Royal Caribbean is getting a very early start on the holiday shopping season with a new sale that could save you lots on your next cruise.
Their Black Friday Sneak Peek sale reflects the eagerly anticipated hottest shopping day of the year in November, but instead it's being offered in July.
The sale is live now through July 28, 2026 on select sailings departing July 24, 2026 - June 30, 2027.
Royal Caribbean prices all of its extras dynamically, which means the price will vary from sailing to sailing and ship to ship.
Up to 50% off discounts
The Black Friday Sneak Peek sale spans every category of things you can pre-purchase for a cruise, including drink packages, Wi-Fi, shore excursions, and more.
Royal Caribbean advertises you can expect up to 50% off select items, but the percentage off varies depending on the category of item.
- Shore excursions: up to 40% off
- Royal Beach Club bundles: up to 50% off
- Royal Beach Club day passes: up to 35% off
- Beverage packages: up to 40% off
- Unlimited Dining Package: up to 50% off
- Internet package (multi-device plans): up to 50% off
It's important to note that just because there is a Cruise Planner sale doesn't mean the prices of items you see has gone down. Cruise add-on prices aren't marketed the same as apparel or electronics, where prices are marked down across the board.
What's the best price for the popular things
Royal Caribbean offers a lot of add-ons you can buy for a cruise, but a handful are my favorites that are worth checking for a price drop.
Drink packages
Arguably the most popular add-on to buy for a cruise, Royal Caribbean's drink packages are the most sought after discount because the onboard prices are as much as $100 per person, per day.
Royal Caribbean offers a number of beverage packages, but the Deluxe Beverage Package and the Refreshment Package are the two most commonly purchased ones.
A good price for a Deluxe Beverage Package is if you can get it below $75.00 per day. If you can get it for less than $60 per day, it's a great deal.
The Refreshment Package is usually around $30 per day when pre-purchased. Anything less than that is a great deal.
Internet packages
Royal Caribbean loves to deeply discount its Wi-Fi packages before the cruise begins, but it's best if you are buying a multi-device package.
You can buy up to a 4 device package, and yes, you can share Wi-Fi packages with other people. There's no rule against that.
It's important to do some math here, because often the per device price is better if you buy those.
For example, my upcoming Utopia of the Seas cruise is priced as follows:
- 1 device package: $65.97
- 2 device package: $104.97
- 3 device package: $134.97
- 4 device package: $143.97
The percentage off gradually increases, from 35% off the 1 device plan, but 50% off for per device for the 4 device plan.
Beach day passes
I'll always check with any Royal Caribbean sale if the price of a day pass to any of its beach clubs has gotten better.
There are four day passes Royal Caribbean sells to its beach clubs:
Generally speaking, a really good price for each of these is if you can find it as follows:
- Coco Beach Club: Less than $150 per person
- Hideaway Beach: Less than $60 per person
- Royal Beach Club Paradise Island: Less than $125 per person
- Thrill Waterpark: Less than $70 per person
I'm sure some of our readers will disagree with me, but based on where prices have been most recently, this is the threshold I look for.
Specialty restaurants & packages
Discounts on specialty restaurants can be more hit or miss with pre-cruise sales, but I'll check for discounts on specific restaurants or packages.
I've found better discounts on dining packages, especially the Unlimited Dining Package, which can take the sting out of eating at multiple restaurants.
The closer you can get the per-night rate down to $30 per night, the better the deal.
Buy now because you can reprice later
You can log into the Royal Caribbean app or Cruise Planner website to check for what the prices are for your sailing.
Please keep in mind that the sale may not actually discount more what you have previously seen. Royal Caribbean's sales aren't across the board discounts.
The cruise line uses AI to price their items based on a specific ship and sailing's demand, length, ship age, and even demographic of who's sailing on it.
I recommend buying anything you see that is at a reasonable price that you are comfortable with. Remember, it will cost you more if you want to book it onboard.
The other advantage of buying these items now is you can lock in the price and guard against a price going up.
If you spot a better discount on something you already pre-purchased, you should be able to cancel and then re-purchase the same item. There's no cancellation penalty.
