Cruise planning and pricing guides
Plain, evidence-backed answers to cruise planning and pricing questions that change what you pay. We distinguish official cruise-line policies, observed pricing data, and our own calculations. When you're ready to watch a specific sailing, the free cruise price tracker does the watching for you.
Is the Royal Caribbean Drink Package Worth It?
Deluxe Beverage Package prices, independently checked break-even math, a September 7, 2026 cabin-rule update, and when to buy.
Read the guideCruise Loyalty Programs Compared
Eight programs side by side: how each one counts, how many cruises it takes to reach a useful tier, sister-line matching, and who runs status matches.
Read the guideCruise Casino Programs Compared
Earning rates, tiers and the real coin-in behind free casino cruises, plus the fees and conditions that come with every comp offer.
Read the guideCarnival Rewards: What Replaced VIFP
Carnival Rewards launched September 1, 2026. How Stars and Points work, what each tier costs to reach, and what happened to VIFP status.
Read the guideRoyal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society
Every tier and perk, how many cruises it takes to reach Diamond, Points Choice with Celebrity and Silversea, and the 2026 changes.
Read the guideRoyal Caribbean Club Royale
Club Royale tiers, the April 2026 video poker change, how the annual free cruise works, and the coin-in each tier actually requires.
Read the guideCelebrity Captain's Club
Tiers from Classic to Zenith, Club Points per night by stateroom, what Elite Plus and Zenith add, and the nights it takes to reach each tier.
Read the guideNCL Latitudes Rewards
Bronze to Ambassador, the perks NCL lists at each tier, how status is honored on Oceania and Regent, and how many cruises each tier takes.
Read the guidePrincess Captain's Circle
Gold after one cruise, Platinum at 5 cruises or 50 days, Elite at 15 or 150. What each level gets and how long it takes.
Read the guideHolland America Mariner Society
Star levels from 1-Star to 5-Star, how Cruise Day credits and the $300 spending bonus work, and the time it takes to reach 4-Star.
Read the guideMSC Voyagers Club
Points per cruise by experience, Diamond and Blue Diamond benefits, the one-time status match and the cruises it takes to reach each tier.
Read the guideVirgin Voyages Sailing Club and Sea Rollers
Sailing Club perks by voyage, the status match open through October 31, 2026, and Sea Rollers casino tiers with the coin-in each one takes.
Read the guideCelebrity Blue Chip Club
Casino tiers, points per dollar played, the Annual Cruise Benefit and its July 31, 2027 deadline, and the coin-in behind each tier.
Read the guideNCL Casinos At Sea
Pearl to Elite, what each tier gets, and how casino certificates work, including the $20 per person per day fee.
Read the guideCarnival Players Club
Casino points per dollar, how they now feed Carnival Rewards, FunMatch terms, and what casino cruise offers do and do not cover.
Read the guideBest Time to Book a Cruise
The 6-to-12-month window everyone recommends sits just 11% below peak. The best window depends on your region, and the Caribbean reverses.
Read the guideBest Time to Book a Caribbean Cruise
Caribbean fares bottom out 101 to 180 days ahead at 15.4% below peak, then slip back. The one region where waiting longer stops paying.
Read the guideBest Time to Book a Mediterranean Cruise
The region that rewards waiting most: 23.3% below peak inside 30 days. Eastern itineraries sit flat for six months, then fall off a cliff.
Read the guideBest Time to Book an Alaska Cruise
Booking 8 months ahead instead of 14 buys almost nothing on price (9.8% vs 9.0%). Why Alaska is still the strongest case for booking early.
Read the guideCheapest Day to Book a Cruise
We checked 4.3M fare snapshots. Saturday sees the most fare cuts of any day, but the booking window matters even more.
Read the guideDo Cruise Prices Drop After Final Payment?
Yes. 83% of sailings we tracked into the final-payment window still dropped, averaging $249. What you can recover, and how.
Read the guideHow to Get a Cruise Price Drop
The spot-it-then-claim-it playbook: when to refare, when to ask for onboard credit, and exactly what to say.
Read the guideWhen Do Cruise Prices Drop?
The fare-lifecycle timeline: 72% of tracked sailings dropped at least once, and discounts run deepest inside 100 days of departure.
Read the guideWave Season Cruise Deals, Explained
The January-to-March sale season is mostly perk bundles. How to value them, and why 72% of tracked sailings cut prices with no sale at all.
Read the guideHow Cruise Price Alerts Work
Daily fare checks, target prices, and any-change mode: the mechanics behind the alerts, and why 72% of tracked sailings gave them something to catch.
Read the guideCruise Price History, Explained
One price is not evidence. How to read a fare chart in three passes, why to read your own cabin, and what a sold-out category leaves behind.
Read the guideReady to track a fare?
These guides tell you what the data shows. To act on it, head to the cruise price tracker, pick a sailing, and get an email the moment the price drops.
Not ready to pick a sailing yet?
Get the weekly price drop email instead. Once a week: the biggest verified fare reductions across the catalog, with the previous price, the current price, and the percentage off.
We send one email a week and nothing else. Unsubscribe from any issue.