If you can find one, a late cruise deal can save you a ship-load of money. However, the money that you save comes at an expense. For some people, what you give up to get a cheap deal on a cruise is just a minor inconvenience, but for others it might ruin their whole vacation. Find out just what to expect and how to best handle it so that you know if late cruise deals are for you.
The big advantage of last minute cruise deals is that you can get away for incredibly cheap. Since cruise lines need to have a full ship to make the most profit out of each cruise, they are willing to slash prices in the last few weeks before a cruise embarks to make sure that the ship is full.
While you and the other that booked late may be getting cheap cruise deals, you won’t be getting a cheap cruise experience. You can expect to have access to all the same amenities, services, and food as everyone else on the ship with the same class ticket you have, regardless of what time they booked or what price they paid for the trip. It is a great opportunities for a luxurious vacation on a limited budget.
Unfortunately, just like how there’s no free lunch in economics, there’s no such thing as free late cruises. You will have to be flexible and patient if you really want to book a cruise late. The first thing you have to be flexible about it your departure dates. You will have to be able to notify your work and take a vacation on fairly quick notice. If your employer requires you to put in for vacation leave a few months in advance, you won’t be able to book late cruise the two to four weeks ahead of time you need to if you want the best deal.
You also have to be flexible with the times that you are willing to travel. Cruise lines have the hardest time filling up their cruise ships during the off-season. This is when you have the best chance to get a deal. If you have your heart set on going to the Caribbean in December, you may find that all the ships you check with are sold out long before the companies start to discount their prices.
You also have to finally be flexible on the destinations you’re willing to travel to. Odds are, you won’t be able to pick the ports of call that you want to sail to, especially during the high season for tourists. If all you want is a cruise to the Caribbean, this won’t bother you much. However, if its been your dream for the last few years to scuba dive on the world’s second largest barrier reef in Belize, you might be better off booking your cruise earlier. It is possible to find a deal on a cruise at the last minute to a certain port, but your choices tend to be limited, especially with popular destinations.
Cruise Ship Bound for Mexico
With late deals on cruises, you most likely won’t be able to pick the cabin that you want to stay in. On the bright side, most of the time on the cruise will most likely be spent on the deck or in a port of call. If you don’t mind sleeping in the interior of the ship, possibly next to the furnace or the ice machine, then this won’t be a problem for you. But again, if you want a seaside cabin or just want more control over where you stay, booking early might be a much better option.
It is possible to get an incredibly good price on a late cruise deal. However, you need to be flexible if you want to get the most value out of it. If you don’t mind exactly where you go, can get off at different times with relative ease, and don’t care where your cabin is on the ship, you should be able to find a cruise fairly easily.
However, if these things do matter to you that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find a deal on a cruise, it just means that you’ll have to be more patient. Start by looking at orbitz and comparing the prices and services offered by a variety of cruise lines.
