Matt Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 Is there a time of year that you almost always or usually book a cruise? Are you always taking a cruise in the summer? Or maybe during Christmas break? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 July always works for my family Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK6404 Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 My wife and I have recently elected to go in Sept/Oct (2013, 2015 & 2016 : Bermuda/Caribbean regions)... yeah, it's a slight gamble with the end of the hurricane season, but the cost of the cruise tends to be at it's absolute lowest. Also, kids are back in school at that time and there are no major holidays to contend with until Nov/Dec... the temperature is still warm enough to enjoy the beaches, etc. We do not have children so we do not have to coordinate with school. Just remember if you are departing from Cape Liberty, NJ (or any northeastern port) in early fall, the cooler air temperature on the way down, along with potentially rougher seas, will come into play until you get to the warmer southern regions. Since the current itineraries are somewhat limited with RC from Cape Liberty (at least prior to the Quantum class arriving), we are starting to accept the fact that we need to go back to flying down to Florida again to catch the cruises (especially for the Oasis class ships)! Our first 2 cruises (2004 & 2010) were in early/mid June with destinations that included Key West and the Bahamas (Nassau, Castaway Cay, Coco Cay)... we felt like we were bacon in a frying pan, placed inside a sauna... never again will we go during the summer (at least if we have a say in the planning)! Also, that is the more expensive time of year to cruise due to summer vacations, hottest temperatures, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melbae9 Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 I've done Bermuda and Eastern Caribbean in October. Minor issues we had were some rain in Bermuda (1/2 a day x2) as well as some strong rip currents due to off shore storms (life guards at horseshoe bay were great), and the water in St. Thomas and St. Maarten was pretty cloudy due to recent storms. All minor, none of which ruined anything for us. We love going that time of year.. Definitely have found some great deals (we usually book Jan/February). Less kids are also a plus! I've done one in December that made the holiday season go by too fast for my liking and a Mediterranean in May proved to be rather hot for exploring inland cities (Florence and Rome), yet very windy (pools/decks closed on the ship) and very choppy conditions making it hard to enjoy to the ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGSLC5 Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 I think this really depends on if you have kids that can't miss school... For me I am the luckiest person there is when it comes to cruises. I run a business with my father and he lets me take my time off whenever is best for me. I also have no kids so I don't have to worry about that. My fiancé also usually can always get time off when needed... So we try to cruise in either Jan/Feb and then in April/May then Aug/Sept just depends when I can get the best deals... Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 We're fortunate that my son has three weeks off that corresponds with my winter break at the college, so we always cruise the week following New Years which is obviously cheaper than New Years' week itself. We've done this since he was 1 years old and have these January cruises planned through 2017 (just prior to his 10th birthday). Summer is a bit more challenging and we usually only cruise every other summer. It use to be late May/Early June, but has shifted to late July. Booking for 2017 was tough because of how Christmas falls and my son's school shifted the winter break a week earlier. Fortunately, we found the January 2nd 6 day sailing of Allure as the holiday cruise prices were a bit high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 First of all, there is NO bad time for a cruise. I believe I have cruised nearly every month of the year except for maybe July and September. One of these days I will do an Alaska cruise in July...but still haven't done it. We go every Christmas and love cruising during the holidays. We love cruising in Jan and Feb b/c getting out of the cold is such a wonderful relief. If you have to fly (like we do) then you have to plan carefully so that you build in additional days for travel in case of weather delays in the winter but as a rule, winter cruising to the Caribbean is the best....my opinion...BUT if you are cruising in the winter to enjoy water activities (beach, etc.) you have to go to southern Caribbean to get water warm enough for ME. I find the Bahamas and Virgin Islands areas to be too cool to truly enjoy the beach in the dead of winter....again...IMO. Is it better than the cold Northeast ? You betcha but I don't think it's warm enough to spend the day at a swim-up bar in St. Thomas. I tried that. I froze. IF you have to fly anyway, just keep on going and fly to San Juan and go to the southern island. Nuttin' better ! AGSLC5 and JohnK6404 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatMe Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Is there a time of year that you almost always or usually book a cruise? Are you always taking a cruise in the summer? Or maybe during Christmas break? We plan to go just after spring break season, early april. It gives us something to look forward to over the winter. We also like late October/ early November. As a marathon runner I am ready to rest and EAT after a fall race :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 We do springbreak and thanksgiving regularly, those are the only two (non-summer) windows where I can know my sons school schedule far enough in advance to book a solid deal. Currently booked out for Thanksgiving this year, Springbreak next year, Thanksgiving next year and starting to work on some thoughts for Springbreak 2017. His school wont actually release the calendar until January 2016 or so, but I usually end up dropping 2-3 deposits on interesting options that seem like they should be in the right timeframe and then cancelling the others once the schedule is released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naas Posted June 16, 2015 Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 After sailing on Quantum during her first NYE celebration, my wife and I talked about making it a tradition of cruising into the New Year. We thoroughly enjoyed all the festivities, the special NYE menus in the restaurants, as well as just the overwhelming electric atmosphere that ship had as we all watched the North Star drop ringing in the new year. Not every year though, lol maybe every other year or so. Galveston Steve, Matt and DocLC 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poider Posted June 17, 2015 Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 As soon as we can afford to book each one Peter Matt and DocLC 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted June 17, 2015 Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 I try to take them whenever and as often as I can. I book them as soon as I know I can afford to take another one is what it comes down to for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise-y Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 I know I'm late answering this post, but I have a different take than others here. I love the water, snorkeling, the beach, pools, catamarans..... I go in the summer because the water is just too cool for me otherwise. It IS warmer in the southern Caribbean, but I've tried to go in early March and it felt too cool. Hawaii in December was too cool for me. Yes, there are more kids in the summer, but I don't mind kids. There are also lots of kids over the holidays - and Spring Breaks across the U.S. go from early March to late April. I don't go in the fall because of the weather. I know it's cheaper and usually ok, but both times I've tried it the weather was so stormy that shore excursions were cancelled and routes were changed. Once the main dining room was closed and we were all told to stay in our cabins while we tossed about. And that was on a big ship. Probably just my lousy luck though. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 I love vacationing in Sept the best - I know the cruise can be impacted sometimes but its the best weather I think no matter where you go Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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