A new research reveals the best time to book a cruise

By booking on the right day of the week, you can save big.

There’s now conclusive evidence showing there’s more to finding a great cruise deal than just hoping you get lucky. According to a study from cruisewatch.com, a search engine for cruise deals (and price drops), fares are lowest on Thursdays, dipping 17 percent.

The data, based on an analysis of more than 600,000 cruise price reductions over the past few years, showed that there were more than twice as many price drops on Thursdays than there were on the so-called “slowest” day, Sunday. (Weekends, when many of us finally get around to booking travel, are relatively quiet, seeing only a 13.5 percent drop on Saturday and a 7.8 percent drop on Sunday.) Meanwhile, Wednesday is the priciest day of the week to book: Thirty-four percent more price hikes happen on hump day than any other day of the week.

“Cruise lines invest massive amounts of resources into revenue optimization. We are leveling the playing field and offering consumers up-to-date technology to make the right decisions,” said Britta Bernhard, cofounder of cruisewatch.com, in a statement. “Most people do not realize that they can save massive amounts of money by booking at the right time.”