Depending on the cruise line you choose to sail with and the when and where of your holiday, a cruise is often a fantastic value holiday but there are some relatively easy to do things that can see you save money and get even better value for money.

If you are more used to a ‘regular’ holiday where a hotel is offered by a number of booking websites/agents and there are often a number of airlines heading from a number of airports to your chosen destination, when it comes to cruising, it is often the case that you choose the one ship you want to sail on and that can then of course only be taken from the port it is operating out of.

Even if you choose a destination that you want to visit and don’t really mind which line you sail on, there will only be a limited number of option operating when you can go.

With many more limitations on booking a cruise holiday, you have to be much more ‘creative’ in ways to save money but don’t worry, with our top tips below, it will be easy to get the best value cruise next time you set sail.

Our Top 10 Tips for Finding a Cheap Cruise

Register with the websites of cruise lines that are of interest to you.
Saving money on a cruise holiday will take some effort on your part but there are some free and easy tips that can save you a lot of time and effort needed and one is to register with the websites of the cruise lines that are of interest to you.

Not only does this make it easier to book your cruise when you finally decide to go ahead and with deal often time limited, that can be a difference maker but you often enrol in the loyalty scheme for that line which can often give further discounts or booking periods for offers that are not open to non-loyalty members.

Another great thing about signing up is that you can register for emails on cruises to the region of interest and not only are you amongst the first to know about newly released itineraries but you also find out about special offers when they are launched.

Check regularly for price fluctuations
If you head to a cruising booking website, to a travel agent or on to the website of a cruise lien and you see a cruise that is of interest to you- how do you know that you are getting deal?

If may say that you are saving 20% or that there is £50 off but what is that saving from? Sometimes agents/lines will up the price as soon as an itinerary is listed so they can ‘discount’ it soon after and sometimes the saving is compared to a similar cruise another year.

Sadly, is a trait of the industry to not be open when it comes to promoting ‘offers’ so the only way that you will know if you are receiving an offer or not is to make a note of the price when you first see the itinerary of interest to you and then keep a regular check on if the price goes up or down.

Don’t book too early
Going on a cruise is something to look forward to from the moment that you book, to the moment you walk onboard for the first time.

With that in mind it is not too surprising that many people get excited when they find the perfect cruise for a price that they can afford but if you book as soon as you see the holiday, you will not be able to take advantage of any dips in process or any special offers offered.

Cruise pricing is very dynamic, so patience is often a virtue.

Check for time of year special offers
Although each cruise line may offer discounts and special offers at different times of the year, there are a number of period that see more competition between the lines to grab bookings.

One such time is the new year when lines known that people are low on funds after Christmas, so they often offer sails starting in the days after Christmas or in early January.

In a similar vein, there are often sales to be taken advantage of in the run up to Christmas especially around Black Friday and Cyber Monday where the American influence of the industry is seen to its fullest.

If possible, add flights, pre or post cruise hotels and parking into your cruise
If you are heading abroad to start or end your holiday, you an often book the cruise, transfers and flights through your cruise line or agent at the time of booking your cruise and this can often lead to a big discount offered.

You will lose some flexibility but the money saving can often offset that.

Another way of making big savings is by taking advantage of offers to include extras in the cost of your cruise, including drinks packages, tips and/or parking as even though you are of course still paying for them in the cost of your holiday, it is often discounted with everybody paying for the ‘upgrades’.

Take advantage of early bird pricing and more options
Cruise pricing is very elastic, with prices in the main going up as cabins are sold, so it is often best to book early if you have a specific cabin area or type in mind.

This is especially true if you can book at the time of discount periods.

Take advantage of last minute deals as cruise ships look to fill up unsold cabins.
If you are flexible and don’t mind where you cabin is or even the type of the cabin that you have, it can be to your benefit to book as late as possible.

Cruise lines hate empty cabins, so if a sailing has struggled to sell cabins, the line will often offer big discounts close to the date of departure to fill up cabins and get as much money as possible.

Let a cruise line choose your room and get a discount
If you are just happy to be on a ship and don’t mind which part of the ship you are located in, the best value cabins can often be what is commonly known as a Guaranteed Cabin.

This is where you simply decide on the type of cabin, such as inside, outside or balcony, and then you are assigned the actual room closer to your departure date.

Sometimes this will be a day or so before you set sail and sometimes it will when you arrive at the terminal.

These types of booking will not see you take any advantage bungles or added extras as they are sold simply on a room only basis.

Pre-pay for tips, excursions, drinks, internet and any more extras you require.
If you book a cruise that doesn’t have the extras you want added, such as tips and drink packages, make sure that you pre-pay for them well in advance of your cruise.

If you wait until the last minute or until you are onboard the ship, you will have to pay a much higher fee.

To get the best discounts, you need to open to what is available, not what you want.
If you follow the advice above, there are lots of opportunities to enjoy saving but the biggest requirement from you is to often be as flexible as possible.

If you have a range of lines, ships and destinations you don’t mind travelling on and you can go as and when they do, you will be able to take advantage of the biggest offers that occur.

Many special offers or big discounts are for specific time periods only from both when you can book the trip and when you can sail, so you need to be ready to book quickly and sail when needed.