Cruise ship holidays are a popular option for many Britons – but they aren’t always that cheap. The good news is that shoulder season is here – that’s the time between summer’s peak season and winter’s offseason. Travelling at this time sees cruise lines lowering their prices and offering great cruise deals. Three will also be fewer crowds. Autumn is a great time to travel for many regions – just maybe pack an extra jumper!
Adam Coulter, UK Managing Editor at Cruise Critic, told Express.co.uk: “Many experienced cruisers often say that Shoulder Season – a time window that is not quite high season and not quite low season – is the ideal time to take a cruise.
“The key benefit of cruising in a shoulder season is that you can often enjoy similar or slightly more temperate weather from peak seasons in any particular area but without the crowds and the higher prices.
“It also usually means that most children are at back school – so you tend to get a quieter experience both onboard and ashore.
“Various factors influence when the shoulder season takes place in different locations.
“Mediterranean cruises and European river cruises in early May to late June and mid-September and October, are a popular choice with Brits, especially since temperatures usually remain moderate.”
For instance, this time of year can see cheaper cruises to Northern Europe – while bigger savings for the Mediterranean will be seen in late November and early December when it gets cooler. Consequently, consider cruise trips to Scandinavia, Iceland and Russia.
Reasonable discounts on European river cruises can be snapped up for early to mid-October, before the onslaught of Christmas market cruises at the end of November through December.
Viking River Cruises are currently offering discounts plus free airfare. Eligible voyages include: Paris to Prague, Budapest to Passau, and Lisbon to Porto. The offer is valid through 30 September 2019.
Avalon Waterways customs can save $1,000 per couple on select 2020 Europe river cruises, including Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest and Berlin. Offer valid through 4 November 2019.
Hurtigruten are offering savings of up to 25 per cent on Iceland Expedition Cruises (setting sail between June and September 2020) if passengers book by 30 September 2019.
Another tip is to consider travelling to the other side of the Atlantic during hurricane season.
“Hurricane season from late summer to early autumn in the Caribbean and in Hawaii is considered a shoulder season,” said Coulter.
Bermuda, Hawaii and the Caribbean all see prices fall during shoulder season.
If holidaymakers buy travel insurance and are flexible with flights, they could benefit from good cruise deals. The Atlantic hurricane season runs until 30 November.
Silversea are offering free roundtrip air on Caribbean cruises, plus free transfers when you book cruises with them on various Caribbean itineraries throughout 2019. Offer valid through 30 September 2019.
Passengers can also save 15 per cent on select 2019 and 2020 Regent Caribbean cruises if booked before the end of the month.
Globetrotters should be aware, however, that this time of year will not always see savings on the other side of the pond.
“While autumn might be shoulder season in the Caribbean, it is peak leaf-peeping season in Canada and New England making it prime travel time,” cautioned Coulter.
He added: “May and September bracket the short Alaskan cruise season with mini-shoulder seasons and slightly lower prices.”
Experts at search engine monitoring tool Cruisewatch have also shared their top tips. By booking at the best time of year you could save over 70 per cent on cruises. They found that, as the date of departure approaches, cruise prices fluctuate to a greater extent.
“According to our intensive data analysis of over 1.8 million data points, many of the world’s 15 cruise regions show the highest maximum price reduction between 75 and 55 days before departure,” said Cruisewatch.
“These include North America (71 per cent), the Middle East (64 per cent), South America (56 per cent), and Southern Europe (59 per cent).”