How We Afforded Our First Cruise and How You Can Too!

By Bob West devoted husband, father, and cruiser!

Ever since a friend returned from a Harmony of the Seas cruise in 2017, I’d been daydreaming about it. It sounded exotic, indulgent, like the pinnacle of vacationing. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and at the time it was on the world’s largest ship. Jessica, on the other hand, was all “desert rat.” She doesn’t trust being adrift in the middle of the ocean, miles from solid ground. To her, a cruise sounded like the worst trip imaginable. She wasn’t very open to the idea (that type of thinking wouldn't last much longer, but we didn't know what we were getting into at the time).

Everything changed when our best friends went on a wedding trip to Tampa. They mentioned potentially taking a cruise while they were down there. That turned our casual interest into serious searches. We found a 5-night Serenade of the Seas cruise from Tampa to Nassau and Coco Cay. Total cost? About $3,000 for the four of us. Deposit was just $700, thanks to a holiday Black Friday deal. We booked it, and our lives would forever be changed.

Next, we began the juggling act: airfare pushed flights through to $1,600, but cruises don’t charge interest, and it felt manageable. We paid around $500 per month, clearing the balance just before the due date (our sailing was in March). After that, it was add-ons: transfers, internet packages, deluxe drinks, and flights. Tight, but doable and... unforgettable.

That first cruise taught us so much about how cruising works that I booked our second cruise before we even set sail. Eleven months ahead this time, giving us nine full months to pay it off. Smaller payments over a longer stretch made it so much easier. We’re not rich, but we see every cruise as an investment in family memories. Our kids loved it, and I know one day they’ll take their own children on board too.

Payment Options That Make Cruising Possible

The beauty of cruises is that most major lines offer flexible ways to pay. You rarely have to cover the whole trip upfront, which makes it accessible for families like ours. Here are some of the most common options:

• Royal Caribbean: Secure your cabin with a deposit, then make payments over time. They also partner with Affirm for monthly financing, sometimes at 0% APR.
• Carnival: Offers Auto-Pay, which splits your balance into manageable installments with no added fees.
• Princess Cruises: EZpay allows you to set up automatic monthly payments until your balance is covered, again with no extra fees.
• Virgin Voyages: Flex Pay lets you spread your payments out monthly with no interest, and sometimes even with $0 down.
• Third-Party Options: Some travel agencies and booking sites offer Klarna or Uplift, which give you longer financing windows if you prefer.

In most cases, the only hard rule is that the balance has to be paid in full a few months before sailing. That means if you book a year in advance, you can chip away at the cost a little at a time.

When to Find the Best Cruise Deals

Paying over time helps, but finding the right deal is just as important. Knowing when to book can make a huge difference in price and perks.

Wave Season (January – March): Like the Black Friday of cruising. Expect lower fares, reduced deposits, free upgrades, and extras like drink packages or onboard credit.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Travel Tuesday: Late November brings some of the best flash sales of the year. Our very first cruise was booked during a Black Friday promotion, and the savings were what made it possible.

Early Booking (9–24 Months in Advance): Book well ahead and you not only get the best choice of cabins, but you often lock in lower fares. Some lines, like Virgin Voyages, even offer discounts for paying early.

Last-Minute Deals (30–90 Days Out): If you’re flexible with dates and cabins, you can sometimes score steep discounts close to sailing. The trade-off is higher airfare and limited choices.

Shoulder Seasons: Sailing right after major holidays (like after New Year’s or post-Thanksgiving) often means fewer crowds and better prices.

How We Made It Work

Looking back, a few strategies helped us make our cruises possible:

• Jumping on holiday promotions like Black Friday.
• Using deposit + installment plans instead of paying upfront.
• Booking our next cruise early, giving us more months to spread out payments.
• Looking beyond just price and factoring in the value of perks like drink packages, internet, and onboard credit.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to be wealthy to cruise. What you do need is a little strategy: know when to book, take advantage of flexible payment plans, and give yourself time to pay it off. For us, cruising isn’t a luxury we stumbled into, it’s a choice we made to prioritize experiences with our kids.

The bottom line? If you’ve ever thought, “I could never afford that,” think again. With the right timing and payment plan, your family could be standing on a cruise deck sooner than you think.