2,521 sailings where the whole fare — not the nightly rate — comes in at $500 or less per person, across 110 ships and 9 cruise lines.
At this level you are mostly looking at three to five nights out of Florida, Texas or California, in an inside cabin, on a ship that has been in service a while. That is not a criticism: short Caribbean and Bahamas runs are where the mainstream lines put their oldest and busiest hardware, and they are priced to fill.
What separates a genuine find from a cheap week is the ship. The best-scoring sailing under $500 right now is Norwegian Epic at 9.4 out of 10 — 7 nights from $349. Ordering is by that score, not by price, so the top of this list is where a low fare and a decent ship actually coincide.
| Ship | Departs | Per night | Fare | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwegian EpicNorwegian Cruise Line | 15 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $50per night | $349balcony | 9.4 |
| Carnival FirenzeCarnival Cruise Line | 7 December 20264 nights · Mexico | $40per night | $158balcony | 9.1 |
| MSC SeaviewMSC Cruises | 5 November 20267 nights · Mediterranean | $41per night | $285interior | 9.1 |
| Queen Mary 2Cunard Line | 10 November 20267 nights · Europe | $47per night | $330interior | 9.1 |
| Norwegian BreakawayNorwegian Cruise Line | 29 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $36per night | $249interior | 8.9 |
| Norwegian BreakawayNorwegian Cruise Line | 6 December 20267 nights · Caribbean | $36per night | $249interior | 8.9 |
| Norwegian GemNorwegian Cruise Line | 10 December 202611 nights · Caribbean | $34per night | $379interior | 8.8 |
| Norwegian EpicNorwegian Cruise Line | 13 December 20267 nights · Caribbean | $36per night | $249interior | 8.8 |
| Norwegian GetawayNorwegian Cruise Line | 4 December 20265 nights · Caribbean | $38per night | $189interior | 8.8 |
| Carnival PanoramaCarnival Cruise Line | 24 January 20276 nights · Mexico | $40per night | $240interior | 8.8 |
| Queen ElizabethCunard Line | 5 November 202612 nights · Caribbean | $41per night | $490interior | 8.8 |
| Queen ElizabethCunard Line | 8 December 20269 nights · Caribbean | $43per night | $390interior | 8.8 |
| Norwegian JoyNorwegian Cruise Line | 4 January 20274 nights · Bahamas | $45per night | $179interior | 8.8 |
| Norwegian JoyNorwegian Cruise Line | 11 January 20274 nights · Bahamas | $45per night | $179interior | 8.8 |
| MSC SeasideMSC Cruises | 2 November 20264 nights · Caribbean | $97per night | $386balcony | 8.8 |
| Norwegian GemNorwegian Cruise Line | 21 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $36per night | $249interior | 8.7 |
| Norwegian GetawayNorwegian Cruise Line | 30 November 20264 nights · Bahamas | $42per night | $169interior | 8.7 |
| Norwegian EscapeNorwegian Cruise Line | 13 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $43per night | $299interior | 8.7 |
| Allure of the SeasRoyal Caribbean International | 8 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $47per night | $329interior | 8.7 |
| MSC MagnificaMSC Cruises | 15 November 20267 nights · Mediterranean | $55per night | $383interior | 8.7 |
| MSC SeascapeMSC Cruises | 8 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $39per night | $276interior | 8.6 |
| MSC SeascapeMSC Cruises | 15 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $39per night | $276interior | 8.6 |
| Freedom of the SeasRoyal Caribbean International | 5 November 20269 nights · Caribbean | $39per night | $349interior | 8.6 |
| Radiance of the SeasRoyal Caribbean International | 7 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $41per night | $290interior | 8.6 |
| Harmony of the SeasRoyal Caribbean International | 28 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $49per night | $344interior | 8.6 |
| Allure of the SeasRoyal Caribbean International | 15 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $50per night | $349interior | 8.6 |
| MSC SeasideMSC Cruises | 16 November 20264 nights · Caribbean | $39per night | $155interior | 8.5 |
| MSC GrandiosaMSC Cruises | 30 January 20277 nights · Caribbean | $40per night | $278interior | 8.5 |
| Sun PrincessPrincess Cruises | 29 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $45per night | $318interior | 8.5 |
| Carnival PanoramaCarnival Cruise Line | 10 January 20276 nights · Mexico | $48per night | $290interior | 8.5 |
| Norwegian AquaNorwegian Cruise Line | 8 November 20267 nights · Caribbean | $51per night | $359interior | 8.5 |
| Ovation of the SeasRoyal Caribbean International | 30 November 20264 nights · Mexico | $52per night | $209interior | 8.5 |
| MSC MagnificaMSC Cruises | 14 November 20267 nights · Mediterranean | $63per night | $439interior | 8.5 |
| MSC PreziosaMSC Cruises | 21 April 20274 nights · Europe | $125per night | $499oceanview | 8.5 |
| MSC PoesiaMSC Cruises | 12 November 202610 nights · Caribbean | $40per night | $399interior | 8.4 |
| MSC GrandiosaMSC Cruises | 16 January 20277 nights · Caribbean | $43per night | $299interior | 8.4 |
| MSC SeashoreMSC Cruises | 29 November 20264 nights · Caribbean | $44per night | $176interior | 8.4 |
| MSC LiricaMSC Cruises | 7 December 202610 nights · Mediterranean | $45per night | $446interior | 8.4 |
| MSC SeashoreMSC Cruises | 8 November 20264 nights · Caribbean | $45per night | $179interior | 8.4 |
| MSC LiricaMSC Cruises | 30 January 20277 nights · Mediterranean | $47per night | $331interior | 8.4 |
Fares are per person, in the cheapest cabin grade we can verify, and are the seller’s own price at the last refresh. A sailing we cannot match to a real fare is withheld rather than estimated.
Filter all 2,521 of these →These are cruise fares, per person, usually assuming two sharing a cabin. Port taxes and government fees are often added at checkout, gratuities are typically charged aboard at a daily rate, and flights are never included. A $400 fare can realistically land closer to $600 by the time you sail, which is worth knowing before you compare it against an all-inclusive week somewhere.