How To Get A Cruise For Cheap Or Even FREE!
You just hop on a ship (ahhh don’t call it a boat – people get mad! ), relax, eat and drink a lot, it takes you to ports, and it is just overall very relaxing. We have had a lot of fun so far just sitting on our balcony and watching the water.
Yes, I know, we are new to cruising but I have already learned so much.
I am the type of person who researches a vacation like crazy before going on it, so you can bet that I read cruising forums and articles for many, many days until I felt like I have been cruising several times before.
Since I told friends and family that we were going on a cruise, I have had many people ask me about the costs of going on one.
There are many different types of cruises out there. There are expensive round-the-world cruises, or there are cheap ones that are a few days long. There are interior rooms and then there are also large suites that are multiple floors. It all depends on you, where you want to go, and what you care about in a stateroom. Outside of the stateroom, all guests pretty much enjoy the same exact services, so the amount of money you spend all depends on what room you want to choose.
I have seen one night cruises for $50 per person and two night cruises for $99. I have also seen 3 and 4 day Caribbean cruises in an interior room go for $129 per person (yes, that includes food and basic drinks!), not including port fees or taxes. Depending on when you book, you may even be able to book a balcony room for just a few more dollars. If you do one or a combination of the options below, it could be easy to get your cruise for cheap or even near FREE. Who doesn’t like free?
Here are a few quick ways to save on your next cruise vacation:
- Book very early or book very late. Many times, cruises will give early bookers a great deal. They will sometimes match the lowest price and give you a discount if you book early and the price ends up dropping later on. Also, if you book late (like 3 weeks beforehand), they will sometimes offer great deals to fill up the remaining staterooms.
- Bring your own drinks. On some cruise ships, you are able to bring your own drinks. On ours, I brought two bottles of wine and a jug of water with no problem. I didn’t have to hide anything and I openly told them I had it. Royal Caribbean allows two bottles of wine per stateroom (not per person). I do not recommend sneaking drinks on. Security checked my water jug very hard and even made me open it so that they could smell it! I had to make a promise that it was water. And it was! I still don’t think they believed me though.
- Look for drink specials. Each day on our cruise, there is an alcoholic drink special.
- Watch the extra costs. There are tons of ways to spend extra money when cruising. However, there are probably already plenty of things to enjoy on your cruise ship that don’t cost a thing.
- Look for free events. There have been a few events already where they offer free appetizers and drinks, such as at an art auction.
- Don’t forget to read your daily cruising guide. I have been reading ours like crazy each day already. In each one, they list the happy hours, free events and more.
- Wait to shop until you are nearing the end of your cruise. Towards the end, things start getting cheaper and cheaper. If you want to shop, try waiting until the last day.
Now, if you are looking to save money on your cruise, you could try one or even ALL of the options below (yes, there are affiliate links below, but they are all safe and I use most of the options below). You may have to accrue the exact amount of points that you need, or you may be able to split up your transactions.
Use your Southwest card.
I used my Southwest card to get another free flight for this cruise. There are many cruise ships that leave from Port Everglades, which is only around 5 miles from the Fort Lauderdale airport.
Apply for the the Carnival MasterCard.
You can earn a $100 redemption of your next cruise with the Carnival MasterCard.
This isn’t the best rewards credit card out there right now, but there is a no annual fee, so you can save some money easily with this credit card.
You will earn 5,000 bonus points when you use your card for the first time and you can earn an extra 5,000 points when you transfer a balance of $5,000 or more within the first 30 days of opening this credit card. There is also a 0% APR on all purchases for the first 12 months after opening the the Carnival MasterCard.
Apply here if you are interested in the Carnival MasterCard.
The view from our stateroom at Port Everglades! Beautiful.
Apply for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard.
This is a card that I love and I’m always telling others about. You can read my full article here, but below is a quick summary.
You can earn 40,000 bonus points with the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard by spending $3,000 in the first 90 days of having this credit card. Then, you will also earn 10% on the rewards points that you earn, so you will earn $440 total. There is an annual fee with this credit card, but it is waived the first year.
All you do after you earn your points is book the travel that you want. You then can redeem your miles for a travel statement credit. It’s really that easy!
Apply here if you are interested in the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard.
Apply for the Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard.
This card is pretty similar to the credit card above.
The main difference is that there is no annual fee with this one. Since there is no annual fee, there is a lower credit card rewards bonus, but if you are looking for a cheap option, then the Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard is probably for you because you are only required to spend $1,000 in the first 90 days.
You can earn 20,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days. You then earn 10% miles back which means that you can earn $220 for travel.
Apply here if you are interested in the Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard.
