What's going on |
|---|---|---|
| Late Sept - early Dec | Cheapest | Back-to-school through to the holiday rush. The best value window of the year in the Caribbean, and the tail of the Mediterranean season. |
| Late Jan - early Feb | Cheap | After the New Year sailings and before spring break. Cold at home, warm in the Caribbean, and fares reflect it. |
| Early May | Cheap | After spring break, before Memorial Day. Also the opening of the Alaska season, when fares are at their lowest. |
| June and September | Middle | Shoulder weeks of the summer season. Good weather, moderate prices, noticeably fewer families than July. |
| July - August | Expensive | School holidays everywhere. Peak fares, peak crowds, several ships per port. Book excursions early or miss them. |
| Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving | Most expensive | The highest fares of the year, often double a shoulder week for the same cabin. Book a year ahead if you must sail then. |
How to save money on a cruise beyond the fare
The headline fare is the smaller half of the decision. Gratuities are charged automatically by most lines at a set amount per person per night, and on a seven-night sailing for two that alone can run to a few hundred. Drinks packages, speciality restaurants, wifi and shore excursions stack on top. A fare that looks cheaper can end up dearer once those are counted, so compare the total, not the advert.
The biggest single saving after timing is how you book shore excursions. Independent local operators generally charge less than the ship's version of the same trip and run smaller groups. The catch is the guarantee - only ship-sold excursions mean the ship waits for you if the tour runs late. Book independently where the port is straightforward and you can be back with a comfortable buffer, and use the ship in tender ports or when the schedule is tight.
Then there is the flight. Getting to the embarkation port is often the difference between a cheap cruise and an expensive holiday, and it is worth choosing your departure port around flight prices rather than the other way round. Always fly in the day before. A missed ship costs vastly more than a hotel night, and no cruise line refunds you for a delayed flight.
- check_circleAdd gratuities, drinks, wifi and excursions to every fare before you compare - the cheapest headline is often not the cheapest trip.
- check_circleBook excursions with independent operators where the port is easy, and leave 90 minutes before all-aboard.
- check_circlePick the embarkation port partly on flight prices, and always fly in a day early.
- check_circleInterior cabins on a port-heavy itinerary are the best value in cruising - you are barely in the room.
How much to tip on a cruise
Most cruise lines add gratuities automatically to your onboard account at a fixed rate per person per night, and the rate is higher for suites than for standard cabins. It is charged for every night of the sailing including sea days, and it applies to children on most lines too, which people routinely forget when budgeting for a family.
You can usually prepay gratuities when you book, which locks the rate in and takes it off the final bill. Some fares include them outright, and that is worth checking when comparing prices - an included-gratuity fare that looks higher can be the cheaper one. Bar bills normally carry their own service charge on top, typically added to each drink.
Extra cash tipping is optional and not expected on top of the automatic charge, though many people hand something to a cabin steward or a waiter who has looked after them all week. Budget a modest amount in small notes for that, plus tips for porters at the terminal and for tour guides ashore.
How much cash to bring on a cruise
Onboard, almost nothing. A cruise ship runs cashless - you link a card to your cabin account and everything from drinks to the spa goes on it. The exceptions are the casino, and small extra tips if you choose to give them, so a modest amount in small notes covers the whole sailing.
Ashore is where you need real money. Budget for taxis, market stalls, small cafes, beach chairs and tips for guides, in the local currency where possible. US dollars are widely accepted across the Caribbean and in Alaska, but in the Mediterranean you want euros, and small denominations matter far more than large ones - nobody in a market wants to break a big note.
Use the ATMs ashore rather than the one on the ship, which charges a heavy fee, and tell your bank your travel dates so the card is not blocked mid-trip. Bring a second card kept separately from the first. Card acceptance in port towns is broad but not universal, and it thins out fast at the small vendors that make a port day good.
- check_circleThe ship itself is cashless - a small amount in notes covers casino and extra tips.
- check_circleCarry local currency ashore in small denominations, especially in Mediterranean ports.
- check_circleWithdraw ashore, not from the ship's ATM, and carry a backup card stored separately.
Are repositioning cruises worth it?
When a ship moves between regions at the end of a season - the Caribbean to the Mediterranean in spring, the reverse in autumn - it sails a one-way crossing that has to be filled, and those sailings are the cheapest per night in cruising. You get a lot of nights, a lot of sea days and a fare that can undercut a standard week.
The catch is the flight home from the far end, which can wipe out the saving if you do not plan it, and the sea-day-heavy rhythm, which suits some people and bores others rigid. If you like long days at sea with a book, a repositioning crossing is the best value on the water. If you cruise for the ports, it is the wrong trip at any price.
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