Going on a cruise can be expensive, especially if you miss the off-peak booking season. The optimal time to book a cruise is a year before, especially at off-peak season, to get good prices. If this is not possible, you may want to wait till the last minute to book a cruise at a lower price. There are last-minute cruise deals available 60 to 90 days prior to sailing. Many companies offer last-minute deals on cruises, and there are ways to get the best-possible price for these deals.
Use an aggregator site. These sites help you compare prices by giving you the prices for multiple carriers. You can compare prices without having to go to every cruise company's website. It makes the search easier and you can take advantage of a deal as soon as you encounter it. A few of these websites include, CruiseDirect.com, LastMinuteCruises.com and VacationsToGo.com These websites also offer their own sales, which means you can get a lower price on a cruise from this websites compared to booking with the cruise company.
Contact an agent. Talking to an agent may get you a better deal since you can explain that you're looking for the best- possible price on last-minute deal cruises. Some travel agents work on commission, so they may give you a lower-priced package to get you to buy the package from them. These agents may also have access to listings and discounts that are not found elsewhere.
Mention how many people are going. If you are going with a group, you can get a better deal since when you book groups, prices drop per person. Make sure that you speak with someone on the phone who you can negotiate with. You may also mention any company loyalties-- this may get you a lower price if you tell them you are an avid cruise traveler.
Look for websites that offer a price-match guarantee. These websites may claim that they have the lowest price, but if you can get a cruise package from a competitor at an even lower price, they can match it and may even give you another reduction on top of the price match.
Sign up for a mailing list that will send you last-minute cruise deals. These emails are usually sent every two weeks, but if the company has a big sale, you may get the email as soon as the lower prices are published. Being a member of these mailing lists means you will be notified promptly, but these deals are in demand so you may want to take the opportunity immediately when it comes up.
