15 Things You Need to Know About Last-Minute Cruises, Revealed

2. But you have to book at the right time

Pay attention to timing. | BrianAJackson/iStock/Getty Images

Even though looking at last-minute cruises requires you to throw your usual timeline out the window, it’s not a free-for-all. Cruise Critic reports that you should aim to book a last-minute rate between 60 and 90 days before departure. That period is the last call — for most cruise lines and on most itineraries — for travelers to cancel their reservations without penalty. So at that point, the cruise line will know how many cabins it has left. And it will reduce fares so that it can fill up those cabins. For that reason, you can often find the best deals just weeks before departure.

Next: Keep this in mind when you choose a departure port.