The classic cruise advice people always give is either: “Book as early as possible” or “Wait for last-minute deals”

Both of these methods can genuinely save money, but which one is the right option for you?

In this article, we have a look at both options, because it isn’t a case of one method suits all.

Which is the cheapest can depend because:

• The destinations you are choosing matters
• The cabin type you want matters
• Flexibility matters
• The time of year you want to sail matters

Last-minute cruising can offer amazing value, but early booking often works better for most people.

Why Cruise Lines Want You To Book Early

Cruise lines heavily encourage advance bookings. This is because:

• Deposits collected help the cruise lines predict demand for the cruise.
• It helps them plan for staffing and pricing well in advance.
• Early bookings create momentum

“Early booking momentum” refers to the snowball effect where strong initial sales drive up demand and prices.

As early bookers secure cabins, fewer cabins are available, driving cruise lines to raise prices. This ultimately pushes the entire sailing toward a profitable, sold-out status

Perks of early booking may include:

• Getting the best choice of cabins.
• Paying lower deposits
• Included drinks/Wi-Fi/packages to encourage early booking
• Free upgrades
• Better family cabin availability
• Better accessible cabin availability

Cruise lines often reward early bookers with extra perks rather than simply lowering the fares.

The Biggest Advantage Of Booking Early

Booking early matters most if you:

• Want a specific cabin
• Want connecting rooms
• Want an aft balcony
• Need an accessible cabin
• Want a suite
• Are travelling as a group or a big family

The cheapest cabins often sell first on popular itineraries.

Some sailings are very popular and sell out quickly. You are unlikely to ever get a cheap deal on these.

These are always popular:

• Icon-class ships are always very popular.
• New launches
• School holiday sailings
• Special events

An example of a special sailing would be the “Four Queens” celebration in Liverpool in 2028. All four Cunard ships will be in the same place at the same time. Most cabins onboard were sold within hours of them going on sale.

Why Last-Minute Cruises Can Be So Cheap

Cruise lines hate empty cabins because:

• Once the ship sails, unsold cabins earn nothing for them.
• Food and staffing costs are already planned and paid for.
• Filling cabins late still brings onboard spending, even if they don’t make a profit on the cabin itself.

Cruise lines sometimes slash prices close to sailing if:

• Demand is weak
• Flights are expensive
• The itinerary is less popular
• It’s outside peak season

I got a really cheap deal on a Celebrity Cruise. I found out later that the cruise itinerary had changed, and many guests had cancelled.

This left Celebrity with lots of empty cabins that they had to fill. That is why they sold them off cheaply.

Have a look at that cheap, last-minute sailing and see if I got value for money here:

The best deals are often found on repositioning cruises and shoulder-season sailings.

The Catch With Last-Minute Deals

There are some downsides to last-minute deals you need to be aware of:

• Flights can become expensive
• Limited cabin choice
• Families struggle to find deals because school holiday sailings sell out quickly
• Popular itineraries may disappear entirely
• You need to be flexible about where and when you are sailing.

A “cheap cruise” can quickly become expensive once you have added in the cost of last-minute flights, hotels and transfers

Last-Minute Cruises Work Best For Certain People

Last-minute deals benefit these people most:

• Retired travellers
• Flexible workers
• People who live near cruise ports
• People who are happy with any cabin type
• Experienced cruisers

If you live close to a major cruise port such as Southampton or Miami, you have a huge advantage because expensive last-minute flights aren’t needed.

Booking Early Usually Wins For Families

Families often do better when booking far in advance.

All holidays, not just cruises, are more expensive in school holidays.

Family cabins are in demand and often sell out early.

The cost of flights can increase massively as you get towards the cruise date.

Flights are always more expensive when you can’t be flexible with the dates, and families can only go away at set times of the year.

Waiting for a last-minute deal during the summer holidays, Christmas or Easter rarely works out.

Some Cruises Almost Never Get Cheap

There are certain itineraries and ships that tend to stay expensive. These include:

• New cruise ships
• Alaska in peak season
• Japan during cherry blossom season
• Christmas cruises
• Suites
• Luxury cruise lines
• World cruises

You would be better off booking early rather than waiting, if you want to go on a specific cruise

I wanted to sail with the luxury cruiseline Viking, so I booked far in advance and was completely flexible with my dates.

By doing that, I was able to book the cheapest weeklong cruise, which happened to be the one sailing over New Year’s Eve 2026.

Find out all about that, and whether the cruise was worth waiting for, watch this video next:

So Which Is Better Value?

It really depends on your personal situation.

Last-minute cruising can offer incredible bargains if you can be flexible, don’t need to plan far in advance and you can get flights at a reasonable cost.

Early booking usually gives better overall value for most cruisers who can’t travel at short notice.

In reality, the cheapest cruise fare doesn’t always create the cheapest holiday.

Before You Go

Find out why you are unlikely to get a free upgrade on a cruise here:

Why You’re (Probably) Not Getting A Free Cabin Upgrade

Find out how to avoid a cruise with lots of children onboard, without booking an adult only ship here:

How To Avoid Booking a Cruise With Lots of Kids Onboard (Without Booking An Adults-Only Cruise)