The Best Time to Book a Cruise for a Good Deal

Table Of Content

• Best time to cruise Canada and New England: September-October
• Late vs. Early Booking: When to Book a Cruise for the Best Price
• These Are the Best Times to Book a Cruise for Deals, Optimal Rooms, and More
• When to Book Christmas Markets River Cruises
• Cruises
• Best time to cruise Alaska: June-August
• What to Do in Alaska: Top Things to Do in July
• Best time to cruise the Caribbean and Bahamas: December-May

You can often land deals if you travel during the early weeks of December and in the later spring, when weather is still mostly calm and dry. For ships that sell out more slowly, or unexpectedly encounter a rash of cancellations before final payment, cruise lines may slash rates at the last minute to fill empty cabins. That's when you might find inside cabins for $50 per person, per night, on a weeklong cruise, and great deals on outside and balcony cabins. Many cruise lines come out with their best fares when itineraries first go on sale, and then raise the rates as the ships sell out. This is especially true with luxury cruises, new or popular mainstream ships and Disney cruises that tend to book up well in advance. Booking early also gets you your pick of cabins -- especially if you want a suite or a specific room, including solo cabins -- and dining times.

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Best time to cruise Canada and New England: September-October

Lines like Viking and Hurtigruten offer Northern Lights sailings to the region's northern reaches from January through March. May and late-October Canada and New England cruises are the cheapest times to cruise, but don't expect to be using the onboard swimming pool much. May in Bermuda is your best bet for shoulder season travel if you're after discounts and the highest likelihood for sunny skies and warm temperatures. Even so, you can expect temperate weather year-round, and far less humidity than islands farther south. If it's too chilly for the beach in the shoulder season, you can always try out the island's many golf courses and spas.

Late vs. Early Booking: When to Book a Cruise for the Best Price

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A similar seven-night itinerary from Boston to Quebec City in late September starts at $1,279 per person. 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.

These Are the Best Times to Book a Cruise for Deals, Optimal Rooms, and More

A cruise is a fun and convenient way to discover new destinations and spend a relaxing vacation with family and friends. Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a seasoned veteran, there’s always something new to discover on the high seas. River cruises take place on smaller ships that travel on rivers, offering a more intimate and immersive experience. Cruise ships have a limited number of places for children of each age group, and family cruising is quickly becoming more and more popular. I’ve seen so many people miss out on being able to book a cruise because they’ve left it too late and there are no spaces left for children – although there may be plenty of adult places left.

Staying flexible and booking it during a week where there are no official holidays in sight and there is lots of capacity, like the Caribbean. 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.

Whereas Australian and South American cruises are the best during the winter holidays where the sun is good and warm. With this in mind, I have my clients book at least 8 months or more out from their select departure date. These 3-4 day cruises are also a nice way to try a cruise for a first-time cruiser or to try a new cruise line. 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. As time goes by the cruise prices go up for Disney Cruise Line because of the limited availability.

Best time to cruise Alaska: June-August

You’ll find that the deals offered aren’t that much different than those found the rest of the year. There isn’t really a “bad” time to cruise to Mexico’s west coast, as the weather ranges from balmy to hot the majority of the year, and cruise ships sail there year-round. There isn’t necessarily any “bad” time to cruise to the Caribbean or Bahamas, with the region welcoming cruise ships all year-round. However there are things to take into consideration, such as hurricane season which runs from June through November.

What to Do in Alaska: Top Things to Do in July

It’s a magical time to be in Europe, with opportunities to be dazzled by glowing lights and the scents and sounds of the Christmas season in The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and beyond. Warm up with a mug of warm spiced wine – better known as gluhwein by locals – as you shop for souvenirs from ornaments to sweets and assorted religious keepsakes at the magical markets. Antarctica is the coveted “seventh continent” for world travelers, providing a singular opportunity to see penguins, impressive glaciers, and be near the South Pole. Cruise to the Arctic to visit Greenland, Iceland, and northern Norway.

Best time to cruise the Caribbean and Bahamas: December-May

Unlike retail and technology stores, for example, cruise pricing does not drastically change on Black Friday. You might find that the Black Friday promotion is nearly the same as other promotions during the year. "There isn't a best day of the week to book a cruise, as prices change often," said Sharla Manglass, Travel Planner with MEI & Mouse Fan Travel. There are definitely better days of the week to book a flight, but that's not the case with cruises. It's understandable why you might think there's a special or better time to book a cruise, because in other forms of travel there are inside scoops on when is the best time to book.

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. May and September can also be great times to cruise Alaska if you'd like to save a little money. Whale watching is good in both months, as gray and humpback whales migrate to and from the state.

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. This usually means there are no or limited balcony rooms, and the locations of available rooms are often less desirable. There’s very little evidence to suggest that there’s an ideal day of the week or month to book a cruise. Today, cruising is an $18.6 billion industry with countless players competing to fill ships as quickly as possible.

April through early June and September to November are typically when you'll find the cheapest prices. Norwegian Cruise Line has a seven-night itinerary sailing round-trip from Boston in April that starts at $779 per person. Summertime is busy in Canada and New England because of the optimal weather and family vacations. You can also expect more ships and crowds in town during late September and October at the height of the leaf-peeping season.

I can't know for sure, though I can guess that peak-season trips to popular destinations on a newer cruise ship are more likely to sell quickly. Christmas and New Year's cruises, top suites and limited specialty cabins (such as solo and family cabins) also tend to sell out early. The Bermuda cruise season generally runs from late March into early November. For mild weather, cheaper cruise fares, and fewer crowds, try to sail right at the beginning of the season in April or May.