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On the other hand, August is also notorious for hurricanes disrupting travel to Caribbean ports. Aruba, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and St. Thomas often have average high temperatures of more than 90 degrees during the day. The heat can make time on the beaches or shopping in the cruise ports uncomfortably hot. Recreational land activities on arid islands such as Aruba are even more uncomfortable. The words “summer cruise in the Caribbean” may bring visions of warm weather and frollicking in the waves.
Best time to go on a cruise - The Points Guy
Best time to go on a cruise.
Posted: Tue, 02 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
What happens to your Caribbean cruise vacation if you book during hurricane season?
For example, a 14-night sailing to the Baltic with Holland America is $949 in early May 2023 but $1,329 in mid-June. Springtime will be the quietest time to visit the Aloha State, although you might find an uptick of families traveling for spring break during March and April. The summer is the busiest time for vacationers, and the winter months bring whale-watching enthusiasts and surfers. There are also two major sporting events in January, so you'll want to avoid the crowds on Oahu and Maui during that month. Summer is peak season with family vacations and honeymooners, so prices will be higher then.
The best time to cruise Alaska
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). The spring and fall are the optimal times to visit, with fewer tourists, cooler temperatures and lower prices. You'll also find that most everything is open during that time and easier to see without battling the crowds. The best time to cruise to the Caribbean without all the tourists is typically in late fall and between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. You can also avoid the crowds in late April and early May after the spring break rush but before school lets out and summer vacations begin. The beginning of September is much like August, but after the kids go back to school and the family crowd departs, it's shoulder season for cruising and pricing drops.
Travelling on Cruises in January - February
The only way to really know the best time to book a cruise is to track fares, which is not an easy task. Luckily, rate tracking on the Shipmate app and Cruise Critic make it a bit more realistic. They'll let you know if there's a price drop, taking some of the extra work off your plate.
Because more and more ships sail the region every year, prices can be competitive for families, couples and friends planning their summer getaway. The late spring and early summer months are great for enjoying the Caribbean at its relative quietest. Hot temperatures make long days near the sea enticing, though you are more likely to encounter a day or two of rain in some parts of the Caribbean in May or June.
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Anglers will find opportunities to reel in halibut along with king and sockeye salmon and rainbow trout. In addition to humpbacks, you might also spot belugas and seals with their pups as you sail. As someone who has cruised Alaska many times, I love cruising in May when the weather is dry and locals are emerging from their winter cocoons, embracing the sunshine. The wildlife is doing the same, and you might spot bears with their cubs, moose with their calves and humpback whales returning from their winter home in Hawaii. Considering it’s been eight years and one industry-shattering pandemic since that data was collected, it may no longer be relevant.
Understanding When and Why Cruise Prices Drop
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. Because of this, the spring or fall can be a wonderful time to cruise these regions of Europe. Temperatures are not nearly as warm as in the summer, making it a perfect time to sightsee in cities like Rome and Paris. In addition, crowds will be far fewer as many families are at work and school.
t Caribbean Cruise Tips
Best Time to Cruise to Cozumel: A Month-by-Month Guide - Cruise Critic
Best Time to Cruise to Cozumel: A Month-by-Month Guide.
Posted: Wed, 21 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Say there was a month or two out of the year when cruises were drastically cheaper for you to book, no matter when you sailed. If that were the case, passengers would catch on and wait until then to book. For example, a seven-night round-trip voyage from Long Beach, California, along Mexico's Pacific coast with Carnival Cruise Line starts at $629 in June. While holding off may result in a once-in-a-lifetime deal, keep in mind that your cabin and category choices may be minimal and there's no guarantee you'll be able to book at all.
How Much Cruise Lines Spend on Food (Less Than You Think?)
Arrive in the fall, and you may find that tour operators and shops have begun to cut back hours or have closed. In the end, the best time to cruise may come down to where you can go for the right price when your schedule allows a vacation. We've compiled the best times to cruise to the most popular cruise destinations based on the weather, lowest prices and fewer crowds. 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.
However, by the peak summer season in late June and July, the starting price is $921 per person. Whether the winter months are the best time to book a cruise depends on which itinerary you're hoping to book and how popular that sailing is that year. In a year when Alaska cruises are popular, the wave season promotions in January and February might not be especially good because the lines don't need to discount to fill cabins. But if Alaska cruise bookings are soft, the wave season specials could be the best of the year as cruise lines pull out all the tricks to fill ships. When school is back in session, it’s much more difficult for many people to set sail. That means cruise lines offer cheaper cruises in an effort to get more people on the ship during these times.
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. The best overall credit card for booking a cruise may be the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for a few reasons.
Many cruise lines offer short seasons or mix up itineraries, so there's not much grounds for comparison. However, if you want a deal, the one thing that's certain is you should not sail over the holidays. The official Atlantic hurricane season, June 1 to Nov. 30, falls within shoulder season, so you may need to weigh low prices with the risk of a storm affecting your trip. Also, some fares in the summer months can be higher with many families taking vacations.
The cheapest cruise fares to Alaska are found during the shoulder season months of May and September. In September 2024, for instance, you can book a 7-night one-way cruise on Radiance of the Seas for less than $450 per person for an inside cabin. Balcony cabins are always more expensive; however, they are often still less than $1,000 per person during the shoulder season. Summer months tend to be more expensive than cruises in the shoulder season. Likewise, since many cruises to the Bahamas are only 3- and 4-nights, any 3-day weekend will see an increase in pricing, too.
The shoulder seasons, when temperatures are warming up or cooling off, are a less busy time to cruise Australia and New Zealand and offer slightly lower fares. 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. The shoulder season months are also the least crowded times to visit Alaska because kids are in school and fewer families are vacationing. Just be aware that if you head to Alaska early in the spring, some of the stores may not have opened yet.
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