British Isles cruise-which month

[riki10555]

We are looking at a British Isles cruise and trying to decide which month is best for us. On the one hand 24.8-5.9 is better for us as flights and hotels  are cheaper, no school holidays (we're travelling as a couple). The question is if July and first half of August are better weatherwise. We understand there are no guarantees at any date but still, is there a big difference between those periods? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Bob++]

English school summer holidays run between the middle of July to the beginning of September. Scottish schools close from the end of June to Mid August.

 

I am not sure that the cost of cruises varies a lot unless you are looking at Disney. What is affected is the sightseeing attractions, where queues can be longer and noise levels higher. 

 

As far as the weather is concerned, it's a lottery. It's all gone to hell lately and all you can be sure of is that it will be warmer between May and September than in the winter.

[riki10555]

I didn't mean the price of the cruises. The price of flights for us is much cheaper at the end of August than July-mid August. and maybe also the hotels pre and post cruise. And of course queues as you mentioned. This is why I lean towards the cruise 24.8-5.9 (Princess). I just asked about the weather.

[SomewhereGirl]

I was on the Princess cruise that same week of 2022.  The combination of price and the ports for that sailing were great.  We had really great weather.  No rain except the morning of sailing from Southampton and then in Edinburgh.  Sunny or overcast skies for the rest of the cruise.  Mild, comfortable temps.  I had been following the weather in the weeks leading up to my sailing.  There had been a heat wave.  The Emerald Isle wasn't as emerald as I expected.  Fields were brown because there hadn't been much rain, and the heat.  But as Bob said, weather is a lottery.  

[John Bull]

Whilst it's a given that the prospects of good weather are a little better in July/early August than late August/early September, averages aren't much different and the weather-lottery has a much greater effect. And we sometimes get an "Indian Summer" which extends even into early November.

British weather can change in either direction during the course of a single day, so take a light (easily-carried) waterproof jacket or poncho even if there's a glorious start to the day.

 

If it were us, we'd choose according to other factors - costs, crowds, school holidays, etc.

 

JB 🙂

[riki10555]

Thanks everybody for your input. It's a big help.

[phabric]

If you go in August, the ship will have a late departure in Glasgow, you are able to go to the Edinburgh Tattoo. Highly recommend

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, phabric said:

If you go in August, the ship will have a late departure in Glasgow, you are able to go to the Edinburgh Tattoo. Highly recommend

I'll second the recommendation for the Scottish Military Tattoo.

 

Also, no predicting weather. We did a British Isles cruise in August 2014 and on our day in London pre-cruise we had the remnants of a hurricane.

[Harters]

We usually have one or two week-long holidays in the UK each year and, generally speaking, pick June and September for weather that's as good as it gets. No promises though - we came home early from a September 2020 trip to the Sussex coast as heavy rain was forecast for the final two days.