Looking for a Spring Break getaway? What’s better than hitting the water, sailing to the Caribbean, and enjoying some of the most beautiful beaches in the world?
What about doing all of that without spending a fortune? In fact, we’ve found some Spring Break cruises that allow you to sail — with a cabin and meals included — for in some cases less than a flight alone to the Caribbean.
The truth is, Spring Break is one of the times of year where prices for cruises typically spike. However, for 2024, we’re finding a number great deals — including many Spring Break cruises for under $300 per person.
Below, we’ve found some of the cheapest cruises for 2024 season across multiple ports and cruise lines. But before we get to that, here are some pointers on how to find the cheapest trips during this popular time of year.
How to Find Cheap Spring Break Cruises
If you’re wanting to score the best deal during this time of year, then keep the following in mind:
Shorter Cruises = Less Money
While you have a week for Spring Break, if you want the cheapest cruises, then avoid spending all week on the ship. Cruise lines offer a ton of 3-5 day cruises and these are drastically less overall than sailing for an entire week.
This shouldn’t be as a surprise. With cruise fare covering everything from your cabin to meals to entertainment, it costs less to take a passenger on a four-night cruise than it does to take them on a week-long vacation. If you are on a budget, shorter cruises are your friend. (Even so, there are some good deals we found on week-long trips!)
Florida is King of Cheap Cruises
Florida is the cruise capital of the world. You have Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, and Tampa all within a few hours of each other. The number of ports and ships sailing from the area mean there are a number of options when it comes to cruises. Not every cheap Spring Break cruise sails from Florida, but it’s where a majority of them sail from.
Prices Rise Through Mid-March
Obviously if you are a student, you don’t get to pick when you have your Spring Break. But you should know that prices rise as the month of March goes on. Sailing early in the month is your best bet for the cheapest trips, and prices peak about halfway through the month. A cruise is still an affordable way to travel even if it’s a little more expensive in the middle of March. Just know that early sailing means lower prices.
Use an Aggregator Website That Searches Across All Cruise Lines
Head to a cruise line’s website and you’ll find the prices only for that line. After all, you won’t see Royal Caribbean’s deals on Carnival’s website. Instead, look to a third-party travel site to search across all lines to find the best deals.
Sites like AvoyaTravel.com or Orbitz offer prices for all the cruise lines, making it easy to search and book your trip and find deals you wouldn’t see if you only search a specific cruise line’s website. CostcoTravel.com is also a good place to look if your a Costco member.
Note: The prices below were from a recent search and are subject to change. They include only cruise fare for one person in an interior cabin. Taxes, fees, and gratuities will be extra.
Cheap 2024 Spring Break Cruises
3-Night Bahamas Cruise from Miami (MSC)
Date: March 15, 2024
Price: $239 per person
If you can make it to the Miami area, then you’ll have a lot of options for inexpensive cruises. Combine that with MSC, which is known for offering some low prices, and it’s a way to sail for cheap.
This trip is just three days, making it perfect for those on a tight budget. Despite being short, it includes stop at Ocean Cay — MSC’s private island that’s designed specifically for cruise passengers. As well, you will dock in Key West, which is a well known Spring Break spot. The trip sails from Miami aboard the MSC Magnifica. Best of all, an interior room is only $239 per person (the same trip on March 1 is only $179 per person and March 29 costs $209!). You can learn more about this cruise here.
3-Night Mexico Cruise from Long Beach (Carnival)
Date: March 15, 2024
Price: $259 per person
Sailing from Long Beach is ideal if you’re looking for a short and cheap cruise. For instance, this trip is just three nights, sailing to Ensenada, Mexico and back. That’s perfect for those looking to just let loose for a few days and get out of town for cheap. It sails aboard the Carnival Radiance at the peak of Spring Break — departing March 15.
It only costs $259 per person for an interior cabin, making it among the most affordable cruises we found in the month of March. If you have an early break, then a sailing on March 1 is just $229 per person.
3-Night Bahamas Cruise from Port Canaveral (Carnival)
Date: March 8, 2024
Price: $299 per person
In terms of absolute value, paying $299 for a three-day cruise isn’t the best deal you’ll find. But paying that much at the height of Spring Break is still pretty good. For just a little under three bills you can escape the cold and sail to Bimini aboard Carnival Liberty.
The cruise departs Port Canaveral on Friday, March 8, returning on Monday, March 11 — so you might have to take off one day from work or school if you live in the area. There are also slightly more expensive trips for other weekends during March if that better matches your schedule.
4-Night Bahamas Cruise from Miami (Carnival)
Date: March 18, 2024
Price: $369 per person
The is not the cheapest Spring Break cruise we were able to find aboard Carnival, but this trip is four days (instead of three) at the height of the season, so you have to expect to pay a little more. It heads to Half Moon Cay from Miami and then to Nassau and before heading back home.
Departing in mid-March aboard the Carnival Conquest, this trip won’t break the bank as it’s just $369 per person for cruise fare (taxes, fees, and gratuities will add more) for an interior cabin. Since it sails on a Monday and gets back early Friday morning, it fills up the week of your break with the weekends still open.
3-Night Bahamas Cruise from Fort Lauderdale (Royal Caribbean)
Date: March 8, 2024
Price: $281 per person
Royal Caribbean usually isn’t usually the cheapest cruise line, which makes this trip a rare gem. For only $281, you can sail aboard the Liberty of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale. The cruise takes you to Nassau and CocoCay (Royal Caribbean’s private island) before returning home. This particular cruise departs on March 8 — however, you can also sail other dates during the month for a similar price.
7-Night Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral (Norwegian)
Date: March 17, 2024
Price: $579 per person
In general, deals aboard Norwegian Cruise Line a tougher to come by as the cruise giant typically charges a premium compared to other lines. Still, we found this 7-night cruise during the height of Spring Break season for less than $100 per day. It will be more when you factor in double occupancy and taxes and fees, but that’s a solid price for this time of year.
Sailing aboard Norwegian Epic from Port Canaveral, you’ll visit NCL’s private island Great Stirrup Cay, San Juan, St. Thomas and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. In addition, you’ll have days at sea to enjoy the ship and work on your tan.
5-Night Mexico Cruise from Galveston (Carnival)
Date: March 25, 2024
Price: $569 per person
Outside of Florida, Galveston is one of the premier departure ports in the United States giving you a lot of options on ships to sail, departure dates, and itineraries. In this case we found a 5-day cruise aboard Carnival Breeze departing in late March for just $569.
For that amount you’ll head to Costa Maya and Cozumel before heading back to Texas. We’ll be honest that $569 for a five-day cruise isn’t the greatest deal. But if you’re one of the tens of millions within driving distance of the port, it’s still cheaper than having to fly to Florida to cruise.
6-Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise from Miami (Carnival)
Date: March 17, 2024
Price: $499 per person
Heading to Eastern Caribbean is cheap and easy when you sail from Miami. This six-day cruise in March takes passengers to Grand Turk (where they can swim in the shadow of the ship, Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, and then Nassau before heading back home to Miami, with a couple of days at sea thrown in as well. Best of all, you can get the trip for just under $500 per person if you book an interior cabin. The cruise sails aboard the Carnival Magic. It’s one of Carnival’s older ships, but who cares when you are simply there to have a good time on Spring Break?
6-Night Caribbean Cruise from Miami (Royal Caribbean)
Date: March 18, 2024
Price: $524 per person
For any six-night cruise during Spring Break, under $100 a day is a good deal. For a trip aboard Royal Caribbean, it is even better. This nearly week-long trip departs Miami in mid-March, headed to Nassau, Puerto Plata, and Labadee (a private destination for the cruise line).
You’ll also have days at sea, giving you a chance to party on the ship, hang out poolside, and generally relax before heading back to the real world. The cruise is aboard the Grandeur of the Seas, which is one of the oldest ships in the fleet, but that’s one reason why it’s relatively inexpensive.
7-Night Bahamas Cruise from New York (MSC)
Date: March 24, 2024
Price: $389 per person
Think of cruising and it’s likely you don’t think of New York City. But it’s turned into a popular spot with all the major lines sailing from there.
The trip is aboard MSC Meraviglia heads out during the peak of the Spring Break season for just $389 per person. It then heads south to Port Canaveral, Ocean Cay, and Nassau to get away from the sometimes still chilly March weather in the northeast.
At just about $55 per night, that’s way cheaper than flying to The Bahamas or Florida to spend your vacation.
5-Night Bahamas Cruise from Los Angeles (Norwegian)
Date: March 31, 2024
Price: $348 per person
When you think of Spring Break, you likely think of sun and sand, but this unique cruise flips that on its head. This trip aboard NCL takes you from Los Angeles on a repositioning cruise. That means instead of returning to the same port, the ship is moving to a new homeport. Since these routes are one way, they require a way to return home and usually see less demand. The result is a cheaper fare.
In this case, for just a shade under $350, you leave LA on Norwegian Bliss headed north to stop in San Francisco and then Victoria, British Columbia before finishing in Vancouver. That’s a memorable trip, even if it’s not ideal for playing on the beach.
7-Night Caribbean Cruise from New Orleans (Norwegian)
Date: March 17, 2024
Price: $649 per person
For many, New Orleans is a spot to visit during Spring Break on its own. This cruise, however, takes you from the Big Easy aboard Norwegian Breakaway, sailing out to the warm Caribbean. From New Orleans you’ll sail to Cozumel, followed by Roatan, Harvest Caye (an NCL private destination) and then Costa Maya.
This sailing packs in a lot of ports during a one-week cruise, and at a price of $649 per person for an interior cabin (before taxes/fees), it’s a good deal for this time of year.
Where to Find More Spring Break Deals
Do the cruises above not quite match your schedule? Or you simply want to see what else is out there?
We suggest visiting a site like AvoyaTravel.com, Orbitz, or other aggregators that allow you to search across all cruise lines and schedules to find the cruise that matches your budget and schedule. Sites like CostcoTravel.com can also offer up deals if you are a member. For more details, see our article on the best websites to book a cruise.
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Looking for a cruise for March 28 to April 5 2020 for four to five days from Florida cheap as possible for a family
Timmy — check out third party aggregation sites like AvoyaTravel.com or Orbitz. These sites look at all the cruise lines and you can narrow down by specific dates and then sort by price.