10 Cruise Booking Hacks that Will SAVE You Money

Cruising can be expensive, but these cruise booking hacks will save you a lot of money! These money saving cruise tips are not known by most people - make sure to watch before you book your cruise vacation.

These days, we can always use some tips and tricks to save money on a cruise. These cruise hacks work for all cruise lines, from Royal Caribbean, to Carnival, to Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian cruise line and more! Even luxury cruise lines offer discounts with these money saving tips.

First time cruisers and repeat cruise passengers will find these cruise travel tips helpful.

RESOURCES I RECOMMEND

🛳 THE ULTIMATE CRUISE PLANNER 🛳

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CRUISE ESSENTIALS

Luggage tag holders:

*What I have: Carry-on Textured Luggage 21", 24" Textured Luggage checked bag

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Please note that I am unable to give personal cruise and travel advice. If you leave a comment I try my best to answer.

ABOUT ME
Hi! I'm Ilana! I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband Frank. We can often be found dreaming about and planning future cruises, ideally to hot and sunny destinations! I believe in having fun, being kind and that you are never too old, or too young, to live the life of your dreams!

Please note that I do not sell cruises on Life Well Cruised. This and all other videos are for entertainment purposes only. I share my own opinions, personal experiences and information with other cruise travellers, which I hope can be helpful. Please contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.
Some video footage courtesy of Princess Cruises, RCCL and NCL
Music Credit: Surf Time by Lux-InspiraMusic

[cassidyp]

One thing I have done is after booking up until the time of final payment, I call every so often and ask if any of the current offers can be applied to our account and if our cabin has the lowest rate available. On our last cruise, this allowed us to have over $200 in OBC! This was with Carnival.

[MoDavI-sliy]

I paid full price, and didn't get any refunds or discounts.

I spent a lot of money on our cruise with carnival. This turns me off from cruising. An all-inclusive trip to Jamaica, would've probably been a better option.

I used one of their booking agents.

But on the positive side, the more I cruise, the more I save.

On another positive note, I really appreciate your videos. There really helpful.

[merrymaid]

Really great tips! ❤️ Could you plz plz plz do a video on cruising solo? About how to save money and other great tips on going solo.

[briannickerson]

As a Navy veteran, I tend to ask. Holland America provides an additional $100 onboard credit for veterans. You will need to show a copy of DD214 form. Also, buying 100 shares of Carnival stock gets an additional $250 onboard credit for a 21 day cruise we take, but less credit for shorter cruises. This applies to all the cruise lines owned by Carnival. With Carnival stock currently low now, 100 shares gets repaid back in onboard credit in four 21 day cruises. I think other cruise lines may have similar benefits.

[DonLekei]

Using a different browser than you use for booking, check for promo codes from the line. You can give these codes to your travel agent and the line will apply them to your bill. You can also get promo codes by signing up for the cruise line's newsletter.

[andreas]

My tip: Don’t be afraid NOT to take the “have it all” packages. We have done cruises booking cruise rate only and save in the long run because: 1- we don’t drink a lot of alcohol 2-we may not care about excursions 3-we have done our homework and observed how much we spend on our cruises for: drinks, excursions and misc. we use onboard credit for wifi if we want it and toward our drinks and gratuities. Also we watch how many sea days there are for estimations as well as you can drink more:any beverages and other ship activities with cost as well as spa. Know your needs, wants and non-negotiables. Cheers and Happy New year Illana! 🎉🎉🎉😊

[gatorguy]

Good points... We find booking onboard with Celebrity works for us as most times they only require a $100 deposit per person. With this small deposit, we book the significantly cheaper non-refundable cruises. We prefer to book our own cruises, just a personal preference. We find that if you book cruises on ships that have been in service a few years, rather than on the newest ships, you can save significant money. Also, join loyalty programs, and cruise on the same cruise line to increase your loyalty level to get more perks, including free drinks (several per day), free internet for a period of time, and cabin upgrades. Also, check hotel rates (for the night before the cruise) a few days before your cruise, to see if the price has dropped. Additionally, we have found that booking excursions, drink packages, and speciality dinning early on their website can result in savings of 10 to 20 percent, depending on the promotion.

[sophiebarker]

If take multiple cruises/holidays throughout the year then multi trip travel insurance is just cheaper. Also booking cruises last minute can pay off, I managed to get 2 months before depart a solo balcony cabin with p&o for £675 for 12 nights whereas in oct next year they want over £2000 for a similar sailing. Booking early doesn’t always guarantee a cheaper price.

[catieeddleman]

We love the all-inclusive pricing and frequently cruise with Celebrity.

[bh]

You're my favorite cruise channel!

[williamwarren]

I am trying to go thru your cruise info (you have ALOT) thank you for all you do - It will be our first cruise in maybe 20 years but we at our age foresee a multiple cruise vacations each year - glenda

[richardwise]

Thanks for the tips im just about to go on my second cruise. I got hooked after my first one. I'm considering changing careers and becoming a travel agent who specializes on cruises.

[artheareno]

I just love your enthusiasm and knowledge. You present your tips and information so well and easy to understand…..😊😊😊😊😊😊 I have learned so much from you and your videos….

[christopaci]

I used a travel agent and I found a ocean view cabin for 725 on the Symphony of the Seas. Actual price was 1600. I was so impressed not for the fact that we didnt got a high cabin but the ship that we got was the most value and made the cruise 100 times more exciting. We can't wait to sail this next summer!!! Use travel agents guys she is 100% right I'm witness of this topic.

[websterrussell]

We like all inclusive it is less hassle. We have found that looking to the lowest cost isn’t always the best value.
Secondly we always use our CLIA agent it makes life a lot easier.

[jenkuhar]

I keep eye on prices after I booked. I’ve shaved about 600 off of my 2023 Bermuda. I don’t drink so changed to cruise only rate and am purchasing extras separately. Then rate kept going slightly down plus promotion included 200 obc. We saved 800 pp for recent Xmas cruise as result of watching rates. I also subscribe to a few Utube channels and as result I found out about a no single supplement sale and scored a sky suite on Apex for 3k in March!!!

Also won bids for upgrades from single balcony to Aqua Class.

[j.m.]

The blue print dress is flattering on you!

[dawnparker]

We usually don't take all inclusive cruise fares because we don't drink. Even by purchasing speciality coffees or mocktails separately, we don't spend any where near the cost of the beverage packages. We prepay our tips and some speciality dining and we save a significant amount of money. We've stopped purchasing wifi on most ships unless they are known to have good wifi. Once you know your spending habits, it will be easier to determine which option is best.

[Xawsome]

HAL doesn't do a bid, but I usually get an upgrade offer 2-3 weeks before the cruise.

[debraperry]

Ok - first of all I love your videos. I sat at my computer with Amazon open while I was watching your 50 cruise hacks video an the pack with me for a cruise video. I end up buying a brilliant fan to take on board (sat nicely on top of the light next to the bed and could tilt down). The packing cubes and magnetic hooks were great. We used the hooks to hold hats, games, lanyards, bags, towels - you name it. On top of that for the second cruise (I did back to back), I was sharing with a friend. The separated beds were a little too close for comfort so I used the magnetic hooks to hold up a shower curtain. It worked brilliantly. The only thing I will be adding to my cruise kit will be a suction cup hook as the cabinetry is not magnetic and I had to work some magic to make it work.