I Found 7 Epic Bucket-List Cruises Even Cruisers On A Tight Budget Can Do

If you’re looking for incredible “I can’t believe I’m here” cruise experiences without breaking the bank, I have 7 phenomenal destinations that most cruisers I speak to discount as they think are way out of their budget.

Welcome aboard, I am Gary Bembridge and for each I will tell you why I think they are bucket list worthy, how to do them for surprisingly little, where cruisers going on them usually waste money, and what to do if you have some extra budget to splurge once on them.

Antarctica

Most people on a budget assume that they will never get to see Antarctica as it is eye-wateringly expensive to do on an expedition cruise.

However, if you go on a regular cruise ship on some South American itineraries, as well as visiting some incredible places like Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Falkland Islands, Ushuaia, and the incredible Glacier Alley, some routes include scenic sailing in the Antarctic Peninsula.

So, you will see glaciers, incredible ice-covered landscapes, sea birds and often whales.

To do Antarctica on a budget focus on classic ships from lines like Princess, Holland America and Celebrity running 14- to 20-night sailings between Buenos Aires and Santiago that have this scenic sailing included.

Book an inside cabin on a Guaranteed fare. You don’t need a balcony as should be out on deck, moving from side to side to get the most of it.

My last Holland America trip had inside cabins going on sale at $200 per person per day, though they did rise to $250, so book when these itineraries come on sale.

On this route, cruisers waste money by going on the expensive excursions in South American ports. You can do a lot of self-exploring in most ports.

However, what I would splurge on is on seeing penguins up close. If your itinerary visits the Falklands, book a tour to the penguin colonies. Or, if you go to Punta Arenas, there’s an opportunity to see penguins at Magdalena Island.

Alaska

Another of these amazing getaways you can do on a budget, although many think you can’t, is Alaska – especially if you live in North America.

Alaska is bucket worthy as it has incredible scenery, glaciers, the chance to see whales, bears, eagles, and historic Gold Rush towns.

To do Alaska on a budget you must go in the cheapest months which are April, May and September. So, while the weather will be cooler and there’s greater chance of rain, you will save a fortune.

Next, go on an Inside Passage cruise that is a 7-night round trip from Seattle or Vancouver.

One way Alaska trips between Anchorage and Vancouver mean costly flights, pre-stay hotels costing almost as much as the cruise, and expensive transfers to Whittier or Seward where the ships sail from.

But choose your Inside Passage cruise carefully and go on one that includes Glacier Bay. It is incredible and you will see many glaciers avoiding the need to do glacier excursions in ports.

As Glacier Bay restricts which cruise lines can go there, start your search focused on Norwegian, Holland America and Princess who can.

If you can’t get into Glacier Bay, make sure your itinerary includes Hubbard Glacier or the Dawes Glacier instead.

To get the sharpest price, focus on older ships in the line not the new glitzy ships as they will also be cheaper.

Like Antarctica, book an inside cabin as you should be outside when the scenery absolutely matters.

Using these you should get an Alaska cruise for as low as $100 – $130 per person per day, and if you go MSC Cruises your kids will travel for free.

Where do people waste money? By booking an excursion in every port. Instead, watch my video on sightseeing in every Alaska port that is either free or at very low cost.

I would though splurge on one genuinely extraordinary Alaska excursion like whale or bear watching or, my favourite, the White Pass and Yukon Railway in Skagway.

Norwegian Fjords

If you are a UK or European cruiser, I recommend the Norwegian Fjords as an alternative.

Norway is perfect for cruising as unlike many regions where the ship transports you between cities, here some of the greatest moments are going to be the many hours sailing through the Fjords, with towering mountains, waterfalls, and quaint remote villages.

To do a Norwegian Fjord cruise on a budget, there are many no-fly cruises from ports including Southampton, Rotterdam, Copenhagen and Bergen, saving you airfares.

Like Alaska, you need to go in either May or September to avoid the expensive summer months.

Focus on large mainstream ships, not smaller ship lines, to get the lowest fares. So, lines like P&O Cruises, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean and to lesser degree Holland America, Princess and Celebrity.

Although the scenery is great, like Alaska an inside cabin is the way to go, and plan to be out on deck when sailing through the fjords.

I find most people waste money on excursions. Norway is expensive and tours are too.

Most of the ports are walkable and scenic like Bergen, Alesund, Flam, and Stavanger, and many have inexpensive Hop-on Hop-off busses.

If you do have budget take an excursion that takes you away from the waterfront and gets you up high on the mountains. For example, in Flåm the train, in Olden the nearby Loen Skylift, or the view down into Geiranger are all spectacular.

My next two budget bucket list options also work best based on where you live.

Greek Islands

The first is the Greek islands, especially if you’re in the UK or Europe.

This makes my list as in a week you can combine ancient history, whitewashed villages, incredible blue water beaches, dramatic volcanic islands, and visit iconic places like Athens with the Parthenon, Ephesus in Turkey, and famous Santorini.

To do this on a budget you must go in the cheapest months of May, late September or October, avoiding peak summer months. An added plus, temperatures more comfortable and there’s fewer crowds then too.

Focus on cruises with mainstream lines like Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises and Norwegian and premium lines like Celebrity and Princess but also look at the local Greek-owned Celestyal Cruises for more Greek immersion.

You can get cruises in those months and on these lines for around $100 per person per day in Inside cabins.

The great news when it comes to budget is if you’re coming in from the UK, or countries like Germany where Greece is a popular holiday destination, there are budget airlines with great value airfares to and from Athens to keep costs down.

Like with others on my list, I see people waste money on excursions. I find most islands are walkable or they have a shuttle bus or Hop On Hop Off bus for self-exploring.

Another mistake is paying to go to the beach clubs instead of using the free access beaches.

I would splurge though on seeing ancient history. If going to Kusadasi go on an excursion to incredible Ephesus ruins, in Athens on a guided Acropolis visit tour, or in Katakolon go to Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic games.

Hawaii

If you’re in North America, Hawaii is next on my budget bucket list, which will surprise many as it is known for being expensive to cruise, but I have a way around that.

Hawaii is on my budget bucket list because of stunning volcanic landscapes, incredible beaches, waterfalls, tropical vegetation, and Hawaiian culture. And a cruise means seeing multiple Hawaiian islands and unpacking just once.

When most think of Hawaii cruising, they think of Norwegian’s Pride of America, the only ship based there. It is costly and for most of the year is around $300 per person per day for an entry level cabin.

But if you have time and enjoy sea days, you can do Hawaii on a budget as there are great value round trip Hawaii cruises from USA West Coast ports.

These are usually between 16 and 21 days with sea days each way and five or six Hawaiian ports.

You can get these for as little as $75 – $100 per person per day on Premium Lines like Princess and Holland America in an Inside cabin.

I also see people waste money on excursions here too. However, the alternative is a bit different as you can usually get affordable rental cars, with rental car shuttles picking you up at the cruise piers, for between $60 and $90 a day, which is cheaper than doing excursions.

But if you can, I would spend on something uniquely Hawaiian, like a volcano national park experience, and if you do have extra, a helicopter flight is an amazing way of seeing the incredible interior and sea cliffs.

Panama Canal

The next place you can do on a budget, which also surprises many is the Panama Canal. However, you need to do it in a specific way.

This is on my budget bucket list as few cruise days are as fascinating as this, as your ship is lifted over 26 metres/ 85 feet by a series of locks to and from the Gatun Lake. It is an incredible experience.

The secret to the budget option is to do a Partial Transit on a round-trip cruise out of Florida. The ship enters the canal, passes up the Gatun locks into the lake, then turns around and comes back down.

They are shorter than full transit cruises, and include stops in fascinating places like Curaçao, Costa Rica, and Cartagena Colombia.

You can get these on lines like Princess and Holland America for around $115 per person per night in an inside cabin in the quieter months of November, January and February

When searching try and go for Panamax ships in a line’s fleet. Like Holland America Vista class ships like the Oosterdam or the Koningsdam rather than their larger Pinnacle Class ships like Rotterdam, as these go through the original 1914 locks, and not the larger 2016 locks.

Where do cruisers waste money here? Probably booking a full transit when a Partial will be enough of an experience for most.

If you can, I recommend you splurge on one of the excursions offered once the ship gets to the Gatun lake and miss the return down.

You can do the rest of the transit in a small excursion boat or head into the rainforest where you get to see butterflies, sloths and incredible views. All excursions return you to the ship which will wait in Colon for you.

Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic

Another incredible experience that people are surprised that they can get on a budget is a Cunard Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossing.

Queen Mary 2 is a bucket list cruise as it’s the only Ocean Liner sailing today. Seven uninterrupted sea days across the North Atlantic between New York and Southampton reminiscent of the glory days of sailing, with black tie gala nights, afternoon tea, ballroom dancing, and enrichment lectures.

While you can cross the Atlantic on Queen Mary 2 for around $3,000 per person per day in the best suite, you can also do it for no more than $150 per person per night! How?

First, go during the cheapest times which are Spring (April / May) and Autumn/ Winter (November / December).

Second, book an Inside cabin as weather means you are unlikely to use a balcony. These are part of the Britannia category, which means you dine in the dramatic 2-level Britannia Restaurant.

You will have access to all venues and decks, with the only exception being a Suite-only Lounge and small deck. And you have access to every event and activity on the Daily Program.

Of course, unless you do a back-to-back, you’re going to need a one-way flight.

To get the best budget flight, book when they come on sale around 300 days before the trip and search options on flight aggregators and comparison sites like SkyScanner.com. Then compare that with what Cunard can offer.

If you have time, I find doing a return crossing is often cheaper than the flight cost.

I see people waste money on speciality dining venues like the Steakhouse at The Veranda, you don’t need it nor are they worth it.

And rather than splash out in board, I recommend you do so on spending time in New York or London before or after instead.

There is another remarkable bucket list destination you can do on a budget and see up to 6 iconic and famous cities in a week. The Mediterranean. Join me over in my article about cruising in the Mediterranean.

 

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