The secret to getting a deal on a Royal Caribbean cruise is knowing when and how to book to net the biggest discount.
When you're ready to book a cruise, people want to get the lowest price possible through discounts, offers, or special pricing.
Having sailed with Royal Caribbean for over 20 years, I've found the key is to be smart about when and where you book your cruise. Cruises aren't like retail items that have promo codes or across the board price drops. Instead, cruise prices tend to be more like airfare in that there's an ebb and a flow to how much the cruise line charges for it based on demand.
Here's my best advice on how to get a discount on your Royal Caribbean cruise vacation!
Book early and reprice often
When someone asks when they should book a cruise, my answer is always "now".
As more people book up cabins on a sailing, that drives prices up. And with cruise lines seeing record demand, last-minute sales are far from a good deal in many cases.
The best strategy that people that cruise a lot employ is to book the cruise months and years in advance and then watch for price drops.
Residents of certain countries (United States, Canada, Australia) can re-price their cruise up until the final payment date if they spot a lower price.
Without a doubt, this strategy has been my best method for getting the best price.
The danger with waiting to the last minute to book is there may not actually be a lower price. In fact, I'd be more concerned the sailing will sell out.
Use travel agents for group rates
Before I book any sailing, I'll check with a good travel agent for special rates or targeted offers that may exist.
You might be surprised to hear how effective and useful travel agents are for booking a cruise, and they've saved me so much money over the years.
Travel agents have access to special pricing through group rates in their own agency and consortia's they belong to.
It's not unusual for their to be dozens of group rates available, but you have to know which ships and sailings are available.
Sometimes I've gotten lucky by asking my travel agent to book a voyage and being informed there's better pricing than I saw online. In other cases, I'll ask what group rates are out there and cherry pick a sailing.
You should always use a good travel agent to book your cruise because you only stand to benefit from a potentially lower price (and of course, great service).
Gambling in the casino is risky, but could get you "free" cruises
Royal Caribbean's casino rewards its players with targeted offers, but there are a few things to know before you hit the slot machines.
If you play in the ship's casino and use your SeaPass card to track your wagers, you'll be automatically entered in the Casino Royale program.
Sometimes you might get an email or postcard in the mail with specific sailings you could book and only pay the taxes and fees.
Or, you could earn enough points while on a ship gambling to reach a point tier and earn a certificate towards a free cruise.
I think casino offers are great, but they're best for those with a fair amount of flexibility when they can sail and a high tolerance for gambling losses. I would never advocate planning your family vacation around the casino offers.
You're probably wondering "how much do I need to gamble to get an offer?" and no one really knows precisely.
Casino offers are sporadic and inconsistent. I've seen people that have barely gambled get free cruises while those with thousands of points not have anything.
Consider cruising in the off season
Let's assume there are no special group rates, how do you save money on that ship and itinerary you want to try? Pick a sailing that isn't during peak season.
Every region of the world Royal Caribbean sails to has higher and lower demand depending on the month.
You could save hundreds of dollars if you pick a cruise in one month over another.
As an example, an Alaska cruise in May will cost you much less than the same cruise in July. Or a Western Caribbean cruise in September is going to be cheaper than April.
Knowing about the shoulder seasons is important, so ask you travel agent which months tend to see lower prices. If you have the flexibility to not be tied to a specific week, you might be able to take advantage of much lower cruise fares.
Check Royal Caribbean's last-minute deal offer sheet
Did you know there's a special cruise offer sheet that comes out once a week with last-minute deals?
It's called the Going, Going, Gone sheet, and it usually gets updated weekly on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. Sailings are usually for the next 60 days or so.
Sometimes there are lots of offers, and sometimes very few. It's also debatable how good the rates are, but it's one of the best ways to see the cheapest sailings you can sail on in the immediate future.
You'll have to act fast to book them, as there may only be a few cabins listed at the advertised rate. The sheet isn't updated when a rate becomes unavailable. By week's end, many of the offers are sold out.
Credit card offers
Sometimes credit cards have special savings if you use that card to book a cruise.
American Express is usually the most consistent in offering these, where if you spend a certain amount of money, AmEx will give you back membership points or money off.
Periodically check your card offers to see if there's something available for a cruise booking, but it may only be offered once or twice a year and there's usually no advanced notice.
New ships are always going to cost more
An inconvenient truth about cruising is you're always going to pay more for a new ship.
Star of the Seas, Icon o the Seas, or Utopia of the Seas are the newest ships in the world and their novelty as being very new commands premium pricing that goes with it.
You could book an older ship to save money, but if you're committed to trying a cruise ship that launched in the last five years, prepare to spend more.
The cruise ships that don't compromise on the family fun experience without the premium price tag include:
- Mariner of the Seas
- Navigator of the Seas
- Oasis of the Seas
- Harmony of the Seas
- Independence of the Seas
- Freedom of the Seas
I find consistently good prices on these ships, and thanks to some recent upgrades, they offer lots to do onboard.
