The 7 Cheapest Cruise Lines (In Order)

Some cruises now cost less per night than a meal out. Seriously.

I’ve seen cruise deals so cheap they barely seem real. But here’s the thing: the cheapest cruise isn’t always the best bargain.

Some “unmissable” deals end up costing far more once the extras start piling up. Others look expensive at first, but actually work out much cheaper overall.

And there’s one cruise line in particular that consistently comes out far cheaper than most people expect.

I spend an embarrassing amount of time hunting down cruise bargains and sharing the best ones with my email subscribers.

So I decided to compare the prices of some of the world’s biggest cruise lines to see which ones really offer the cheapest cruises – and some of the results genuinely surprised me.

The Cheapest Cruise Line is… MSC Cruises!

The cheapest cruise line in my comparison was MSC Cruises. On average, its lowest fares were around 40% cheaper than the most expensive mainstream cruise line in this comparison, Norwegian Cruise Line.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that every MSC cruise is going to be cheaper than cruises from other cruise lines. There is a huge host of factors that go into deciding the price of a cruise, including the month that you cruise, the duration, location and more.

But on average, MSC cruises tend to be a lower price than other, similar cruise lines.

Other lower-cost cruise lines, especially if you book the right ship and itinerary, include Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean. Costa and P&O can still offer excellent value too, particularly for European and UK travellers.

Read more: Why Are MSC Cruises So Cheap?

The 7 Cheapest Cruise Lines

Deciding the cheapest cruise line isn’t an easy task, because there’s so much you need to consider.

It’s not just about the advertised price, but also any other fees you have to pay – port taxes, gratuities, and so on.

Plus, different cruise lines offer different cruise lengths. Some cruise lines may offer cheap 7-night cruises, but they’ll never beat the price of a 2-night cruise with another, ‘more expensive’ cruise line.

So to work it out, I’ve taken a look at the cheapest cruise option for several of the biggest cruise lines in the world, but not just their single cheapest cruise – I’ve looked at their cheapest 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6- and 7-night cruises and then taken an average of their cost per day to cruise.

Cruise Line	Cheapest 2-night cruise	Cheapest 3-night cruise	Cheapest 4-night cruise	Cheapest 5-night cruise	Cheapest 6-night cruise	Cheapest 7-night cruise	Average cost per person, per night
Carnival	N/A	$270pp	$282pp	$374pp	$436pp	$523pp	$75
Costa Cruises	$226pp	$414pp	$452pp	$705pp	$733pp	$571pp	$115
MSC Cruises	$155pp	$205pp	$290pp	$400pp	$415pp	$425pp	$70
NCL	$435pp	$455pp	$475pp	$595pp	$700pp	$610pp	$121
Princess Cruises	$196pp	$265pp	$337pp	$490pp	$548pp	$601pp	$90
P&O Cruises	N/A	$400pp	$465pp	$600pp	$800pp	$665pp	$117
Royal Caribbean	$307pp	$351pp	$349pp	$443pp	$561pp	$615pp	$97

These prices include all port fees and taxes, I have also added on daily gratuities where applicable to make it a fair comparison.

But what’s really important to remember is that this is just the cost of the cruise. And so it doesn’t mean this is the average price you would pay when you book, because it depends on the location.

If you live in the UK, you’re hardly going to get a cheap deal booking a 4-night cruise to the Caribbean from Florida! And if you’re in the US, you can’t really take advantage of the lower port fees for cruises from Australia without paying a huge amount on flights.

1. MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises are often some of the cheapest you can book. They’re a fun, family-friendly line that primarily sails around the Mediterranean, although they do have sailings in the Caribbean, the Middle East and other destinations.

The cheapest cruises will be on older ships in the fleet, rather than the epic World Europa or World America. And they usually won’t be round-trip sailings either, so you’ll always need to arrange flights. Depending on where you’re based, that can push the prices up.

2. Carnival

Carnival has a reputation as one of the cheapest cruise lines, but when you factor in the costs of port fees and taxes, it’s not quite as low-priced as the line’s website makes out at first glance. But the older and smaller ships in the fleet do still have some excellent prices available.

The only problem is that most of them are from US ports, so if you don’t live within easy reach of Florida or Texas, you might not be able to enjoy the best fares that this cruise line has to offer.

3. Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises is considered a slightly more premium cruise line by some, though it is still cheaper than many other cruise lines targeted at a mainstream audience.

With Princess, the lowest prices are split between cruises all around the world, so no matter where you live, you may not get a price as cheap as another cruise line, but you won’t be paying huge sums more than the typical best Princess fares.

Just be careful, though, because Princess also offers the upgraded Princess Plus and Princess Premier fares, which can add a lot onto your cruise price.

4. Royal Caribbean

You might be surprised to see Royal Caribbean on a list of cheap cruises, especially with the sky-high costs of the newest ships, Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas, but remember this is based on the cheapest available cruises.

Royal Caribbean has a lot of older and smaller ships in the fleet like Vision of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas. You won’t get the same low prices on the Oasis-class ships, never mind Icon of the Seas, that’s for sure!

But if you want a fun-packed cruise, then it’s worth checking the cheapest Royal Caribbean prices as you will often find some fantastic fares, though again your flights can push the price up a lot.

5. Costa Cruises

Costa is an Italian cruise line that offers most of its cruises around Europe. Fares are typically low and there’s not much variation between the cheapest itineraries and those in peak seasons, so even during the most popular months, you’ll get a good price.

The quality of a Costa cruise depends on your tastes and what you want from your cruise, but reviews are typically good, even if there’s not as much to enjoy onboard as on, say, a Carnival or Royal Caribbean ship.

6. P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises is a popular choice for British travellers. While the cheapest prices are unlikely to be found on the newest ships in the fleet, like Arvia and Iona, the older ships are still well-maintained and offer a great experience.

Prices vary a lot with P&O, so depending on the destination and the month, fares can be a lot higher. But there are some excellent deals to be had if you’re more flexible.

If you’re a family or are cruising with friends and don’t mind having more than two to a cabin, look out for special offers where the third and fourth guests sail for free. This can halve the price of your cruise.

7. Norwegian Cruise Line

NCL cruises aren’t the cheapest, but they’re far from the most expensive when compared to luxury cruise lines, too. It’s the short breaks that tend to drive the average prices up, although once you look beyond the cheapest fares, you’ll see that the newest ships are also a bit more costly.

However, an important caveat is that NCL will almost always have an offer where your fare includes something extra – maybe free drinks, free WiFi or some free excursions. This is also important to bear in mind when comparing prices.

Older, Smaller Ships Tend to Be Cheaper Than Big New Ones

There is no single answer for the cheapest cruise ship in the world, but look for older cruise ships sailing for the cheaper cruise lines. MSC Orchestra and MSC Opera are two of the cheapest cruise ships sailing in the world.

The ship does play a part in the cost of your cruise. Older ships tend to – but only tend to – cost less to cruise on than newer ships.

And the reason for that is down to the quality of the ship. The newest ships are nicer, they’re better maintained, and because they are often bigger, they have more exciting things to see and do onboard.

Whereas older ships, even if they’ve been renovated, can sometimes feel a little tired. They might not have the fancy go-kart tracks, virtual reality or robotic bartenders. And so cruise lines charge less because the experience isn’t worth the same.

But again, the ship is just one factor when it comes to pricing a cruise. An inside cabin on a brand-new megaship will likely be cheaper than a suite on an older, smaller ship, for example.

Cheap Cruises Still Exist – If You Know Where To Look

Cruises aren’t quite as absurdly cheap as they were a couple of years ago, but bargains are definitely still out there.

I’ve personally sailed on cruises that worked out at around £30 ($40) per night, and I’ve also booked cruises from just £99 ($130) total before taxes and gratuities. Those kinds of deals don’t appear every day, but they do still happen, especially on older ships, repositioning cruises and last-minute sailings.

The cheapest deals are usually found:

• outside school holidays
• on older ships
• on shorter itineraries
• close to departure date
• on cruise lines like MSC and Costa

But prices constantly change. The cheapest cruise available this week might sell out tomorrow, and another itinerary will take its place.

That’s why flexibility is often the biggest key to finding a bargain cruise.

Advertised Prices vs. the Price You Actually Pay

When you’re booking a cruise, you should always check what’s included and what other fees you might still need to pay.

I’ve already mentioned these briefly, but the two most common additions are for port fees and taxes, and for gratuities.

Port fees and taxes are completely mandatory. Some cruise lines will include them in the advertised price, while others will mention them underneath the price, often in small print, so you may only see them when you get to the final booking stage.

Read more: What Are Port Fees And How Much Are They?

Tips aren’t completely mandatory, but you really should pay them. Cruise lines will add them to your account automatically, and if you don’t want to pay them, then you need to speak to Guest Services to have them removed. They make up a large part of the crew’s salary, though, so removing them has a significant impact.

Read more: Can You Refuse To Pay Gratuities On A Cruise?

While researching the cheapest cruise line, I thought it was interesting to compare the advertised price – the one you see in big, bold numbers when you search on a cruise line’s website – and the actual price you pay with fees and gratuities included.

Because I’ve included fees and taxes in my stats above, this doesn’t impact which cruise line is cheapest, but it’s good to know so that you’re always careful when booking your own cruise, and you aren’t duped by a false low price.

Cruise line	Cheapest 7-nt cruise (advertised price)	What’s included?	Actual cost of cheapest 7-nt cruise	Price difference	% extra
Carnival	$404pp	Fare & taxes	$523pp	$119	30%
Costa Cruises	$480pp	Fare & taxes	$571pp	$91	19%
MSC Cruises	$425pp	Fare, taxes & tips	$425pp	$0	0%
NCL	$470pp	Fare & taxes	$610pp	$140	30%
Princess Cruises	$475pp	Fare & taxes	$601pp	$126	27%
P&O Cruises	$665pp	Fare, taxes & tips	$665pp	$0	0%
Royal Caribbean	$485pp	Fare & taxes	$615pp	$130	27%

The difference can be surprisingly steep. In some cases, adding daily gratuities pushes the real cruise cost up by almost 30%.

The Bottom Line

If you want a cheap cruise, MSC Cruises currently offers some of the lowest fares overall, with Carnival, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean not far behind in my comparison.

Costa and P&O can still offer very good value too, especially if you’re based in Europe or the UK and can avoid expensive flights.

But don’t focus purely on the lowest price. A slightly newer ship, better itinerary or more convenient departure port can sometimes make a more expensive cruise much better value overall.

Read more: How to Get Cheap Cruises: An Insider Guide

Related Posts:

• When to Book a Family Cruise for Cheap Deals
• Win a Cruise!
• Why Are Cruises So Cheap?
• The Best All-Inclusive Cruise Lines For Brits