Spring Cruise Deals for Less Than $75 a Night. Seriously!
April and May could be the best months to cruise this year. Besides the usual seasonal bargains at both major and regional ports, there are some fantastic repositioning cruises at lower-than-expected rates. Throughout most of the year, cruises under $100 a night are considered good deals, but Yahoo Travel found a number of spring cruises — for under $75 a night!
Keep in mind that the best rates are for inside cabins, but there are also bargains to be found among the outside and balcony class cabins, as well. Cruise aggregators like VacationsToGo.com may help you save even more.
Here are some of the best bets for the season.
Houston and Galveston — Worth a Serious Look
Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas is headed for the Western Caribbean out of Galveston, Texas. (Photo: Carolyn Poirot/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT)
Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), and Royal Caribbean sail seven-nighters from here — and the competition this spring is heating up. The ships travel to ports like Cozumel and Playa del Carmen in Mexico; Roatan; Belize; Grand Cayman; and Jamaica.
Carnival’s Freedom and Magic have seven-night trips from Galveston with spring rates starting at only $419 per person. That divides down to a mere $59.86 per night per person. On some dates, even the ocean-facing outside cabins fall below $75 per night.
Related: Confessions of a Cruise Ship Entertainer: We Think You’re Fat and We Only Care About Your Tips
NCL sails the Norwegian Jewel from the Port of Houston with April itineraries starting at $479 per person. That’s $68.43 per night.
Royal Caribbean sails the Navigator of the Seas with rates starting at $499 per person ($71.29 per night) on April 5 and 19, as well as on May 3.
Even Florida Ports are Playing the Spring Bargain Game
Miami is a popular port for cruises with many springtime deals available. (Photo: Yanni Georgoulakis / Alamy)
Florida is where most of us start our Caribbean cruises. Abundant and affordable flights into and out of most Florida port cities make planning the entire trip easier. But note that prices begin to rise just before Memorial weekend and don’t return to the bargain basement again until Labor Day.
You can sail the Caribbean for 10 nights out of Miami on the Norwegian Pearl for only $649 per person. Think $64.90 per person per night.
Related: Sure-Fire Ways to Spot an American on a Cruise
Carnival’s Splendor, Glory, and Breeze are all bargains out of Miami with six- and seven-night sailings starting at $67.83 per person per night.
Holland America’s Noordam offers either a 10- or 11-night Caribbean itinerary for the rest of March with prices as low as $699 for an ocean-view cabin.
Short Cruises are Perfect for Last-Minute Escapes
Take a long weekend and set sail for Cozumel! (Photo: Grand Tour/Corbis)
Look at short runs from the Bahamas, Miami, and Los Angeles on the West Coast.
Carnival’s Ecstasy makes four-night Caribbean runs out of Miami for as low as $219 this spring ($54.75 a night). The trip that really caught our eye was on April 20 with Smokey Robinson live in concert onboard. Tickets to the concert are an additional $35 per guest.
Related: They Fell Overboard … and Lived! Craziest Cruise Survival Tales
For a West Coast cruise, Carnival’s Inspiration and Imagination make three- and four-night trips to Catalina and Ensenada, with even the ocean-view cabins charging below $75 per night.
This spring the Norwegian Pearl repositions itself from the Caribbean to Alaska, and the last leg is a five-night West Coast journey (Los Angeles to Vancouver via San Francisco and Victoria), with prices starting at $59.80 per person per night.
Don’t Rule Out Alaska
Alaska can be a beautiful cruise destination any time of year. (Photo: Norwegian Cruises)
Your friends may be telling you that May is too early to enjoy an Alaskan cruise. Just wave bon voyage to the naysayers while you save big bucks.
The best Alaskan bargain of the year may be on NCL’s Norwegian Pearl, where a 10-night cruise starting on May 7 is as low as $59.90 per person per night.
Related: Storms, Waves, and Fires at Sea: Scariest Cruise Ship Videos
Princess offers what it calls an Alaska Sampler: four nights on the Ruby Princess starting at $74.75 per night. The catch? The only Alaskan port is Ketchikan.
Aloha, Hawaii!
Royal Caribbean stops at five Hawaiian ports, including Kauai. (Photo: Thinkstock)
If a cruise to Hawaii is something you have always dreamed of but thought you could never afford, you may be wrong. Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas sails on May 14, with inside cabins on this 10-night sailing for only $64.90 per person per night. Ocean view cabins start at $77.90 per person. You can’t spend a week at a LaQuinta hotel for that!
Reposition Your Attitude by Sailing These Ships on the Cheap
The Serenade of the Seas allows plenty of aquatic adventures — like snorkeling with the friendly stingrays of Grand Cayman. (Photo: Getty Images)
As long as you are good with lots of days at sea, a repositioning cruise can be a fun way to get some serious downtime — and some great deals.
On April 11, Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas moves from New Orleans to Boston to prepare for a summer in northern Europe. Hitch a 13-night ride from NOLA to Beantown for a mere $929 per person ($71.46 a night) for an outside cabin. Ports of call include Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. Talk about taking the long way around!
Related: Confessions of a Cruise Ship Doctor
On April 19, NCL’s Norwegian Epic moves from Miami to Barcelona. Jump on board and enjoy a balcony cabin on an 11-night voyage for the ridiculously low price of $54.45 per person per night.
Also on April 19, the Emerald Princess moves from Houston to the Mediterranean on an epic 20-night trip that will only set you back $1,199 per person for an outside cabin ($59.95 a night). Stops include Rome and Monte Carlo. Think about this: in the summer, it can be hard to find a 10-night cruise for that price.
Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Check out our original adventure travel series A Broad Abroad.
