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For other cruise lines, you can apply the same strategy or also search one month before your vacation and pick up great last-minute deals. There is a great deal of stateroom availability in the cruise industry overall. You will be ahead of the game to likely find more availability of cabins on the ship and great deals that will get your vacation off to the best start possible. Cruises are great vacations to book and take year-round but some times of the year are better times than others to book a cruise.
Caribbean and Bahamas
When you see one, you'll know it's as good a time as any to book your next cruise vacation. People often wonder if there is a specific day of the week when cruise prices consistently drop. Unfortunately, fares don't rise and fall on a set schedule, and it's impossible to predict when they'll change. One 2016 study by CruiseWatch.com found that, on average, cruise fares dropped the most on Thursdays.
Repositioning cruises 2024 and 2025: A guide to one-way, seasonal cruise travel - The Points Guy
Repositioning cruises 2024 and 2025: A guide to one-way, seasonal cruise travel.
Posted: Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Best Time for a Mediterranean Cruise: April - June and September - October
If you want to experience the Chinese New Year in China, which typically occurs in January, look for an itinerary that sails there over that time so you can experience the festivities firsthand. Winter is a popular time of year for those looking to escape the cold. If you’re looking for a warm reprieve from the snow, then the best time of year to cruise for you may be in February or March. There are two key times to book your Cruise vacation to save the most money. Typically, there is a very fair penalty period and a tiered system of deposits allowing would-be cruisers to pay an amount proportionate to the duration or category of their sailing. For example, a 3-night Bahamas vs the 7-night Mediterranean; or an interior cabin vs a suite.
The best time to book cruises by day, month, and last-minute
And that's a big plus for been-there, done-that cruisers eager to experience new ports of call. Booking a cruise is a lot like booking a flight (which, you may also have to do to reach your ship). There are countless resources out there to help, ranging from travel agents to booking sites like Cruisewatch and CruiseDirect. Considering it’s been eight years and one industry-shattering pandemic since that data was collected, it may no longer be relevant. It also is a good time of year to look for a last-minute cruise deal if the seven- or 10-day weather forecast shows a low chance of rain.
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There isn't necessarily one month that's better than another, but cruise lines love to tie sales to major holidays. Just to confirm this theory, I reached out to a travel agent to get a sense of their experience. Considering how many cruises they book every day, I wanted to know if there was a better day of the week to book a cruise. While there are exceptions and times when a promotion seems lucrative, the best time to book a cruise is when you see a price that fits in your budget and and seems like a good price. If you think it's a good deal, go ahead and pull the trigger on booking it.
The Best Time to Cruise Alaska: A Month-by-Month Guide
The summer months are also the best time to see several species of whales off the coast of Newfoundland, including humpback whales. To avoid crowds in port, try not to cruise during the Panamanian festivals that take place in early spring and from November into the winter. These festivals can also affect the opening of attractions, restaurants, banks and other venues you might want to visit ashore. The Panama Canal cruise season picks up at the end of the rainy season, so you'll find fewer tourists during October and November when the weather is still wet. You'll find moderate temperatures (in the mid-70s to low 80s) and drier weather in January and February.
When is the best time to take a Caribbean cruise?
So you’ll find the cheapest time to book a cruise is in the fall and winter. The best time to cruise to Europe is between spring break and summer vacation (April/May) and in early fall (September/October). Prices are lower and crowds are smaller compared to peak summer months, and temperatures are cool without being simmering or frigid. The earlier in the cruise season you go, the more likely it is you’ll encounter snow or rainfall on your Alaska shore excursions.
Best and Worst Times to Cruise the Caribbean
If you're after that sweet spot of cheaper fares and perfect weather, the best time to cruise to Mexico is from November through January. Skies during this period are mostly clear, temperatures are warm and crowds are smaller (with the exception of Christmas and New Years). That's true if you're after bright and warm Riviera Maya weather or optimal conditions in the Mexican Riviera on the Pacific Coast as well. If you're considering a summer or early fall Hawaii cruise, note that seas can be rough in August.Wondering if September is a good time to go to Hawaii? Well, while the islands aren't generally hit by hurricanes, they come closest in September and weather patterns can bring hot, humid weather to the islands despite technically being dry season. They can also kick up storms that lead to rough seas and less-than-ideal excursion conditions.
Don’t Forget to Ask for Receipts in the Southern Caribbean
When to book a cruise is a battle between cost savings and preference. If you book early and the sailing goes on sale, you miss out on the savings, conversely, if you wait to book, the airfare may increase and offset potential savings. We get Florida resident last-minute cruise deals all the time at Pixie Vacations and they are so good we often contemplate moving to Florida.
July and August are the hottest months with high humidity, but it's a great time to hit the beach with water temperatures around 81 degrees. The summer offers some of the nicest weather, with daytime highs in Boston and New York between 80 and 90 degrees. Along the coastal areas in Maine and Canada, you'll find highs in the 70s in July.
Panama and the bordering countries in Central America have a tropical climate with lush landscapes and rainforests, so you can expect wet weather at certain times of the year. The height of the Panama Canal cruise season is between October and April. 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 spring (April and May) and the fall (September and October) afford some of the best weather in the Mediterranean, with sunny days and comfortable temperatures.
That’s when you’ll see Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals that will likely sell out well before wave season can even begin. Many destinations still have above average rainfall during October and November, which makes late fall a risky time to cruise. Anyone who considers going during the late fall may find that cruise prices are lower than average because of lower demand. For the most part, the best time to cruise the Caribbean is January through April during the dry season, especially in April when temperatures are warmer. The worst time is September and October during the peak months of the Caribbean hurricane season. Many people choose to cruise to Europe in the shoulder months of April and May or September and October.
Sometimes you may be forced to choose between the cheapest possible fare and one that offers a greater total value, given the included perks. Knowing when cruise lines will likely run promotions will help you strategize, but sales can pop up anytime — and not every promotion offers the cheapest fares. Booking a cruise just days before sailing should only be attempted by travelers within an easy drive of the cruise port. You should also make sure that you have time to get any necessary documentation, as well as make related travel plans.
Cruise fares can be cheaper, though weather in the Riviera Maya and Cozumel will be oppressively humid. While it will still be dry in the Mexican Riviera, weather in Cabo and other Pacific Coast destinations will be incredibly hot. Whether you want to have a summer vacation or a winter getaway, the weather somewhere in the Caribbean is always warm and welcoming. That would lead to fewer people booking throughout the year; instead they would wait until that one time a year when cruises were cheaper. That’s why there’s not a best time of year to actually buy your cruise. Many last-minute cruise fares (those sold within days from the sail date) have their prices locked.
As you can see, the prices for this trip are similar from one year to the next, though there is some variation across weeks. Where you can get burned waiting until last-minute is with cabin selection. If you wait until a couple of weeks before the cruise sails, then you’re going to be left with cabins that other passengers didn’t want.
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