Save Money by Booking the Oldest Cruise Ships: Here Are 3 from Each of the Big Lines

Newly built cruise ships draw the biggest crowds. To save money on cruises, steer your booking toward these older vessels.

By Jason Cochran

Published: Jul 31, 2026

Updated: Jul 31, 2026

Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas

Royal Caribbean International

Some travelers turn up their noses at cruise ships that aren't the latest and greatest, but there's a quieter class of passengers who prefer older ships to the excessive, floating pinball machines launched nowadays.

Do you really need a go-kart track or miniature roller coaster taking up precious space on the top deck? Or would you be happier on a ship with fewer passengers? Older vessels come from an era when intimacy and strong service were common values on cruise lines. Consequently, veteran ships have less competition for dining and activity bookings, shorter waits to board and disembark, and fewer opportunities for the cruise line to charge extra fees for activities.

Smaller ship sizes also allow access to cozier ports within easy walking distance of town. New ships are often so massive they can't fit at ancient docks and have to berth farther away, so small-ship itineraries are frequently more unique and less overrun than on the giants.

It's almost as if older ships cater to travelers who care more about visiting destinations than trying out onboard gimmicks.

Most important, cruises on older ships are dramatically cheaper than on the in-demand younger sisters in the same fleet.

Here's just one example. Travel agency the Cruise Brothers is charging $1,196.47 per person ($171/night) for a week on Royal Caribbean's 7,960-passenger Icon of the Seas (launched in 2024) in the Western Caribbean (calling at Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatán, Honduras; Cozumel, Mexico; and the line's private island in the Bahamas), sailing Jan. 23, 2027, from Miami.

But if you departed a day earlier out of Tampa on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas (1997), which goes on nearly the same itinerary (Cozumel, Mexico; Roatán, Honduras; Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico), you'd pay just $570.27, or $81.47 per night. That's less than half what you'd pay for the newer, much more crowded ship.

It's not as if all older ships are aesthetically stuck in the Clinton years, either. Nearly all of them have been renovated at least once since their original construction. To take just two examples, Carnival Sunshine, which debuted in 1996, underwent renovations in 2013 and 2025, and in April 2028 Holland America's MS Zuiderdam, launched in 2012, will get refreshed cabins and public spaces as part of a $500 million investment the line is making to refit some of its older vessels.

It's true that older ships will represent a retired class of vessel no longer being built, so guests can typically expect a smaller proportion of cabins with balconies than ships that were launched closer to today. There will still be some balcony options on the elders, just not as many. It always pays to check the nitty-gritty in the reviews of a trusted source like Cruise Critic before pulling the reservation trigger.

Since cruises tend to be sold by ship name, you could use a cheat sheet of the oldest—or should we say the most classic—ships to focus your search.

Here are the three oldest vessels currently in service for each of the biggest cruise lines sailing from the U.S. We've also noted when the ship launched (even if it was with another cruise line at the time) and the passenger capacity under a typical load. Click the name of each ship to see its official description page with amenities and deck plans.