How to Book a Last-Minute Cruise

It was deep in the gloomiest days of February when a sudden change in schedule left me with a week of unplanned vacation—and a desire to spend it warming myself in the Caribbean sun. The problem: I had only two weeks to make it happen. 

Many calls and online searches later, I had a ticket for a cruise. To my surprise, it was even on the very same route I would have chosen had I planned two years in advance. In the process of scrambling to find out what was available, I learned that last-minute cruising may bring challenges, but it also has major advantages, e.g., the steep discount I scored, which put an ocean-view cabin within my budget for the first time ever. 

Ronna Lacy, an independent travel advisor for AAA, confirms that booking a cruise with just a week or two to spare is entirely possible. “As long as your preferred destination has enough availability, it’s our job to find space, and we usually can,” she says. 

With a little flexibility, you too could find yourself gazing out to sea from a deck lounger on ridiculously little notice. Here are nine tips for making it happen.

It’s all about capacity. 

The more cabins available on a ship to start with, the more likely it is that some will go unfilled. “It’s supply and demand, so where there’s more supply you’ll have more choices,” Lacy says. That means you’ll have better luck finding availability on larger ships, and it’s best to focus on itineraries offered by many cruise lines. 

Choose a popular destination and embarkation point. 

The Caribbean now accounts for over 40% of all global passenger capacity, according to a 2024 report from the Cruise Lines International Association. That makes the region the best bet for availability, especially considering that 27 cruise lines now operate from Miami and 11 from Fort Lauderdale. The second most popular destination is the Mediterranean, with the majority of ships departing from Barcelona and Rome.

Some destinations are particularly popular in a certain season, says Lacy. Think Alaska in the summer, for example. “We get people who come in in July and they want to go to Alaska before the end of summer, and we can usually do that because almost every cruise line has a ship up there.”

Sign up for cruise line promotions. 

Every cruise line sends promotional offers to people on their mailing lists, and the deals get better as sailing dates approach and the cruise line needs to fill cabins. “I’ve seen bonus savings along with 60% off the second guest—deals too good to pass up,” Lacy says. 

Travel advisors can help you follow up on those promotions, and thanks to their access to member benefits, they can make sure you get the best deal on other aspects of your trip as well, including onboard packages, entertainment vouchers, and shore activities. Advisors can also help you compare fares to make sure they include taxes, fees, and port charges.  

Be flexible about cabin choices. 

“If we’re having difficulty finding space, you may have to take whatever they have, which means you might not get a balcony, or center of ship, or whatever your preferred type of cabin is,” Lacy says. In some cases, instead of allowing you to choose an individual cabin, the ship may offer a guarantee for a particular category or better and you won’t find out specifics until after you book.

Go at less popular times of year.

The off-season advantage applies to cruising, with less competition in spring and fall when children are in school. And for shorter cruises, consider weekdays, not weekends. Most times, says Lacy, “Your Monday through Friday cruise is going to have a lot more availability and be a lower price than your three-day cruise that leaves on Friday and comes back on Monday, just because of supply and demand.” 

Take advantage of the three-month deadline.

When people pay for a cruise in installments, the final payment is typically due three months prior to departure, which makes that the most common window for cancellation. “At that point, [cruise lines] are going to try to fill those rooms, and if they have plenty available they may put rooms back out for a lower price,” Lacy says.

Don’t expect miracles.

Some types of cruises are much harder to book last-minute, particularly those with smaller ships and specialized itineraries. These include luxury cruises, river cruises, and adventure cruises such as those to Antarctica and the Galapagos.

Three days is your cutoff.

While under very limited circumstances it may be possible to purchase certain cruises two days before sailing, in general it’s a hard stop at three. That’s because some of the registration paperwork may require a wait time. “The cruise lines want you to register three days before you get on the cruise and do the health questionnaire, so that’s pretty much our limit,” Lacy says. 

Don’t forget the rest of your trip.

You may find that the trickiest part of short-notice planning comes with booking the other aspects of your trip, like plane tickets and hotel rooms. “If you’re leaving from Athens and disembarking in Barcelona, you need hotels in both places for one night or more if you want to explore those cities, along with transfers,” notes Lacy. She adds that travel advisors come in handy here: “We take care of everything from start to finish.” With those bookings handled, you’ll have more time for the fun parts of vacation planning—like putting together your new cruise wardrobe.