Cruises can be a great holiday experience – but they’re not always plain sailing for bank accounts.
Fancy a break on the high seas but worried about the drain on your funds?
From the sweet spot for budget deals to the advantages of using travel agents and from drinks package deals that are had to swallow to cut-price shore excursion companies, researchers from Which? has revealed its savviest money-saving tips for your next cruise trip.
DON’T BOOK TOO EARLY
Cruises go on sale between 18 to 24 months before departure, but Which? warns customers: ‘Don’t assume that early birds enjoy the biggest savings!’
Researchers at the company checked the prices of 10 sailings with Fred Olsen and P&O Cruises and found that seven of them were cheaper within 12 weeks of departure compared with the early-bird price.
One 14-night Mediterranean voyage was £400 less per person when booked just six weeks in advance, the researchers noted.
Which?’s advice is: ‘Don’t rush to book, unless you have your heart set on a specific cabin that’s likely to sell out.
Fancy a break on the high seas but worried about the drain on your funds? Read Which?’s savvy money-saving tips
‘Instead, compare fares across different months and look out for promotions.
‘Set up a price alert at cruisewatch.com or cruiseline.com to get an email when the price drops.
‘Cruise lines often advertise the price of an interior cabin, but other cabin types can be cheaper on different departure dates.’
USE AN AGENT
‘Travel agents are often able to give a better range of discounts or deals than would be on offer by going direct to cruise lines,’ Which? explains. ‘Some get special offers or split their commission with you, so they can pass that discount on to the customer.’
For example, Which? says it found a balcony room on Celebrity’s six-night Bahamas, Mexico and Cayman cruise for £622pp on vivavoyages.co.uk, noting the same room would have been £660pp had they gone direct to Celebrity, thus saving £193 per couple.
Which? also advises getting quotes from more than one cruise agent before booking.
‘There’s often some wiggle room if you’re happy to haggle,’ they add. ‘Even if agents can’t beat the cruise line’s own rate, they can sometimes offer sweeteners such as onboard credit, prepaid gratuities or excursions.’
If you’re a solo traveller, Which? recommends searching for cruises that don’t charge a single supplement using U.S travel agent vacationstogo.com.
And, if you’re paying for your cruise in dollars or euros rather than pounds – and the exchange rate is favourable at the time of booking – Which? says it’s best to pay in full there and then, if you want to save even more cash.
BUY YOUR OWN FLIGHTS
Which? says that booking a flight separately could be significantly cheaper than letting the cruise company organise one
‘Flight-inclusive deals from cruise lines give you peace of mind in case of flight delays or cancellations (in which case the ship will wait for you),’ Which? says. ‘Sometimes they offer great rates, too, as they bulk-buy seats.
‘But, in some cases, buying your own flights can be significantly cheaper.’
When Which? researchers looked into how much they could save by booking their own flights, Princess’s cheapest flight quote for a cruise beginning in Rome and ending in Barcelona was £235pp.
The money experts then found the same flights themselves for £153pp, which would save a couple £164.
But, Which? warns those who book their own flights to make sure they’re aware of their consumer rights.
The consumer champion adds: ‘It may be that if your flight is delayed or cancelled, you won’t be able to get a refund on the cruise (unless your travel insurance covers it). And if you choose to catch up with the ship, it will be at your own expense.’
LOOK OUT FOR PROMOTIONS – EVEN AFTER BOOKING
Which? recommends holidaymakers keep an eye on the price of their cruise, even after booking – adding that they can ask whoever they booked with for the cheaper price, if it drops.
A Which? Travel reader explains that he had great success using this handy tip after booking a Norwegian Cruise Line trip, getting upgraded from an interior to a balcony cabin at no extra cost.
He adds: ‘They were running a promotion: a free upgrade to a balcony cabin if you booked an oceanview cabin.
‘So I asked if I could upgrade to an oceanview room and pay the difference – and they upgraded me to a balcony cabin without charging.’
SAVE ON DRINKS ONBOARD
Which? recommends keeping an eye out for drinks package promotions once you’ve booked your holiday, as ‘they’re often heavily discounted or thrown in for free in cruise sales’
Cruising and boozing can be very bad for your wallet, especially if you travel with one of the big U.S-based cruise lines that whack a service charge on top, says Which?, noting Princess charges around £11 for a glass of wine onboard its ships.
And, according to the consumer experts, P&O Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Disney are the only companies that allow guests to bring their own drinks along – and only limited amounts, at that.
For this reason, it’s often tempting to buy the all-inclusive drinks packages ahead of departure, offered by most cruise lines.
But Which? added up how much you’d need to consume with P&O Cruises, Cunard, Princess, Celebrity and Fred Olsen to get your money’s worth, and found it rarely makes sense to pay the full price for a drinks package.
For example, researchers found that Celebrity’s drinks package costs $107 (£85) per person per day after its 20 per cent service charge is added on, which would mean passengers would need to put away 13 beers (around £7 each) or 10 glasses of wine (£9 each) every day for a package to save them money.
Instead, Which? recommends keeping an eye out for drinks package promotions, as they’re ‘often heavily discounted or thrown in for free in cruise sales’.
It adds: ‘If you’ve already bought a package and spot a better deal, check if you can cancel for free and take advantage of the lower price – many cruise lines allow you to cancel up to two or three days before you set sail.’
SAVE ON SHORE EXCURSIONS
When looking into excursions in Rome, Italy, pictured above, Which? found booking with Shore Excursions Group was less than half the price of Norwegian Cruise Line’s trip
‘Most cruise lines sell excursions at exorbitant prices, and you’ll save money if you go it alone or book with a third party,’ Which? says.
Which? looked at the shore excursions offered by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) on its six-day Mediterranean cruise, and found similar options for a lot less.
At the time of checking, it claims that NCL’s Rome & Leisure tour in Italy was £143pp, whereas Shore Excursions Group’s equivalent tour was less than half the price at $89pp (£71).
What’s more, notes Which?, companies such as Shore Excursions Group promise to get you back to your ship in plenty of time and will get you to the next port of call if there’s an unavoidable delay.
Another option for a cut-price excursion is to ask cruise-goers and locals on cruisecritic.co.uk’s forum.
Or you could book your sightseeing alone, if you want to save even more money.
Which? adds: ‘In Athens, Greece, the metro will whisk you from Piraeus to the city centre in 30 minutes, costing €2.40 (£2) for a return ticket, and there’s a free shuttle bus in the cruise terminal.
‘Make sure you check how far the port is from the city or attraction, and the logistics and cost of transport options.’
CONSIDER GOING ALL-INCLUSIVE
‘Some brands lure you in with a low headline price, but costly add-ons soon mount up once you’re onboard – from drinks and premium restaurants to Wi-Fi and service charges,’ says Which?. ‘All-inclusive cruises may cost more upfront, but they could save you money in the long run.’
The consumer company’s research found that P&O Cruises passengers on a seven-night cruise can expect to fork out around £400 extra per week for a drinks package, a couple of speciality dinners and Wi-Fi, on top of what they’ve already paid.
Meanwhile, the consumer group discovered that holidaymakers on Cunard have to cough up for service and daily gratuities – around $16pp (£13) per day and a massive 15 per cent on top of every drink ordered.
Which? says Noble Caledonia, Saga and Viking – which include everything from Wi-Fi to excursions in the headline fare – were among the top-rated ocean cruise lines in its survey and received four out of five stars for value for money.
Naomi Leach, Deputy Editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘Cruises can be expensive, but with some savvy forward planning there are ways to keep costs down. First of all, don’t be tempted to book too soon – although cruises can be booked anywhere from 12-18 months in advance, when we carried out spot checks we found seven out of ten cruises we looked at were cheaper when booked within 12 weeks of departure.
‘Using an agent may also help you secure a better price than booking yourself as they’re often able to negotiate better deals and offers – so shop around and don’t be afraid to haggle. Even if agents can’t offer a better rate, they can sometimes offer free extras like onboard credit, prepaid gratuities or excursions. It may also be worth weighing up whether to book flights yourself rather than as part of your cruise package, as this sometimes can work out cheaper.’