The only thing better than taking a cruise?
What about taking a free cruise?
And I'm not talking about secretly sneaking yourself onto the ship when no one is looking
or other silly -- and illegal -- tricks.
Believe it or not, there are ways for you to cruise for free.
And while it's not some free pass to sail whenever and wherever you want, if you know
how to play your cards -- or get lucky -- then it is possible.
Here's how...
The first way that you can get a free cruise?
Well, it will definitely take some time and money, but you can get a free cruise if you
stay loyal to the cruise line.
Every cruise line offers up a loyalty program.
For every night you sail with the cruise line, you earn points.
Usually it's one point per night, but some cabin types and special offers can get you
more for each night sailed.
The more points you earn, the higher your loyalty status, which translates into perks
on board.
This can be everything from discounts to free drinks, and yes, even free cruises.
However, don't think it will necessarily be easy.
For instance, Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society offers up a cruise certificate for
a 7-night balcony cabin to its Pinnacle Club level members.
To reach that level takes 700 points.
It's the same level for Norwegian Cruise Line.
You likely know that if you head to Las Vegas and spend enough money, then you soon see
offers for free rooms to entice you to visit again.
What you may not know is that the same thing happens for cruises.
Spend enough onboard in the casino and you'll be treated like a VIP, including with the
possibility of a free cruise.
Now, it is a little tough to call it a "free" cruise, because there's little doubt that
if you're gambling enough to be offered one of these rooms then you've likely spent a
decent amount in the casino.
Still, it is a way to get a cruise without opening up your wallet, along with lots of
other perks.
For instance, the highest levels of the Carnival Players Club can not only get the cruise,
but also complimentary parking, Platinum stats on the ship, free drink package, shore excursions,
and wi-fi.
Now how much do you have to bet to get free cruise offers?
I'm not privy to that information, but I can tell you it's more than what I spend in the
casino.
For most people, the easiest and most sure-fire way to cruise for free is to keep your eyes
peeled for a sale.
It's something that can apply to anyone, doesn't take sailing 700 nights with a cruise line,
or gambling tons of money.
But to be sure, there's no "free" sale where you get on the ship without paying a dime.
Instead, cruise lines will offer deals where one person pays full fare, but another person
in the cabin can sail for free.
For example, Princess is offering a sale as of this taping where kids -- as the third
or fourth passenger in a cabin -- sail at no additional cost.
Margaritaville at Sea is offering for a limited time two-for-one fares.
So purchase a regular fare and the second person sales for free.
If you keep tabs on the sales (I suggest signing up for a cruise line's email list), then you
see these sorts of offers from time to time.
One way to get a free cruise may be something that you don't want to experience.
Most cruises go off without a hitch.
But from time to time, issues can come up.
For instance, recently a Norwegian Cruise Line ship hit an iceberg in Alaska and was
forced to return home to Seattle early.
Other issues can range from weather to ship breakdowns, which lead to an interruption
of the rest of the cruise.
Whenever there is an interruption or the cancellation of a cruise like this, passengers are usually
compensated.
A refund of cruise fare is the most typical offer to keep everyone happy, but it's not
unheard of for a credit good for a future cruise to be given additionally.
For instance, when Norwegian Sun clipped an iceberg in Alaska and had to return home,
passengers were reportedly give a full refund for that trip, and then a 100% Future Cruise
Credit.
So while no one wants to have the trip ruined, it's hard to be disappointed when you get
a free cruise out of it.
Another way to sail for free is something that I've personally been able to experience
from time to time.
Whenever there is a new ship, cruise lines love to create some buzz around it in order
to get people to book.
That's where if you're a member of the media or a travel agent with a good history with
the cruise line, you might score a free cruise.
Now these trips are normally short.
They often run just a few days in order to let everyone see and experience the new ship,
so it's not the same experience as a full-fledged cruise.
And frankly, if you are there it's much more of a business trip than anything else.
Even so, there are some unique experiences that these cruises can provide like when I
was able to sail on a test cruise for a ship before it began sailing again with paying
passengers of the general public.
One of the easiest ways to cruise for free?
Cash in those credit card points that you've been saving up to put toward your cruise.
These days just about every credit card comes with some sort of reward system.
I personally use Citi's Double Cash card.
It has no annual fee and I earn 1% on every purchase and another 1% whenever I pay it
off.
And if you're the type that likes to play the credit card rewards game, then there are
all sorts of offers for new cards where you can earn hundreds of dollars in bonuses for
being a new customer.
It can take some time to earn enough rewards to actually pay for an entire cruise, but
even if you're a moderate spender, having enough for a cruise every couple of years
isn't out of the question.
Finally, if you want a free cruise then you might have to get lucky with a sweepstakes.
Sweepstakes have been around forever, and they are still going strong.
And while you might not realize it, there are regular contests you can enter to win
a free cruise.
Earlier this year Pepsi and Carnival had a contest where 15 winners chosen at random
from the entries won a free cruise for two aboard the cruise line to the Caribbean.
Norwegian Cruise Line just wrapped up its annual "Norwegian's Giving Joy" contest where
100 teachers won a trip aboard its newest ship Norwegian Prima when it sails from Galveston
in October 2022.
These sweepstakes might seem like a shot in the dark.
And yes, the odds are most likely that you won't win.
Even so, somebody has to win a free cruise and there's no cost to enter.
So why not you?
Thanks for watching and with any luck you now have an idea or two in mind on how you
can score a free cruise.
It may be more rare than we'd all like, but it does happen!
If you liked this video, then I hope you'll subscribe.
As well, there's always more to learn about your next cruise on this channel or on Cruzely.com
Until next time, happy cruising!