We won’t bury the lede: The best months to take advantage of cruise deals are here. There’s an advantage industry-wide to booking early for 2025 and 2026 cruise vacations, but since you’re here on our site anyway, we’ll pitch you our best cruise deal discount offer for 2025-2026 cruises: voyages for 80% off your second Sailor and up to $300 in drinks, depending on the length of your cruise. It’s one of the best deals on the market from any cruise line this calendar year, and we think it’s an offer worth writing home about.
Should you decide you want to keep your options open, we respect that — read on for our top 10 tips on how to find the best cruise deals for next year and beyond.
1. Find the cruise line whose base prices cover the most perks
It’s human nature to see a low number and jump on it when you’re browsing — but one of the most overlooked aspects of finding a good deal is to pause for a moment and consider what’s actually included in the base price of a cruise. Many cruise lines show only the price of the cruise itself, while food, drinks, WiFi, and other perks come at additional costs or in the form of a cruise package. At Virgin Voyages, our style isn’t to lure you on board just to nickel-and-dime you once you’re there. Our Always Included Luxury covers WiFi, tips & gratuities, all dining, soda & water, group fitness classes, and entertainment — over $1000 of value included, in addition to the gorgeous award-winning floating hotel we’re showing you the world from.
2. Look online and sign up for email alerts
If you’ve been resisting, it’s time — time to embrace the internet. Do your research online before buying to find the best cruise deals; you can even sign up for email alerts on our site to get the best cruise deals delivered to your inbox. (We’ll send you deals like our recent $99/night cruises and more).
3. Book early during wave season (from January to March)
The early bird gets the worm; the early Sailor gets the voyage. That analogy may be a work in progress, but this tip is bonafide: for most cruise lines, the longer you wait to book your cruise, the higher the price will be. The best time to book a cruise is during wave season, during January, February, and March. Additionally, another good time for deals industry-wide tend to drop in November, and December, so keep an eye out during that period as well. And if you follow the advice in tip #2 and sign up for email alerts, we’ll let you know when our newest itineraries open up so you can snag early bird deals on them well in advance.
4. The more the merrier - travel with a group
While cruising solo can be a rewarding experience, most cruise lines — Virgin Voyages including — offer travel incentives for groups. Solo cabins can sell out quickly and tend to get hit with single Sailor supplements, but if you’re willing to share a cabin, you increase the number of offers you’re eligible for — like our current wave season special for 80% off your second Sailor (plus up to $300 in free drinks). If you get a group together, you can also take advantage of our onboard perks and packages to maximize your savings.
5. Cruise from a port near you
It may seem obvious, but if you live near where any of our cruise ships sail, you can skip the hotel and flights and drive right to the port town for your voyage. In thrilling news for American Sailors, Miami is no longer your only option for departures for adult-only cruises — we have new 2025 routes sailing from New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles. (For our neighbors in Florida and Georgia, our exclusive resident rates will make the road trip to Miami even sweeter). For European destinations, our Sailors can voyage from Portsmouth, Athens, and Barcelona.
6. Take advantage of payment plans and pay-in-full offers — or join a loyalty program
Give a wide berth to (that’s sailing lingo for “steer clear of”) companies that don’t reward you for joining a loyalty program or paying in full. Virgin Voyages has options for Sailors from any budget type — whether you’ve got cash on hand and want to save by paying in full for your voyage, or you’d rather book now and pay later. If you join our Sailing Club, we offer a status match, plus other perks that add even more value to your voyage. Speaking of perks, now you can use the best credit card to book a cruise and get bonuses! Book a Virgin Voyage cruise with the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard® to unlock a Boarding Bonus of 40,000 Virgin Points.
7. Keep an eye on last-minute cruise sales
Although cruise lines run sales throughout the year, the rule of thumb is that last-minute cruise sales which are some of the best cruise deals usually show up the week of, or weeks before the sailing, sometimes a month out as well. We're updating our last-minute cruises every week, so keep an eye out Sailor! Some offers — cough cough, our most recent offer of $99 per night, per Sailor was a flash sale. But if you missed those ships, don't worry; we'll have more last-minute flash sales throughout 2025.
8. Consider short weekend cruises
Ideal for anyone — from Sailors with limited PTO and first-timers who want to test out the cruise environment to seasoned pros who hop on and off of ships as a hobby — our weekend cruises departing from Miami are a perfect getaway. Pack a year’s worth of delight and relaxation into a quick jaunt to the Keys.
9. Try longer cruises
Looking for a longer adventure than a 2-night trip to Key West? Consider a transatlantic or repositioning cruise. These grand journeys require you to book a flight and hotel ahead of time, as they’re one-way, but they often show you parts of the world that Virgin Voyages doesn’t routinely visit. (And our Sailor Services crew can help you book those hotels and flights — at discounted rates).
10. Find deals & special offers for newer cruise ships
If, despite everything you’ve just read above, you’re here last-minute as a procrastinator…well, you have our respect for staying true to yourself. Virgin Voyages has the best cruise deals page to make sure you don’t miss out on special discounts and exclusive offers just because you’re not a planner. A word to the wise: we advise avoiding cruise lines that only hand out deals on their older ships. (Our lady ships are award-winning and state-of-the-art, and not to be elitist, but…the same can’t be said for all other cruise lines). You’re more likely to have a bright, shiny vacation experience on board a bright, shiny ship.
Planning ahead pays off - Book 2025-2026 Cruises Early
With cruise deals season upon us, there’s never been a better time to book your next postcard-perfect getaway. Make good use of our guide to scoring amazing cruise deals. Our ships are kid-free, our ambiance is dreamy, and our value is unbeatable. Hope to sea you on board.
