All this week, we are helping first time Royal Caribbean cruisers with all aspects of the cruise vacation.  Check back every day for a new post aimed at those who are new to Royal Caribbean!

So you are ready to book your first Royal Caribbean cruise but the savvy consumer side of you knows there must be a sale or promotion that you can take advantage of to reduce the cost of your cruise.  

And you would be right! Here's what you need to know about finding a deal on your Royal Caribbean cruise so your first cruise can be an affordable one too!

The deals you can expect

To remain competitive in the cruise market, Royal Caribbean will usually have promotions and deals out there at any given time to entice guests to book a cruise.

While Royal Caribbean does change its sales tactics up now and then, there are some general promotions that are available somewhat regularly that you should be aware of and what they mean.

BOGO deals

Royal Caribbean's go-to promotion these days is the BOGO sale.  Essentially, you pay full price for the first guest in a stateroom and the second guest is 50% off.

This promotion has been available regularly for the last 12-18 months as of the writing of this post.  

Royal Caribbean does tend to combine this promotion with other promotions to make each offering a little more exciting.

WOW Sales

In general, Royal Caribbean has a WOW Sale at an almost quarterly basis, and for first time cruisers, this may be your best promotion.

WOW Sales offer 50% off deposits and free onboard credit.

What makes WOW sales good for folks new to Royal Caribbean is you get onboard credit that usually is not available to first time cruisers.  

Last minute sales

Royal Caribbean is in the process of phasing out last minute deals on cruises, but they do still pop up now and then.  

Last minute sales are for deals on cruises that sail somewhere between 30 and 60 days from booking, so you will need to act fast and be flexibile in the sailing, stateroom and transportation options to the port.

These can be legimitately good deals but most people need more advanced notice and prefer different sailings.

The "throw ins"

There are other promotions Royal Caribbean keeps up its sleeve that they use to enhance some of the other deals.  

These can include free gratutities, free shore excursions, a small amount of onboard credit and more.

These promotions aren't deals on their own, but can be used in combination with other deals.

Where to look for Royal Caribbean cruise deals

Travel Agent

When you are new to Royal Caribbean cruising, your best place to start is with a travel agent that knows Royal Caribbean well.  

It is a travel agent's job to keep track of the various promotions and provide guidance to you for your best deals.

We always advocate using a travel agent for the services they provide you, which are free to you (Royal Caribbean pays them a commission, so there is cost to you).

Ask your travel agent about what promotions are out there as well as regional and vocational discounts available.

Travel agents may also have access to additional onboard credit or savings through agency-specific promotions.   It never hurts to consult a few different agencies to find the right one for you.

Check Royal Caribbean's deals page

Royal Caribbean maintains a list of deals available on their site that are also a good frame of reference to see what they are offering.

There may be a deal on Alaska cruises that you were not thinking about and find that to be a better deal for you.

Unline a grocery store, most promotions are applied automatically on Royal Caribbean's site.  So when you price out a cruise, it will use any deals that are out there, so you can track the cost of any sailing.

A word on prices

There are lots of places online and in-person that will sell you a Royal Caribbean cruise but keep in mind that Royal Caribbean maintains strict pricing on its cruises.  

That means the price of a given sailing at any given time will be the same no matter if you call Royal Caribbean directly, use a travel agent or find some web site selling a cruise. 

The difference can be travel agent specific deals, where perhaps a travel agency has a block of rooms reserved that lowers the cost of the stateroom or the agency is offering onboard credit that comes out of their pocket.  

The other important concept to understand about cruise prices is they are a lot like airline prices.  What you price out today may be completely different tomorrow, an hour from now and three months from now.

Royal Caribbean allows guests to rebook their cruise as many times as they want up until your final payment date.  

Once you hit final payment and make your final payment, your price is locked in and you cannot change it without a penalty.  

There is one caveat to this rule and that is if the price of your cruise drops to the point an upgrade in your cabin is as inexpensive or more than your current cabin, Royal Caribbean will upgrade you to that category.

Tricks to finding a deal on a cruise

Regardless of the promotion Royal Caribbean is running or where you live or anything else, there are some strategies to finding lower priced cruises.

Cruise during hurricane season in the Caribbean

The months of August through October are the height of hurricane season in the Caribbean and most folks avoid cruises during this time because of fear of a storm impacting their cruise.

Booking a cruise during these months can be cheaper than other months of the year because there is less demand for these sailings.

If you are worried about what happens if a hurricane should strike, the good news is Royal Caribbean will reroute their ships around the storms. It is quite rare to have a sailing be cancelled due to a hurricane.

Book early for popular times

If you only want to cruise during popular times, such as summer in Europe or winter in the Caribbean, then book as far in advance as you can.

The earlier you can book your cruise, the better the price in most cases and by locking in the price early, you will be rewarded with the lower fares.

In addition, you can always pre-book your sailing if the price drops up until your final payment date.

Royal Caribbean and the cruise industry as a whole want guests to book early and not wait for the last minute so they will price their cruises lowest when sailings are first announced.

How early is early? If you can book at least 8-12 months in advance, you are in the right time frame.  If you can book even earlier, such as up to 24 months in advance, you may net even larger savings.

Sailings that will be always popular are

• New ship sailings
• summer Alaska sailings
• Christmas and New Year's cruises
• Panama Canal crossings

Use holds to your advantage

Royal Caribbean will allow guests to place a 24 hold on a particular sailing, so your stateroom and price can be locked in.  

Use this strategy to give yourself time to research and think about a cruise without fear of losing out on availbility or price.

When in doubt, it is best to use these courtesy holds to get more time to consider all of your options.  Working with a travel agent and using courtesy holds can be a good way to keep your options open.

In just a few days, Royal Caribbean will kick off its next promotion, BOGO Plus, where guests can book one guest and the second guest sails for 50% off­ plus free stateroom upgrades on select 2016 sailings.

The deal offer is as follows

• Buy One Guest, Get Second Guest 50% off
• Plus for all eligible Caribbean, Bahamas, and Europe sailings departing Jun 1 – Aug 31, 2016, offer includes Free Upgrade – from an Ocean View to Balcony or Interior to Ocean View.

For Sovereign and Vision class ships, Free Upgrade refers to booking an ocean view stateroom for an inside stateroom at standard/full or BOGO fare. For all other ships, Free Upgrade refers to booking a balcony stateroom for an ocean view stateroom at standard/full or BOGO fare.

The BOGO Plus offer will be available for bookings made between August 17 and October 11, 2015 and is valid on all sailings departing on or after September 17, 2015. Offer excludes China departures and Anthem of the Seas sailings departing before April 29, 2016.

BOGO offer is combinable with the adjoining Free Upgrade offer, Crown & Anchor discounts, NextCruise offers, and Shareholder Benefits. BOGO and Free Upgrade offers are not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). Free Upgrade offer is combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts, NextCruise offers, and Shareholder Benefits. Neither offer is combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates.

Offer open to residents of the United States or Canada.

Royal Caribbean announced today it has revamped its shore excursion offerings and to celebrate the new offerings, is offering free shore excursions this weekend only.

Royal Caribbean's shore excursions have been grouped into seven special interest categories designed based on guest’s interest and vacation needs: Active Adventures, Family Connections, Royal Tour Challenge, Culture and Sights, Culinary Delights, Caring Discoveries, and the Royal Premium Tour Collection.  

In celebration of the new tour offerings, Royal Caribbean is offering free shore excursions on all new reservations completed this weekend, August 14-16, 2015. Bookings for sailings departing on or after September 14 will receive a credit of up to $150 to use towards the shore excursion of choice.

The new shore excursion categories group together various excursions to make it simpler to find related activities.

Active Adventures 

Guests can get their hearts pumping with activities at every level, from riding a dune buggy and boat rides to high-energy excursions that will take their vacation’s adrenaline factor to the next level. From tackling six exhilarating zip lines and two skybridges in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, to rappelling through small waterfalls, sliding toboggan-style down boulders and jumping off cliffs into natural pools at a thrilling watercourse in Madeira, Portugal, adventure seekers can test their metal on any one of these excursions.

Family Connections

Creating lifelong memories are what family vacations are all about. What better way to ensure those come to life with shore excursions that kids, parents and even grandparents can enjoy together. Families can share exciting experiences while attending gladiator school in Rome, Italy, where they can learn Roman gladiator combat skills with a hands-on fighting lesson and earn a certificate of Roman citizenship. Or embark into the great outdoors with awilderness kayak experience at Chilkoot Lake in Skagway, Alaska, where adventure seekers might spot bald eagles, brown bears, seals, sea lions or even whales. 

Royal Tour Challenge

In the spirit of good fun and some friendly competition, guests can spend their days in port with challenge-based activities designed especially for families and groups. Families and friends can spend some quality time together with a half-day laser tag adventure in Cozumel, Mexico, where participants will hit targets to gather points by following a jungle path filled with Mayan ruin replicas. Or better yet, guests can enjoy a five-on-five soccer game in Gijon, Spain, followed by a game of paddle tennis, a raquet sport played extensively in Spain.

Culture and Sights 

For travelers looking to explore history and culture with local experts and enrich their understanding of the world, they can select classic sightseeing tours, guided visits to archaeological sites and museums, live performances, and more. Guests can visit a sprawling Buddhist temple complex in Bangkok, Thailand, which was built in honor of two famous kings, or explore Rome, Italy, in an Ape Calessino, the little vehicle eponymous to Italian style which launched in 1948 to help with post-WWII reconstruction.

Culinary Delights 

Want to know what’s on the menu, in the fields or on tap? Discover a destination’s authentic, essential flavors through excursions that introduce guests to local chefs, specialties and purveyors. Visit Graycliff Chocolatier in Nassau, Bahamas, and delight in making truffles, bonbons and bars with a tropical flair, or learn pizza-making from the experts in Naples, Italy, where the Italian favorite was invented in 1830.  

Caring Discoveries 

Guests wanting to make a difference in the places they visit can select tours committed to wildlife, the environment and local communities. Whether it issaving a sea turtle in Cozumel, Mexico, where approximately 20 percent of turtles aren’t quite ready to head for the seas, or meeting an Iditarod musher and their racing dogs at a dog sled camp in Skagway, Alaska, visitors will leave a lasting impression.

Private Destinations: Labadee, Haiti and CocoCay, Bahamas

These secluded escapes boast experiences that range from soaring 500 feet above the beaches of Labadee on the Dragon’s Breath Flight Line, to tranquil beachside escapes appreciated through guided nature walks or lounging on the white sandy beach of CocoCay.  Exclusive to Royal Caribbean guests, the dynamic offerings in Labadee and CocoCay tantalize guest’s individual craving for adventure or relaxation.

Royal Caribbean is offering free cruise fare for third and fourth passengers for guests in a triple or quad occupancy stateroom on Explorer of the Seas sailings to Alaska in 2016.

The deal is valid on 7-night round trip Explorer of the Seas Alaska sailings between May 20 – September 9, 2016.

The deal offers free cruise fare for third and fourth passengers in a triple or quad occupancy interior stateroom.  If you book a balcony stateroom, third and fourth passengers will be eligble for a "cruise savings" instead.

In addition, all staterooms booked qualify for Buy One Guest, Get Second Guest 50% Off promotion.

If you book a qualifying cruise to get third or fourth passengers, all other charges, including, but not limited to, government taxes and fees, are not included and apply to all guests.

To qualify for this promotion, eligible sailings must be booked between July 3 and July 31, 2015.

Offer open to residents of the United States or Canada.

Royal Caribbean will offer a 72 hour sale this week on holiday cruises in 2015 and 2016 that will include buy one fare, get 50% off their second guest, 50% off their deposit plus their prepaid gratuities for free.

The 72 hour Holidays in July sale will be available between July 17 and 19, 2015 and is valid on all sailings departing Dec. 15-31, 2015 or Dec. 15-31, 2016, excluding China departures and Ovation of the Seas sailings.

If you book a qualifying cruise during this promotion, you will be eligible for

• 50% reduced deposit
• Buy one guest, get second guest 50% off
• Pre-paid gratuities for the first and second guest in the stateroom.

BOGO offer is combinable with the adjoining Pre-Paid Gratuities and 50% Reduced Deposit offers, Crown & Anchor discounts, NextCruise offers, and Shareholder Benefits. BOGO offer is not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). Pre-Paid Gratuities offer is combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO) as well as NextCruise offers. Pre-paid Gratuities offer is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Neither offer is combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates. 

Offer open to residents of the United States or Canada.

For this weekend only, Royal Caribbean is giving guests up to an extra $50 in onboard credit that is combinable with the Rock Your View upgrade offer on Anthem of the Seas and BOGO Holidays on a variety of holiday sailings.

Royal Caribbean is offering

• Book an Interior or Ocean View stateroom and receive $25 onboard credit
• Book a Balcony or Suite and receive $50 onboard credit

This onboard credit offer is on top of Royal Caribbean's Buy One Guest, Get Second Guest 50% Off + Free prepaid gratuities on sailings departing Dec. 15-31, 2015 or 2016.

This Weekend WOW Sale applies to new bookings made July 10-12, 2015 for all sailings departing on or after August 9, 2015, excluding China departures and Ovation of the Seas sailings departing between December 15, 2016 and January 23, 2017. 

Offer is combinable with current standard/full fare rates, restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO), Next Cruise offer, and Anthem Upgrade Offer. Offer is not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates, Crown & Anchor Discounts, and Shareholder benefits.

Offer available in the United States and Canada.

Royal Caribbean is celebrating the Independence Day holiday in the United States with a five-day sale on some last minute sailings.

The cruises available depart between the months of July and September 2015 and are available for booking beginning July 3 through July 8, 2015.  The savings on these select cruises are up to 20% off.

All cruises on sale can be found in this listing.

Royal Caribbean's newest cruise promotion begins today with the BOGO's Back deal on all sailings departing on or after August 1, 2015.

During the BOGO sale, book one guest and the second sails for 50% o­ff.  In addition, if you book a 2015 or 2016 holiday sailing, Royal Caribbean will include both passenger's gratuities.

This BOGO sale is valid on bookings made July 1 through August 16, 2015.

The new BOGO deal is valid on all sailings departing on or after Aug. 1, 2015. Offer excludes China departures, Anthem of the Seas sailings departing before April 29, 2016, and Ovation of the Seas sailings departing between December 15, 2016 and January 23, 2017.

The free gratuities offer is valid on all eligible sailings departing Dec. 15-31, 2015 or Dec. 15-31, 2016 for the first and second guests in the stateroom.

BOGO offer is combinable with the adjoining Pre-Paid Gratuities offer, Crown & Anchor discounts, NextCruise offers, and Shareholder Benefits. BOGO offer is not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). Pre-Paid Gratuities offer is combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO) as well as NextCruise offers.

Pre-Paid Gratuities offer is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Neither offer is combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates. 

Offer open to residents of the United States or Canada.

Royal Caribbean is bringing back its Buy One, Get One 50% off sale for the month of July.

Beginning July 1st, guests that book a cruise reservation will get the cruise fare of the secong guests for 50% off.  In addition, if they book a 2015 or 2016 holiday sailing, Royal Caribbean will cover their gratuities.

The new BOGO deal is valid on all sailings departing on or after Aug. 1, 2015. Offer excludes China departures, Anthem of the Seas sailings departing before April 29, 2016, and Ovation of the Seas sailings departing between December 15, 2016 and January 23, 2017.

The free gratuities offer is valid on all eligible sailings departing Dec. 15-31, 2015 or Dec. 15-31, 2016 for the first and second guests in the stateroom.

Cruise must be booked Juy 1- August 16, 2015.

BOGO offer is combinable with the adjoining Pre-Paid Gratuities offer, Crown & Anchor discounts, NextCruise offers, and Shareholder Benefits. BOGO offer is not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). Pre-Paid Gratuities offer is combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO) as well as NextCruise offers.

Pre-Paid Gratuities offer is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Neither offer is combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates. 

Offer open to residents of the United States or Canada.

Royal Caribbean is giving guests an extra $50 in onboard credit, on top of Royal Caribbean's 30 for 30 sale, for cruises booked this weekend.

Royal Caribbean is offering

• Book an Interior or Ocean View stateroom and receive $25 onboard credit
• Book a Balcony or Suite and receive $50 onboard credit

This discount is on top of the 30 for 30 sale, where guests can get 30% Off Suites & Balconies, 20% Off Ocean View staterooms &  10% Off Interior staterooms.

The deal is valid on all sailings departing on or after July 26, 2015, excluding China departures. Offer applies to new bookings made Jun 26-28, 2015.

Offer is combinable with current standard/full fare rates, restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO), Next Cruise o er, and Anthem Upgrade Offer. Offer is not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates, Crown & Anchor Discounts.

Offer available in the United States and Canada.