How to get Kimberley Cruise Deals

Plenty of people ask me “how easy is it to get a Kimberley cruise deal?” Below are my six tips on making sure you get a good deal.

Before we go through these tips though please remember that you want the Kimberley coast cruise ‘best advice’ as much as a deal. Kimberley cruise boats vary greatly; it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ situation.  I have been on more than one of these cruises where other passengers (not booked by me!) were not given the best advice, and to their major disappointment, were not on the right trip for them. I have even spoken to another company’s customer who thought he had scored a bargain only to find out he was on a huge cruise ship that merely sailed along the Kimberley coast and observed it from the distance!

Factors we consider before recommending a cruise includes; specific interests, preferred style of cruising, fitness and mobility, travel plans before, and after, the cruise and budget. Getting these wrong is a costly mistake regardless of whether you are getting “a deal” or not!

One operator, Coral Expeditions, has from 2022 divided the Kimberley cruise season into two – peak season (May-July) and off-peak or shoulder season (March, April, September, October). If you are looking to control your costs then catching one of these off-peak deals is worthwhile. Their ships include Coral Discoverer, Coral Adventurer and Coral Geographer. For more information about when it is the best time to cruise the Kimberley check out this recent blog.

Click here to join our list. Don’t worry we won’t bombard you with e-mails – we are acutely aware that people don’t want that. Nor do we share your information with anyone else; absolutely not. But we do send out (along with informative e-mails) occasional special offers that our Kimberley cruise partners send to us when applicable.

Most Kimberley cruises are very inclusive. Unlike the big cruise ships, this expedition style of cruising empathises the off-ship excursions, so the vast majority of daily activities (helicopter trips excluded) are already part of the cruise price. That’s worth taking into account when looking at the overall costs. A few ships include alcoholic drinks with meals on board which can help-out with your on-board bill at the end of the cruise. And a couple even throw in an occasional laundry run.

Even if you are not ready to book it’s great to have a chat about your options. That way we can work out what would be your best option and work together to get the option deal for you.

What almost never works is holding out for a last-minute bargain. Very occasionally a late cancellation can mean a cabin becomes available with a discount. But it is genuinely quite rare.  Most operators are not keen on dropping their prices at the last minute. This is especially the case with the owners of the smaller vessels who believe such discounts are not fair to their guests paying the normal price.

If a last-minute deal does become available then that’s great – we usually send this out to everyone on our mailing list -see point 3 above. But be warned. A last minute trip to the Kimberley during the peak season means you’ll be paying handily for accommodation and flights.