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For example, as of March 2023, I can book a cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line through spring or fall of 2025, depending on the ship. I could say that winter is the best time of year to book a cruise because that would cover the late-fall Thanksgiving week sales and wave season promotions. I can guarantee that your cruise line will offer some promotions during the winter, but that doesn't mean it's the best time to book. You might find a cheap cruise deal or a fare packed with extras (like complimentary beverage packages, free kids fares or reduced deposits). Wave season may be a popular time to find cruise deals, but not every company releases its best deals and promotions during that period. If a cruise is filling up quickly, the company has no reason to release a sale to entice customers.
The Best Time to Cruise the Caribbean: A Month-by-Month Breakdown
If this is the only chance you have to cruise, keep in mind that itineraries can change or be canceled depending on the weather. High season is when you'll find the most cruise options, highest prices, most crowded ships and best weather. The shoulder season coincides with moderate demand and relatively nice weather, and fares will be lower. Low season is the cheapest season -- and least busy -- but may mean sacrifices in what you can see and possible cancellations due to weather.
Can I book a cruise at the last minute?
Repositioning cruises happen in late October and early November in the Middle East. If you are looking to get a cheaper fare, those would be the months to consider. Asia is a vast region and has diverse weather patterns and micro-climate, making it important to choose carefully the time you will visit this area. The Canary Islands and Croatia, Greece, and Turkey will see cruisers from April to December. These months are also good times to go, as rates are cheaper and there are fewer kids onboard, which can make for a quieter cruise. These months are the best time to explore destinations such as Barcelona, Rome, and Santorini, and enjoy the local culture, food, and history.
The best time for a Mediterranean sailing based on prices and crowds
Or, the cruise line may offer its best fares in a one-off sale at another time of year. If you prefer even cooler temperatures, then the best time to visit Bermuda is during the winter season, from mid-December to March. These months are considered off-peak for tourism, but there are still a lot of benefits for travelers, such as milder weather and lower humidity. Adults traveling without children will also find fewer little ones onboard. That being said, if you don’t want to monitor cruise deals for four months straight, the single best window of time to keep an eye on them may be from mid-November through mid-December. That’s when you’ll see Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals that will likely sell out well before wave season can even begin.
Why January Is the Best Month to Book a Cruise - Lifehacker
Why January Is the Best Month to Book a Cruise.
Posted: Tue, 09 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
A 14-night cruise onboard Brilliance of the Seas that departs on November 7, 2023, for instance, starts at $1,076 per person. In comparison, a 14-night cruise in April 2024 is currently priced at $1,481 per person. The typical cruise season lasts from September to April, with a break in the summer due to the region's rainy season. The majority of these sailings visit Southeast Asian ports like Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City. However, there are occasionally longer itineraries offered visiting ports in Japan, China, and the Philippines. The Mexican Riviera also has a dry and rainy season, with the dry season from November to June and the most precipitation expected in August and September.
December, March and April also offer nice weather, although the rainy season sometimes starts as early as mid-March before continuing through the fall. For example, in May 2023, you can sail on a seven-night Western Mediterranean voyage from Barcelona to Rome with Princess Cruises starting at $699 per person. If you prefer to travel in the fall, you can still find a good deal on the same itinerary for $848 per person in September. Since you'll have the greatest choice of ships midsummer, you might luck out and find a one-off deal if you can be flexible about ship and sail date. The best time of year to visit is typically when warm, sunny days are plentiful and rain is scarce.
December can be the best time to cruise the Caribbean or a slightly less awesome one, depending on you. Earlier in the month brings a lull to the islands as hurricane season has ended, though by the end of the month expect higher prices and more crowds. Because fall weather in the Caribbean is unpredictable, you'll find some of the best cruise deals of the year. As the end of November transitions to the holidays, though, Caribbean cruise prices begin to increase again. July and August can be the most expensive months to cruise the Caribbean, but there are plenty of exceptions. Because more and more ships sail the region every year, prices can be competitive for families, couples and friends planning their summer getaway.
Now that you’ve discovered the best times of the year for visiting the destinations of your dreams, it’s time to book the sailings that take you there. Visit CelebrityCruises.com to browse cruise itineraries, shore excursions, and staterooms, and book your next unforgettable cruise today. November through April is the dry season, and these months are marked by unbelievably clear days when almost any plans you make are safe from the weather’s interruption. For this reason, the dry season is one of the best times to go on a cruise to the idyllic Caribbean islands. Be aware that spring break is high season for travel disruptions caused by peak demand.
Cruise lines that sail the region all year include Viking, MSC Cruises, Costa, Celestyal and Norwegian Cruise Line. But while you might be able to cruise the Mediterranean in winter, your choice of ports is somewhat limited. We found no sailings to the popular ports of Corfu, Dubrovnik or Koper, Slovenia in December or January. In Australia, summer is the perfect season to enjoy the country's beautiful beaches, especially in the south near Sydney. However, if you plan to head north to destinations like northern Queensland, know that summer is that region's wet season. Most days are sunny, but you'll likely encounter an afternoon or evening storm.
Whatever your reasons, there is not a bad time to cruise the Mediterranean. My favorite is April for the confluence of reasonable fares, pleasant weather, manageable crowds and an abundance of itinerary and ship choices, but I have loved sailings in other months as well. The cruise season is short if you want to sail to Northern Europe, the Baltic or the Scandinavian fjords; itineraries run from April through October. However, if you love the cold and want to chase the aurora borealis in Norway, several lines offer northern lights itineraries in the winter months. Look to the shoulder season to find the best deals on Mediterranean cruises.
Tulip-viewing itineraries in the Netherlands and Belgium are especially popular. Keep in mind that heavy rains and early-spring flooding can make the rivers swell and the locks impassable. From February onward, the number of visitors swells, as U.S., European and Canadian residents flee the cold. In March and April, spring break revelers descend on destinations like the Riviera Maya, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada.
Best Time to Visit Turks and Caicos for Cruisers - Cruise Critic
Best Time to Visit Turks and Caicos for Cruisers.
Posted: Tue, 02 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
It's the last date that undecided travelers can cancel without penalty. Once final payment is due, the cruise line has a more accurate picture of who is likely to sail (since once you pay, you're likely to go, barring an emergency). If there's no best day to book a cruise for the best deal, you might think there's a best month. While you can find cheap cruises any month you look, I can give you some pointers about which months are most likely to feature cruise sales with value-added promotions. The only way to really know the best time to book a cruise is to track fares, which is not an easy task.
If you’re extremely flexible, booking last minute can save you 60% or more, as cruise lines are desperate to fill empty cabin space. But generally speaking, it’s best to book over a year in advance during the November to March sale season. You can also book discounted cruises through Costco, USAA, your credit card rewards page or CruiseCompete, where travel agents compete to offer you the best deal on your ideal cruise.
Beginning at the very end of April and into May, Antigua Sailing Week is globally known for its prestigious sailing races and parties. Tons of music and jazz festivals take place around the Caribbean this time of year, including the Pure Grenada Music Festival in May and the St. Kitts Music Festival in June. Expect more precipitation from June to September and drier conditions between November and April.
If you are looking for a specific month to cruise the Bahamas, you might want to consider January. During January temperatures have little fluctuation, and it is also the beginning of the dry season. Today, cruising is an $18.6 billion industry with countless players competing to fill ships as quickly as possible.
The shoulder seasons will also have fewer passengers and tourists — and you may even have some attractions to yourself in the cities and towns. If your heart is set on traveling to Hawaii in the summer, or you want to escape the winter's snow at home in February, look for deals with an early booking. You can also take a chance and wait for last-minute specials if you're flexible. Almost any time of year is a good time to sail to the Caribbean or Bahamas, with year-round sunny skies, warm temperatures and glistening turquoise blue waters.
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