When is cheapest time to cruise?

Generally speaking what would be the cheapest time of year to cruise ...is it the same time of year for all cruise lines?

The cheapest rates I've seen are usually the two weeks after Thanksgiving. January usually has a some low rates too...

October/November are usually the absolute cheapest. However, in general anytime from September to March will be cheaper than April-August.

June and July are the most expensive, in my experience.

For the Caribbean, we have found that September is the cheapest. It is still hurricane season, school has started and weather back home is still not bad. We have found that this is especially true with last minute cruises. Even hotels and cars are cheaper in September so the total cost is best in September.

 

The week after American Thanksgiving is also much lower than at other times. In between Thsnksgiving and Christmas when people are not travelling as much. Also, time for some of us from cold weather to get away.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas specifically the first couple weeks of December.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas specifically the first couple weeks of December.

Agreed--we cruise each year the week after Thanksgiving.

I prefer cruise in November, early December, and January. They seem to be the cheapest times to cruise. Although sometimes, my schedule doesn't allow me to choose exactly when I want.

It depends where you are sailing and can vary by cruise line.

 

Keith

Generally speaking what would be the cheapest time of year to cruise ...is it the same time of year for all cruise lines?

 

You'd need to qualify your question by market. Each market, i.e, Caribbean, Europe, Asia have different seasons and would result in a different answer to your question.

For many parts of the world it would be the beginning or end of the season. So for Alaska, probably the first cruise in the spring and the last in autumn

It depends where you are sailing and can vary by cruise line.

 

Keith

 

For the Caribbean, we have found that September is the cheapest. It is still hurricane season, school has started and weather back home is still not bad. We have found that this is especially true with last minute cruises. Even hotels and cars are cheaper in September so the total cost is best in September.

 

The week after American Thanksgiving is also much lower than at other times. In between Thsnksgiving and Christmas when people are not travelling as much. Also, time for some of us from cold weather to get away.

 

All of the cruise lines have what are called "peak" and "off-peak" periods which help determine pricing. I agree about cruise prices for the Caribbean in September. If you don't mind the possibility that a port stop could be cancelled or changed due to bad weather, you can find some great bargains for September. We've also found that prices tend to be lower for Caribbean cruises in the 3 - 4 week period between the end of Spring Break (usually around the end of April) and Memorial Weekend, which is typically the start of Summer cruises.

It depends where you are sailing and can vary by cruise line.

 

Keith

 

This is the correct answer. It all depends on where you are talking about cruising.

Generally speaking what would be the cheapest time of year to cruise ...is it the same time of year for all cruise lines?

 

not really. every 'area' has a season, some are quite short, like the Alaska season so prices will never be 'cheap' and others only have a few ships servicing it, so again, demand will be high and thus prices.

 

certain times of year and certain itineraries can be less expensive. for instance the 3-4 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be very reasonable, as well as itineraries like Canada/New England

 

the key thing is to find a price you are WILLING TO PAY FOR THE ACCOMMODATIONS YOU WILL ACCEPT and when you see something that fits that criteria, book it.

 

if you are not picky about things it is very possible to sail for under $100 per person per day almost anywhere.

First two weeks of November and December, last two weeks of January.

Times have changed, We used to answer the question by saying, right after Thanksgiving (before the Xmas season), late April (after Spring Break) into early May, and in Sept-Oct. But now, smart marketing and even smarter cruisers have changed to formula. In the past 5 years the great bargains go to those who can do last minute bookings (inside the final payment period) and are flexible as to itinerary and cruise line. We have started playing this game in the past 2 years, and the bargains we find are absolutely amazing. Consider a Baltic cruise in high season, on a good cruise line, for under $100 per passenger day for a decent balcony cabin, Or a 10 day cruise in Princess's newest ship (Regal) in a high category balcony for about $60 per passenger day. The Baltic cruise is in a few weeks, and we did the Princess cruise last October. Now looking for the next great bargain for sometime in mid to late October :). But the best time to snag those dates will be in September...or even early October.

 

The cruise lines always want to fill their empty cabins...but they do not want to play the game with previously booked cruisers who want last minute price adjustments. So now, they will wait until the last 4-8 weeks (up to 12 weeks with very long itineraries) and market fantastic price deals very quietly through a handful of favorite high volume cruise agencies. The catch is that these agencies are usually not permitted to publicly market the great deals (on line or via snail mail) so often restrict the offerings to only those on their direct e-mail list (these lists are nearly always free...and its just a matter of registering with the agencies). Several of our best deals only were fully disclosed when we telephoned some of these agencies. For us, it is like a treasure hunt :).

 

Hank

Edited June 29, 2016 by Hlitner

Hank, I see you are from PA, as am I... last minute booking might get you an awesome deal on cruise rate, but how to you get to port "last minute"? My personal experience is airfare is soooo much higher last minute, or even just a few weeks before travel. Please share any tricks you've got up your travel sleeve. Thanks!!

Agreed--we cruise each year the week after Thanksgiving.

Not only the cheapest but cruising the Caribbean this time of year is a delight. Air temps are nice and the water hasn't cooled much, kids are in school and the hurricanes are over..;)

Hank, I see you are from PA, as am I... last minute booking might get you an awesome deal on cruise rate, but how to you get to port "last minute"? My personal experience is airfare is soooo much higher last minute, or even just a few weeks before travel. Please share any tricks you've got up your travel sleeve. Thanks!!

 

While last minute air MAY be much more expensive than that booked in advance, it is not always the case. Of course, figuring on how to get to the port would be done simultaneously with booking the cruise. In any event a savings of $50 per person per day, on a ten day cruise, would generate $500 which would most likely far more than cover the additional airfare linked to late booking.

Generally speaking what would be the cheapest time of year to cruise ...is it the same time of year for all cruise lines?

 

To cruise where? Your question as written is unanswerable.

 

DON

Hank, I see you are from PA, as am I... last minute booking might get you an awesome deal on cruise rate, but how to you get to port "last minute"? My personal experience is airfare is soooo much higher last minute, or even just a few weeks before travel. Please share any tricks you've got up your travel sleeve. Thanks!!

 

Maybe yes, and maybe no. When I am on line just about to book a last minute deal, I am also connected to Kayak checking airline options. Sometimes all the stars align...and other times it may not work. For example, with our upcoming Baltic cruise we were able to grab a very good round trip air between Dulles and Copenhagen on SAS. On that old Princess cruise we just happened to run into a last minute SWA sale that cost us $69 from FLL to BWI (since the cruise was from Brooklyn to FLL, we only needed that one way air).

 

The reality is that last minute air deals are often just as amazing as last minute cruise deals. One has to shop around and be flexible. In our case we can use BWI, IAD, or even EWR for air (and others with more of a hassle). Sometimes, the cruise lines will even have very good last minute air pricing...although we try to avoid using cruise line/air for a bunch of reasons.

 

Hank

Edited June 29, 2016 by Hlitner

not really. every 'area' has a season, some are quite short, like the Alaska season so prices will never be 'cheap' and others only have a few ships servicing it, so again, demand will be high and thus prices.

We've had deals on some of our Alaskan cruises, including our upcoming one that I booked last week for the end of August. We're paying 45 percent less per person for our cruise fare than the same cabin will cost next year for the same week in August. A few years ago, I snagged a great deal on a Princess cruise tour to Alaska that was $2,000 less per person than the going rate for the same tour the following year.

 

Holiday cruises are known to be notoriously expensive, but even they go on sale. Since DH teaches at a community college, we're tied to his school breaks to plan our cruises. I would start a spreadsheet at the end of August for the cruises we were interested in that fit his breaks. I would track prices week by week, trying to find a great price. I was able to book the back-to-back cruises we went on a couple of years ago over New Year's for $500 less per person than when I first started watching prices. We also received $200 each in on-board credit--enough to cover our gratuities, specialty restaurants, and drinks.

 

DH retires in one month. We won't have to be tied down to his breaks anymore. I already have my eye on a Princess cruise the first week of December. Right now, the price is too high. Once again, I've started a spreadsheet to track it. I'm hoping the price comes down a lot at the end of September--after the final payment date.

Edited June 30, 2016 by geoherb

I'm shopping and compare price July 2016 vs May 2017, I don't see any different in term of pricing. This is for Alaska cruise.

I'm shopping and compare price July 2016 vs May 2017, I don't see any different in term of pricing. This is for Alaska cruise.

 

So, we assume you are looking at a shorter cruise (say 7 days) on a single cruise line, on a single basic itinerary (Alaska). Maybe you will get lucky, and maybe not. But if you expand your search to include longer cruises, on many cruise lines, to more places....then your odds of finding a great deal increase in a big way. When we decide to play the "find a bargain game" we really widen our search criteria.

 

Hank

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas specifically the first couple weeks of December.

 

We've found that to be a pretty good rule-of-thumb, regardless of which western cruise line and wherever in the world - kids are still in school and folks are preparing (or paying :eek:) for Christmas. Ditto other forms of vacation.

 

It's also the most likely time for late bargains, as per Hank's comment - as long as it doesn't involve late-booked long-haul flights, or those flights are on aircraft chartered by the cruise line ( a popular arrangement In li'l old UK)

 

JB :)

So, we assume you are looking at a shorter cruise (say 7 days) on a single cruise line, on a single basic itinerary (Alaska). Maybe you will get lucky, and maybe not. But if you expand your search to include longer cruises, on many cruise lines, to more places....then your odds of finding a great deal increase in a big way. When we decide to play the "find a bargain game" we really widen our search criteria.

 

Hank

 

Yes, 7 days and all cruise lines for Alaska. I can't go longer than 7 days. I've seen 14 days cruise, cheaper than 7 days but I wish I have the time to go. Thanks for the tip.