Thread: Discounts for seniors

We see it almost everywhere: If you are at least 55, 60, 62, or 65 years old, you are entitled to a discount. Do cruise lines do it too or not? My mom will be 65 in October and our first cruise is later.

The answer to that is "sometimes".

It is not a regular discount all the time as are the land based senior discounts.

Cruise lines will offer senior, military and residency discounts for certain cabins on certain ships when they are not selling well. You just have to catch them when they are available. By the way, everyone in the same cabin is usually entitled to the senior rate if one person qualifies.

In all of our cruises we have never had a senior discount, but only one time were we eligible for the military rate. So you see, it's not something that you can count on.

When ever I look for a quote, they always ask my age and residence but I've never seen a discount for either one.

What you will probably find is senior discounts are offered closer in to sail dates to fill a ship. If you are booking over a year out, its very doubtfull you will see any senior discounts being offered. Its just another rate, like past guest, or military, or residency for the state you live in .. all are rates, that cannot be combined.

Some people think they can book a past guest rate for instance and then get a further percentage off because they are a senior... rates cannot be combined, its one or the other and all rates come and go and are capacity controlled. Senior rates are not a percentage, they are whatever rate the cruiseline deems will sell a bunch of cabins quickly.

Age 55 is a senior on cruiselines I cruise on. Not sure about the high end cruises like Crystal etc.

I've seen the residency rate apply before on an Alaskan cruise, I live in Pennsylvania. Guess they figured that if I was willing to fly that far, they'd give me a discount

I've also seen the senior rate once when my MIL was debating going on the cruise with us to Bermuda, we would have had 3 in the cabin and the price for pax 1 & 2 was $100 cheaper than the non-senior rate, pax 3 was the same rate as a non-senior 3rd pax rate. As it turned out she decided not to go so we decided to book a balcony guarantee cabin instead of a suite.

A few times when booking a cruise, I was told I was getting a residency discount. I'm guessing it's when the line is trying to sell remaining cabins. I don't believe Princess offers a seniors discount.