Do you need to be rich to go on a cruise? Let’s face it, travel is expensive no matter how you do it. There’s the actual cost of getting to your dream destination, which is no laughing matter, but there is more as well. Hotels, food, transportation, and more all start to add up during a trip. It might start to seem like travel is more trouble than it’s worth. But fear not! Even though cruising has a reputation as being highly luxurious (and expensive), this doesn’t have to be the case. Because cruises are both the method of travel as well as the lodging and food, taking a cruise vacation can often wind up being cheaper than travelling in any other way. Here are a few tips to make it so travelling via cruise doesn’t have to break the bank.
Shop around
One of the biggest keys to going on a cruise vacation for cheap is to simply shop around. Limiting yourself to just one cruise line means that you could miss out on some potential deals. Frequently checking the websites of Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity, and Disney and just scrolling through itineraries is a sure way to find super cheap trips. There are definitely a few cruise lines that you can avoid, though. If a cruise line is heavily advertising itself with the words “luxury,” “expedition,” or anything like that, you can bet that it won’t be cheap.
Plan ahead
While this is a surefire way to save on any travel, it especially helps with cruises. Cruises are highly seasonal, especially when we’re talking about high-traffic summer destinations like the Caribbean. If that’s where you wanna go, try to book ahead as far as possible. Last minute reservations are always going to cost more. It doesn’t cost too much to just put a deposit down, so you may want to do that even a year or two in advance, if possible.
Look for bundles
While you can book with some of the most popular cruise lines for extremely low prices, you should keep in mind that these prices are often not all-inclusive. This means that you’re still paying for airfare, specialty restaurants, drinks, and some shore excursions. However, you can cut down on these costs by looking for bundle deals. If you look for bundles, you can often get the same experience that everyone else will be having for much less.
Work with an agent
It might sound counterintuitive to pay someone to make things cheaper for you, but it really does work. While coupon hunting sounds great, you need to dedicate an unrealistic amount of time to it if you really want to be successful. Using a travel agent not only lets you save time, but they will usually be able to access deals you normally couldn’t. Believe it or not, travel agents really do help you save money.
Cruising doesn’t have to be something that only the wealthy can enjoy. Cruising on a budget is more than possible, you just need to work a tiny bit harder!
