Cruise Calendar

The Best Time To Cruise

One of the most common questions we hear is this one: When is the best time to cruise in Europe, the Caribbean, New England/Canada, Hawaii or Alaska?

The answer depends on many variables and so not an easy one, at face value, to answer. Fall-foliage enthusiasts, for instance, will find September and October the best time to take that Canada/New England cruise, whereas watersports lovers (and families) much prefer to sail the region in the summer when school is out and temperatures are warm for swimming.

So what factors influence your timing? Do you need to schedule around school holidays? Is a holiday week the best time for your reunion cruise? Is your main goal to escape cold and wet winter conditions at home? Or, maybe, you have lots of flexibility (or a tight budget) and don't mind making a few tradeoffs in timing for a great deal. Your answers will influence which season is your best bet to sail in.

For most cruise regions there are periods of peak demand (high season), moderate demand (shoulder season) and low demand (low season). Several years ago, high season tended to be when the weather was best in a particular area , but as more and more families take to cruising, the summer months have become a peak-demand period regardless of the weather (at home or in the region). Families especially need to book high-season sailings as early as possible because some cruise lines limit the total number of children per sailing, and each ship has a limited number of cabins that can accommodate three or more people.

As for slow and shoulder seasons, you'll find more bargain opportunities in year-round destinations. In places like Alaska, Europe and Bermuda (where you have a five- or six-month sailing season), the off season is typically a matter of weeks on either end of the season. And, for regions like the Panama Canal, and Northern Europe and the Baltics, almost all sailings are priced "in season."

Low seasons have shrunk in many areas thanks to the boom in new cruising destinations and home ports, and cruise lines repositioning ships to the places people want to sail and at the time when they want to sail them. As one cruise line representative said, "That's the great thing about a cruise ship. We don't have to sit and wait it out for the season to change; we can follow the sun and move the ships to where people want to go."

The following is a list of cruising regions where you can still find some variability in seasons, along with the advantages and tradeoffs for sailing within each of them:

Alaska

High Season: June - August - temperatures are their warmest (highs: 50's - 70's), plus the further into the summer you are, the better your chances of seeing wildlife on the various expeditions. However, demand is so strong, you need to book months (better yet, a year) in advance to get the best land/tour packages. Keep in mind, with so many ships sailing Alaska now, there can be a tremendous amount of congestion in small town ports.

Low Season: May and September - shoulder season perks include smaller crowds and cheaper prices as a result of the weather gamble (highs: 50's - 60's) and the possibility of snow. A few caveats to note: Shore excursions have a greater chance of being canceled than in high season, especially boat and helicopter tours. In addition, Denali National Park has been known to close in September due to snow.

Bermuda

High Season: June - August - you get to pick from a wider selection of ships (and from a variety of East Coast homeports), all at a convenient time to vacation from work and school. Plus, water temperatures are ideal for watersports. Children can find fellow playmates onboard during this family-friendly season, while those craving a more adult-oriented voyage might want to select a ship that doesn't cater to kids.

Low/Shoulder Season: April - May; September - October - humidity haters will love the much milder temps and breezy weather; however, there are a few weather trends to note. While Bermuda does not have a month besieged by rain, October tends to be its rainiest. And, Bermuda's big weather caveat: hurricane season traditionally affects the island at least once a year from late August - October. Whereas in the Caribbean, a hurricane threat will have you substituting an island or two, here your Bermuda cruise can turn into a Canada/New England jaunt. If your heart is set on Bermuda, May is your best bet.

Canada/New England

High Season: September and October - can you say fall foliage? This time of year fetches high prices on land and sea for quintessential autumn in New England. Here you can see the leaves at various stages of color as you cruise up the East Coast to Canada, plus the cooler temperatures make for nice strolling about in the various port cities. And, since most children are back in school, you can enjoy a slightly quieter cruise.

Low/Shoulder Season: July and August - the excellent summer weather makes touring the Canadian towns especially nice (highs hover in the low 70's as opposed to the 50's in the fall). It's also the best time for watersports enthusiasts and families thanks to the warm temperatures in the water and out.

The Caribbean

High Season: Late June - August; Christmas and New Year's weeks; February through mid-April - the two main groups of cruisers sailing in the peak season are families off from school and cruisers seeking the sun. It's a great time to sail with kids - children's programs are in full swing, and available even on lines that don't normally cater to kids. Plus it's easy for children to make friends onboard.

Low Season: Late April - May; September - early January (excluding holiday weeks) - one of the biggest benefits of some of these months is the great weather and smaller crowds, usually at hundreds less per person than you'd pay at peak times. Hurricane season (June - November) still poses a threat; if one is brewing somewhere in Florida or the Caribbean, it can mean a change in ports of call as the ship alters course to avoid the storm. It can also mean a challenge getting to ports of embarkation that happen to be in the hurricane belt.

Hawaii

High Season: March - April; June - August; holiday sailings - as is the case in the Caribbean, if kids are out of school, it's high season. NCL America has the largest presence in Hawaii, offering inter-island itineraries all year long on its contemporary Pride of Hawaii, Pride of America and Pride of Aloha. Other lines offer more sporadic sailings, usually influenced by the repositioning of ships.

Low/Shoulder Season: Late August; Late November; February (minus holiday weeks) and May - great weather and less crowded ships (less 3rd and 4th passengers since kids are back in school) can found on autumn sailings. If you have children, and are able to take them out of school, autumn sailings are a great time to get more individualized attention in the children's programs since there are far fewer children onboard. Keep in mind: January is one of the coolest and wettest times of the year in Hawaii (yet land and sea water temperatures still average in the 70's). At the same time, the winter months are prime whalewatching times!

Hurricanes rarely affect the islands; August and September are when they come the closest, stirring up hot, humid weather and tropical storms.

Eastern & Western Mediterranean

High Season: May - August; spring and fall sailings for lines offering only those dates - both European and American families flock to many of the summer sailing dates (especially August), making for a nice cultural mix of passengers. As with all places in season, the tradeoffs will be bigger crowds, higher prices and steamy temperatures.

Low/Shoulder Season: March - April; September - November; some year-round sailings - this is the time to cruise the mega-ships minus lots of kids. Plus, the weather is ideal in late spring and early fall (note: November can be rainy in some areas of the Mediterranean), and great deals can be found with some of the luxury lines offering "2 for 1" or free airfare specials.