Finding a good cruise deal is easier than you think, as long as you know when to book (and what to look for). 

No one wants to pay more than they have to for a cruise vacation, and luckily there are several easy tips you can use to find the best cruise deals available.

The top reason someone might not get the best price on a cruise is because they miss out on the tried and true strategies that usually get the lowest price.

It's more difficult than ever to get a great cruise deal because of how immensely popular taking a cruise is right now. Demand is so high for cruising that cruise lines are disincentivized from offering major discounts.

There's also a game to finding a cruise deal, because sometimes there aren't any deals for a specific sailing. The more flexible you are, the better your chances at finding an amazing cruise deal.

If you’re wondering how to get the best cruise deals, here are 15 easy tips.

Always book as early as possible

More often than not, the best cruise deals are found on sailings one to two years in the future. In most scenarios, if you’re looking for the best deals, we recommend booking as soon as possible rather than waiting until the last minute.

Most cruise itineraries are announced around two years in advance. As itineraries open up for bookings, you can often find great deals, especially if you’re hoping to book a balcony room or suite. Plus, if you’re searching for a rare cruise cabin it’s important to book early not only to find a cruise deal, but to book before the cabin sells out.

Cruise when others cannot

If you want a really cheap cruise, my advice is book a sailing when families cannot or will not cruise.

Booking a cruise during the shoulder season instead of the peak season often saves the most money.

Peak season varies by destination, but generally coincides with school holidays. Summer, holiday weekends, and school breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break tend to see the most demand for cruises.

Therefore, if you’re able to cruise outside of these peak times, you can almost always find cheaper cruise deals. Sailing to Alaska in early September, for example, can be hundreds of dollars cheaper than sailing in mid July.

Likewise, booking a Caribbean cruise during hurricane season is typically much more affordable than during Thanksgiving. While there’s a slight chance of a hurricane affecting your cruise, most itineraries will sail smoothly with no itinerary changes or cancellations.

Related: What to know about cruising during hurricane season in the Caribbean

While not everyone can take advantage of sailing at non-peak times, particularly if they have kids still in school, it can lead to great cruise deals for those with more flexibility.

Sail on older and smaller ships

Besides time of year, you will consistently find lower prices on Royal Caribbean's older cruise ships.

The oldest Royal Caribbean ships—Vision, Radiance, and Voyager Class ships—often see some of the lowest prices. Despite the smaller size, many cruisers appreciate the more relaxed atmosphere of these ships and the unique ports on their itineraries.

Why are they cheaper? Because they don't have all the latest features that many vacationers are looking for, such as water slides, lots of restaurants, Broadway shows, or top deck activities.

Related: I sailed on Royal Caribbean’s newest and oldest cruise ships: here’s what it’s like to cruise on each

If you’re hoping for a blend of a cheap deal and "new" ship, look at cruising on an amplified cruise ship. As part of Royal Caribbean’s Royal Amplified program, the cruise line made significant refurbishments on select older vessels. During the process, they added features such as waterslides, new dining venues, and revamped pool decks.

Despite the addition of new features, cruise fares are still reasonable on amplified vessels—some of the best values in a cruise vacation can be found on amplified ships like Mariner of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, and Navigator of the Seas.

Look for last-minute deals

Booking a cruise at the last minute might seem counterintuitive to our advice about booking a cruise early. And although we usually recommend booking early as opposed to later, you can often snag a cheap cruise deal by booking at the last minute.

Related: How to get last minute cruise deals

If a cruise itinerary still has a significant number of empty cabins in the months leading up to the sailing, Royal Caribbean may drop the price in order to increase demand. This is most common after the final payment date for a particular sailing has passed—between 75 and 90 days before the cruise.

To find a last-minute cruise deal on Royal Caribbean, search the website for cruises and filter the results to see the lowest price first. You can also use a website such as VacationsToGo.com, which has a 90-day ticker showing the best, cheapest cruise deals departing within the next three months.

Sail a one-way Alaska itinerary

Alaska cruises have a reputation for being more expensive than other itineraries. After all, it’s not uncommon to spend over $2000 for an interior cabin during the state’s peak summer season.

Despite this, we’ve noticed a pricing trend for the past two years on select Alaska itineraries. One-way Alaska itineraries tend to offer fantastic cruise deals, often as low as just $550 per person including taxes and fees.

One-way Alaska cruises travel from Vancouver, Canada to Seward, Alaska and vice versa. These 7-night itineraries allow guests to visit more Alaska ports as well as spend time in Alaska’s interior before or after the cruise. While providing an excellent itinerary, one-way cruises see less demand compared to roundtrip sailings due to the inconvenience of starting and ending in different ports.

If Royal Caribbean sees low demand in the months leading up to the sailing, the prices for these sailings will drop drastically. Keeping an eye on one-way Alaska cruise deals 3-6 months before the cruise begins is a sure-fire way to find a deal on cruising to the Last Frontier.

Book with a travel agent

I book every single cruise with a travel agent, whether a short weekend cruise to the Bahamas or a two week trip to Greenland. Doing so has saved me hundreds of dollars over the past few years, and that’s not even mentioning the added service and resources my travel agent provides before, during, and after the sailing.

Whenever I book a cruise, I first email my travel agent for a quote; the quote I receive is often cheaper than what I could find on Royal Caribbean’s website. Depending on the travel agency you work with, they may offer group rates on select itineraries, which can save you money on your cruise fare.

Related: Top 5 things to look for in a good travel agent for your cruise vacation

Additionally, I almost always receive extra onboard credit through my travel agent. Having onboard credit means I can enjoy my cruise even more, whether I use it to book a specialty restaurant dinner or order an extra cocktail on the pool deck.

Aside from potential savings, though, are other benefits to using a travel agent. Travel agents are available to answer any questions you may have about your Royal Caribbean cruise, and they provide service in the case of any problems you encounter leading up to your sailing.

Be flexible with your departure ports

Flexibility is key to finding the best cruise deals; if you’re flexible with your departure port, you may have a better chance at finding a cheap deal.

Instead of cruising from Miami, look at sailings from Tampa or Port Canaveral. Or, if you live in the Northeast, check if there are any cheap deals from Cape Liberty, Boston, or Baltimore. You might be surprised to find a cheap cruise leaving from a less common cruise port.

Don’t overlook more faraway departure ports as well. As someone who lives on the west coast of the United States, I’m often shocked at the price of domestic flights to South Florida from my home airport. In fact, it’s often nearly the same price to fly to Barcelona, Spain as it is to Miami!

While there’s certainly more travel time required to get to Europe as opposed to Florida, searching a wider range of departure ports means opening up the possibility for more cheap deals.

Look at any and all cruise itineraries

Just as it's important to be flexible on your cruise ship and departure port, you should also be flexible on your cruise itinerary in order to find the best deals.

If you’re set on visiting a particular port—whether Bermuda or Santorini—you’ll be more limited in cruise options. Having more limitations means you have fewer options available, meaning you’ll miss out on some of the best cruise deals.

Related: 15 countries you didn’t know you could cruise to on Royal Caribbean

If you’re looking for the absolute cheapest, best cruise fares, keep your destination availability open. All of Royal Caribbean’s cruise ports have something to offer, from the coral reefs of Australia to the cruise line’s private island of Perfect Day at CocoCay.

The more flexible you are in itinerary choice, the better chance you’ll have at scoring a great deal.

Book a guarantee cabin

Booking a guarantee cabin on Royal Caribbean means you can save money on cruise fare with the caveat of not being able to choose your exact cabin location.

When you book a guarantee cabin, you give Royal Caribbean the power to select where on the ship your room will be located. If you book a guarantee balcony cabin, for example, you will be assigned (at least) a balcony room, but it could be located anywhere on the ship, from deck 7 forward to deck 12 aft.

Related: Should I book a guarantee stateroom on a cruise?

The advantage of booking a guarantee room, of course, is to save money—depending on the offer, you may be able to save over a hundred dollars by not choosing your cabin location. The disadvantage is that you cannot select the location. If you’re picky on cabin location, it’s best to pay extra to select the location yourself.

Despite the lack of flexibility, booking a guarantee cabin is one of the best ways to make a great cruise deal even cheaper.

Book during a Kids Sail Free promotion

If you’re planning a cruise with kids, the best time to book is during one of Royal Caribbean’s Kids Sail Free promotions.

As the name implies, a Kids Sail Free promotion is an offer in which kids can sail “free” on a Royal Caribbean cruise. In reality, this means that any third guest and higher in a cabin who is 12 years old or younger can sail free on a cruise longer than four nights.

Related: Royal Caribbean Kids Sail Free Dates & Tips

Of course, there are a few conditions to the Kids Sail Free offer. First are blackout dates, which are commonly found during school holidays. The second caveat is that you still have to pay taxes, fees, and gratuities for all kids—the “free” deal is for the base cruise fare only.

Despite these exceptions, booking during Kids Sail Free can usually save families money on a Royal Caribbean cruise if their schedule is flexible.

Book a longer itinerary

The shorter the cruise, the cheaper the cruise will cost… right? Not exactly!

Most people assume that booking a shorter cruise will lead to a cheaper cruise fare, but that’s not necessarily the case. As a matter of fact, some of the cheapest cruises are found on Royal Caribbean’s longest itineraries!

If you’re cruising with a limited budget, don’t search for only the shortest itineraries. While a 3-night weekend cruise might seem like it would be the cheapest option, this is hardly ever the case!

Instead, keep your search flexible and search for cruises of varying lengths. Royal Caribbean’s cruise fares aren’t necessarily priced according to cruise length, but are based on a variety of factors including ship age, time of year, itinerary, and demand for a particular sailing.

Some of the longest itineraries—such as repositioning cruises and transatlantic itineraries—see the lowest price per day of any cruise itinerary. Being open to more unique, longer itineraries can be a good way to stretch your vacation budget further and have more time onboard.

Keep an eye on Going, Going, Gone rates

Every week, Royal Caribbean publishes a PDF flyer online of their “Going, Going, Gone” rates. This list of last-minute cruise deals is one of the most convenient ways to check for the cheapest cruise fares available. You can view the list here.

The flyer is published once per week (usually late on Monday) but it is not updated throughout the week. Therefore, it’s recommended to check the flyer on late Monday night or early Tuesday morning in order to help ensure all deals listed are still available. As cruises book up during the week, the deals listed on the PDF may no longer be valid.

Subscribe to email newsletters

Hoping to be notified about the best cruise deals? Subscribing to email newsletters from your favorite cruise lines and cruise websites helps you stay in the loop.

The Royal Caribbean Blog newsletter, for example, is a weekly email in which we send out the week’s top stories, some of which may include information on cruise deals. Likewise, you may want to subscribe to Royal Caribbean’s official newsletter here—the cruise line sends promotional emails listing the current top deals and offers.

Stay loyal to a cruise line

The higher your loyalty status with a particular cruise line, the better chance you have of finding cheap cruise deals. If you cruise often with Royal Caribbean, we recommend sticking to the cruise line in order to grow your loyalty status in the Crown & Anchor Society.

Platinum members and above in the Crown & Anchor Society receive discounts on balcony and suite staterooms in addition to exclusive Crown & Anchor rates. Not only that, but single supplement fares are reduced for select Diamond Plus members and Pinnacle Club members receive a free 7-night cruise at 700 and 1050 cruise points.

Related: 11 of our favorite under-the-radar Crown & Anchor perks

Although most passengers “Loyal to Royal” won’t reach Pinnacle Club status, they can still receive the benefits of discounted cabins and onboard offers. Even if you don’t find the cheapest cruise deal available, you’ll still save significant money with Crown & Anchor benefits like free drinks and complimentary laundry.

Book with special rates for military, senior, and residency deals

Select groups of people may be eligible for special rates on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Knowing if you qualify for a special rate is helpful before you book in order to ensure you find the best cruise deal for your sailing.

Royal Caribbean’s list of guests who may qualify for discounts includes:

• Guests 55 years of age and older on select sailings
• Police and firefighters (active or retired employee or volunteer)
• Active or retired personnel in the military
• Airline personnel

We recommend checking Royal Caribbean’s detailed list here to check if you qualify for any discounts.

Royal Caribbean has added a new restriction on qualifying for its popular cruise deal for families with kids.

There's nothing new with Royal Caribbean having a kids sail free deal, as they've routinely offered it for many months in a row.  However, there's a new requirement added to the fine print.

Under the terms of the offer, children up to the age of 12 can sail for free when accompanying two paying passengers in the same cabin, provided the following criteria are met:

1. The sailing is 3 nights or longer
2. It doesn't conflict with a listed blackout date that covers many of the major school and religious holidays
3. NEW: The sailing date is departing at least thirty (30) days after the booking date

Prior to this change, a Kids Sail Free offer would have worked for a last minute deal departing less than 30 days after the booking date.

Royal Caribbean has provided no explanation for the new restriction, but it's likely a mechanism to encourage families to book their cruises further in advance.

The cruise line has been steadily working towards disincentivizing last minute bookings because it can usually result in lower fares. Besides the company wanting to make more money, someone booking at the last minute and getting a better price than someone who booked many months or years in advance hurts customers.

Restrictions on the Kids Sail Free offer aren't new. The fine print includes blackout dates around Thanksgiving, the winter holidays, summer, the spring break weeks and Easter week.

In addition, the kids fares still will be subject to taxes, fees and port expenses, which can amount to anywhere from $60 to more than $200 per person, depending on the itinerary.

What is the September 2024 Kids Sail Free offer?

If you want to take the most advantage of the offer, you'll need to book a cruise anytime between September 3 – 30, 2024 and it needs to be on select sailings 3 nights and longer departing at least thirty (30) days.

It cannot be on any sailing that departing on or during these blacked out dates:

• August 2 - 30, 2024
• November 22 - 29, 2024
• December 20, 2024 – January 3, 2025
• March 7 - 28, 2025
• April 12 - 24, 2025
• May 22 – August 29, 2025
• November 20 - 28, 2025
• December 18, 2025 – January 6, 2026
• March 6 – April 9, 2026
• Radiance Alaska Cruise Tour sailings departing July 1 – September 13, 2024 and May 16 – September 12, 2025
• Anthem of the Seas sailings departing November 21 – December 28, 2024
• Chinese New Year on Anthem of the Seas departing January 27, 2025 except for Alaska Summer sailings departing May 23 – August 29, 2025.

The good news is you can combine Kids Sail Free with the BOGO60 offer and the 2025 Kicker offer.

BOGO60 gives you 60% off the cruise fare of the second guest booked in the same stateroom as the first, full fare paying guest, as well as 30% off any additional guests booked in the same stateroom as the first full fare paying and second guest. 

It's valid on new bookings made September 3 – 30, 2024 and also needs to be on sailings departing at least thirty (30) days after the booking date.

The 2025 Kicker offer adds bonus onboard credit for cruises made just between September 3 – 4, 2024 on sailings departing in 2025 and provides instant savings per stateroom, varying by stateroom category booked and sailing length as follows: 

• 5 nights or less
  • $25 USD for Interior and Ocean View
  • $50 USD for Balconies
  • $75 USD for Suites
• 6 nights and longer
  • $50 USD for Interior and Ocean View
  • $75 USD for Balconies
  • $100 USD for Suites

Will Kids Sail Free actually save me money?

If you can find a sailing that qualifies for Kids Sail Free, then yes, it can really save money.

The difficult thing in trying to calculate the savings is making sure you have the exact same room category when comparing with or without the offer.

Often people will price out a cabin for 2 guests, and then again with 4. 

Read more: Ways I Save Money on Cruises With Family

The vast majority of cabins hold only two people.  Because they are plentiful there can often be lower rates on cabins that can only accommodate two guests.

Generally speaking, most cruise ships only have a small percentage of cabins that can hold more than two. Within those cabins, some only have a capacity of just three guests, while others can accommodate four or five, but there are very few like this available compared to the number of cabins that can accommodate two guests only.

A party of four can't use a cabin meant for only two or three guests so as the number in the party increases there are fewer and fewer cabins that can accommodate them.  

Because there are so few of these cabins relatively speaking they are often in demand.  Anything in demand drives the price up.  Often other families have booked up some or most of them leaving just a handful remaining.  This also increases rates due to the supply and demand nature of the travel industry.

The only way to see the effect of Kids Sail Free is to price a cabin with adults for the number in your group (ages set to 18 or above for everyone) and then do another mock booking with your kids ages applied.   

Get ready to celebrate the Fourth of July with a new sale that could save net you big savings over this big holiday.

Royal Caribbean is offering a July 4th sale on pre-cruise purchases, which includes possibly savings on drink packages, Wi-Fi and shore excursions.

The sale runs over the holiday, and applies to purchases made via the Cruise Planner website or by calling Royal Caribbean.

Deal basics

To get this offer, you need to either log into your Royal Caribbean account and go to the Cruise Planner or call Royal Caribbean to purchase a drink package.

The sale is valid for sailings departing July 7, 2024 - July 31, 2025. It's only available to bookings made between July 2, 2024 - July 5, 2024.

Depending on your sailing, there might be better prices now for shore excursions, WiFi packages, drink packages, or specialty dining.

Keep in mind if you buy the Deluxe Beverage Package, if you have multiple guests 21 and older staying in the same stateroom, all adults will be required to purchase their own package. This is done to help reduce the sharing of benefits. 

Celebrity Cruises is also offering its own Fourth of July sale on pre-cruise purchases. It has up to 35% off shore excursions, "and other onboard amenities."

Celebrity's sale runs through July 5, 2024 at11:59 PM EST (“Offer Period”) and applies to guests booked on select sailings departing July 8, 2024 – December 26, 2025, excluding 

• Celebrity Beyond August 24th, September 7th, September 21st
• Celebrity Edge July 26th, August 30th, September 13th
• Celebrity Equinox July 20th, July 30th
• Celebrity Infinity August 3rd, August 17th, August 31st 
• Celebrity Millennium July 14th, July 26th, August 7th
• Celebrity Solstice July 28th, August 18th, August 25th
• Celebrity Summit July 26th, August 2nd, August 30th

Will this offer save me money?

The Fourth of July is usually a big retail holiday, but there's no guarantee the actual price of your drink package, excursion, or spa treatment will be any different.

Royal Caribbean runs promotions throughout the year on its cruise add-ons, and there seems to be sales just about every week.

The Fourth of July is a bigger holiday for sales, and there have been anecdotal evidence of our readers reporting better discounts than usual. So it seems it's one of those sales worth checking for a better price.

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site look for any available offers. Not all sailings may see the sale applicable, nor are all offers significantly cheaper than previously posted.

To find the discounted rates, log into the My Cruises section of the Royal Caribbean web site, and navigate to the Cruise Planner section for the sailing you are interested in.

Once logged in, any available discounts will be automatically applied for the sale. Look for prices highlighted in magenta to indicate deeper discounts.

When it comes to Royal Caribbean sales, it's best to ignore the percentage off advertised, and focus on the total price when you add it your cart.

Remember, the pre-cruise price is almost certainly going to be better than the price onboard the ship if you wait to book it once you board the ship.

If the price of the cruise extra is cheaper than what you bought previously, you can cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the drink package again with this discount.

Beverage package purchases made online can be canceled and full refunded at any time, up until about 3 days before your sail date.

Advantage to booking before the cruise

No matter which add-on you want to buy, it's always cheaper to buy it before the cruise begins.

One common mistake cruisers make is waiting to book extras, either because they want to see if the price will continue to drop or they hesitate to book.

The reason waiting to book until closer to your sail date is a mistake is because the price could go up, and then you would end you paying more than you originally saw it listed for online.

If you know you will buy an add-on, you should book it at whatever price you see it for online before your cruise.  Remember, you can always cancel it if you change your mind later, up to 48 hours before your cruise begins.

This locks in the price and protects yourself against a price increase while still being able to take advantage of a price drop.

You'll find cruises advertised all over the internet, television, and even in the mail, but not every offer is as good as it sounds.

There's nothing wrong with trying to get a good deal on a cruise. After all, we all want to save money and if you can really net a fantastic price, then you get the satisfaction of conquering the low price challenge and a great vacation in one.

The problem is there are sometimes deals that look really good, but in reality, are a problem. They could be a scam, or it could be simply setting you up for disappointment. In either case, you'll be upset and wish you could do it over again.

If you run across a really good cruise price and can't believe your luck, keep these lessons in mind.

Free cruise offer mailers

The saying "nothing is free in this world" holds true with cruise bookings too.

Obviously if you earned a free cruise through the casino or maybe you reached Pinnacle Club status with Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society, then you are indeed getting what you agreed to.

What I'm referring to here are offers for a free cruise in exchange for something, like attending a seminar or signing up for a vacation club.

They usually come with a free cruise postcard in the mail. It's addressed anonymously with no return address, and of course it's completely unsolicited.

These are notorious for high-sales pressure opportunities to lure you in with the promise of a "free cruise" to get you to buy a timeshare or some other investment. Suffice to say, these are a really bad idea because of the issues associated with false pretenses and getting sucked into a major cost. There are so many stories of victims who sought a free cruise, but ended up with timeshares and travel clubs they never wanted.

The other free cruise we see offered a lot are giveaways, either online or in the mail.

While Royal Caribbean does sometimes offer a free cruise giveaway, they are very limited and it's more likely what you're seeing is a scam.  This is especially true on Facebook, where you see a post advertising if you like a post or join a group, you'll be eligible for a free cruise.

And then there's the old school free cruise giveaway you might have seen at a pizza parlor or other restaurant where you fill out a card and drop it in a box for your chance to win. Not only are you not winning a free cruise, you're signing yourself up for a lifetime of spam calls.

If you see an offer for a free cruise, be extremely skeptical. My advice is completely ignore it, but if you wish to learn more, be sure to ask questions and search the internet for more information about the company or opportunity so you can determine if it's a scam. Never attend a timeshare presentation or travel club in the hopes of receiving a free cruise gift.

A great price on an old ship

I've had so many friends reach out to me and tell me about a great price they got on a Royal Caribbean cruise for their family, and it's largely because they booked an old, small ship.

To be clear, there's nothing wrong with Royal Caribbean's older ships.  They offer classic cruise vacations, and plenty of people enjoy them. But they might be the wrong cruise vacation for you.

Read more: Why you shouldn't avoid older and smaller cruise ships

While it's true some of the lowest cruise prices are often found on Vision or Radiance Class cruise ships, you should be very aware of what you're getting with one of these ships, and more importantly, what you're not.

Older ships lack the bells and whistles found on Royal Caribbean's newer ships.  If you've seen a Royal Caribbean television commercial lately, pretty much all the fun things you see there are not on these ships.

This is primarily a problem for families who may be expecting waterslides and lots of top deck activities to keep their kids (and even parents) occupied.

Read more: 15 free things to try on your next cruise

No matter which Royal Caribbean ship you pick, be sure to look up what features and amenities it has so you're clear on what you can expect onboard.

Not all Royal Caribbean ships have a Broadway show, waterslides, laser tag, or bumper cars. If there's a particular activity you absolutely want on the ship, double check the ship has it before you book. Don't book a cruise purely based on price.

Cruise ship cabin upgrades

Royal Caribbean offers passengers the opportunity to bid for a stateroom upgrade, with the promise you could pay significantly less to move up to a larger cabin.  

When you look at the prices to bid, it can be very tempting to roll the dice on upgrading your cabin, but before you do, you'll want to keep a few things in mind.

When you bid for an upgrade, you're basically telling the cruise line if an unsold cabin is left, you'll take it for that price. Just because you can place a bid, does not mean there's actually a cabin to upgrade to.

More importantly, you're giving up a few things with the upgrade that you might not like later.  

First, you can't pick your cabin location if your bid is selected. This means you might end up with a cabin all the way forward, which might be a problem if you're more susceptible to motion sickness. Or your room might be under a public venue that is really noisy. If you're traveling with friends or family and want to be near each other, there's no way to do RoyalUp and remain near them.

Another reason to think twice before bidding to upgrade your cabin is it's going to cost you money, and that's additional money from what you originally booked.  If your vacation budget is tight, skip the upgrade and save that money for shore excursions, restaurants, or drinks onboard.

Read more: 17 ways people waste money on ships

A very low advertised cruise fare

When you start price shopping for a cruise, it's so easy to find a great rate advertised, but keep in mind there are lots of extra costs that you can expect later.

Travel websites selling cruises usually advertise the base fare, which sounds like a great price.  The problem is that is far from the out the door price.

Many times these prices omit taxes, port fees, and travel insurance.  When you actually get to the point of booking the cruise, you'll notice the final price has gone up much more than what you first saw.

As an example, our staff booked a $99 cruise fare.  While each person did pay $99, they total cost was $486.50, or $234.25 per person.

Read more: 11 cruise fees you should know about before booking

The good news is is this practice might be going away. Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines announced due to a new law, they'll be included port fees and taxes in their advertised prices.  

The change goes into effect July 2024, but that doesn't mean third-party websites will do the same.  

When you look at the price of any cruise, be sure to account for these extra costs you're going to have to pay.

Booking a cruise can sometimes feel like you really have to dig to find the best value for your vacation.

Between the ships, itineraries, cabin types, and embarkation ports, it requires a lot of planning to do it right, and then you have to determine the most affordable option.

Royal Caribbean has new sales every week, and they are a smattering of BOGO deals, percentage off discounts, and freebies.  On the surface, it sounds good, but how do you know it's actually saving you money?

Here's how to know whether or not you're getting a good deal when you book a cruise.

Start tracking prices now to get a baseline

Assuming you know nothing about cruises at all, you might want to start off by simply tracking prices for cruises you're interested in and then seeing how the shift over time.

Cruise prices are specific to the ship and sailing, and it's priced more like airfare than a pair of jeans. The specific sailing on a certain date and vessel could have drastically different prices than the sailing immediately following or preceding it.

If you're more than a year before you'd like to cruise, I'd recommend tracking the price of the cruise for the specific stateroom you want in a spreadsheet or notepad on a daily or weekly basis. 

You'll probably see the most price swings when a new month rolls around, but I've seen prices change daily.

Once you start to get an idea of how much the cruise fare is going to cost, you can start evaluating new offers to determine if it's really making a difference in the cost.

Don't wait too long to pull the trigger on booking a cruise. Just like airfare, as more people book up cabins, prices tend to go up.

You should also leverage a good travel agent to help, because they track a lot of prices for clients on a daily basis. They'll have a good idea of what constitutes a good price for a spring break cruise, or a Christmas sailing.

Read more: The biggest cruise hack you're not doing that has saved me thousands of dollars

Know what 'good deal' means to you

Everyone has their own sense of what's a good deal, so don't get too wrapped up in what others think.  Ultimately, you need to feel good about the price you're getting.

Your vacation budget will be different than someone else, and maybe you are looking to get the best price on a suite, whereas others want an inside cabin. 

I spent $7,000 on a suite because it was a good deal on that type of high-end suite, but some people thought I was crazy to spend that much money on any cruise ship cabin.

Look at a variety of cabin choices across different ships, and start to get an idea of the ballpark you're considering for the cruise cost. Pretty soon you will come up with a number that you're seeing, and a number you'd like to be at before you book.

Read more: The 5 best cabin locations on a cruise ship

Determine your personal priorities, and start looking for the right price with that context in mind.

What is a great deal to one cruiser may not be to another, because cruises are about being on vacation - and whether your price is good or bad is about your vacation! 

Factor in the specifics of your situation

Just as where a house is located will largely factor into the price, there are a few major factors that will greatly influence the price of a cruise.

Seasonaility: There can be major differences in a price of a cruise (as well as discount offered) from one week to the next.

High demand weeks will see far less deals than other weeks of the year. In addition, whether school is in session can also play a big part in the total price.

You might see deep discounts offered on a cruise in September, because it's hurricane season in the Caribbean and the shoulder season of Alaska and European cruises.  These bonus sales will absolutely save a lot of money, but you need to be aware of the tradeoff you might have in trying to get time off from work or school.

How close to your sail date: You might find a really good deal on a cruise more than 12 months in advance because Royal Caribbean wants to fill up rooms now for it.

Similarly, there could be a good last-minute deal on a cruise sailing in 6 weeks because of leftover unsold cabins.

There's a reason why Royal Caribbean might want to offer a better deal on one cruise over another, and it's usually due to how many cabins they've been able to sell so far, and what their internal forecasts predict going forward.

Room type: Deal is a relative term, and what makes a good price on one type of stateroom might be completely different from another.

I believe you're far more likely to find a cheap rate on an inside cabin with no windows than a balcony. That doesn't mean you should (or want to) stay in an inside cabin.

Read more: Inside cabin vs. balcony room on a cruise ship

Focus on the final price, not the promotion

Royal Caribbean rolls out sales almost every day, and they all sound great until you price things out.

My advice is skip over the name of the sale and what promotion is offered, because it's akin to window dressing. You want to skip right to the final price.

Royal Caribbean offers kids sail free, onboard credit, instant savings and more. They all sound lucrative, but quite often the final price doesn't change much.  Plus, there could be blackout dates that might prevent you from taking advantage of a specific offer.

You can safely skip over the promotion advertised, and plug in the ship and sail date you want and then see the real cost.

Demand for cruises hasn't been this hot since 2019, and one side effect has been higher cruise fares.

This trend isn't slowing down in 2024, as Royal Caribbean Group told investors at their last earnings call demand for cruises has only gotten higher.

The company reported bookings for 2024 significantly and consistently outpacing 2019 levels. They're seeing ships getting booked up sooner and at higher prices, with their customers booking earlier.

That's great news if you're a shareholder, but for cruisers on a budget or deal seekers, it's tough to find a good deal.

"The demand for booking cruises is as strong as ever!, "Beci Mahnken, president and CEO of MEI-Travel, says. "As travel advisors, we're thrilled to see a steady and growing demand for cruise adventures."

The good news is there are still ways to get a cruise deal, but it will take more effort to uncover them.

Top picks for cruise deals

It's impossible to keep a running list of deals due to the fact prices can change by the minute, but if you're in the market for a deal, here's where I would look.

Alaska

Book a cruise before June 10 or after August 15.

Caribbean

Look for the sailing immediately after the cruise that has New Years Eve/Day, with the exception of a short cruise over Martin Luther King Day.

A cruise between Labor Day and Halloween is another good idea. This is especially true if you're willing to wing it and wait for a last-minute deal.

Europe

Try a cruise in September, October, or November for the lowest prices. If you can book a European cruise on a Vision Class ship after August, you'll almost certainly get a great price.

Another option for Europe is a repositioning cruise between the Caribbean and Europe. Royal Caribbean offers this twice a year in the spring and fall.

Repositioning cruises are cheap because they have few port days and lots of sea days, which makes them less appealing.

Last minute deals

Booking a cruise with less than two months to go is not for everyone, but your best bet is to check Royal Caribbean's Going, Going, Gone sheet every week.

It's not available every week, but posted every Tuesday and if you act quickly, you might find a cheap cruise.

Offseason cruising

The best prices for a cruise are still during months when there's far less demand.

Cruises have peak and off-peak seasons, and the months of January, September, October, and early November are usually safe bets for a lower price.

These months all have one thing in common: school is back in session and the weather isn't as desirable.

As a family cruise line, Royal Caribbean's trends tend to mirror that of the school calendar as families have a major impact on bookings.

In the Caribbean, hurricane season really kicks into effect by the end of August. It's also the peak of the wet season, and that means rain every day.

Read more: Cruising in hurricane season: What you need to know

If you're taking an Alaska cruise, September and October are at the tail end of the cruise season.  Not only is it colder out, but it tends to be rainier as well.

Europe is quite similar, with the peak demand for the region in summer.  By the time August ends, demand starts to dip.

If you can book a cruise during these months, you might find a really lucrative deal, even at the last-minute.  As an example, one of our writers booked a 7-Night Mediterranean cruise, starting in Athens, Greece for just $1471 for a November Mediterranean cruise.

Choose an older ship

While new cruise ships like Icon of the Seas get all the attention, there's absolutely nothing wrong with an older cruise ship.

As ships age, their prices tend to drop. Think of it like the price for a used car as they get older.

You'll find an excellent value on Royal Caribbean's Voyager Class ships, which offer lots to do at a good value.

The Radiance Class and Vision Class ships are smaller, but often have the lowest prices you'll find. What the ships lack in features, they make up for in value.

Book early

If you can't make a fall cruise work, the best tried-and-true strategy is to book a cruise as early as you can.

Generally speaking, the earlier you book, the better the price will be. This is because Royal Caribbean will set the lowest price when a new sailing becomes available, and raise prices as cabins get sold.

Ideally, you can get the lowest price when a new sailing opens for sale.  This occurs twice per year: around November and December and then again in February through April.

The downside to this strategy is you need to make plans up to two years in advance, which is quite difficult for many people.

Not only will you get the lowest price, but you will be able to pick the perfect cabin that you want. Suites and other highly desirable cruise ship cabins sell out quickly.

Read more: The rare cruise ship cabins that everyone wants to book immediately

Keep in mind that if you change your mind, there could be a penalty for cancelling or changing if you book a non-refundable cruise fare.  Royal Caribbean charges $100 per person for changes made with a NRD cabin, but that fee could be cheaper than the refundable cruise fare rate difference. Double check with your travel agent before booking to ensure you understand the deposit rules.

Book with a travel agent

I can't count how many times I thought I found the lowest price for a cruise only to be surprised my travel agent had a better price because of an offer I was unaware of.

Travel agents are more than a glorified booking engine. They work on your behalf to make everything easier for you, including booking a cruise.

One way travel agents can save you more money is because they have access to group rates and consortia rates.  These are specially negotiated prices that aren't publicly advertised, but can booked by anyone that works with an agent.

Travel agencies gobble up cabins and lock in the price. While cabins outside the group climb in price, the group rates remain locked and you could net a much lower price.

"It's heartening to witness so many people embracing the joy of exploring the world by sea, seeking those unforgettable experiences that only cruising can offer," says Mahnken.

I work with MEI Travel to book all of my cruises (disclosure, MEI Travel is a sponsor of this site), and quite often I'll either get a better price or maybe some extra onboard credit. I certainly never pay more than what I can find on the Royal Caribbean website.  Better yet, I get excellent service too.

If you're considering booking a Royal Caribbean cruise soon, you might want to use your American Express card.

Many American Express cardholders are seeing a new offer for 20,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when spending $1,000 or more on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

The exact offer seems to vary depending on who the cardholder is, but if you have an American Express card, it is worth checking out if the offer is for you. 

Based on points calculators we found online, 20,000 points is worth about $400, which means you'd get back about 40% of that $1,000 cost.

It's also important to know you must enroll in the offer before making the purchase for the Amex Offer to be redeemable.

In addition, this offer can only be used with one American Express Card and it's valid only on cruise bookings made online at RoyalCaribbean.com, by calling 866-562-7625, using American Express Travel, or through a travel agent. Reservations must be booked on U.S. websites only.

The $1,000 spending threshold excludes onboard purchases, e-gift card and physical gift card purchases made online, transfers/transportation to the ship, MGM Resort International Joint Vacation and Royal Wedding Packages.

This offer only works for Royal Caribbean International, and does not work for Celebrity Cruise, TUI Cruises and Silversea brands.

The offer expires July 31, 2023.

Typically, Amex offer statements appear on your statement within a day or two, it can sometimes take several days for the statement credit to hit your account. 

Not every AmEx cardholder will get the offer, but we've seen it so far across these credit cards:

• The Platinum Card from American Express
• Blue from American Express
• American Express Gold Card

A few of our RoyalCaribbeanBlog writers also reported seeing the offer, which seems to point to it being fairly well-distributed.

How much are 20,000 AmEx Membership Rewards Points worth?

Getting 20,000 points sounds great, but what kind of a benefit is that to you?

There are many ways to possibly redeem your points, especially depending on which American Express card you have.

According to a NerdWallet analysis, AmEx points value is between 1 cent when used to book travel directly and 2 cents when transferred to partners.

The Points Guy estimates Membership Rewards points are worth 2 cents each.

Using your points for airfare is typically the best value, while redeeming them for cash to erase eligible charges from your statement is widely considered a poor value.

How to activate the offer

Before you can utilize an Amex Offer, you generally have to activate it on your account, so before paying for anything, be sure to do that. By using your credit card at a qualifying merchant, you can instantly take advantage of the discount, credit or bonus by using your American Express card there.

Simply log into your American Express account on their website or via their app.

Look for the Amex Offers & Benefits section, which is usually located towards the bottom of the main page.

Categorized under "Travel", you should see the Royal Caribbean offer there.

How to use this if you use a travel agent

You may notice in the fine print for this offer it states you can use a travel professional with this offer, which means you can still support your favorite travel agent.

You could simply book this offer with them, or book it on your own and transfer it to the agent immediately afterwards.

Even after booking a cruise with Royal Caribbean directly, you have up to 30 days to transfer it to a travel agent after initial booking. It must be outside of Final Payment and the booking is not paid in full.

I would recommend informing your travel agent what you are doing first, so they can be prepared for the necessary paperwork to transfer it to them.

All you have to do is complete this online form and the booking gets transferred to the agent.

If the winter cold weather has you thinking it might be time to book a cruise, Royal Caribbean has some deals you ought to consider.

Royal Caribbean's Wave season deals began this month, in which the cruise line is offering sales on cruises going through early 2025. Since our readers likely want to get away sooner than 2025, there's also a great array of choices you can find low prices for that depart in the first half of this year as well.

The current promotion offers 30% off every guest and Kids Sail Free deals when booking a cruise between January 3 to January 31, 2023. 

In searching for cruises that depart between January and May 2023, I found super low rates on cruises that visit the Caribbean, Alaska, and the Mexican Riviera.

Like any last minute cruise, the "catch" with these deals is you're going to have to act fast to not only book them, but ensure prices for airfare are reasonable as well.

Since now is one of the best times of the year to book a new Royal Caribbean cruise, here's a look at some of the best deals you can book for a winter or spring getaway.

Cruise deals

In looking through the cruise deals for sailings in the first half of 2023, here are some of the top picks:

Alaska

It's never too early to start thinking of a cruise to Alaska, and there are some really low rates for the beginning of the Alaska cruise season.

• Radiance of the Seas 7-night Northbound Alaska & Hubbard Glacier cruises begin at $350 per person (the southbound route is also similarly priced) for May 26, 2023.
• Brilliance of the Seas 6-night Pacific Coastal cruise from Los Angeles up to Vancouver is just $350 per person too, sailing April 12, 2023.
• Radiance of the Seas has a rare roundtrip sailing from Vancouver to the Alaska glaciers on May 11, 2023 starting at $521 per person.

Caribbean

If a warm-weather escape is what you want, there are lots of deals on cruises around the Caribbean.

• Rhapsody of the Seas 7-night Southern Caribbean cruise from Barbados is just $351 per person for March 19.  There are lots of other inexpensive sailings in January, March and April.
• Voyager of the Seas 7-night Southern Caribbean cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico begins at $438 per person on February 12, 2023.
• Radiance of the Seas from Galveston, Texas to the Western Caribbean has a cheap sailing on April 15, 2023 for a 6-night cruise.

Mexican Riviera

For our west coast friends, Navigator of the Seas has a lot of great rates left for cruises in January and February 2023.

Sailing from Los Angeles, there are 7-night sailings that visit Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, beginning at $471 per person for the April 28, 2023 sailing.

More deals beyond

These are just some of the cheapest prices I could find for a 7-night cruise that leaves in the next few months.

Royal Caribbean uses this time of year to boost its sales for the rest of the year, so you can find great prices for sailings later in the year, especially the fall.

In general, cruise pricing tends to favor those that book early and there are great rates to be had for cruises not just this year, but over the next few years.

Royal Caribbean is also advising that more deals will be coming this month, including flash deals of $550 instant savings and discounts on beverage and dining packages, shore excursions, internet and more throughout the month.

Renewed demand for cruises

It's not your imagination, a lot of people are looking at a cruise vacation.

According to a AAA survey, 52% of adults in the United States this year are likely to consider a cruise vacation. That's up from 45% a year ago.

Why are so many people looking to cruise? In short, many travel experts see 2023 as a big bounce back year for travel after the events of the past three years.

Royal Caribbean already saw a record-breaking Black Friday sales event, and AAA believes new cruise ships are enticing a lot of folks to try a cruise.

What to look for in a cruise deal

Ready to book a cruise for this year? There's plenty of options, so here's my advice for sifting through all the options.

Don't just chase the lowest price

It's tempting to sort cruise prices from lowest to highest and harp on the cheapest price you can find, but you'll want to look at the big picture first.

First, look at the choice in cabin because that super low price is almost certainly for an inside cabin. There's nothing wrong with staying in an inside cabin, but some people want more space and a view with their cruise.

You'll also want to see if the price is for a guarantee cabin or not.

A guarantee cabin is when Royal Caribbean assigns your stateroom location, meaning you are unable to select exactly where on the ship your cabin will be. If you aren’t picky about your cabin location, booking a guarantee rate can be a nice way to save money.

If you’d prefer picking your own cabin location, though, expect to pay slightly more per person on the cruise fare.

Read more: What you need to know before booking a cheap cruise

Price out flights and other travel considerations

Royal Caribbean has some great cruise fares you can book, but the airlines might not.

Before you book a cruise, you'll want to quickly check airfare prices to ensure you can afford the price to get you to that cheap cruise deal.

If you're looking at a cruise more than 3 months from now, you'll probably be fine in terms of flights.  But if you're looking to getaway sooner, last minute flight prices could be a challenge.

Read more: Why booking a last-minute cruise isn't always a great idea

Check with your travel agent first

If you see a great price listed for a cruise, your next step should be to ask your travel agent to price it out.

Travel agents can see a host of discounts you might not think of, as well as agency rates and special offers.

Plus, a travel agent may be aware of other deals available based on pricing they've been tracking.

If you carry an American Express credit card, you should check to see if you have a new offer to get a lot of money back for simply booking a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Amex Offers are an area at the bottom of the page when you log into the American Express site, where you can earn all sorts of statement credits for buying things from certain vendors.

Select card members may see an offer to get up to 25,000 bonus rewards points for booking a new Royal Caribbean cruise.

The exact offer seems to vary depending on who the cardholder is, but if you have an American Express card, it is worth checking out if the offer is for you. 

Since there are many types of American Express cards, not all of them may offer it.

Like all Amex Offers, there is specific language about how you can redeem this offer:

"Offer valid on cruise bookings made online at royalcaribbean.com, by calling 1-866-562-7625 or booked through your Travel Professional. Reservations must be booked on US website only. Purchases must be made in US dollars. "

"Excludes onboard purchases, e-gift card and physical gift card purchases made online, transfers/transportation to the ship, MGM Resort International Joint Vacation and Royal Wedding Packages. Excludes Celebrity Cruise, TUI Cruises and Silversea brands."

Keep in mind you do not have to spend the qualifying amount in one transaction. Rather, you can do it over the course of many transactions, but the offer kicks in once the aggregate total exceeds the threshold for the offer.

It can be redeemed once, and is open to only U.S.-issued American Express Cards.

You must take advantage of the offer by 12/31/2022.

Typically, Amex offer statements appear on your statement within a day or two, it can sometimes take several days for the statement credit to hit your account. 

How much are 25,000 AmEx Membership Rewards Points worth?

Getting 25,000 points sounds great, but what kind of a benefit is that to you?

There are many ways to possibly redeem your points, especially depending on which American Express card you have.

According to a NerdWallet analysis, AmEx points value is between 1 cent when used to book travel directly and 2 cents when transferred to partners.

The Points Guy estimates Membership Rewards points are worth 2 cents each.

Using your points for airfare is typically the best value, while redeeming them for cash to erase eligible charges from your statement is widely considered a poor value.

How to activate the offer

Before you can utilize an Amex Offer, you generally have to activate it on your account, so before paying for anything, be sure to do that. By using your credit card at a qualifying merchant, you can instantly take advantage of the discount, credit or bonus by using your American Express card there.

Simply log into your American Express account on their website or via their app.

Look for the Amex Offers & Benefits section, which is usually located towards the bottom of the main page.

Categorized under "Travel", you should see the Royal Caribbean offer there.

Pro tip: This offer can be activated for each card, so if your spouse has a shared card, you could activate the offer for their card and "double dip".

How to use this if you use a travel agent

You may notice in the fine print for this offer it states you can use a travel professional with this offer, which means you can still support your favorite travel agent.

You could simply book this offer with them, or book it on your own and transfer it to the agent immediately afterwards.

Even after booking a cruise with Royal Caribbean directly, you have up to 30 days to transfer it to a travel agent after initial booking. It must be outside of Final Payment and the booking is not paid in full.

I would recommend informing your travel agent what you are doing first, so they can be prepared for the necessary paperwork to transfer it to them.

All you have to do is complete this online form and the booking gets transferred to the agent.

If you can go on a cruise in the first two weeks of November or December, there are some seriously good fares available.

Royal Caribbean routinely puts out a weekly offer with last-minute cruise deals out to its travel agent partners, but this week's offers include some really deep discounts.

Some sailings on 2- or 3-night cruises are coming in at just $89 or $99 per person based on double occupancy, which is pretty much the cheapest cruise fare you will find offered by Royal Caribbean.

Listed under the Going, Going, Gone rates, there are dozens of fares listed, with prices ranging in value.

Best of this week's cruise deals

I've gone through all the prices listed to find the lowest deals.

Keep in mind these prices are valid October 5 & 6, 2022, but could easily sell out at the rates listed. There's no way to know if it's still available until you go ahead and price out the cruise.

• Freedom of the Seas 2-night Perfect Day Getaway Cruise from Miami on December 5, 2022: $89 per person
• Independence of the Seas 3-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Port Canaveral on December 5, 2022: $99 per person
• Liberty of the Seas 3-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Fort Lauderdale on November 1, 2022: $99 per person

• Liberty of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Fort Lauderdale on November 7, 2022: $129 per person
• Liberty of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Fort Lauderdale on November 14, 2022: $129 per person
• Liberty of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Fort Lauderdale on November 7, 2022: $129 per person
• Liberty of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Fort Lauderdale on November 28, 2022: $129 per person
• Liberty of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Fort Lauderdale on December 5, 2022: $129 per person

• Freedom of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Miami on October 24, 2022: $149 per person
• Freedom of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Miami on October 31, 2022: $149 per person
• Freedom of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Miami on November 7, 2022: $149 per person
• Freedom of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Miami on November 14, 2022: $149 per person
• Freedom of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Miami on November 28, 2022: $149 per person
• Freedom of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Miami on December 12, 2022: $149 per person
• Independence of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Port Canaveral on October 24, 2022: $149 per person
• Independence of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Port Canaveral on October 31, 2022: $149 per person
• Independence of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Port Canaveral on November 7, 2022: $149 per person
• Independence of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Port Canaveral on November 14, 2022: $149 per person
• Independence of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Port Canaveral on November 28, 2022: $149 per person
• Independence of the Seas 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Port Canaveral on December 12, 2022: $149 per person

Prices are per person, cruise only, based on double occupancy.

Prices listed are not combinable with any promotional offers or discounts with the exception of Crown & Anchor benefits and NextCruise Onboard Booking Bonus.

Governmental departure taxes and fees are additional.

Why are these cruises so cheap?

Are you wondering why these prices are so inexpensive?

Cruise prices vary depending on the ship and time of year, but if you look at the dates listed, there's a common thread among them. They're all right around very popular times for vacations in Thanksgiving and Christmas, but in weeks before or after these major holidays.

Typically the first two weeks of November and first two weeks of December have much less demand for cruises than nearly any other time of the year. This is because most people get built-in time off from school and work over Thanksgiving or Christmas, so fewer people are able or willing to take time off just before or after these holidays.

And of course, these are all 3- and 4-night cruises.  Short cruises will almost always have a lower total price since there are less nights.

4-night cruises are always harder to fill because they begin on a Monday and end on a Friday. Arguably, you could take the same amount of days off of work and get a 7-night cruise for the same investment in time off when counting weekends.

With less people willing or able to cruise these times of year, you can find great deals.

The catch: taxes and fees

While the cruise prices are cheap, there is a catch when you get to the final price.

When you price out the cruise, you may find yourself paying more in taxes and fees than the cruise fare itself. These are fees charged by local governments for each passenger.

These come in the form of government taxes, fees, or surcharges that may be assessed by any governmental agencies, as well as third party fees and charges arising from a vessel’s presence in a harbor or port.

If you care to break it down, cruise taxes essentially cover these services and charges:

• Tolls
• Ship inspections 
• Local harbor pilots
• Air, hotel, or VAT taxes incurred as part of a land excursion 
• Immigration and naturalization costs
• Internal Revenue Service charges
• Baggage handling at embarkation and disembarkation ports
• Security services

In case you were thinking about it, there's no way to avoid paying government taxes and port charges.

The other catch: getting to the cruise

If you live in Florida and can drive to these cruises, then the prices might just be a wonderful deal.  But others may find the value foiled by extra costs.

The cost of airfare to fly down for this cruise could negate the low prices, especially with how high airfare can be in the final weeks before the trip.  Then there's the food, parking, and hotel costs that come along with it.

There's no doubt these deals are primarily aimed at people with a lot of free time that can drive to the cruise ships easily.

Just like any cruise, alcoholic drinks, internet access, and shore excursions will all cost you extra.