Men and women, who helped preserve the freedoms we enjoy in the United States, are eligible for veterans cruise tour deals.
About Veterans Cruise Tour Deals
As a way to honor active, reserve, and retired military personnel, most cruise companies offer incredible money-saving discounts on a variety of itineraries. Drastically reduced fares are offered to members of every branch of the service as a way to thank military personnel for their commitment to serve our country in the armed forces. While military discount programs differ slightly between cruise lines, the majority allow veterans to book one cabin at the reduced rate. However, retired personnel must be traveling in this cabin
Eligibility
Individual cruise companies have their own eligibility requirements. However, most of the larger cruise lines adhere to the following definitions:
- Military personnel: Defined as active, reserve personnel, cadets, US Coast Guard personnel, active members of the National Guard, uniformed members of the USPHS, and retired personnel.
- Veterans: Defined as individuals, who have honorably served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for at least 2 years.
Proof of Eligibility
Both active military personnel and veterans can take advantage of substantial savings off published fares when using cruise line's military discount programs. However, proof of eligibility is required at the time of booking (or within 24 hours of making a reservation) and at embarkation.
Verification documents include one of the following:
- Copy of enlistment papers and a photo ID
- Copy of military ID and a photo ID
- Copy of military retirement papers and a photo ID
Retired military personnel looking to book a veterans cruise tour deal can simply fax a copy of their DD214 or LES to the cruise company or travel agent booking the sailing.
How to Book Veterans Cruise Tour Deals
One of the best ways to take advantage of veterans' cruise discounts is to go directly to the cruise line's websites. Most major cruise companies, including Royal Caribbean, NCL, Carnival and Holland America offer deals for veterans.
To book a veterans cruise deal, simply select the cruise line of your choice, access their website, and look for a box that reads "Military," "U.S. Military or Canadian Forces" or "Exclusive Rates." From there you will be able to view the reduced fares for individual sailings that offer military savings. Once you select your cruise options, you can make your reservations online or book by phone.
Online Resources
Another option to consider when searching for veterans' cruise discounts is to go through other companies that deal exclusively with military personnel, such as:
- MilitaryCruises.com: The site is run by the Cruise Store and offers a reputable military-cruise discount-rate program, which is available to all active, reserve, and retired military and Coast Guard personnel. Veterans get discounts on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and NCL cruises.
- MilitaryCruiseDeals.com: This site helps expedite the search for veterans cruise deals. It features an easy-to-use search tool that looks exclusively for cruises that offer military discounts. In addition, the site offers this added savings bonus: If a cruise line is offering its own military rate, you get that rate for as many cabins as the cruise line allows. If you need more than one cabin, the site will apply its own discount to the other cabins. It may or may not be as low as the cruise line's military rate, but it will be less than the published rate.
- VeteransHolidays.com: Veterans Holidays is a discount travel military program that offers honorably discharged veterans the opportunity to take affordable vacations. The site offers a host of discounted vacation options, including Russia river cruises and sailings to the Caribbean.
