Cruise super savers: How to bag a bargain cruise

The painful cost of living crisis is likely to continue well into 2023, according to experts at the Bank of England, but with a little thought and planning we can still enjoy cruise holidays to see us through this winter and into sunnier times ahead.

From snapping up last-minute bargains to booking special deals when cruises are first announced, you’ll find many opportunities on our website – which iis after all the UK’s largest cruise research and search site – as well as cruise line sites.

So whether you prefer no-frills deals or all-inclusive, here are 10 ways you can keep costs down and still enjoy a great cruise holiday.

Book a last-minute cruise for 2022

There’s no time like the present, so why not grab yourself a last-minute break? Often you can save a lot of money by waiting until the final week or two before a ship’s departure and although you won’t have your choice of the best cabins you can always use the money you save for special treats.

So if you find yourself with a free week or two this year there’s a lot to be said for seizing the moment and going to places you’ve always promised yourself you would visit when you have the time. Europe’s Christmas markets, perhaps?

Get on board
AmaWaterways' seven-night ‘Christmas Markets on the Rhine’ cruise from Amsterdam to Basel via Cologne and Strasbourg aboard AmaCerto, departs November 29, 2022, from £2,854 including flights.

Pay 2022 prices for 2023

You’ll have to get your skates on but there are still a few special promotions available for 2023 cruises and by booking now you’ll pay 2022 prices.

Princess Cruises has deals including free mini-suite upgrades and £50 per person deposits for 2023 cruises if you book by October 31. Similarly, MSC Cruises is offering a balcony cabin upgrade for early birds who book an inside cabin for a summer 2023 cruise in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

Meanwhile Emerald Cruises offers savings of up to £2,000 per couple on its 2023 Europe river cruise collection if you book now and TUI is offering £300 off selected Marella Cruises holidays with TUI discount codes.

Get on board
Princess Cruises' 14-day ‘Iceland & Norway’ cruise roundtrip from Southampton via Olden and Reykjavik aboard Sky Princess, including free upgrade and low deposit, departs June 17, 2023, from £1,199 per person. Discover more about the Land of the Midnight Sun & Summer Solstice cruise.

Book really far ahead for 2024

Lock down your cruise price by booking ahead a couple of years so you know what you will be paying now. Prices are always cheaper when cruise lines first release their itineraries and, not only will it give you peace of mind, but you’ll have plenty of time to save for your holiday.

You’ll also be able to research what you want to see, as well as deciding whether to book accommodation before and after the cruise to maximise your stay – especially if it’s a bucket list trip, such as the wild beauty of Alaska.

Get on board
NCL nine night ‘Alaska: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau’ cruise, roundtrip from Seattle via Juneau and Ketchikan aboard Norwegian Encore, departing May 5, 2024, from £845 per person, cruise only.

Shop for the best cruise deal

Just like getting three quotes from builders, it’s good to shop around when buying a cruise ­– and specialist agents are your best bet for bagging a bargain.

Building up a good relationship with a travel agent is always time well spent, as is browsing through websites of the many online agencies, because these are where you’ll find the best packages.

The best agents may be able to bag you pre and post-cruise hotel stays and in some cases guided tours or tickets to attractions – as well as flights and possibly drinks or WIFI packages.

The World of Cruising Matchmaker is a great place to start your quest as it has deals with some of the best-known agencies as well as cruise lines.

Get on board
NCL's 18-night ‘Southern Japan’ cruise aboard Westerdam, roundtrip from Tokyo via Osaka and Kyoto. Trip includes three hotel nights in Tokyo and Bullet Train to Mount Fuji with lunch, departing March 12, 2024, from £3,349 per person. Why not explore the cruises on offer from Norwegian Cruise Line's itinerary?

Go all-inclusive

All-inclusive cruises with flights, drinks and gratuities – more in some cases – may seem expensive compared with just paying for a cruise-only holiday but often they work out at better value than paying as you go for all the extras.

This is particularly true if you like a few glasses of wine with your dinner and a drink from the bar while you watch a show, as most cruise lines add service charges every time. By paying upfront now, you will also beat rising inflation costs.

Among the more reasonably priced all-inclusive lines are Celebrity Cruises, Greece-based Celestyal Cruises and TUI’s Marella Cruises, while many river cruise lines offer free beer and wine at mealtimes with the opportunity to upgrade with a drinks package for the bar.

Get on board
Marella Cruises 7-night ‘Highlights of the Mediterranean’ aboard Marella Voyager, roundtrip from Palma, via Livorno and Barcelona, departing June 3 2023, from £1,256 including flights, drinks and tips.

Choose a no-fly cruise

It’s a no-brainer. Sailing from a UK port can mean big savings on flights and although most departures will be from the south coast – Southampton, Dover or Portsmouth – there are a few other options from cruise lines that focus on the UK market.

Ambassador Line, which launches its second ship Ambition next March, sails mainly from London Tilbury – handy for people living in East Anglia – but also has some departures from Liverpool, Belfast, Newcastle and Dundee for Britain and northern Europe cruises.

Another UK favourite is Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, which mostly sail from the south coast but also from Rosyth near Edinburgh as well as Belfast, Newcastle and Liverpool. Newcastle and Rosyth are well-placed for Norway and the Baltic, while the cruise line’s ‘Around The World In 80 Days’ cruise starts from Liverpool.

Get on board
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines 14-night ‘Winter Warmth In The Canaries’ cruise aboard Borealis, roundtrip from Liverpool via Madeira and Lisbon, departing 20 January 2023, from £2,019.

Use loyalty points

Virtually every cruise line has a loyalty programme to keep guests coming back for more – whether it’s money off their next cruise, free WIFI or complimentary drinks.

For instance, P&O Cruises has exclusive discounts for its Peninsular Club members (anybody who has spent at least 15 nights on board) including 5 per cent discounts with Select Price bookings.

All loyalty programmes are broadly the same: the more you sail, the more discounts you earn; the classier your cabin the more points you’ll get.

Saga also has an Advanced Registration list that offers up to 35 per cent off selected cabin grades on a first come first served basis, so the earlier you book the greater discount you get.

Get on board
Saga Cruises 14-night ‘Contrasts of Scandinavia Baltic’ cruise, aboard Spirit of Discovery, roundtrip from Dover via Copenhagen and Stockholm, departing 21 May 2023, from £3,915. Dig into what Saga can offer.

Look for onboard credit and free services

Onboard credit is a very useful perk because you can usually use it to buy excursions, drinks in the bar or gifts from your ship’s shops.

Virgin Cruise Line awards Sailor Loot – it’s unique take on the concept – if you book during promotional periods but Oceania Cruises offers a whole raft of free extras, which makes this top-of-the-range all-inclusive cruise line much more affordable.

Its OLife Choice package includes free airfares and wifi plus a choice of either eight shore excursions, a beverage package or up to $800 of shipboard credit per stateroom. And the good news is that this package is available on hundreds of its cruises from now until its latest offerings in 2024.

Get on board
Oceania Cruises ‘Singapore to Hong Kong’ cruise aboard Nautica, from Singapore to Hong Kong via Brunei and Manila, departing 1 March 2023, from £4,129 including flights, wifi, speciality dining and OLife Choice package.

Organise your own excursions

Ships’ excursions are notoriously expensive so unless they’re included in your fare, you’ll save a fortune if you sort out your own trips. Some cruise lines provide a shuttle to take you to the nearest town or you can use local transport to get around – as long as you don’t try anything too ambitious and risk missing that day’s sail away.

Alternatively, choose a cruise with excursions included. Some all-inclusive ocean cruise lines such as Saga, Viking, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises will offer these and virtually all river cruise ships include complimentary excursions.

Wave Awards 2021 winner Riviera Travel is particularly good for daily included tours. For instance, its eight-day Blue Danube cruise includes guided tours in Vienna, Salzburg or Linz, Durnstein, Budapest and Bratislava, with visits to Esztergom Basilica in Hungary and Melk Abbey in Austria.

Get on board
Riviera Travel seven-night ‘Blue Danube’ cruise, aboard MS Thomas Hardy, roundtrip from Budapest via Bratislava and Vienna, departing April 6 2023, from £1,669 per person.

Book out of season

You always pay more to go away during peak periods such as Christmas, Easter and high summer even if you’re not booking onto a family-friendly ship, so look for deals in what travel agents describe as shoulder seasons – essentially early spring and late autumn.

Ships which are relocating will have the best prices, whether they’re crossing the Atlantic in spring to return to the Mediterranean or in autumn to get back to the Caribbean.

Others may migrate through the Suez Canal, to get to the Red Sea for a winter season; through the Panama Canal to swap west coast America for the Caribbean, or from the Mediterranean to northern Europe for a summer in the fjords or sailing to Iceland.

Get on board
Celebrity Cruises 13-night ‘Canaries & Portugal Transatlantic’ cruise aboard Celebrity Infinity, from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon via Salvador de Bahia, departing 13 April 2023, from £1,015 per person cruise-only.