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The best time to book last-minute cruises

A last-minute cruise doesn’t always mean leaving at a moment’s notice. With Late Saver fares on voyages departing within 90 days, a spontaneous escape on our Queens could be easier than you imagined: whether you sail next week, next month, or in three months' time.

3 min 14 Nov 2025

Cristina Azorin

Cunard writer

What is a last-minute cruise?

Best times of year to book last-minute cruises

How far in advance should you book?

Tips for timing your booking

Craving a last-minute cruise? With our Late Saver fares, you could be sailing away on our Queens in as little as 90 days – for less than you might think. Choose from our voyages from Southampton or combine your cruise with a flight and open up a new world of discovery. Whether you want to escape in months, weeks, or even days, our Late Saver cruises make satisfying spontaneous wanderlust smooth sailing.

What is a last-minute cruise?

A last-minute cruise generally refers to voyages departing in 90 days or less. For Cunard, this is when our Late Saver fare becomes available. This special rate – applicable to selected cruises sailing within 90 days – offers you a saving on your cruise fare in exchange for allowing us to pre-allocate your stateroom and settling the total cruise balance upfront at the time of booking.

Here’s how Late Saver cruises with Cunard work:

Applicable on selected cruises sailing within 90 days of booking.
Pay your entire cruise fare in full at the time of booking.
Be content to accept a pre-allocated stateroom of our discretion. You may still select the accommodation grade of your preference (subject to availability).
Dine at a pre-allocated seating time. Please note, this applies to Britannia Stateroom guests dining in the Britannia Restaurant. Guests of our Britannia Club Staterooms, Princess Grill Suites, and Queens Grill Suites enjoy a permanently reserved table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in their main dining room each day, allowing for the freedom to dine whenever you wish.

Best times of year to book last-minute cruises

At Cunard, we offer Late Saver fares year-round – even in peak season – so you’ll always find somewhere last-minute to escape to on our Queens. Some itineraries, like our Transatlantic Crossings and Event Voyages on Queen Mary 2, operate throughout the year, making these a great option for a last-minute-cruise. Others — such as our sailings to the Caribbean, Alaska, or Northern Lights cruises – are only available seasonally.

The best time of year to book last-minute cruises are from 90 days before a cruise is due to depart. But the time of year you’re looking to sail will also have an impact on the types of cruise deals on offer. Let’s look at some examples to illustrate:

Alaska

With its tidewater glaciers and goldrush legacies, Alaska is a spellbinding area of the world to explore by cruise ship. 2026 marks the last season Queen Elizabeth will be sailing in these waters, so if you want to be part of her final Alaska voyages, keep an eye on our Late Saver cruise deals, starting from around early February 2026.

Festive cruises (Christmas and New Year cruises)

If you dream of seeing our Queens in their festive finest while celebrating Christmas or New Year’s Eve on board – and who could blame you – late September is the best time to start looking out for last-minute festive cruise deals.

Mediterranean fly cruises

Mediterranean fly cruises on our Queens start sailing from around mid April, offering you a chance to explore before the summer crowds descend. If a late cruise deal to the Mediterranean out of season sounds appealing, Late Saver fares should start trickling through to our website from around mid-late January.

World Cruises

Offering over 100 nights of ocean travel across multiple continents, a World Cruise is an unbeatable way to explore ports both near and far from home. Cunard World Cruises typically sail at the start of January each year, so you’ll want to be looking around early October if a last-minute World cruise is on your bucket-list.

How far in advance should you book?

The great thing about last-minute cruises is how far in advance you can book. Late Saver cruise fares become available from 90 days before a cruise is due to sail, giving you almost three months in which to take advantage of these offers. While there’s no need to book this far out if you don’t want to (last-minute cruises can still be booked within days of sailing) striking as soon as the 90-day window opens means you’ll have the greatest chance of securing a stateroom on your chosen itinerary when these lower fares go live.

The beauty of the 90-day booking window also means it’s easy to work out when a cruise will be eligible for a last-minute deal. This allows you to keep an eye on cruises that pique your interest and add a reminder to your diary for when the Late Saver fare becomes available. Of course, there’s always the chance that by waiting the cruise will sell out or some stateroom grades will be unavailable. Deciding how far out to book therefore is a balance between the potential savings you could make versus the possibility that the cruise may no longer be available.

Tips for timing your booking

Booking a last-minute cruise is part fortune, part planning. Here are a few tips to help you find – and book – your perfect last-minute getaway:

Maintain an open mind

Preferences are a natural part of life but, when it comes to last-minute cruising, it pays to keep an open mind. The more flexible you can be on sailing dates, cruise destinations, ship, and stateroom grade, the greater your chances of securing a spontaneous escape for less.

Consider fly cruises

While, for many, the joy of cruising is the ability to travel abroad without flying, choosing itineraries that only sail from your native country means you miss out on so much of the world. Combining your cruise with a flight (also known as a fly cruise) opens up destinations that would normally be out of reach on a roundtrip voyage. A last-minute fly cruise could see you basking in tropical sunshine in winter or discovering a destination unlike anywhere you’ve been before.

Set a reminder

Time doesn’t stand still and neither do last-minute cruise deals. With new voyages regularly entering the Late Saver window, you could sail away for less on our Queens all year round. Late Saver fares become bookable from 90 days out, so it’s worth checking back often to see what’s newly available. If a particular itinerary catches your eye, pop a reminder in your diary. That way, you’ll be first to know when it goes on sale.

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Ready to enjoy a cruise escape for less?

There’s a certain romance in letting fate and happenstance have a hand in where and when you cruise. Whether it’s a last-minute escape to the sun or a spontaneous Transatlantic Crossing, our Late Saver fares bring a luxury cruise on our Queens closer than ever. Explore our last-minute cruise deals and find your perfect voyage today.