By Marc Shoffman

Copyright independent

The best way to get over the post-cruise or summer holiday blues is often to book another one – and there are plenty of deals available for those seeking winter sun at sea or if you are already planning ahead for 2026 and beyond.

Booking a cruise holiday provides an escape from the unpredictable British weather and can help tick off a variety of destinations, whether you are interested in sunny beaches or snow-capped mountains.

Cruise lines regularly offer discounts on fares and extras such as onboard credit to tempt passengers onto newer as well as classic cruise ships.

At the moment, passengers are spoilt for choice, with several new ships launched this year, including MSC World America and Norwegian Aqua, which launched in April.

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean’s latest Star of the Seas and Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady hit the water in August and Star Princess from Princess Cruises and Celebrity Xcel from Celebrity Cruises are due to set sail in the coming months.

Read more: The best adult-only cruises

Of course, it is important to shop around to ensure you are still getting value for money and check the total costs, including any flights and tips.

Here are some of the best cruise deals to catch a top cabin in 2025 or to plan ahead for up to 2028.

Luxury small-ship brand Azamara, known for long stays in port, is offering up to 15 per cent off select sailings departing between 8 October 2025 and 12 December 2026 as well as up to $750 of onboard credit depending n the cabin category. But you need to book by 30 September.

One itinerary option is a 12-night Greece, Italy and France cruise that visits Athens, the Amalfi Coast and Nice. It departs on 30 October with fares starting from £2,249 per person.

Celebrity Cruises recently unveiled itineraries up to 2028, with hundreds of sailings around Europe, Alaska, Hawaii, Australia, Japan, Canada and New England including Celebrity Apex’s return to Southampton.

That gives passengers plenty of time to prepare plus you can also currently get up to 30 per cent off fares for two guests as well savings of up to £400 depending on the type of cabin you book.

Some deals also come with $500 in onboard credit.

Passengers can also add drinks and wifi for £50 per night per person on European sailings for 2026.

Deals include a departure from Barcelona aboard the brand’s newest ship Celebrity Xcel for a seven-night cruise around Italy, Spain and the French Riviera from £1,210 per person in June 2026.

Plus, for bookings made by 6 October, guests travelling on selected Celebrity Apex sailings from Southampton in 2026 can enjoy free car parking.

Read more: How to avoid getting seasick on a cruise

Celestyal, which recently opened its own UK-based travel agency to help guests book sailings, has deals with up to 60 per cent off cruise fares for 2025 and 2026 sailings.

For example, its four-night Iconic Arabia sailings in January and February are now priced from £329 per person, a reduction from £690 per person previously.

Cunard is offering up to $1,060 (£785) of onboard credit on select cruises if booked by 4 December.

The offer can be used for sailings between 8 December 2025 and 21 April 2027 but the amount of credit depends on the cabin type and duration of the cruises.

Guests can get the full amount when sharing a Princess Grills suite on a 14-night voyage. The offer is not applicable to voyages under seven nights or for more than 67 nights, early saver deals and excludes Queen Elizabeth’s 2027 Caribbean season

Included in the same promotion, passengers can also receive up to $560 (£414) onboard spending money per balcony stateroom on selected voyages. Guests can choose their stateroom or suite by 4 December and secure their booking with just a 15% deposit.

Some of the itineraries include Cunard’s transatlantic crossings and Norwegian fjords sailings.

Read more: Best cruises for teenagers

Fred Olsen guests can get up to £300 of onboard credit per cabin on select sailings.

The offer is available on more than 100 sailings in 2025 and 2026 including on northern lights and festive voyages.

It is available on bookings made by 24 September for departures up to 22 December 2026.

Havila Voyages is currently offering savings of up to £440 per cabin on winter cruises departing from 1 October to 31 December 2025, including sailings over Christmas and New Year.

Guests booking its 11-day Round Voyage will receive £440 off per cabin, while those on the six-day Voyage North or five-day Voyage South will benefit from £220 savings per cabin.

The six-day Voyage South (Kirkenes to Bergen) now starts from £425 per person on a choice of departures in November, based on two people sharing an inside cabin on full board basis.

The 12-day round voyage (Bergen/Kirkenes/Bergen) now costs from £906 per person for the 30 November sailing based on two people sharing an interior cabin.

Alternatively, the 12-day Round Voyage departing on 17 December now costs £980 per person for the 12-day trip based on two people sharing an interior cabin.

The offer is valid on bookings made by 30 September 2025.

Passengers booking a 2026 departure from Dover with Holland America Line can qualify for its Have It All package.

Guests will get shore excursions, drinks and dining packages, wifi and tips all included in their cruise fare.

The deal can be used on sailings around the British Isles as well as to the Canaries and northern Europe next year.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is currently promoting its Caribbean sailings, with deals from £799 per person and kids sail at a reduced rate when sharing a cabin with their parents.

Guests can also upgrade to NCL’s More at Sea package for wifi, drinks and specialty dining from £249 per person.

Up to £250 of airfare credit is also available on select sailings.

Deals include a seven-day Bahamas and Dominican Republic cruise on NCL’s newest ship Norwegian Aqua, with departures between October 2025 and April 2026 from £570 per person.

Culinary-focused luxury cruise brand Oceania is currently offering up to £5,800 off select sailings plus a free drinks package and $250 (£181) of onboard credit.

The offer ends on 16 September 2025 but can be used for bookings up to June 2026.

It could be a good chance to sail on the brand’s newest ship Oceania Allura, which has a 14-night New York roundtrip departing on 4 October from £3,965 per person.

Princess Cruises has sailings available up to 2027 across Europe and the USA, as well as its largest ever deployment in Japan with Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess both operating Tokyo departures.

The cruise line is also offering two total solar eclipse voyages in 2027.

Now is a good time to book a Princess cruise as passengers can get up to $600 of ship credit per cabin to spend on board,

You need to book before 29 September to get this deal.

Passengers who book a 2025, 2026 or 2027 sailing up until 15 December 2025 with Princess Cruises are being offered a “Best Price Guarantee”.

If passengers find a better fare on princess.com for the same cruise, stateroom category or sail date at any time before they make their final payment, Princess Cruises has this offer: 120 per cent of the difference back in the form of an on-board credit, up to $2,000 (£1,500) per person/booking/stateroom. This applies up to 90 days before sailing.

Royal Caribbean regularly launches flash sales for short periods.

The cruise brand is currently offering up to £600 off cruise fares with up to $100 of onboard credit for European sailings in 2026, and some itineraries let kids sail for free.

Passengers can also get an extra £200 off sailings aboard Liberty of the Seas from Southampton in summer 2026, with prices from £839 per person.

Small ship luxury cruise brand Windstar is rewarding early bookers with an all-inclusive package that features wifi, unlimited select wine, beer and cocktails, and gratuities when they book 2026 and 2027 voyages.

Guests will also get up to $200 (£147) in on-board credit per cabin that can be spent on excursions, the spa or other items on the ship.

Windstar has introduced a new Pay Now, Save More promotion. Those who pay in full at the time of booking will receive an additional 5 per cent discount This promotion is only available with cruises booked using the early booking offer.

Fans of Virgin Voyages can benefit from 70 per cent off a second ‘sailor’ as well as up to $300 of on-board credit on its 2025 and 2026 itineraries.

There are also free balcony upgrades available to a Sea Terrace when booking a Sea View cabin on select European sailings.

The offer can be used for sailings in the Caribbean from Miami or San Juan or to explore Europe but bookings must be made by 30 October.

Read more: The cruise ships you must travel on in your lifetime