I know cruises are trashy, but anyone know how to get the best deal on one?

Book as early as possible. If you’re sailing out of the US, book when kids are normally in school.

Other than that, the pricing will be similar to airlines. The closer to the sailing date, the higher the cost will be. Doesn’t matter if you book from the cruise line or agent but booking with an agent sometimes can come with other offers like an on board welcome basket or on board credit. The biggest advantage is using an agent is if you have to make changes you don’t have to deal with the cruise line, your agents does so it can save you time.

Some/most lines offer drink packages that include alcohol (at a cost) so just research the line to see if they offer one and you can purchase it once you book.

Who cares if someone else thinks they're trashy?

I've been on one that probably was (out of Mobile), but still had a good time. I wasn't expecting to be hanging out with Donald Trump on that cruise though. Every vacation doesn't have to be at the Ritz in Vienna to be a great getaway.

Just book with a cruise line that offers a free drink package as a choice of a perk when you book a certain type of room. It’s not really free, of course, it’s built into the price, but it feels better than actually paying separately for it. We used a travel agent for our Alaskan cruises because they were offering extra on board credit on top of what the cruise lines were offering. But not sure when you plan to cruise, none are sailing now. Prices may be extremely cheap when cruises first start running if people aren’t booking because they don’t want to risk it.