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We like this because it takes out the middleman in booking your sailing. Should there be an issue, you can call the cruise line directly and everything is dealt with through their site. Waiting until at least February or March is a good idea for avoiding crowds, as Australian and New Zealander kids’ summer break generally runs from mid-December through January. For a voyage in northern Australia, consider March or later, as the cyclone season runs through February. For the lowest crowds, look for one of the few voyages sailing in the winter or early spring.
The best time to book is the moment you know what you want to experience
I'd love to give you a magic date to circle in red on your calendar, so you'd know for sure that was the best time to book a cruise. The truth is there's no one best day, but knowing a few things about how cruise lines price cabins and when they tend to run promotions will help you identify high-value deals. When you see one, you'll know it's as good a time as any to book your next cruise vacation. The best time to book a cruise is when you've done your planning, picked a ship and found a cruise fare that fits your budget and offers good value.
Alaska Cruise in September: Alaska Temperatures Start to Drop
All this talk of the best time to book a cruise raises the question of how far in advance you should book. The key to the answer is recognizing that cruise lines adjust pricing as cabins sell out (or fail to do so) on any given ship and itinerary. Alaska is a special place to cruise because it’s very different from standard tropical cruise destinations.
Rule #4: DON’T get distracted by cruise line sales
This means you don’t have to wait to reserve your spot on some of our most sought-after itineraries. That may sound like a great reason to wait to book onboard, but waiting to book a cruise until you get on a ship is a mistake. Early January is a particularly good time to book a fall cruise because many others have not booked these cruises.
The two shoulder seasons – from April to early June and September to October – offer comfortable temperatures, but you'll need to dress in layers. For example, a seven-night round-trip cruise in November or early December 2024 with Norwegian Cruise Line starts at $1,649. Fares for seven-night cruises in May 2024 are as low as $499 per person on an MSC cruise sailing round-trip from Miami and even less expensive at $399 per person come September. January is the beginning of the dry season, so the humidity is lower, and the temperatures are in the 70s and 80s.
We have booking specialists onboard our ships who are happy to meet with you to help you plan your next cruise. For those who think that later is better, waiting until the last minute to book your cruise has some advantages, especially if you’re flexible about stateroom location, dining times, and shore excursions. When it comes to the best time to book a cruise, many people think that they can save a lot of money by booking their trip at the right time. For example, if you book early in the year you might save money compared to booking in the height of summer. If you are booking Christmas week, summer, spring break or any times when kids are out of school, expect to pay top dollar for your cruise.
You can also search the cruise line websites—some, like Holland America, have pages on their website dedicated to last-minute deals. We polled travel advisors who specialize in cruises to better understand when the best time to book a cruise is. These special limited-time offers (you have to book before the last day of your cruise) are worth seeking out. You’ll likely see them advertised during your cruise, but if not, make sure you head to the reservations lounge and ask what sort of onboard booking offers are available during your cruise. “Wave Season” is a cruise industry term for the time of year in which cruise lines tend to offer their best promotions.
13 expert-approved tips for saving money when booking a cruise - CNN Underscored
13 expert-approved tips for saving money when booking a cruise.
Posted: Fri, 07 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Other cruise lines
If you're seeking a slightly cheaper river cruise in Europe, spring can mean flowers in glorious bloom and milder temperatures. 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. 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.
For cruises, booking with a travel agent will still get you some of the best deals. That’s because 82% of luxury cruise sales in the USA are still handled by travel agents and our tremendous amount of booking volume will generally get you better rates than if you attempted to book on your own. There are finite dates for Christmas sailings and New Year’s Eve, so plan on booking at least one year to 18 months in advance.
Book 18 months to two years in advance if you want to sail during the peak months of July and August. By late spring, summer and fall, there are more festivals, sporting events and golf tournaments that bring visitors to the islands. In the summertime, you'll have family vacations and people with vacation homes in Bermuda returning for the season and warmer weather. Bermuda's cruise season runs between April and November, with a few ships calling on Royal Naval Dockyard in December.
The summer months and early fall will have some of the best rates, but you'll need to take into consideration the hotter temperatures in the summer that can reach into the 90s – and with high humidity. It's also the rainy season, and it's possible to have hurricanes during these months. The advantage of traveling in the shoulder season is that you can experience the towns without the summer crowds and with cooler temperatures. The cruise season in Alaska runs from mid-April to September, with a few cruise lines extending the season into early October.
Through years and years of bookings, the cruise lines know which rooms are most desirable and charge accordingly. If a cruise line really needs to fill rooms, they will simply lower the price of the specific cruise instead of offering a fleetwide discount via a sale. We selected this cruise because it runs weekly, giving us a chance to compare the price of the trip over multiple years and see the trends in the fare.
Still, going more long term with your cruise buying strategy and investigating other booking times, different promotions and future benefits is not a bad idea - for a number of reasons. Wi-Fi, tips and drinks — like cocktails, wine and specialty coffees — are included in most Celebrity cruise bookings, however the cheapest rates can be purchased without them. Right now, a four-day cruise from Miami to the Bahamas is around $440 per person, including taxes, for an inside state room. When considering the best time to go on a cruise, there are multiple factors that have to be accounted for — namely the region you want to sail. The best time for a Caribbean cruise isn’t going to be the same as the best time for a northern Europe or Alaska voyage, for example. Other factors like cost, weather, and crowds might also be things you take into consideration.
Though the busiest season for Mediterranean cruises is typically July and August, the temperatures can be unbearably hot (85 degrees and higher). Shoulder season in the Caribbean is May through November, the months just before peak season, which is December through April. This is the time when you'll typically find better deals on pricing, especially in May and September to November.
This strategy is best for cruisers who live close to a homeport and don't have to rely on last-minute airfare. You want to lock in a good rate, secure your favorite cabin and a pick specific ship and itinerary -- especially popular ones that tend to sell quickly, are one-off voyages, or are otherwise in high demand. Rather than blowing out prices on last-minute voyages, many cruise lines have started upping their amenity games when it comes to attracting last-minute cruisers (though superb discounts can still be found). The only way to really know the best time to book a cruise is to track fares, which is not an easy task.
Where there is a difference during winter months is with your departure port. If you are sailing from a port in the United States (outside of South Florida), then the winter months can be cold. That means the first day of your cruise during the winter can be chilly as the ship heads south. Like airfare, cruise fares can move up and down over time (though not near as drastically). If you book a cruise and see the price drop later, you should call the cruise line and request a refund of the difference. When it comes to booking a cruise, everyone wants to get a good deal.
