🛳️ Cruise fare tracking and analyses
Cruise fare history … Visit ProCruiseTips.com for over a thousand tips on planning, buying, preparing, and enjoying your cruise!
Any day you’re at sea is a day in paradise. 🏝️
Especially if you’re spending $100-200 a day for all-inclusive luxury (and don’t drink), instead of 2 or 3 TIMES that on land.
It’s nice to plan a special once-in-a-lifetime or family trip where you spend a boatload of bucks ... if you have it. But what about the rest of your cruises? For a 7 night cruise you can spend $1,000, $5,000, or $10,000. When you’re on a budget like us and have a flexible schedule, it’s important to spend as little as possible so you CAN afford to go on a cruise and you can go on MORE cruises.
And when you’re a nerd like me you turn it into a science and write about it. I invite you to follow our cruising odyssey from plan to research to purchase. I’ll share my fare tracking, analyses, and recommendations, including the 1-2-3 methodology with cruise fare history charts. Learn a few tricks with me. The tips below come that process. I’ll update this page as we prepare for and book new sailings.
First, check out our primer on How to use cruise fare history.
Trips
2026 Oct. - 16 night Carnival Spirit - Caribbean (Inside). $1,006 total for 2 - $62/night. Vacation Steal price 25% off retail.
RECOMMENDATION: Buy now.
RESULTS: Listed as a Featured Live Steal (we weren’t booking it). It was a promotion just for distribution sites like Vacation Steal. The balcony price had shot up and sold out earlier. A couple days later the Inside cabin price went up 34% to that listed on the web site. The recommendation was CORRECT.
2026 Sept. - 7 night Carnival Celebration - Caribbean (Balcony). $1,202 for 2 - $172/night. Purchased on Vacation Steal @ 9% off retail.
Second try for a September sailing from Miami. Price was critical so we could cruise a 2nd time this year on our fixed budget.
RECOMMENDATION: Buy now.
RESULTS: We bought the cabin. The recommendation was CORRECT. Excellent cabin locations were still available. The sailing pricing was flat as predicted. I’ll post a review after the sailing.
2026 Sept. $1,010 Sept. - 7 day MSC Seaside - Caribbean (Balcony). $1,010 for 2 - $144/night from Vacation Steal, 8% off retail.
We had tight parameters on departure date and location. It was not the most desirable itinerary since it was a back-to-back with a typically younger and louder crowd and only 1 port and 2 MSC beach visits. But MSC had the best price.
RECOMMENDATION: Buy now. Historical data showed that the price would only go up and availability down. Availability is exacerbated with a back-to-back.
RESULTS: Our recommendation was TOO good. Cabins were gone by the time we tried to book 2 days after the initial search and did not reappear.
2026 Jan. - 12 night Carnival Conquest - Caribbean (Oceanview). $1,468 for 2 - $122/night. Purchased on Vacation Steal @ 9% off retail.
There’s nothing like your first, right? Sometimes it’s all about timing. We started with a 4 night cruise from a complementary cruise certificate. Then Carnival Cruise Line sent an email on their new SEA program. An extended cruise … the same month we were planning to sail … no kids … elevated menu … almost two weeks for the price of one? It was a no brainer.
RECOMMENDATION: Buy now. The price was too good to pass up or wait on.
RESULTS: We signed up immediately. Good thing, since the cruise quickly sold out. Read our review. We loved the cruise.