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Cheapest cruise lines for 2024 Caribbean cruises – 8 lines ranked by price

Caribbean cruises are the most popular cruises in the world so there are more than a dozen cruise lines competing for your business. Once again we here at Price of Travel checked the numbers to determine which of the major cruise lines are the cheapest and which cost more than you might think. The list below will be surprising to many people who always assumed that Carnival and Royal Caribbean are the cheapest lines because neither of those even made the Top 3 this year.

We checked for 7-night cruises in the month of January, 2024, which is part of high season. If you have never cruised before it’s worth pointing out that each cruise line is surprisingly different from the others and for most people it’s worth paying at least a bit more to book on a ship that suits your budget AND personality.

Each cruise line tends to attract a different crowd

Generally speaking, Carnival is most popular among younger cruisers and first-time cruisers. They have water slides and non-stop entertainment. Royal Caribbean is a bit more subdued and quality tends to be a bit higher along with higher prices. MSC cruises is an Italian company now known for very cheap cruises and very mediocre reviews. Norwegian is a mid-range line known for being informal and casual with many more included restaurants and no set dining schedules.

Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity are mid-range cruise lines with (mostly) smaller ships and higher quality. Celebrity is particularly famous for great food and drinks. Holland America has really great entertainment, and Princess is kind of between the two. Disney Cruises is expensive and obviously meant for families with kids, but many Disney-loving adults cruise with them as well.

How we compared the cruise lines

The list below compares prices of the cheapest 7-night Caribbean cruise for each of the major lines for cruises in January, 2024, which is high season. Cruises in April, May, and November should be somewhat cheaper, but the ranks will likely stay just about the same.

This article was originally published in 2012, and fully updated last in October, 2023.

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8 Caribbean cruise lines ranked by price

1 – msc cruises (cheapest).

7 nights from: $529 (including all taxes and fees)

Itinerary: Port Canaveral, United States • Nassau, Bahamas • Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve (Private Island), Bahamas • Costa Maya, Mexico • Cozumel, Mexico • Port Canaveral, United States

Even on these Caribbean journeys, the crowds on the MSC ships are very international, with a great number of Europeans mixed in with Americans and Canadians. You won’t see as many families on this cruise as it’s more suited to the adult crowd.

Honestly, MSC Cruises tend to get some of the lowest review scores in the business, which helps explain the low prices. If you are looking for a cheap cruise and aren’t too fussy then this could be a good choice, but if you are easily disappointed when things aren’t perfect, this is probably one to skip.

2 – Princess Cruises

7 nights from: $539 (including all taxes and fees)

Itinerary: Galveston, Texas • at sea • at sea • Costa Maya, Mexico • Roatan, Honduras • Cozumel, Mexico • at sea • Galveston, Texas

Princess Cruises have a very good reputation overall and many dedicated fans (including my parents) who take them for every cruise in every region of the world. Normally they are a mid-priced line so it’s a bit surprising that they offer some of the cheapest cruises of the Caribbean in January.

Expect mostly Americans and Canadians on these cruises. Princess normally draws some Brits and other Europeans, but you probably won’t see many of them on this cruise out of Texas, as it’s much faster and easier for them to fly into Florida.

3 – Carnival Cruise Lines

7 nights from: $713 per person (including all taxes and fees)

Itinerary: New Orleans, United States • at sea • Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Honduras • Belize • Cozumel, Mexico • at sea • New Orleans, United States

Carnival and its “Fun Ships” slogan are very popular with first-time cruise passengers, and especially younger people and families, primarily from the United States and Canada. They are a great option for people who aren’t sure they will like cruising because they are pretty non-traditional. This ship even has a water slide on it, which tells you more about the kind of passengers you’ll expect. If you are older and prefer not to be around many kids then this is not a great choice. Also, Carnival tends to get lower reviews than many other large cruise lines so read some reviews yourself for an individual ship before you book.

4 – Norwegian Cruise Line

7-nights from: $738 (including all taxes and fees)

Itinerary: Port Canaveral, United States • Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas • at sea • Falmouth, Jamaica • Georgetown, Grand Cayman • Cozumel, Mexico • at seas • Port Canaveral, United States

The Freestyle Cruising thing ends up attracting a wide range of passengers, including some who prefer to dress formally on formal nights. So you can expect families and older folks along with a lot of romantic couples from all age ranges, primarily from the US and Canada.

5 – Royal Caribbean International

7 nights from: $750 (including all taxes and fees) (Tampa, United States • Costa Maya, Mexico • Belize City, Belize • Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras • Cozumel, Mexico • Tampa, United States)

Many people will be surprised to see Royal Caribbean so far down the list of Cheap Caribbean cruises, but at least in January of 2024, this is where they sit. Reviews of Royal Caribbean lately have been quite good so it seems possible they are moving more into the middle of price and service levels and leaving the lowest prices to MSC and the others above.

6 – Holland America Line

7 nights from: $819 (including all taxes and fees) (Fort Lauderdale, United States • at sea • Amber Cove, Dominican Republic • San Juan, Puerto Rico • St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands • at sea • Half Moon Cay, Bahamas • Fort Lauderdale, United States)

Holland America in general is known for catering to an older and more sophisticated crowd, and this cruise is no exception. It will be mostly older Americans and Canadians with a sprinkling of families with kids.

7 – Celebrity Cruises

7 nights from: $845 (Fort Lauderdale, United States • Nassau, Bahamas • Cozumel, Mexico • Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands • Fort Lauderdale, United States)

Celebrity famously changed to a system were alcohol and wifi and gratuities are included with every fare, but unfortunately they still DO offer a stripped-down version (helpful for people who don’t drink much or care about wi-fi) and this fare is for that version. Getting all of those other things included adds over US$600 per person to the fare, which still isn’t a bad deal if you are going to get those perks anyway.

8 – Disney Cruise Line

7 nights from: $1,482 (Port Canaveral, United States • Cozumel, Mexico • George Town, Grand Cayman Island, Cayman Islands • Falmouth, Jamaica • Castaway, Fiji • Port Canaveral, United States)

Needless to say, these cruises are dominated by families with younger children, but some with older children as well, and most will be Americans and Canadians.

Cheapest cruise lines for 2024 Caribbean cruises – 8 lines ranked by price " --> All Comments

Good & niece Trips Royal careibian cruise From Galveston to Costo maya maxico

Unfortunately we are not travel agents so we can’t help you with this. I’d try Expedia.com if I were you as they have a very simple cruise planner and they show the same prices that you can get anywhere else. Best of luck. -Roger

I’ve been on 18 cruises, 12 Carnival, 1 Princess, 1 RCL, 1 NCL plus three others – All fine and I would return on any except NCL. Smallest cabin and least caring crew of any! Anything goes except Norwegian Cruise – did not enjoy!

That is interesting. My first cruise was on Norwegian and I loved it. I’m now a regular on Celebrity, which I also really like. Thanks for the comment. -Roger

I’m planning a cruise that leaves Barcelona, Spain and wondering if the Norwegian Cruise Line would be best? I adore the locations that will be going by and will be gone for 7 days

Each cruise line seems to have its own personality so each person seems to prefer a different line. Personally, I’m a big Norwegian fan and I highly recommend them. They pioneered that “Freestyle dining” concept where passengers can choose from many smaller restaurants and eat any time they want, as opposed to the huge dining rooms with set tables and set times. I think that is the biggest difference between Norwegian and the others, and if that sounds good to you I think you’ll really enjoy it. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

Please is there no cruise coming to Africa ? Me and my friends we like to spend our Xmas holiday on a cruise. Please let me know what part of Africa we can bored

I don’t know of any cruises to Africa. Good luck. -Roger

We just sailed with MSC and after lots of research traveling with 2 kids under the age of 11 it was the best price out there. There were lots of families on the divina. My kids had a blast. Food and shows were awesome. Cruise for 4 in a balcony room with 12 drinKS each and 200 shipboard credit was 2400! Beat that on another cruise line for 7 days we will be cruising msc again

We have been on four cruises in 14 months and visited 14 European countries and have always been with MSC, we have never been with any other line, but value for money I don’t see how they can be beaten.

I think Royal Caribbean is first selection for lowest price cruise vacation

I’ve only been on RC. This is a handy comparison for the other cruise companies though. I think I might try Celebrity next!

Comment*I have been on many different cruise lines I love. Celebrity The edge class ships are beautiful I have also been on windstar and Viking. I love them also. Viking is more for seniors and it is more expensive along with windstar. It really depends what you are looking for in a cruise. I like to stay in the suites on a cruise I am a travel agent. I have also been on other cruise lines that I didn’t mention

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