Royal Caribbean has completed its covid comeback.
After its July 2, 2021, return to sailing, the cruise line saw its passengers slowly come back throughout 2022. The business returned to normal in early 2023 and beat 2019 levels after that period.
Chief Executive Jason Liberty discussed the company's performance during its fourth-quarter-earnings call.
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"Momentum continues in 2024 with a record-breaking start to the Wave Season," he said. "Bookings have consistently outpaced last year across all key products at much higher rates. In fact, the five-highest booking weeks in our company's history all occurred since the last earnings call."
That's good news for investors, but it's not great for people looking to book a vacation, since prices have climbed.
But that does not mean that all Royal Caribbean cruises now cost more.
You can still find deals and even some top-tier cruises at very low prices if you know how to look and you're willing to be flexible.
And since many Royal Caribbean passengers sail with families, these tips specifically apply to cruises still available now for sailings in July and August 2024 — when most kids are out of school and families can sail together.
Image source: Royal Caribbean
1. Downgrade your ship
Royal Caribbean has steadily been building cruise ships that can claim the title "biggest cruise ship in the world." That honor now goes to the newest ship in the fleet, the first-ever Icon-Class ship, Icon of the Seas.
Icon comes in slightly larger than Wonder of the Seas, an Oasis-class ship. And while Icon is spectacular and features amazing innovations, its cheapest July or August fares from Miami start at $2,464 per person for a seven-night sailing. (All cruises require double occupancy, or the passenger will pay a single supplement equal to the cost of the second person minus taxes and fees.)
You can book a week-long sailing from Miami on Allure of the Seas, an Oasis Class ship, for $1,426 per person. Allure has not been remodeled — or "Amped," as Royal Caribbean calls it — so it's missing water slides. It also still features Sabor, a Mexican restaurant, instead of Playmakers, the cruise line's sports bar. But those small sacrifices might be worth saving more than $2,000.
In addition, Wonder of the Seas, which was the biggest cruise ship in the world before Icon, is fully updated and has a seven-night sailing from Port Canaveral for $1,007 per person. That's a very slight trade down to save nearly $3,000.
You can bring your cost for a seven-night sailing to $697 per person if you opt for Freedom of the Seas, a ship that's notably smaller than Icon or Wonder but shares many of those ship's features.
2. Sail shorter Royal Caribbean itineraries.
Royal Caribbean has made a massive commitment to three- and four-day sailings with its next new ship, the Oasis Class Utopia of the Seas, sailing Friday-Monday, and Monday-Friday itineraries out of Port Canaveral. In addition, in July and August Allure of the Seas is sailing on that schedule about half of the time.
You can book a Monday-Friday four-day sailing on Utopia, which shares many of the updates first introduced on Icon and essentially everything offered on Wonder, for $561 per person. You can even pair it with a three-day Friday-Monday cruise on either end with those prices starting at $441 (prices vary by date).
If you're willing to downgrade to Allure (which is not a massive drop), then prices for that back-to-back scenario fall even further.
3. Sail on Celebrity Cruises
Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity Cruises, and some would argue that its ships are a step up in quality from the company's namesake brand.
It's fair to say that Celebrity offers somewhat elevated main dining room and buffet food, but whether it's a better experience depends on each cruiser.
Sailing out of Fort Lauderdale during that same July and August 2024 period, Celebrity has Reflection, a medium-size Solstice-class ship with a 3,600-passenger capacity. (For context, Wonder can accommodate just under 7,000 passengers.) The cruise line also has Beyond, a member of its top-tier Edge Class, sailing out of Fort Lauderdale as well.
Beyond, which has a 3,200-passenger capacity, also features some of the cruise line's latest innovations. And you can book a six-night sailing on Beyond starting at $718 per person while the ship's eight-night itineraries start at just under $1,000.
Celebrity Reflection offers a mix of three-, four- and five-night sailings with prices starting at $278 per person on three-night sailings and $328 for four nights.
For families looking to book on Celebrity, however, it's important to realize that while there are kid and teen clubs on board, there aren't any water slides, rock walls or laser tag, which you would find on most Royal Caribbean ships.
Also take note: Cruise pricing can change at any time.
