To qualify for military cruise discounts you must be an acting serving member or a retired member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, the U.S. Marine Corps, the National Guard Bureau, the Reserves or the Canadian National Defense Forces. Other qualifying personnel are honorably discharged veterans and widows of deceased members. In certain cases, the family or friends of the qualified person may also be eligible for a discount. Many of the agencies offering military travel discounts also charge a hidden fee of between $25 and $50 per person.
The Norwegian Cruise Line operates a program called Veterans Advantage through which you can apply for discounts of up to 10 percent on some cruises. To qualify you must either be a Veterans Advantage member with an ID, be a serving member of the U.S. or Canadian military or a veteran with an honorable discharge. The cruises operate in the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Canada and New England, Bermuda, Hawaii and along the Pacific Coast.
MilitaryVacationTravel.com is the one major military travel agency where you won't be charged any hidden fees. You can sign up on its website to receive weekly email newsletters giving details of their latest offers. You will need a user name and password to access the website.
Several other companies offer military cruise deals to veterans. In each case you can expect to produce some form of military identification, and this may differ slightly from one company to another. In some cases certain cruise lines may extend the eligibility to members past and present of other government agencies, such as NASA, NCIS, CIA, SS and to cadets who are currently enrolled in a military college.
