Every November, cruise lines roll out their biggest-sounding sales of the year: “up to 75% off,” “kids sail free,” “BOGO 60%.” But is a Black Friday cruise actually cheaper than the same cruise a few weeks earlier or later? Most people have no way to check. We do.
The Cruise Tracker records the price of every round-trip cruise from U.S. ports every single morning, and has since October 2024. So instead of comparing sale banners, we compared each cruise against itself: what it cost before Black Friday, over Black Friday weekend, and every day after, right up until it sailed. Here’s what two Black Fridays of real prices show.
The short answer
Yes, Black Friday cruise prices are real, but the discounts are small: the typical cruise was about 2% cheaper than the same cruise in the weeks before the sale. The bigger savings usually came later. 84% of the cruises on sale over Black Friday 2025 that have since sailed dropped at least 2% below their Black Friday price before departure, and Black Friday was the cheapest time to book for only about 1 in 13.
Black Friday 2024 vs. 2025: the numbers
| Black Friday 2024 | Black Friday 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cruises tracked over Black Friday–Cyber Monday | 6,622 | 7,839 |
| Typical price vs. the same cruise in late Oct–mid Nov | 1.5% lower | 2.0% lower |
| Cruises at least 2% cheaper than before the sale | 47% | 50% |
| Cruises at least 2% more expensive than before the sale | 13% | 15% |
| Dropped at least 2% below the Black Friday price before sailing | 75% | 84%* |
| Black Friday was within 1% of the cruise’s lowest price | 14% | 8%* |
| Typical Black Friday price vs. the cruise’s eventual low | 22% higher (about $137 per person) | 28% higher (about $151 per person)* |
Two things stand out. First, the sale is real but modest: about half of all cruises really were cheaper, while roughly 1 in 7 actually cost more over Black Friday weekend than in the weeks before it. Second, Black Friday was rarely the bottom. For most cruises, a lower price showed up later, often much later.
Booking before Black Friday never won
If you’re wondering whether to book now or wait for the sale: in both years, the typical cruise cost more in every window before Black Friday than it did over Black Friday weekend. Booking in late October or early November usually meant paying about 1–2.5% more.
The same cruise, bought at other times
Median price in each window compared with that cruise’s own Black Friday–Cyber Monday price. Left of the line is cheaper than Black Friday. ■ 2024 season ■ 2025 season
After Black Friday the two years split. In 2024, prices rose again through December and January, so the sale really was a good moment to book. In 2025, prices kept sliding through the winter, and by March the typical cruise was 7% cheaper than its Black Friday price. In both years, the share of cruises that had dropped below their Black Friday price grew every month.
Which cruise lines really discount on Black Friday?
| Cruise line | Sailings tracked | Cheaper on Black Friday | Got cheaper later | Black Friday was the low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival | 1,753 | 51% | 82% | 7% |
| Royal Caribbean | 1,567 | 55% | 79% | 10% |
| Norwegian | 598 | 36% | 84% | 12% |
| MSC | 515 | 75% | 90% | 8% |
| Princess | 493 | 28% | 69% | 8% |
| Disney | 454 | 4% | 44% | 43% |
| Celebrity | 380 | 68% | 82% | 8% |
| Holland America | 280 | 23% | 78% | 12% |
| Virgin Voyages | 163 | 92% | 63% | 30% |
- MSC, Celebrity and Virgin Voyages discounted the most: two-thirds or more of their cruises were cheaper over Black Friday.
- Disney barely discounts. Only 4% of Disney cruises were cheaper on Black Friday, but Disney prices also fall less afterward, so the Black Friday price was the low 43% of the time.
- Princess and Holland America discounted only about a quarter of their cruises, and Princess had the highest share that got more expensive over the sale.
- For Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, about half or fewer were cheaper on Black Friday, and roughly 8 in 10 went on to drop lower before sailing.
So when is the best time to book a cruise?
Across every cruise we’ve tracked to departure, prices tend to bottom out in the months before sailing, not on any particular sale weekend: 81% of sailings hit their lowest price of the final six months somewhere between 1 and 6 months before departure, and only about 1 in 10 hit it in the last two weeks. The pattern differs by line, which is why we built a price history page for each cruise line.
Here’s how I’d use that if you’re shopping this Black Friday:
- Know the real price first. Look up your exact sailing in the cruise price tracker and compare the “sale” price with what it cost over the last few weeks and months.
- If it’s at or near its lowest tracked price and the cabin you want is available, book it. Black Friday perks (onboard credit, drinks, deposits) can add real value even when the fare barely moves.
- If you book and the price drops later, ask about repricing. Some lines and fare types allow a price adjustment before final payment. The rules vary, so check yours or ask your travel advisor.
- Sailing 6+ months away? History says there’s a good chance you’ll see a lower price later. Keep watching, and don’t let a countdown timer rush you.
Not sure if your Black Friday deal is real?
Send me the sailing. I’ll check its price history against similar cruises from the last two years and tell you whether to book now or wait. Booking through me costs you nothing extra.
How we measured this
The Cruise Tracker records the lowest advertised interior-cabin price for every round-trip sailing from a U.S. port each morning (per person, two guests, taxes and fees included), across 28 cruise lines. For this analysis we took every cruise on sale over Black Friday through Cyber Monday (Nov 29–Dec 2, 2024 and Nov 28–Dec 1, 2025) and compared its price with the same cruise’s average from late October to mid-November, and with every price we recorded for it afterward. “Cheaper” means at least 2% lower, to ignore tiny day-to-day wobbles. Typical values are medians. Balcony and suite prices can move differently, and past patterns don’t guarantee future prices.
Is that cruise price actually good?
See how the price of any round-trip cruise from a U.S. port has moved, day by day, for free.
Written by Kevin Schippers
Data analyst, CLIA member and TRUE Certified Travel Advisor. I built The Cruise Tracker to answer one question: is this price actually good? Booking through me costs you nothing extra.