App-Only and Online Cruise Perks
Small digital savings that add up before and during your cruise.
Watch a Fare for MeSome cruise discounts only exist on screens: pre-cruise planner sales, logged-in prices, and online check-in benefits. None is huge on its own, but together they can trim real money off a trip.
Digital Cruise Perks Worth Using
Pre-cruise planner sales
Drinks, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions bought in the line’s app or planner site, often cheaper than on board.
Logged-in prices
Some prices only show once you sign in to your booking, because they depend on your sailing.
Online check-in
Faster boarding and, on many lines, your choice of arrival time.
Onboard app tools
Schedules, reservations and spending summaries that help you avoid surprise charges.
How to Catch Pre-Cruise Sales
- List what you will buy anyway before you look — sales are only savings on things you need.
- Note today’s price for each item in the app.
- Check back every few weeks, especially around big sale periods such as Black Friday.
- Buy when the price is right, and read whether the item can be cancelled.
- Compare with buying on board; some items are cheaper in advance, some are not.
Online Check-In and Onboard Apps
Most lines ask you to check in online before sailing, upload documents and a photo, and choose an arrival time. Doing it as soon as the window opens can mean an earlier boarding slot on lines that allocate times first come, first served. Once aboard, the line’s app usually shows the daily program and lets you book shows or dining; on Norwegian, for example, shows can be reserved through its app. Keep an eye on the running account in the app to avoid surprises at the end. Cruise Check explains online check-in step by step.
Digital Cruise Perks: FAQ
Do I save money by checking in online early?
Online check-in rarely lowers the price, but it saves time and on many lines lets you choose an arrival time at the terminal, with earlier slots going to those who check in first. Check your line’s check-in window.
Can I cancel an add-on and rebuy it on sale?
Sometimes. Lines set their own rules for cancelling pre-cruise purchases, and some items are nonrefundable. Read the terms of the item before relying on it.
Keep the Fare and the Extras in Proportion
Digital perks are worth having, but they are small next to the fare itself. A saving on a drinks package or an excursion bought in the app rarely matches the difference between a good and a poor cruise fare, or between a cabin booked early and one booked late. Get the big number right first — the sailing, the cabin and the fare — and then use the app to trim the extras. Set a reminder to check the planner a few times before sailing rather than every day; prices on add-ons tend to move with sale periods, and a monthly look catches most of them. Cruise Saving has more on budgeting the onboard side.
Digital Perks for Groups and Families
Families and groups benefit most from the app side of cruising: linking cabins so everyone sees the same plans, booking shows and dining together, and checking one another’s spending. Make sure each cabin is linked in the line’s app before sailing, and decide who books shared activities so nothing is bought twice.
Get the Fare Right First
Digital perks trim the extras; our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise make sure the fare itself is right.
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