When is the cheapest time to go on a cruise

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

I have been on about 20 cruises with 4 different cruise lines and its been my experience that there is really no time of the year when you can say cruises are ALWAYS less expensive. Cruises to Alaska have a season that is mid-May through mid-September and cruises in May and September are less than those in June, July and August. The same applies to cruises to northern Europe, to the Baltic countries like Sweden, Denmark and Norway. These are the only type cruises that have an"off season" and in both cases it's very short.

But for the most part the best way to get/find lower prices is to (1) book/look for cruises a year or more in advance; (2) look for specials on the cruise line web sites. All of the cruise lines give their best prices for cruises booked about a year or so in advance. Then the price starts to go up. All of the cruise lines have links right on their web pages to specials where the price is reduced. You can also get a lower rate by looking at ALL of the available dates for a particular cruise itinerary and go on the date when the price is lowest. Do not pick a firm date and then try to find a cheap cruise on that date. Stay away from Christmas and New Years cruises as they will be more expensive. On the other hand I have found cruises on Easter and Mother's Day that were less expensive.

The bottom line is just do some research and you can find the lowest prices for what you want to do.

seventy

you can get good bargains if you book about a year in advance

travelsbyandrew

It depends on where you are cruising. The Caribbean is cheaper during the late fall and winter months. Alaska is cheaper in May and September.

Andrew
www.travelsbyandrew.com

MomSezNo

Contrary to what some of the others have suggested, holiday times are not the cheapest time to cruise, but rather the most expensive time - especially Christmas and New Year's. Summer is also more expensive, as that's when the kids are out of school and when most families take vacations.

September, October and November [before Thanksgiving week] are less-expensive. January [after New Year's] through early March is also less-expensive, although there is a week in February [Presidents Week] when some schools have vacation, and that is not cheap. Here, I'm referring to Caribbean cruises.

For Alaska, the earliest cruises of the season [early May] and latest ones [September] will be the cheapest, though they are still fairly expensive, compared to some other destinations, as the season is so short and the demand is there.

A good site to check on what's available is VacationsToGo.com. It's an easy site to navigate and you can input several different variables to narrow the search down. Their prices are also pretty good, for the most part.

You might want to check your library and/or bookstore for books about cruising, to get a general idea of what's involved, as there are many variables that can affect the price.

heythere13

I've done alot of research because im looking to go on a cruise also. The cheapest times seem to be in early december before christmas, or right after new years

chill g

try going on a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas and it's cheaper. And when it's low season at your place of origin and low season there too. Like winter to winter.

little miss tiny =]

the down seasons in random months like febuary-beg of april.

James P

When ships are re-positioning, e.g. from Mediterranean to South America or vice versa (autumn and spring respectively). Amazingly low daily rates on some lines. The downside is you get a long voyage with few stops, not everyone's choice.

Red Rose

winter

Tismee

i think ships cruise wherevever the weather and conditions are right so there is no cheaper season. they can move to the conditions that please

Mark H

10 past 7

richard t

if your going to the carribean.hurricane season

The Geezer

when the ships gone down with food poisoning

alexvela94

the cheapest time to go on a cruise is during a holiday
think about it: a lot of people want to travel during a holiday but it costs too much
so what do the airline people do? they lower their prices to attract even more consumers!

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