In a salute to those who have served in our armed forces, many businesses honor the brave men and women who have served, in the form of discounts. Cruise lines can be counted among those businesses. Most if not all of the major cruise lines as well as some premium lines provide military rates on some of their sailings. While the savings are not always substantial, at times they can as much as 50 percent.
When cruise lines advertise military discounts they most likely are referring to active-duty personnel of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Usually Reservists and National Guardsmen are not included unless they are currently on active duty or the cruise line has specifically stated the discount applies to non-active military.
Some but not all cruise lines also extend the discounts to veterans who served at least two years and retired with an honorable discharge or were medically retired. The discount may also extend to the family or other guests staying in the same stateroom with the receiver of the discount. In fact, on Norwegian Cruise Lines the spouse can receive the discounted rate even if the husband or wife is not available due to an active-duty assignment abroad.
The range of savings usually fall somewhere between 10 and 50 percent. Even if the cruise line does offer the military discount, they usually aren’t advertised. The best ways to find out about these discounts are to check the ticketing offices located at a military installation or directly with the cruise line. Other places that may have advertisements for military discounted cruises are newspapers or tourism publications published and distributed on your local military base, or publications marketed specifically to military personnel such as the Air Force Times and The Army Times. There are also websites that cater specifically to military personal, you can find them by searching or you can email me and I will attempt to compile a list.
Certain times of year are best for military discounts. The best times to search for cruises offering discounts are Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day. It will depend on the cruise line whether you have to book a sailing for those holidays or if you can book any sailing during those promotion periods.
The final step in securing your military discount will not happen until you arrive at check-in. You will need to present to the cruise line your military ID and/or Certificate of Release or Discharge (if the offer is extended non-active duty military) before you board. This step is very important because if you do not have the proper documentation you will be charged the regular rate.
Lastly, there is a chance that your preferred cruise line does not offer a military discount. If that is the case, you should check the other lines. Since you honor this country with your service it is only fair that the cruise line you choose should honor you with a discount.
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