Book Now or Wait for Black Friday?
Nine Years of Black Friday Cruise Sales Taught Me One Rule
Prime real estate at sea: sought-after balcony staterooms fill up fast long before holiday sales roll around.
I get this question every year, starting sometime in August and running clear through October — often more than once from the same client. Book now, or wait for Black Friday?
I've watched cruise pricing since I started this business in 2017. Nine Black Fridays. Nine Cyber Mondays. A handful of Travel Tuesdays thrown in for good measure. The pattern hasn't changed once.
Book early consistently saves you money.
Flight deals on Black Friday are often a mirage—promotions target unwanted fare classes, while prime flight times skyrocket.
Why waiting usually costs you
Cruise cabins don't wait for a sale date to sell out. Categories go one at a time. Suites go first. Aft balconies go first. Connecting staterooms go first. By the time Black Friday arrives, those categories are either gone or down to the one cabin nobody wanted — priced higher than what you'd have paid in September.
I've watched this happen every single year. The sale banner says "save." The cabin you'd have picked in October isn't on the deck plan anymore.
And it's not just cabins. So much for the idea that Black Friday is automatically the cheapest day to fly — I've seen flights priced higher during Black Friday sales, not lower. Airlines run their promotions on the fare classes least likely to sell anyway. The seats you actually want are already gone.
The one exception: after mid-November
If you have not already booked by mid-November, the math changes. At that point, waiting for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or Travel Tuesday likely won't cost you much more if it doesn't pan out. That's worth the gamble.
Before mid-November? Booking early wins. Every time I've tracked it.
Where Black Friday actually delivers: the extras
Excursions, drink packages, wifi — this is where Black Friday earns its reputation. These add-ons typically do see their best pricing of the year during the Black Friday window.
Here's what makes this a free option instead of a gamble: most of these can be cancelled and rebought without penalty. If today's price is one you're happy with, buy it now. If Black Friday drops it further, cancel and rebuy at the lower price. You lose nothing by not waiting, and you're covered if the sale delivers.
Lock in your drink package or excursions early, then rebook seamlessly if Black Friday brings a lower price.
Bottom line
Lock your cabin and your flights now. Let Black Friday fight over your wifi package.
Next up: what's actually driving these prices — it's not what you've been reading about in the news — and how to hedge your bet if the fear of missing a better deal is going to nag at you anyway.
Billy Miller is the founder of Miller Travel Group. He believes true vacation planning requires real human relationships and actual local expertise—which is exactly why he is rarely found sitting at home. He writes about premium travel, cruise industry realities, and destination hidden gems from a deeply personal, experiential perspective.