Five ways to save and find incredible value on a river or ocean cruise without sacrificing the level of service you desire

Wait and plan for Black Friday a year in advance

Do your homework, think of your destination preferences and your dates of travel a year in advance. Come up with a few different travel dates, be on the ready for the next Black Friday and book a call with your advisor to discuss your wants and needs.

Be Super Flexible

Do you have the flexibility to just travel with short notice?  In our industry, it is not uncommon for a cruise line to drop a price of a cruise in order to fill up empty space a ship.  River boats or ocean liners want to sail at a high guest occupancy.

Shoulder Season

My personal favorite time to travel for a few reasons.  Less crowded destinations. Though shoulder season may not come with perfect weather but that’s when packing with layers comes in handy!  Another benefit, airfare is more reasonable than flying in peak season.

Shoulder Season Low:  March, April & May* and then again October, November*, and December.

Should Season Peak: June, July, August & September.

*my personal favorite times

Past Passenger Loyalty Programs

Cruise once and you become a loyal passenger. Many cruise lines reward guests to return to their product offering savings of $100 to $400 off per person or even more!  Each cruise line offers something similar. Check with Lisa or I about your favorite company.

Travel with a Group or Be the Group Leader

Look for pre-organized travel groups planned by Lisa or me. You can find these groups on our website, FitzgeraldTravel.com/Beyond.

When we work with the cruise line’s Group Department to curate a special group, the group department works in additional incentives to help facilitate group growth.  The more that travel together, the more financially beneficial it is.

And lastly, if you are a dynamic personality with a lot of friends or family who like to travel with you (more the merrier, I always say) you can earn your passage free or you can pass on the savings to other members in your group. Group sizes vary between cruise lines, but typically a group is 10-16 or more people with the same interests traveling together. It’s pretty easy to fill!