Black Friday Cruise Deals: Are They Actually Cheaper?

Black Friday Cruise Deals: Are They Actually Cheaper?

Black Friday cruise deals in the UK were mostly real last year, at least in the short term: two weeks after Cyber Monday 2025, 65% of the P&O, Cunard and Fred Olsen fares I track had gone up. But 62% of the sailings that have since departed dropped below their Black Friday weekend price at some point, so the sale got you a good price rather than the lowest one.

Every cruise line and agent page that ranks for Black Friday is selling the sale. None of them shows what happened to the fares afterwards, so I went back and checked.

What I measured

On 26 October 2026 I took every P&O Cruises, Cunard and Fred Olsen fare we recorded on Cyber Monday, 1 December 2025, for sailings at least two months away. That came to more than 5,000 fares, each one a specific sailing and cabin grade, priced per person in pounds. I then followed each fare forward: two weeks later, into January's wave season, through the spring and, for sailings that have now departed, all the way to the last price before they sailed.

I used Cyber Monday rather than Black Friday itself for two reasons. Our tracking had a gap from September until 23 November 2025, and Cunard's first reading on 28 November looks wrong (about 30% higher than the next day). So this can't tell you whether fares fell going into Black Friday. It answers a narrower question: if you booked over Black Friday weekend, would waiting have got you a better price? It also covers one year and three lines, so treat it as evidence rather than a rule.

What happened after Black Friday weekend

Two weeks later, on 15 December, 65% of fares were higher than on Cyber Monday and only 3% were lower. The typical fare was up 4.8%. By mid-January, with the wave season sales running, 68% were still higher, and by mid-May it was 71%. In the months after the sale, waiting mostly meant paying more.

The longer view is messier. Of the 1,974 fares whose sailings have now departed, 62% dropped at least 2% below their Cyber Monday price at some point before departure, and the typical low point was 6.4% under. By the final price before sailing, 51% were higher than on Cyber Monday and 39% were lower. The Black Friday price was rarely the bottom, but catching the dip meant watching the fare for months.

The three lines behaved very differently.

Fred Olsen fares barely moved until January and then climbed. Of its departed sailings, 71% finished higher than on Cyber Monday, typically by 11%, and fewer than a third ever came in under it. For a Fred Olsen sailing, the Black Friday weekend price was usually the one to take.

P&O moved around the most. Most of its fares rose after Cyber Monday, but 77% came back below that price at some point, with a typical low about 10% under. That is the line where booking and then watching paid off.

Cunard rose fastest, with 79% of fares higher by mid-January and a typical rise of 6%, though 58% dipped below the Cyber Monday price later on.

Cabin grade mattered too. Only 47% of suite fares ever dropped below their Cyber Monday price, against 70% of inside cabins. Suites are the scarcest cabins on most ships, so the sale price there was more often the best you would see.

How to use Black Friday 2026

Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November this year and Cyber Monday on 30 November. Sales from the lines and agents often come as onboard credit, low deposits or cabin upgrades rather than a lower fare, so judge the fare itself. Work out the cost per night and compare it with what that sailing cost a few weeks earlier, not with the "was" price on the banner.

If the fare looks good on that test, last year's data says booking over Black Friday weekend was a sound move, especially for Fred Olsen and for suites. Then keep watching. Some lines will reprice your booking, or give you the difference as onboard credit, if the fare drops before final payment, and last year most P&O fares gave you that chance. A price alert does the watching for you.

For the wider question of timing, including wave season and last-minute fares, see the best time to book a cruise. For current offers across the UK lines, the UK cruise deals page lists them.

Prices change daily, and one year of data is no guarantee that 2026 will follow the same pattern.

You can see any sailing's recent price moves for free on Cruise Prices. Premium adds the full price history and emails you when a fare drops. During Black Friday week, 23 to 30 November, new members get the first month free and then pay £2.99 a month.

FAQ

Do cruise prices go down on Black Friday? In our 2025 data, fares booked over Black Friday weekend were mostly lower than what followed in the next few months, with 65% higher two weeks later. Many sailings did dip again before departure, though, so keep watching the price after you book.

Do cruise companies do Black Friday deals? Yes. Most of the big lines and UK cruise agents run Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. The offer is often an extra, such as onboard credit, a reduced deposit or an upgrade, so check the fare as well as the perk.

Which cruise line is offering the best Black Friday deals? I can only answer for the lines with history going back to last year. Fred Olsen's Black Friday weekend prices held up best, while P&O fares were most likely to drop again later. MSC, Disney and Virgin Voyages were only added in October 2026, so there is no Black Friday history for them yet.