Black Friday cruise deals 2024: Here are the best preholiday bargains at sea – The Points Guy

With cruises selling like hotcakes, you’re already behind if you haven’t yet thought about your 2025 summer vacation. Fortunately, many cruise lines are offering Black Friday deals this year, allowing you to take advantage of fare discounts and perks like cabin upgrades, “kids sail free” offers, onboard credit, free airfare and other bonuses if you’re just starting to plan ahead. With many of these bargains already live, you don’t have to wait until after Thanksgiving to get a jump on cruise shopping.

Because demand for cruises is so high, fares are, too. That means the deals we’re seeing this year aren’t quite as good as in previous years, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still find some savings and added value.

It’s easy to be swept up in offers that tout what appear to be great markdowns — either a set amount of money off or percentage discounts — but the fares might not be as cheap as you’re led to believe. Always make sure you’re comfortable with the final price, what you’re receiving in value from any added perks and what you’ll be paying per person, per night before you book any voyage.

Check back often. We’ll update this article as new deals roll out leading up to the holidays.

Azamara is offering significant savings this Black Friday. Passengers can take 20% off cruise fares for a total savings of up to $4,000, depending on the cabin type booked. This deal can also be combined with the line’s current November promotion that earns cruisers up to $750 in onboard credit per cabin, based on itinerary length. The Black Friday offer can be found on the Azamara website beginning Nov. 19 and running through Dec. 4.

With the More = Merrier sale, you can book select Carnival sailings departing through May 2026 and save up to $125 per cabin. Plus, when you book three or more people in a cabin, deposits will be reduced to just $25 per person. You can take advantage of this offer through Nov. 16.

Celebrity Cruises

Cruising is more fun when you bring a friend. Through Dec. 9, Celebrity Cruises is giving you 75% off a second cruise fare when you buy one at regular price for select voyages of three nights or longer departing through May 10, 2027. That means you can choose to travel at the last minute or plan a bit more in advance. Plus, you’ll also snag an additional $250 per cabin in savings for two passengers or $500 per cabin for four when sharing a room.

Black Friday is a relatively new concept for Italian cruise line Costa Cruises, which has only recently begun to make its presence known in the North American market. This year, through Nov. 24, the line is offering passengers Black Friday Warm-Up deals, including fares from as little as $499 per person for cruises in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. As part of the promotion, new sailings will be unlocked each week leading up to the holidays, so be sure to check back.

Cunard

From Nov. 21 through Dec. 9, travelers booking suites in Cunard‘s posh Princess and Queens Grills will earn up to $400 per cabin in onboard credit. Although the credit is available only to the top room types, savings abound across the board, with inside cabin rates starting from $899 per person. Destinations include Alaska, the Norwegian fjords, New England and, of course, the line’s iconic transatlantic crossings between Southampton, England, and New York City. Be sure to use promo code “RDC” when booking. This offer only applies to the first two guests in each room.

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Although Disney Cruise Line rarely runs Black Friday-specific offers, it’s discounting select last-minute sailings — including 2024 Very Merrytime holiday cruises — into February 2025 from Galveston, Texas; Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral (near Orlando), Florida; Honolulu; and Sydney. Passengers who book one of these three- to 15-night voyages will save up to 20% on fares for guarantee cabins. That means you won’t get to select your specific room, but you’re guaranteed to get one in the category you select or higher. Full nonrefundable payment and booking information for all guests are required at the time of reservation.

Grand Circle Travel

If a river cruise is on your travel agenda for 2024, you’re in luck. Grand Circle is providing its passengers with a choice of two deals to celebrate the holiday season. The first is savings of up to $500 on all voyages next year. The second is free airfare — up to a $2,000 value — for anyone wishing to travel from February through June of 2025. Plus, customers will receive an additional 10% off if they pay in full at the time of booking. Reservations must be made by Dec. 2 using promo code “BLACKFRIDAY24.”

Margaritaville at Sea, Jimmy Buffett’s oceangoing cruise brand, is offering fare discounts on sailings departing through April 2026. Two people can sail on a two-night voyage from $99 — less than $25 per person, per night. Additionally, third and fourth passengers sharing the same cabin will sail free (excluding taxes and fees). Anyone who books as part of the promotion will also receive up to $300 in onboard credit, based on cruise length.

This offer is available from Nov. 13 to 29 on the Margaritaville website; until then, travelers can take advantage of the line’s Black Friday Early Access sale, which offers 60% off all cruises through 2026. With the sale, third and fourth guests in a cabin also sail for free, and you’ll receive up to $300 in onboard credit and 10% off shore excursions and a variety of drink and dining packages.

Through Nov. 11, NCL is running a Black Friday Preview Sale that will net you 50% of all cruises and a slew of freebies. Book now, and rake in up to $2,000 in value in the way of free Wi-Fi and airfare (for a second passenger when you pay for one airfare through the cruise line), complimentary open bar, included specialty dining, shore excursion credits and the option for third and fourth passengers to sail free when sharing a cabin with two other cruisers.

Overseas Adventure Travel

If you’re 50 or older and you’re a fan of small-group cruises, you can enjoy $500 off any 2025 voyage with Overseas Adventure Travel. Or, if you’re able to travel sooner, you can score savings of up to $5,300 per person on select voyages departing January through June 2025. Just reserve your cabin by Dec. 2 using promo code “BLACKFRIDAY24” to receive the discount. Plus, if you pay in full at the time of booking, you’ll save an additional 10%.

Luxury cruisers can score up to a four-category cabin upgrade when they book one of more than 90 Oceania cruises departing in 2025. To make the deal even more enticing, you’ll also receive a choice of a premium alcohol package, up to $1,000 in onboard credit or free airfare. This promotion will be available on the Oceania website when it goes live Nov. 15; it will run through Dec. 10.

Royal Caribbean

As part of its Black Friday Preview Sale, family-friendly cruise line Royal Caribbean is discounting sailings by up to $750 and tossing in an additional 60% off the second guest fare when you book through Nov. 11. If that’s not quite enough, kids 12 and younger sail free when they’re the third and fourth passengers in a cabin shared with two paying adults.

Through Dec. 4, Victory Cruise Lines — an all-inclusive small-ship line that sails the Great Lakes and Canadian coast — is running a Black Friday sale that features $2,000 in savings per cabin on Great Lakes voyages departing in April, May and June 2025. You’ll also snag a free shore excursion in your port of embarkation, which will either be Chicago or Toronto, depending on the itinerary you select. Use code “BLACKFRIDAY” when booking.

Viking

Viking, which operates river and ocean cruises, as well as expedition sailings and voyages on the Great Lakes, is extending savings and perks to passengers through Nov. 30. For all cruise types, travelers can enjoy reduced fares, as well as deposits of just $25 per person and free or discounted airfare.

River cruise passengers can enjoy inclusive cruise fares, free international airfare between select cities and $25 deposits on voyages through 2027. Ocean cruisers receive reduced (from $750) or free international airfare, fare discounts and $25 deposits on sailings through 2026. Expedition cruise options include reduced fares, free international airfare between select cities and $25 deposits.

In addition to booking directly through your cruise line, you can also reach out to a travel adviser. Agents have access to the same great deals the lines are offering, but sometimes they can throw in a few more extras, such as free bottles of wine or onboard credit. Before booking anything directly, it might be worth a phone call.

For any cruise deal, run the numbers to see if you’re better off booking directly with the cruise line, a travel agent or with an airline cruise vacation specialist. United Cruises, for example, frequently offers additional incentives for passengers to book through its portal. At the time of publication, cruisers who have Premier status with United could take advantage of perks like free bottles of wine, spa credit and bonus United miles when they book a sailing with select lines through United Cruises.

American Airlines Cruises has a similar portal that allows you to enjoy perks like waived deposits and bonus American Airlines AAdvantage miles.

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