Canadian World Traveller Summer 2019 Issue

52
When is the Best Time to Cruise?
by cruisecritic.com
Photo: Crystal cruises
It's one of the most common cruising questions:
When is the best time to cruise
Alaska (or the Caribbean, Canada/New
England, Hawaii or Europe)?
The answer depends on many variables. Fall
foliage enthusiasts, for instance, will find
September and October the best time to take
that Canada/New England cruise, whereas
water sports-lovers (and families) much prefer
to sail the region in the summer when
school is out and temperatures are warm for
swimming. The best time to cruise to Alaska
will vary depending on your preferences for
viewing wildlife, fishing, bargain-shopping,
sunshine, warm weather and catching the
northern lights.
The first step is to consider the factors that
influence your timing. Do you need to schedule
around school breaks -- or want to avoid
kids? Is a holiday week the best time for your
cruise? Is your main goal to escape frigid
temperatures at home? Or maybe you have
lots of flexibility (or a tight budget) and don't
mind making a few trade-offs in timing for a
steal on a cabin. Your answers will influence
which sailing season is your best bet.
For most cruise regions, there are periods of
peak demand (high season), moderate
demand (shoulder season) and low demand
(low season). Not so long ago, high season
tended to be when the weather was best in a
particular area (and when all the Northerners
flocked to the sun). But as more and more
families take to cruising, the summer months
have become a peak-demand period,
regardless of the weather (at home or in the
region). Families especially need to book
high-season sailings as early as possible
because some cruise lines limit the total number
of children per sailing, and each ship has
a limited number of cabins that can accommodate
three or more people.
Slow and shoulder seasons yield the most
bargain opportunities in year-round destinations.
In places like Alaska and Bermuda,
where you have a five- or six-month sailing
season, the off-season is a few weeks after
cruises begin and before they end. For
regions like the Panama Canal and Northern
Europe, almost all sailings are priced "in season."
The following is a partial list of cruising
regions and the best time to cruise them.
Alaska
High Season: June through August
Quirks & Perks of Sailing in Season:
Temperatures are at their warmest (highs:
50s to 70s Fahrenheit), plus the further into
the summer you are, the better your chances
of seeing wildlife on the various expeditions.
The downside: Demand is so strong, you
need to book months (better yet, a year) in
advance to get the best land and tour packages.
Keep in mind, with so many ships sailing
Alaska now, there can be a tremendous
amount of congestion in small-town ports. To
minimize joining the masses, select a ship
that sails during the week. For a pricing
advantage, northbound glacier routes tend to
be cheaper than southbound.
Low Season: May and September
Quirks & Perks of Sailing in the Off Season:
Shoulder-season perks include smaller
crowds and cheaper prices as a result of the
weather gamble (highs: 50s to 60s) and the
possibility of snow. May sailings typically
encounter less rain than summer cruises, and
the scenery is arguably more beautiful with
more snow-capped mountains; September
cruisers benefit from end-of-season souvenir
bargains and a possibility of catching the
northern lights. A few caveats: Shore excursions
have a greater chance of being canceled
than in high season, especially boat