When is the best time to book a cruise?

Table Of Content

• What is the best time of year to book a cruise?
• Best time to cruise New England and Canada to avoid crowds
• Best time to cruise Canada and New England: September-October
• Best time to cruise Northern Europe to avoid crowds
• Best Time for a Mediterranean Cruise: April - June and September - October
• Best time to cruise Bermuda: April-June
• Another Reason to Book Early: Price Protection If Prices Fall
• Best time to cruise the Panama Canal for low prices

April is one of the best months to sail to Bermuda as the temperatures are pleasant and in the 70s, and it's one of the driest months of the year, along with May. May and early June are great options for cruises to the archipelago, and you can expect highs in the low 80s by June. The summer months are also the best time to see several species of whales off the coast of Newfoundland, including humpback whales. 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. It's also the rainy season, and it's possible to have hurricanes during these months.

What is the best time of year to book a cruise?

High season is when you'll find the most cruise options, highest prices, most crowded ships and best weather. The shoulder season coincides with moderate demand and relatively nice weather, and fares will be lower. Low season is the cheapest season -- and least busy -- but may mean sacrifices in what you can see and possible cancellations due to weather. Look for the best prices during the shoulder seasons, from September to November (spring) and from March to May (fall). 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.

Best time to cruise New England and Canada to avoid crowds

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. Peak season for Western Mediterranean cruises runs from April through November, with stops generally in Spain, France, Italy and Malta. However, November through March in Australia is also typhoon season, which may affect some ports of call (particularly in the northeast) and lead to some rough waters. Aussies generally vacation between late December and January, so expect big crowds and jammed ports during that time.

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

Wave season may be a popular time to find cruise deals, but not every company releases its best deals and promotions during that period. Sales (or lack thereof) are often based on what is and isn't selling. If a cruise is filling up quickly, the company has no reason to release a sale to entice customers.

Best time to cruise Northern Europe to avoid crowds

In the summertime, you'll have family vacations and people with vacation homes in Bermuda returning for the season and warmer weather. 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. Summer is from May to October, and winter falls between November and April.

The good news is that there is no wrong time of year to sail for most cruises, such as those heading to the Caribbean or Bahamas. Instead, what will have the biggest impact on what you pay for a cruise is when you sail, not when you book. In our experience, there isn’t much difference in the time of year that you book. For example, the same cruise isn’t automatically cheaper if you buy in January versus if you buy in July. There are rules and stipulations for each cruise line as to whether your fare is eligible to get refunded should the price goes down.

Best time to cruise Bermuda: April-June

In other words, by waiting you can actually see fewer options for cabins and locations on the ship. Stop trying to game the system and focus instead on planning the perfect cruise vacation you and your loved ones will reminisce about long after you've forgotten how much you paid for the trip. Cruises to Hawaii will be less expensive in the fall when school is in session.

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.

Best time to cruise the Panama Canal for low prices

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Truth is that cruise prices will vary, but tend to hover around the same price point, whether the trip departs next month or next year. If it's the latter, that's when you get last-minute deals on cruise ships with unsold cabins. However, even if that last-minute cruise is cheap, the 11th-hour airfare or pre-cruise hotel booking could eat into your savings. If there's no best day to book a cruise for the best deal, you might think there's a best month. While you can find cheap cruises any month you look, I can give you some pointers about which months are most likely to feature cruise sales with value-added promotions. It used to be that lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line would offer midweek sales on select cruises every Tuesday or Wednesday.

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. 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. Almost any time of year is a good time to sail to the Caribbean or Bahamas, with year-round sunny skies, warm temperatures and glistening turquoise blue waters. One more thing to keep in mind is the summer months in the tropics can often mean regular afternoon thunderstorms. (For example, Nassau in The Bahamas see about nine inches of rain in August.) Late winter and early spring months are drier.

The advantage of traveling in the shoulder season is that you can experience the towns without the summer crowds and with cooler temperatures. 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. Arrive in the fall, and you may find that tour operators and shops have begun to cut back hours or have closed. July is the height of peak season, with the warmest weather of the year and long daylight hours. It's also the best month for wildlife viewing, especially for humpback whales, brown and black bears and migrating shorebirds and puffins.

But if a cruise's departure date is fast approaching and the ship is only partially booked, prices will drop and complimentary add-ons will increase, resulting in some happy customers. Bermuda cruises sail from April through mid-November, mostly during Bermuda's beach season. By late spring, summer and fall, there are more festivals, sporting events and golf tournaments that bring visitors to the islands.

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Crowds are fewer, and there are bargains to be had, especially on larger ships and Great Barrier Reef cruises that are available year-round. If you dislike large numbers of children, avoid sailing late June through August or during school break times (late December, early January and March through mid-April). If you don't enjoy big crowds with lots of partying, avoid a cruise to Australia during the New Year's Eve festivities, as it's one of the busiest times of year for tourists, especially in Sydney. Australia Day celebrations can also draw crowds, so be aware if your itinerary includes that January holiday.

In Australia, summer is the perfect season to enjoy the country's beautiful beaches, especially in the south near Sydney. However, if you plan to head north to destinations like northern Queensland, know that summer is that region's wet season. Most days are sunny, but you'll likely encounter an afternoon or evening storm.

Everyone wants to know the cheapest day to book travel — as if fares drop like clockwork on Wednesday morning and rise with the sun on Thursday. The Bermuda hurricane season lasts from June through November, as it does for the Caribbean and U.S. But the island is generally far less likely to be struck than either of those regions, and a strike is most common between late August and October. New Zealand's beaches are also a top attraction in the summer, along with outdoor activities and water sports.