Cunard Wave Onboard Credit Up To $600 Ends Feb 25

Cunard is running a Wave Season onboard credit promotion that it bills as "Treat yourself, on us," with onboard credit that can reach $600.00 (USD) per stateroom, depending on voyage length and cabin category. The offer matters most for travelers booking select 2026 and 2027 itineraries, including routes in places like Alaska and the Caribbean, where onboard spend and shore plans can add up quickly. If you are considering Cunard versus a competitor that discounts fares instead of offering onboard credit, treat this perk as a budgeting tool, not a reason to overpay on the base fare.

The Cunard Wave onboard credit offer ends February 25, 2026, and it changes what you can reasonably expect to spend onboard by shifting some costs onto a credit that is tied to your shipboard account.

How Cunard Wave Onboard Credit Works

Background Onboard credit is not a fare discount, it is a spending balance applied to your onboard account (your folio) once you are sailing. You can use it to offset eligible onboard charges, but it is not cash, it cannot be redeemed after the cruise, and it expires at the end of the voyage.

For this promotion, Cunard's terms say it applies to new reservations booked between December 9, 2025, and February 25, 2026, under promo code N2B. Cunard also notes that a deposit is required, and that the amount varies based on cruise length, stateroom type, and number of guests, so your upfront cash commitment will still depend on what you book.

Cunard Wave Onboard Credit Tiers

Cunard publishes the onboard credit amounts on a per person basis by voyage length and stateroom category, and the marketing headline "up to $600.00 (USD) per stateroom" is tied to a common case (two guests sharing a Balcony stateroom on a 10 to 20 night voyage, listed at $300.00 (USD) per person). Under Cunard's table, shorter voyages list smaller amounts per person, and longer voyages list higher amounts per person, with different tiers for Oceanview and Inside, Balcony, Princess Grill Suites, and Queens Grill Suites.

Two details are easy to miss when you are comparing sailings. First, the onboard credit amounts vary by both length and category, so you cannot assume the same credit will follow you if you change cabin types or switch to a shorter itinerary. Second, the credit is described as applying to the first two guests in the stateroom, and Cunard explicitly excludes third and fourth berth guests from receiving the onboard credit.

Exclusions That Can Reduce Real World Value

Cunard's terms matter because they tell you where onboard credit stops behaving like money. The onboard credit must be used on the single voyage it is awarded for, it is not redeemable for cash, and Cunard says it cannot be used for the casino or the medical center. That means it is best thought of as a targeted offset for discretionary onboard spend, not a safety net for problems or a way to "cash out" value later.

Cunard also notes the offer may not be combinable with other select offers or other onboard credits. In practice, that means you should not assume you can stack multiple promotions, especially if you are booking through channels that sometimes add their own onboard credit, and you should verify the final booking confirmation reflects what you expected before you let a cancellation window close.

Grill Suite Add Ons

If you are shopping Princess Grill or Queens Grill Suites, Cunard ties additional benefits to this promotion, including a drinks package and prepaid hotel and dining service charges on eligible voyages. The drinks package has its own constraints, including a per drink price ceiling (Cunard lists drinks $12.00 (USD) and under, pretax), and Cunard's terms say guests cannot pay the difference for more expensive drinks under this offer structure. If you tend to order premium cocktails, higher end wines, or bottles, do the math before assuming the package will match your habits.

How To Spend Onboard Credit Without Chasing It

The clean way to use onboard credit is to plan to spend it on things you were already likely to buy. On Cunard, that usually means shore experiences, specialty dining, spa and salon services, photos, and onboard retail purchases, because those commonly hit your onboard account and can be offset by credit. If you do not normally book excursions through the ship, or if you rarely spend onboard beyond gratuities and a few incidentals, a credit heavy promotion may look better on paper than it feels on your final bill.

The trap to avoid is anchoring on the credit amount instead of the fare. A simple check is to price the exact same sailing in two snapshots, one with the current promo and one without (or one with a different offer), then compare the total out of pocket cost after you subtract only the credit you are confident you will actually use. If the fare is meaningfully higher during the Wave window, the "free" credit can turn into a psychological discount that still costs you real money upfront.

Booking Checklist Before You Pay The Deposit

Because this promotion is date bounded, the mechanics matter as much as the headline. Confirm the booking is new, confirm it is booked within the December 9, 2025, to February 25, 2026, window, and make sure the promo code N2B is reflected on your invoice or booking confirmation where Cunard can honor it. Then confirm who is getting the credit (first two guests only), confirm the voyage length tier you fall into, and confirm your stateroom category matches the tier you think you are buying.

If you are deciding between Cunard and another premium line, onboard credit is most comparable to "spend incentive" promotions elsewhere, while fare discounts are more comparable to immediate cost reductions. The best deal is the one that lowers your total expected trip cost for the way you actually travel, not the one with the biggest headline perk.

Sources

• Treat Yourself, On Us (Offer Ends February 25, 2026)
• Special Offer Mailer Disclaimer
• Cunard Launches Wave Season Perks