Did your most memorable cruise involve sailing in less-than-luxurious quarters in a  military ship’s four-bunk-high troop compartment? Was the exciting all-expense-paid vacation destination Normandy, Iwo Jima, Inchon, Danang or Baghdad?

If you yearn to cruise again, this time in more peaceful waters and with roomier accommodations, you can do it at bargain prices. Most major cruise lines offer generous discounts, averaging from 10 to 30 percent, to active U.S. military and veterans. The offers vary by amount, time of year, destinations and other factors. In order to get the best deal, you need to do some internet surfing and/or phone contact with cruise lines and travel agencies. There are also online sites that specialize in military discounts for cruises and other travel programs.

Among cruise lines offering military discounts are Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity and Carnival. Some advertise cruises that visit locations of military history, such as Normandy, Pearl Harbor, Vietnam, South Korea, Laos, Vietnam and others.

If you’re currently on active military duty, you’ll be required to show your ID card. For military retirees, ID and Social Security cards are necessary. All others who’ve served must show Social Security cards and copies of discharge certificates.

Additionally, if you can pack bags in a hurry and be able to sail within a day or so, an important way to get a military and even more favorable overall discount is to sign up for last-minute cruises.

The internet will tell you when cruise lines are offering them. Ships must sail on schedule whether cabins are all sold or not, and last-minute bargains help them fill as many as possible.

If you’re military, past or present, and you’d like to go on a nice, peaceful cruise, there’s one out there just waiting for you to come aboard.