Table Of Content
Winter is one of the best times to cruise the Caribbean, especially if you are looking to trade out blizzards for beaches. Low season, on the other hand, can lead to the best savings, but you may come across poor weather and itinerary changes (i.e. hurricane season). In some destinations, such as Australia, cruises are simply not offered by Royal Caribbean during the low season due to lack of demand. Now we're back where we started – with you booking a Caribbean cruise that works for you and your travel group.
What is the best time of year to book a cruise?
Baltic and Northern European cruises have a shorter season, running from April to October. Keep in mind that April and October can still be quite chilly in Scandinavian and Baltic Sea ports. Lines like Viking and Hurtigruten offer Northern Lights sailings to the region's northern reaches from January through March. People often wonder if there is a specific day of the week when cruise prices consistently drop.
Why now is the best time to book your 2024 cruise vacation - Cruise Blog
Why now is the best time to book your 2024 cruise vacation.
Posted: Wed, 10 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
What happens to your Caribbean cruise vacation if you book during hurricane season?
Let’s take a closer look at everything you need to know to book your Caribbean cruise at the time that’s best for you. The simple rule of thumb is that prices are lowest when school is session. Instead, what will have the biggest impact on what you pay for a cruise is when you sail, not when you book. There are rules and stipulations for each cruise line as to whether your fare is eligible to get refunded should the price goes down. You’ll want to make sure you read all the fine print of your fare before you buy.
Best Time to Sail for Cheap: Go When School Is in Session
The cruise season in Canada and New England begins in May and ends in October, with a few ships even making the voyage in April. You'll find more ships in this region between August and October as it gets closer to peak leaf-peeping season. The advantage of traveling in the shoulder season is that you can experience the towns without the summer crowds and with cooler temperatures.
Is January a good time for a cruise? - Royal Caribbean Blog
Is January a good time for a cruise?.
Posted: Thu, 07 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Evie Carrick is a writer and editor who’s lived in five countries and visited well over 50. She now splits her time between Colorado and Paris, ensuring she doesn't have to live without skiing or L'As du Fallafel. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Carnival Ship Rescues 27 People Adrift at Sea in the Caribbean
If your itinerary includes stops in Anchorage, Seward, or Whittier, you might experience rougher seas as you cross the Gulf of Alaska in September. September is also an excellent time to witness a towering Alaskan moose. With shoulder heights at 6 foot 9 inches and over 1,400 pounds, these massive animals are as dangerous as impressive, so you’ll want to view them from a distance. Birds also haven’t started their migration, so you can spot both songbirds and seabirds as you cruise along the coast.
Check ahead to make sure your itinerary will stop here, as it's usually only featured on longer 14-day cruises to Alaska. 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.
Best Months to Cruise the Mediterranean: A Year-Round Guide
During these mid to late summer months, the Caribbean is also at the greatest risk of experiencing tropical storms, multi-day rainfalls, and even hurricanes. You will, however, want to avoid booking a cruise around the holidays at the end of the year and during spring break (March and early April). Summer is from May to October, and winter falls between November and April.
If you book a cruise and see the price drop later, you should call the cruise line and request a refund of the difference. It seems like basic logic that if a cruise were about to set sail with empty rooms, the company would slash prices to get people on the ship. After all, once a room leaves empty, it earns no money for the cruise line. While the lure of last-minute cruise deals tempt people, data actually suggests that it’s a much better idea to book as far in advance as possible. While cruise lines are usually prepared to sail away from storms, it's always a good idea to supplement low fares with travel insurance for incidentals like flight changes.
During the cruise season, popular cruise lines assist travelers in enjoying all of the unique sights, wildlife, excursions, events and food. To help you find the best time to cruise to Alaska, Cruise Critic is breaking down the Alaska cruise season month by month to help you plan your bucket-list trip. Read on for average Alaska cruise prices, things to do in Alaska and everything else you'll need to decide which is the best month to cruise Alaska for you. Although these months may not bring the best weather (frequent rainfall and cold temperatures are to be expected), they are undoubtedly the cheapest months to cruise Alaska.
Many last-minute cruise fares (those sold within days from the sail date) have their prices locked. If the price drops after you book, then it can be more difficult to get the difference in cruise fare refunded. Keep in mind that July and August means families are taking advantage of school breaks and vacation days. If you're looking for a more low-key Caribbean cruise this time of year, look to the smaller islands of the region. April is the driest month for southern islands like Aruba and Curacao. Most Caribbean cruises in March and April run close to $100 per person, per night.
Except for the weeks that include holidays, ships aren't likely to be at capacity or filled with screaming children. Fares in winter are a bit below the yearly average (excluding the holiday weeks, which are often the highest of the year). Look particularly at last-minute options and those first two weeks in December. This is one of the reasons why Caribbean cruises during the summer tend to be relatively affordable.
For the real procrastinators out there, the absolute last day you can book a cruise before its departure has changed over the years. 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). The exception is world cruises (and other highly anticipated and publicized short-season sailings, like Great Lakes cruises).
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. These data points are constantly fluctuating so your best bet is to track fares throughout the week.
While many popular cruise areas such as the Caribbean, the Bahamas, the Mediterranean, and the Mexican Riviera have sailings year-round, other destinations only have a limited cruise season. The cheapest cruises are most likely going to be during the rainy season. A 14-night cruise onboard Brilliance of the Seas that departs on November 7, 2023, for instance, starts at $1,076 per person.
No comments:
Post a Comment