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Booking a last-minute cruise may mean spending more on transportation to and from the cruise departure port. Airfare, rental cars, train tickets, and hotels tend to only increase in price over time. Booking in advance can actually offer a cheaper (and more flexible) cruising experience due to Royal Caribbean's repricing policy. While you can still have an excellent cruise vacation in a different room category, it might not be the experience you were hoping for in a suite. Plus, if a travel agent knows you are looking for a last-minute cruise, they’ll be able to contact you whenever a deal appears to see if you would like to book the cruise.
Royal Caribbean Kids Sail Free 2024-2026 Dates & Tips - Royal Caribbean Blog
Royal Caribbean Kids Sail Free 2024-2026 Dates & Tips.
Posted: Tue, 05 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
YOUR VACATION BUCKET LIST WON'T CHECK ITSELF
The best Royal Caribbean cruise deals show up at the very time you are most likely to be dreaming of a sunny and warm vacation -- January, February and March. Other than those three months, watch for the aforementioned Black Friday cruise deals. If you find a great price, act quickly as cabins go quickly in those final weeks. Unfortunately a lot of people miss out on a cheap cruise deal in the interim time they take to verify they can get time off from work, dog sitters, and other logistics.
Sail during non-peak times of year
The first step to making sure you get the best deals is to join the cruise line’s email list. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll receive regular updates on all the latest offers, like deals by destination, kids sail free promotions and flash sales. Vacationstogo.com has a "90-day ticker" on their website, providing an extensive list of cruises departing within the next 90 days across major cruise lines. This is an excellent way to quickly search for last-minute cruise deals when you’re flexible on port, stateroom choice, ship, and even cruise line. Royal Caribbean also offers deals based on departure ports and destinations, so if you’re a flexible traveler looking for great savings, you can plan your next vacation around which itineraries are on sale. Just check your email or visit RoyalCaribbean.com/cruise-deals to stay up to date on promotions, sales and special offers.
Seas the day with an impromptu vacay
As always, we recommend booking a cheap last-minute cruise with a travel agent. Just because you find a cheap cruise deal on a particular website, though, does not mean you have to book the cruise from that website. If you find a cheap cruise deal on Vacations To Go, for example, you are not obligated to book the cruise from them. Cruise Critic's Deal Score will help you find the best deals on your favorite cruise line.
Royal Caribbean requires final payment to be made for a cruise at least 75 prior to departure for 1-4 night sailings and 90 days prior to departure for sailings 5 nights or longer. The best cruise deals can often be found as soon as Royal Caribbean releases new itineraries, but it’s not unheard of to find fantastic last-minute cruise deals. Both options offer their own pros and cons, whether saving money by booking far in advance or coming across a last-minute cruise deal. If you’re a flexible traveler, there’s no real harm in booking a last-minute cruise, especially if you need a vacation! While there are cons to last-minute deals, such as more expensive flights and fewer cabin options, you’ll still end up with an amazing cruise experience. If a last-minute flight to Miami is $500 round trip but would usually cost only $200, you might be negating any cheap last-minute cruise deals with an expensive flight.

Instead of booking a cruise line shore excursion, walk around the port on your own and see what's around. You could bar hop, take a taxi to the beach, or just hang out at the port area. If driving is out of the question, look at other airports to fly out of or into. If your cruise is out of Fort Lauderdale, consider flying into West Palm Beach, Miami or Fort Myers. Likewise, if you are flying out of New York City, try all the city airports as well as Westchester, Philadelphia or Hartford.
Vacations To Go has what they call a 90 Day Ticker on their website, and this is one of the easiest places to find all last-minute cruise deals in one place. All cruises on the 90 Day Ticker set sail within the next 90 days, allowing you to make the most of any cheap cruise deals available. Some of the lowest cruise fares can be found on sailings booked at the last minute. Whether a 3-night weekend cruise or 15-night transatlantic, it’s possible to find cheap last-minute cruises at any point during the year. Royal Caribbean deals on inside cabins start at around $60 per person per night (before taxes and port fees).
While last-minute cruise fares can lead to some amazing savings, these savings can sometimes be negated by last-minute airfare prices. A plane ticket that would otherwise cost $200 when booked months in advance can increase dramatically when booking at the last minute. Last-minute cruise deals are often unpredictable, with deals appearing one day and disappearing the next! If you’re truly looking for the best last-minute deal you can find, you won’t have much choice over itinerary, ship, cruise length, or stateroom options. With our bold last minute cruise deals, there’s never been a better time – or price – to enjoy an epic adventure.
Whether unpredictable school and extracurricular activities with kids, time off work, or family obligations, planning vacations years in advance can be challenging. Determining the best time to book a cruise is a highly debated topic, with some cruise passengers booking years in advance and others preferring to book at the last-minute. One of my worries before going on the cruise was that before I knew it, the weekend would be over.
If you live in the northeast, look for deals out of Cape Liberty rather than Los Angeles or Miami. A 7-night cruise is the “standard” length of a cruise vacation, offering just the right amount of time for a mix of sea and port days. This is the most common option you’ll see when browsing Royal Caribbean cruises. Let’s go over everything you need to know about last-minute cruise deals to help you make the right decision before booking. Or lounging in the first Overwater Cabanas in The Bahamas at our private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
When it comes to planning the ultimate getaway, there are so many reasons why cruise vacations rank among the most popular travel options. If you’re not a planner, or if the only things you’re looking to focus on during your getaway is savoring great food, relaxing, and soaking up the sights, cruise vacations are the way to go. A cruise vacation is also a great option if you’re traveling with the whole family, especially when you opt for a Royal Caribbean cruise. All of the ships in this cruise line’s fleet offer family-friendly experiences for guests of all ages. Even little ones will find plenty of ways to play with spaces and activities designed for tots to tweens.
Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis. There's an art to a last minute deal, especially if you're looking for a slam dunk price instead of a "not that bad" price. Alcohol, soda, and lattes all cost extra, and those costs could run up your cruise bill quickly.
While being able to snag the greatest deals is more likely when booking a cruise far in advance, this isn’t always possible for all guests. The same can be said for Alaska cruises, where popular excursions like whale watching and kayaking are in high demand. We also started noticing that there were a lot of bachelorette parties, groups of young friends celebrating birthdays, and large multi-generational families cruising with us.