Ranging anywhere from a few hundred dollars all the way up to tens of thousands of dollars, understanding cruise prices can seem complicated. While there are a variety of factors that go into why cruises are priced a certain way, sometimes finding the best deal is as simple as waiting until the last minute to book a cruise.

Whether you've landed on this blog post because your availability just opened up and you're looking for a cruise last minute, or you heard that you can save a decent amount of money on booking a last minute cruise, either way you're probably looking for the best last minute all inclusive cruise deals and aren't sure where to start.

But why would booking a last minute cruise help you save money as opposed to costing you more money?

Well, cruise lines want to fill up their ships as much as they can to make sure they make the most bang for their buck. If other cruise passengers cancel at the last minute and those spots aren't replaced, the ship will look more like a ghost town leading to dissatisfied cruise guests, untipped staff, and less onboard purchases. Therefore, cruise lines are often willing to drop the cruise's price and offer their cabins at a discount so they can fill those rooms.

Anyone who loves to travel, but is on a tight budget, should definitely take advantage of these cheap last minute cruise deals.

You need to be flexible though.

These deals aren't always easy to find, and when you do find them, they may not always be what you expect. Therefore, you need to be prepared and do your research right so you don't end up disappointed, wanting a balcony on a roundtrip Caribbean cruise and instead ending up in an inside cabin, traveling transatlantic, only to have to pay the extra money to book a flight home.

When it comes to last minute cruises though, you can't be very picky. If you want the cheapest cruise possible, it's all about just taking what you can get. Therefore, before you begin your search, consider what you will not be willing to accept, and be open-minded to the rest (like the departure port you embark from, cabin type, cruise line, itinerary destinations, etc.).

When is the best time to book last minute cruises?

What you may think is last minute (the minute before embarkation) is not quite what the cruise lines consider last minute, so it's important to know what a last minute cruise actually is, so you know how soon or late you should start looking.

Up to 2 months before the cruise

There are penalties to cancelling a cruise at the very last minute, so oftentimes individuals who have had a change in plans or are unable to fulfill the full payment will cancel around 60 days before the cruise. Once cruise lines are able to get a measure of how many people are actually going to be taking the cruise, they often drop the cruise prices for the cabins they still need to book.

Start looking 60 days before the cruise, but keep in mind you may be waiting up until a few days before the cruise departs if you have a specific cruise line in mind. These days leading up to the cruise may offer even more reduced prices as they urgently try to fill these empty cabins, but you have to be quite flexible as you cannot predict if the cabins will get filled before then and that the last minute cruise price will indeed drop.

This could mean booking a flight ahead of time to the departure port with a backup plan to spend your vacation there if you're unable to get a last minute deal on the cruise. If you don't have a nearby port, this may be necessary as booking a last minute flight can be unpredictable in availability and pricing.

If this sounds too risky, you may be better offer taking advantage of booking your cruise far in advance to still get a good price, but with the confidence of having a cabin on the ship.

So, should you wait until the last minute to book a cruise?

As long as you can keep an open mind, have your passport ready to go ahead of time, know when the best time is to book last minute cruises, and where to find last minute all inclusive cruise deals, waiting until the last minute to book a cruise can be a viable option for booking a memorable (but affordable) vacation.

To get the best possible cheap last minute cruise deals, look at multiple cruise lines at once, and simply have the assistance of someone who knows the cruise industry like the back of their hand, it's always best when looking for a last minute cruise to work with a skilled travel agent from iCruise. Contact us today and we'll help you find the cheap cruise deal that'll meet all of your relaxation and adventure needs.

About Sarah Pruzansky, Cruise & Travel Writer

Sarah Pruzansky is passionate about everything related to travel, hospitality, environmental science, self-care, and writing. She joined the iCruise team in February 2019 and assists the company in developing blog and web content that shows the benefits of cruising, information on different ports of call and destinations, and other industry tips for those looking to cruise.