Black Friday Cruise Deals: What To Expect and How To Shop Them

Oct 4

Black Friday 2026 is November 27, and nearly every major cruise line will run a sale around it. Most of those sales start in early November and run through Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday into the first week of December, so the shopping window is closer to a month than a weekend.

The deals are real in the sense that the perks are real: free third and fourth guests, onboard credit, reduced deposits, discounted drink and Wi-Fi bundles. Whether a Black Friday cruise deal saves you money depends on the total price, and that takes a few minutes of math. This guide covers what lines have offered in recent years, how to judge an offer, and how to use the sale if you have already booked.

Black Friday Cruise Deals 2026: Key Dates at a Glance

Date	What happens
Early November 2026	Early Black Friday sales usually launch. In 2025, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity started on November 7.
Friday, November 27, 2026	Black Friday
Monday, November 30, 2026	Cyber Monday
Tuesday, December 1, 2026	Travel Tuesday, often the last big day of the sale
Early December 2026	Most sales end. In 2025, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, MSC, and Norwegian ran to December 8.

What Cruise Lines Offered for Black Friday in 2025

Until the 2026 offers are announced, the best guide is what each line did last year. These are the 2025 promotions as reported when the lines announced them. Terms varied by sailing and fare type:

Royal Caribbean: up to $1,000 off fares, third and fourth guests sailing free, and up to 50% off onboard extras such as drinks, internet, and excursions, booked November 7 to December 8. It also sold an All-in Package at $109 per person per day covering a deluxe beverage package, specialty dining, and streaming Wi-Fi.
Norwegian Cruise Line: 50% off all cruises plus free prepaid gratuities on sailings of three nights or more for the first two guests, through December 8.
Celebrity Cruises: up to 75% off the second guest on non-refundable deposit fares, or 50% off with a refundable deposit, plus up to $1,000 in extra savings for bookings made by December 2.
Princess Cruises: a "Blue Friday" sale with up to 50% off fares, instant savings of up to $800, and free third and fourth guest fares, through December 2.
MSC Cruises: select cruises from $199 and up to $1,000 in onboard credit on seven ships, through December 8.
Holland America Line: up to 30% off, free prepaid crew appreciation, 50% reduced deposits, and free or reduced third and fourth guests, November 12 to December 4.
Virgin Voyages: 80% off the second sailor and up to a $400 bar tab, November 3 to December 4.
Margaritaville at Sea: up to 60% off fares and a Cruise+ bundle with drinks, Wi-Fi, and service charges.

Carnival runs a Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals page that lists the types of perks it uses, including onboard credit, discounted stateroom upgrades, reduced deposits, instant savings, and bundles with its Cheers! beverage package and Wi-Fi. The specific amounts change by sailing. You can see how those Celebrity and Princess offers compare against standard pricing in my Celebrity cruise cost breakdown, and the latest Princess promotions are on the current Princess Cruises offers page.

The Four Types of Black Friday Cruise Deals

Almost every Black Friday cruise offer falls into one of four buckets, and each one needs a different check.

Percentage Off Black Friday Cruise Fares

"50% off" is usually 50% off the cruise fare portion for one or both guests, and it applies to the line's base rate before taxes, fees, and gratuities. Read whether the discount is on the first guest, the second guest, or both. "75% off the second guest" works out to roughly 37.5% off the cabin's combined fare, before taxes and fees.

Free Third and Fourth Guests on Black Friday Cruises

Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Holland America all used free or reduced third and fourth guests in 2025. Families gain the most. The extra guests still pay taxes, port fees, and gratuities, and the offer usually needs a cabin that sleeps four, which is the category that sells out first on school-break sailings.

Onboard Credit and Bundled Black Friday Cruise Perks

Onboard credit and bundles are worth exactly what you would have spent on those things anyway. A drink package has value if you would have bought one. My cruise line drink packages guide helps you decide that, and how to get onboard credit covers stacking credit from more than one source.

Reduced Deposits on Black Friday Cruises

A reduced deposit lowers what you pay today. It does nothing to the total price, and on some lines the reduced deposit is non-refundable. Carnival's Early Saver fare, for example, uses a 50% reduced deposit that is non-refundable.

How to Tell if a Black Friday Cruise Deal Is a Real Saving

The number to judge is the total cost of the trip. Here is the process I use:

Price the exact cabin before the sale. Save a quote or a screenshot in October for the ship, date, and category you want, with taxes and fees included.
Price the same cabin during the sale. Compare total to total, for everyone in the cabin.
Add what you would buy onboard. Gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi, and specialty dining. A perk that covers one of those is worth the onboard price of that item, and nothing if you would have skipped it.
Check the deposit terms. Celebrity's 2025 sale showed a bigger discount with a non-refundable deposit than with a refundable one. Royal Caribbean's own FAQ says non-refundable deposits are kept in full if you cancel.
Check the fare type. Some promotions apply only to specific fare codes, and switching an existing booking can mean giving up perks you already have.

Pro Tip: If a perk is "up to" a certain value, look at what applies to your sailing and cabin. The top of the range usually goes to suites or long sailings.

Using Black Friday Cruise Deals on a Booking You Already Have

If you booked on a refundable deposit and have not reached final payment, a Black Friday sale is a chance to reprice. Lines generally let you move to a lower current fare in the same category before final payment, but Carnival's specials terms warn that taking a new promotion can mean forfeiting features of the original fare, such as onboard credit, an upgrade, or special deposit terms. Compare both versions in full first. My cruise price drop after booking guide walks through how to request it, and cruise deposits and final payment dates by cruise line shows how long you have.

This is a big part of what I do for my clients each November: check every open booking against the new sale and move the ones where the total comes out lower.

Who Should Book During Black Friday Cruise Sales

Black Friday is a strong time to book if you are planning a summer or fall 2027 cruise and have not booked yet, if you are a family of four who can use free third and fourth guest offers, or if you want a drink or Wi-Fi bundle anyway. It is a weaker time to make your first booking for spring break or holiday sailings that open long before November, since the best cabins on those sailings are often gone by then. My guide to the best time to book a cruise explains the earlier window.

If you miss the sale, similar offers often return during cruise wave season from January through March. In early 2026, Royal Caribbean again offered up to $1,000 off with free third and fourth guests, and Celebrity again offered up to 75% off the second guest.

Black Friday Cruise Deals: Frequently Asked Questions

When do Black Friday cruise deals start in 2026? Each line sets its own dates when it launches the sale. In 2025, the earliest major sales started November 3 to November 7 and most ran into the first week of December.

Are Black Friday cruise deals better than wave season deals? In recent years the two periods have looked very similar, and several lines reused the same structure of offer. Price your specific sailing in both periods instead of assuming one is cheaper.

Can I apply a Black Friday deal to a cruise I already booked? Often yes, before final payment and in the same cabin category, if your fare type allows it. You may lose perks from your original booking, so compare totals before you switch.

Are Black Friday cruise deposits refundable? It depends on the fare you choose. Some sale prices are tied to non-refundable deposits, so read the fare type on your quote before paying.

Should I buy travel insurance with a Black Friday cruise? Yes for most travelers, especially if you take a non-refundable deposit. My cruise travel insurance guide covers what to look for, and cruise cancellation policies by cruise line shows what you stand to lose without it.

Book a Black Friday Cruise Deal With Jackson Jetsetting

My pricing is the same as booking direct. You also get access to group rates and promotions that do not always appear on the cruise line's website, plus somebody to call when plans change. If you want help sorting the real savings from the noise this November, send me your dates and I will price your sailing before the sale and during it so you can see the difference. To get a feel for full trip costs first, read how much does a cruise cost.