Planning a cruise vacation can be a daunting task, especially during the pandemic. To get the best deals, it's important to know when is the best time to book a cruise. Royal Caribbean ends its cruise season in April or May, so if you can book a cruise then you'll find great deals. In addition, November tends to be a month with less demand.
The best time of year to book a cruise is usually from January to March, also known as wave season. During this period, sales take place across the industry and the price of the cruise you've been dreaming of can drop significantly. It's also a good time to look for booking promotions, such as free upgrades, prepaid tips, or money for onboard expenses. If you're short on cash right now, cruise lines offer deals with lower deposits to book cabins from time to time.
Late July to November may be some of the best times to book a cruise to Mexico in terms of prices. The real incentive is the amount of bonuses that cruise lines add to their promotions, making it difficult to stop booking a cruise (or three). Sometimes it can be an incentive to book and receive onboard credit, or an offer where more passengers travel at a discount or a percentage of the cruise's total. They also tend to have access to special rates or benefits that you won't be able to find on your own, and they usually offer their own set of bonuses as an incentive to book through them. The months of June to August offer the warmest weather and are therefore the best time to cruise Alaska (and the most popular).
Cruises to Hawaii tend to be cheaper from November to February, with the exception of vacation cruises. Book a fare and, if you see it drop later, you can call the cruise line and get a refund of the price difference or receive the difference as an onboard credit. The only way to really know when is the best time to book a cruise is to keep track of the rates, which is no easy task. However, if each cruise line reduced prices at the last minute, people would notice and wait to book their trip. Plan ahead and take advantage of all the offers available in order to get the best deal for your dream vacation.
