If you’re flexible, the bargain prices you can get for cruises are amazing

For cruisers willing and able to take advantage of last-minute cruise deals the bargains can be amazing. The keenest prices are for bargain hunters tuned into late-breaking offers, with their bags packed and ready to roll at short notice.

Holland America has a 14-day repositioning cruise departing Fort Lauderdale in Florida and finishing in Rotterdam from $1329 a person, but at the time of writing, departure is just five days away.

Cruise Guru has an 18-night Transpacific cruise departing Sydney and finishing in Honolulu aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas starting at $2877 a person for a balcony suite with a king-size bed, also sailing in five days. MSC Cruises has a seven-night itinerary from Rome, visiting Palma De Mallorca, Barcelona, Cannes and Genoa from $1325 a person, departing in 10 days.

Holland America’s new Standby Program puts last-minute cruisers on board at a fixed price of $US49 ($75) a person a day, but it’s only available to those who live within driving distance of an eligible port, and no Australian port qualifies. Cruise operators make it easy to find their last-minute deals.

Princess has a “Cruise Deals” page on its website, Carnival’s website has a “last-minute cruises” page and most operators offer sign-ups to receive notification of such cruises. Cruise Guru, Just Cruises and Luxury Escapes are other resources.

Upmarket operators such as Seabourn and Silversea don’t tend to offer last-minute discounts since offering deals to late-booking cruisers risks alienating their high-value, full-fare paying passengers. Rather, they might offer late sign-up incentives such as cruise credits to be spent on board. Approach late-breaking deals with caution.

If you’re cruising from a port far from home you might be buying an air ticket at short notice, and the cost of that ticket might take a big bite of whatever you’re saving on your last-minute cruise. Also, arrive at your port of departure at least a day in advance of your cruise. Flights can be delayed, baggage can go missing and a slack day or two allows time for those mishaps to be put right.