The value of a Royal Caribbean cruise can range dramatically relying on the ship, itinerary, and time of 12 months you sail. However, it’s definitely attainable to cruise for lower than $100 per day, even when accounting for additional prices like transportation, gratuities, and bills in port.
Planning a cruise for lower than $100 per day requires some planning upfront, from deciding on a ship to reserving a cabin class. It additionally requires a little self management, as ordering 5 piña coladas on the pool deck will certainly improve the each day value of your cruise!
Here are 15 of our greatest tricks to cruise low-cost for lower than $100 per day.
Explore ports with no shore tour
Booking shore excursions in each port can shortly skyrocket the worth of your cruise. Instead of planning organized excursions, think about exploring ports by yourself. Walking round city, discovering a free public seashore, and having fun with a neighborhood lunch are all nice methods to have an inexpensive but culturally-immersive port day.
Related: 7 methods to have a good time in port with no cruise ship shore tour
If you do need to guide a shore tour, think about reserving by means of an unbiased tour operator, as these excursions can usually be less expensive than reserving immediately by means of the cruise line. While excursions booked by means of Royal Caribbean supply safety in case your tour is delayed (the ship received’t go away with out you), respected unbiased tour operators will make sure you get again to your ship in time.
Cruise through the low season
One of one of the best methods to save cash on a Royal Caribbean cruise is to sail through the low season. Off-season sees much less demand for cruises, resulting in cheaper fares than you’ll discover throughout busier instances of the 12 months.
Royal Caribbean’s low season costs can usually be discovered throughout these dates:
- January (excluding MLK weekend)
- February (excluding President’s Day weekend)
- May
- September
- October
- First two weeks of November
- First two weeks of December
While these dates could not work nicely for these with youngsters in class, you’ll need to think about low season cruises in case your schedule is versatile to get extra bang to your buck.
Book your cruise with a journey agent
I’ve misplaced rely of the variety of instances I’ve saved cash by reserving my cruise with a journey agent. Whenever I discover a cruise I’m all in favour of, I ask my journey agent for a quote, and he or she virtually at all times replies again with a less expensive price than what I may guide immediately by means of Royal Caribbean’s web site. Plus, in my expertise, reserving with a journey agent virtually at all times consists of additional onboard credit score!
Related: Top 5 issues to search for in journey agent to your cruise trip
Other than getting access to particular journey company group charges, journey brokers could be an especially useful useful resource through the cruise planning course of.
Take benefit of miles and factors
If you may have a bank card that accrues miles and factors, think about redeeming your miles for pre-cruise purchases like airfare and motels. If you may have 50,000 airline miles, for instance, you possibly can simply redeem miles for a “free” flight to your cruise port, thus saving you many hundred {dollars} on the overall cruise value.
On that word, think about making all cruise purchases with a journey bank card. Some playing cards could supply 5 factors per greenback spent on cruise fare, so for those who spend $2500 on a cruise utilizing the bank card, you’ll obtain 12,500 miles!
Book early & reprice your cruise usually
Generally talking, the sooner you guide a Royal Caribbean cruise, the cheaper worth you’ll pay. One of one of the best instances to guide a cruise is as quickly as new itineraries are introduced, which often happens round two years upfront of the sail date.
Even reserving 12 months upfront can carry nice offers with out risking stateroom classes or itineraries promoting out.
Related: How to have one of the best expertise for reasonable on Royal Caribbean
Other than discovering low-cost cruise fares, one other benefit of reserving early is being able to reprice your cruise till ultimate cost date. If you guide a 7-night cruise for $1,500, for instance, and later discover the worth has lowered to $1,200, you possibly can pay the decrease fare offered ultimate cost date has not already handed.
Look for last-minute cruise offers
Although reserving upfront is often beneficial, there’s at all times an opportunity you’ll discover low-cost, beneath $100 per day cruises on the final minute.
Royal Caribbean’s pricing modifications primarily based on provide and demand, and if demand for a selected ship or itinerary is low, costs could decrease considerably. Some of one of the best last-minute offers happen after the ultimate cost date for a selected crusing, which is between 75 and 90 days earlier than the sail date.
For extra data on reserving last-minute cruises, try our useful guides:
Book an extended itinerary
While you’ll usually discover the most affordable complete cruise fare on quick, 3 and 4-night cruises, you possibly can often come throughout a lower cost per day on longer itineraries. This is much more true when you think about the price of transportation (airfare, fuel, and many others.) and divide it over the course of the cruise.
Let’s have a look at two examples: a 3-night Bahamas cruise on Liberty of the Seas and a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise on Allure of the Seas. Both itineraries are in late January.
For two adults in an inside cabin with taxes and costs included, right here is the overall cruise fare:
- 3-night cruise: $740 ($123 per individual, per day)
- 7-night cruise: $1254 ($89 per individual, per day)
As you possibly can see, the longer cruise offers a significantly better worth per day in comparison with the quick 3-night cruise. If you can also make an extended cruise work along with your schedule, you’ll virtually at all times discover a cheaper each day worth.
Stick to complimentary eating
Royal Caribbean’s specialty eating choices–from savory hibachi to selfmade pasta–are undoubtedly glorious. However, specialty eating comes at an additional value, and for those who’re trying to cruise for lower than $100 per day, it’s finest to stay to complimentary eating choices.
Related: Food on a Royal Caribbean cruise
Luckily, Royal Caribbean presents an array of eating choices included in your cruise fare. The Main Dining Room and Windjammer buffet are staples of any Royal Caribbean cruise, and extra complimentary eating choices range by ship. Newer ships could have probably the most complimentary choices, from El Loco Fresh for Mexican fare to Park Cafe for soups, salads, and sandwiches.
It’s completely attainable to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise and never spend even a penny additional on meals. If you might be set on attempting a specialty restaurant, although, think about reserving the restaurant at lunch as a substitute of dinner. Lunch costs at choose eating places are often half the worth of dinner for the same menu.
Consider transportation prices
Finding an inexpensive cruise fare is thrilling, however make sure to think about transportation prices earlier than reserving a cruise. Flight prices, baggage charges, fuel, parking, and different transportation charges can simply improve the price of a cruise trip.
If you reside within the northeast, think about cruising out of New Jersey or Baltimore as a substitute of flying to Florida. Likewise, for those who’re primarily based within the western US, cruising out of Los Angeles or Seattle could be extra economical choices than flying throughout the nation.
Sail in an inside cabin (or guide a assure price)
A surefire manner to save cash on cruise fare is to guide an inside cabin. While nothing fancy, inside cabins can nonetheless be a comfortable place to spend a cruise.
Interior cabins don’t have a window or balcony, however nonetheless include every little thing you want in a cabin: a mattress, vainness, closets, non-public toilet, tv, and many others. Often priced a whole bunch of {dollars} cheaper than ocean view and balcony cabins, it’s onerous to argue with the worth of an inside cabin.
Related: I attempted one of the best inside cruise cabin hacks to see how nicely they labored
You may additionally need to guide a assure stateroom price for even cheaper fares. Guarantee cabins imply you can not choose your actual cabin location and it is going to be assigned nearer to departure. While assure rooms require staying versatile, the added financial savings are value it for a lot of cruisers.
Related: Should I guide a assure stateroom on a cruise?
Consider older, smaller ships
It’s attainable to discover a cruise for beneath $100 per day on Royal Caribbean’s latest, most trendy cruise ships, however it’s not very possible. As an instance, the cruise line’s latest ship, Wonder of the Seas, is often priced round $160 per individual, per day.
You can virtually at all times discover nice offers by crusing on Royal Caribbean’s older, smaller ships. Vision, Radiance, and Voyager Class ships usually have one of the best pricing, with fares as little as $80 per individual, per day attainable on choose itineraries.
Related: Things you’ll discover when cruising on an older cruise ship
Older ships can nonetheless supply a beautiful cruise expertise, with incredible eating choices, spectacular leisure, and numerous port stops discovered on each ship within the fleet.
Plus, simply because a ship is older doesn’t essentially imply it’s outdated. Some of one of the best values are discovered on not too long ago amplified cruise ships. Amplified ships, like Mariner of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas, characteristic a lot of Royal Caribbean’s hottest actions and facilities at a fraction of the price of ships like Odyssey or Wonder of the Seas.
Lay low on the drinks
A fast method to destroy any cruise finances is by overdoing it with drinks. Drinks on a Royal Caribbean cruise aren’t low-cost, with cocktails round $14 every and beers round $8. Ordering a number of drinks a day can simply add up, so for those who’re trying to cruise beneath $100 per day, it’s finest to manage your drink consumption onboard.
There are, nonetheless, a number of methods to save cash on drinks on a Royal Caribbean cruise:
- Order the drink of the day. Usually a fruity cocktail, the drink of the day is just ~$10 against $14 and it modifications each day.
- If you’re a member of Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society, you’ll obtain onboard presents for coupons on alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks.
- Bring your individual wine and nonalcoholic drinks with you on embarkation day. Each stateroom can carry as much as two 750ml bottles of wine and as much as twelve 17 oz bottles, cans, or cartons of nonalcoholic drinks.
- Drink in port as a substitute of onboard. Drink costs in port are often at all times cheaper than the costs you’ll discover onboard.
Use free wifi in port
Unfortunately there’s no free wifi on a Royal Caribbean cruise, and an web package deal for one system usually prices round $20 per day. Instead of buying wifi onboard, think about connecting to free wifi in your ports of name.
It’s simple to seek out free wifi in ports of name at eating places and cafes, though you’ll often need to make a purchase order to achieve wifi entry.
Alternatively, verify your cellphone’s knowledge plan to verify if it consists of worldwide protection. If it does, you possibly can flip off airplane mode as soon as in port and use your cellphone’s knowledge as regular.
Purchase journey insurance coverage
While buying one thing additional could seem counterintuitive to planning a cruise beneath $100 per day, don’t overlook the significance of journey insurance coverage.
Travel insurance coverage will shield your journey in case of journey interruption, delays, medical emergencies, and different surprising situations. The onboard medical middle is not lined beneath common medical insurance, so having journey insurance coverage is a significant plus on the possibility you want protection whereas onboard.
If you cruise or journey often, it’s possible you’ll even need to think about an annual journey insurance coverage plan, which can solely value round $300 for protection 12 months spherical.
Related: Should you purchase annual journey insurance coverage?
We at all times advocate buying journey insurance coverage earlier than a cruise whether or not you’re touring on a finances or not. After all, discovering a cruise for $75 a day solely to obtain an $800 invoice from the ship’s medical middle afterwards just isn’t precisely ultimate.
Pack every little thing you’ll want (after which some!)
Packing correctly for a cruise ensures you received’t need to buy forgotten gadgets in port or onboard. Making positive to pack toiletries, treatment, correct clothes, provides for teenagers, and different necessities is extraordinarily vital. While a lot of this stuff could be bought on the ship, you’ll spend double or triple for an merchandise you possibly can have purchased cheaply at house.
Related: The Ultimate Cruise Packing List
Laundry can also be not included in the price of a Royal Caribbean cruise, so make certain to pack sufficient garments to final you the complete crusing. Sending in a single bag of laundry onboard can value over $35, so it’s positively not a budget-friendly choice!
By packing every little thing you’ll want to your cruise, you possibly can keep away from any surprising bills throughout your crusing.