Best Time To Cruise?

[goldengirl33]

I just completed my first cruise on Majesty of the Seas and I had a wonderful time and ready to go again. My question is: Is there a better time to cruise as far as getting a low price?

I didn't go thru a TA for this cruise, but booked directly thru RC, Is that best? or should I go with a TA next time?

[DHADEN]

Best time to cruise???

AS SOON AS YOU CAN GET THERE!!! :D

 

Really, though. For the Caribbean, the bad months (hurricane season) for sailing are Late August & Sept. - so the prices are usually real low.

 

Other times when you can expect discounts would be whenever school is in session. When school is out is when the ships are ALWAYS full capacity.

 

There were problems we experienced the two times we used T.A. Something got screwed up or not done, and you can't reach the T.A. to fix. "She's gone to Hawaii for the week"..... And then when you call RCI to fix it, they won't talk to you because you "need to contact / go through your T.A."

 

Because of that and the fact that you can call RCI 7 days per week all the way up to 11:00 pm -

We ALWAYS book directly with RCI.

 

Hope This Helps.

[jebl]

I have usually found good prices , other than hurricane season, starting the week after Thanksgiving through the first week of Jan. That excludes the holiday cruises for Christmas and New Years. Most folks don't want to sail right before the holidays or right after so there are some pretty good prices.

 

Same holds true for land vacations in some areas. Disney is one of them but not all of FL>

[Honey's Gal]

We usually cruise in Sept or Oct. The prices seem to be much lower at at that time.

[TravelerThom]

I just completed my first cruise on Majesty of the Seas and I had a wonderful time and ready to go again. My question is: Is there a better time to cruise as far as getting a low price?

While there is a potential downside to huricane season, if you are not tied to the school schedule, that is a win-win: less crowded and lower prices. Last October we were on Explorer with maybe 35 kids; in August they had cruises with over a thousand children. I like children [indeed I was one myself once], but that's a few too many in a confined space for me. One place to look for lower prices is on repositioning cruises; they often have low cost per day, but you have to consider how it affects your airfare.

[pmfan]

I find prices are usually the best in September.

[traveling1969]

The best times pricewise seem to be the week after Labor Day through October then the week after Thanksgiving through the week before Christmas. When school is out, prices are higher. We love the first two weeks in December. Weather in the Caribbean is primo that time of year. The farther you book ahead, the better the price (barring any last minute fill-em-up deals). We can never do those as our schedule won't permit. Bon Voyage!

[yogimax]

Totally depends on where you are going!

 

Cruises to Canada and Alaska have a much different timeframe than cruises to the Caribbean.

[CruiseChick1995]

We usually cruise in Sept or Oct. The prices seem to be much lower at at that time.

 

If you're referring to Caribbean cruises:

The prices are lower then, because that's peak hurricane season. Take it from someone who lives in FL, we've been hit with the worst hurricanes during those two months. The captain will not put the ship in jeopardy, so you may not visit all the ports that were planned and you may experience some rough seas. If that doesn't bother you, go for it. I prefer to cruise in April, May or June. If I have to pay more, it's worth it.

[senrab]

I have usually found good prices , other than hurricane season, starting the week after Thanksgiving through the first week of Jan. That excludes the holiday cruises for Christmas and New Years. Most folks don't want to sail right before the holidays or right after so there are some pretty good prices.

 

Same holds true for land vacations in some areas. Disney is one of them but not all of FL>

 

I found a nice rate on my January 4, 2009 cruise, so my sampling of one data point lies within your statement.

 

While there is a potential downside to huricane season, if you are not tied to the school schedule, that is a win-win: less crowded and lower prices. Last October we were on Explorer with maybe 35 kids; in August they had cruises with over a thousand children. I like children [indeed I was one myself once], but that's a few too many in a confined space for me. One place to look for lower prices is on repositioning cruises; they often have low cost per day, but you have to consider how it affects your airfare.

 

What a beautiful way to think about kids (too bad some people don't see it that way...)...but there is such thing as overload, as some of our spring break cruisers pointed out...

[Dr_DNA]

I found that you can get pretty good rates when the sailings are first announced. Unfortunately, that means that you have to book more than a year in advance, but I've seen our next sailing increase by over $500 pp since our booking and we still have 10 or so months to go. So my advice- book early and often. :D

[cruisnpat]

The best prices we find are usually in Sept.

[Bert64]

I was looking at planning a cruise this fall, but I'm rather scared to book something during hurricane season, which apparently runs through November 30th?!

 

I know there are no guarentees, but is late October/early November a "safe" time? I think I recall it saying somewhere that prime hurricane time is late August through early October...

[CLQ]

We've flown out twice on Thanksgiving day to catch a Saturday sailing to the Caribbean. See the family, have some turkey, and head on to the airport.

 

In the Caribbean, we've found the weather to be perfect and the prices to be low. Did the Eastern route once, Western on the other. Great time to sail, snorkel, enjoy.

[alphakitty]

We love cruising during the winter months to get the heck out of here! (Winter in New England). I've found great prices cruising in mid Jan to early Feb. :)