Never Cruised Before? 5 Tips to Save Money

Image source: Getty Images

Some people love cruises -- the food, the entertainment, and the option to visit multiple destinations without having to pack and unpack. If you're gearing up for your first cruise, you may be eager to experience life at sea. But you may also have limited financial resources.

The good news is that there are steps you can take to spend less on your first cruise. Here are five strategies to employ.

Featured offer: save money while you pay off debt with one of these top-rated balance transfer credit cards

1. Book early

Booking early won't necessarily change the price of your cruise. What it may do, though, is give you access to more cabin options than if you were to wait. The result? You could end up with a cabin that's less expensive.

For example, the cost of a three-night Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas in August is $410 a night for an interior room, $480 a night for an ocean view, and $530 a night for a balcony room.

If you don't plan to spend a lot of time in your cabin during your cruise, then it may not matter to you which type of room you get -- in which case, you may be inclined to book the interior cabin to save money . But if you don't book early, you may not be able to find any interior rooms left, leaving you no choice but to pay for a more expensive room.

2. Book at the last minute

Yes, this does contradict that last piece of advice. But funny enough, sometimes, booking a cruise at the last minute means getting a deal.

Cruise lines will often drop their prices if they have lots of available rooms left for a given sailing because they'd rather get some money for those vacancies than none at all. So if you have a flexible vacation schedule, it never hurts to hunt for last-minute deals.

3. Don't book on the newest ship

Some of the newer ships you can sail on are quite impressive, featuring perks like waterparks and rollercoasters. But the newer a given ship is, the more expensive it's likely to be to travel on.

An older ship won't necessarily make for a bad cruising experience. Quite the contrary -- many older ships are in plenty good shape and offer their fair share of amenities. And if you're booking a cruise that has you stopping in a port every day, you may not end up spending as much time on the ship anyway outside of meals and evening shows -- which are something you can find on pretty much any vessel.

4. Use a travel agent

You may only have limited time to seek out the best cruise deals. A travel agent's job, on the other hand, is to find great deals and pass them along. And since travel agents don't tend to charge a fee, it pays to enlist the help of one to find the perfect sailing for you.

Also, if you use a travel agent and hit a snag, you'll have a professional there to support you. Let's say your cruise line messes up your reservation and you end up in a room you don't really want. Your travel agent may be able to negotiate on your behalf, so you get an onboard credit as compensation.

5. Book through Costco

If you're already a Costco member, it pays to see what cruise deals the warehouse club giant has available. Costco offers a host of cruise packages, and many come with perks like onboard credits you may not be privy to when you book on your own. Plus, you might pay less for your cruise by choosing one of Costco's deals.

Also, as is the case with a travel agent, when you use Costco travel, you get the support of a customer service professional who can assist should anything related to your trip go wrong. That could give you peace of mind as a first-time cruiser.

All of these strategies could lead to nice savings on your first cruise. But in the course of your booking, also make sure to use the right credit card . It especially pays to focus on a card that gives you extra cash back for travel purchases , and that offers certain built-in protections, like trip insurance, in case something goes awry.

We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team. Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .