Fares on some cruise lines fall after booking more often, and by more, than on others. The gap between lines is large enough that the same habit, booking early and never checking again, costs a lot more on one line than another. We measure this across every sailing we track, and the current figures for each line are on the price data page.
The answer changes, so we publish it rather than quote it
Which line drops the most is not a fixed fact. It moves with each line's pricing strategy, the season, how full ships are and which promotions are running. Any single figure in an article would be out of date within weeks.
The live numbers, and the method behind them, are on each line's data page:
- Royal Caribbean cruise prices
- Carnival cruise prices
- Norwegian cruise prices
- Celebrity cruise prices
Each page shows how large that line's drops have been, what its fares cost by cabin class, and the price history for each ship we track. The price data page compares every line side by side.
What drives the difference between lines
Rate structures. Lines price the same cabin under several fare types, such as a non-refundable deposit fare and a refundable one, and layer promotions on top. A line that changes its promotions often, or reprices fare types separately, moves its published fares more than one that holds a single rate.
Sailing length. Short sailings and long ones are sold differently. They have different booking windows and different final payment dates, so they reach the point where a line needs to fill cabins at different times.
Cabin class. Interior, ocean view, balcony and suite fares do not move together. On the same sailing, one class can fall while another rises, which is why the data pages show fares by cabin class rather than one number per line.
How full the ship is. A sailing that is selling slowly is more likely to see lower fares than one that is close to full. That varies by ship and itinerary within a line as much as between lines.
When you look. Fares move at different points in the booking window. The when do cruise prices drop guide covers timing, and do cruise prices go down after booking covers how common drops are.
A big drop is only worth what the line gives back
The line whose fares fall most is not automatically the one that pays back the most, because each line's program decides what a drop is worth to you:
- Carnival Early Saver price protection runs until 2 business days before sailing, as a lower fare if the booking is not yet paid in full, or non-refundable onboard credit once it is. Fares other than Early Saver are excluded.
- Royal Caribbean and Celebrity reprice before final payment, with a refund if you have paid in full, and may offer a cabin upgrade after it, subject to availability.
- Norwegian varies by region, fare type and booking channel, and the remedy is at its discretion.
- Princess retired its Better Than Best Price Guarantee.
So a line with frequent drops and a narrow window can be worth less to you than a line with fewer drops and a longer one. The price protection pages set out each program with its source, and the final payment dates by cruise line show when each window closes.
What to do with it
Look up the line you booked on its data page to see how its fares have been moving, then check the program that applies to your fare type. If your line's fares move often and its program still gives something back, your booking is worth watching until the deadline.
CruiseSignal tracks Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian and Celebrity for US and Canada residents. It watches your exact sailing, category and fare, and tells you the amount of a drop, the program it falls under and the deadline to ask the line for the difference.
