Travel and Dish

As an avid cruiser who’s taken a dozen cruises to 30 countries and four continents, here is my advice about traveling off peak season.

Why are cruise lines offering these? With more ships sailing the seven seas, the cruising world has grown ever more crowded. Larger ships have increased the number of passengers, making some ports feel overwhelmed by visitors. In Alaska, Venice, Barcelona and Santorini, communities have taken steps to reduce cruise ship traffic.

But don’t fret.

Cruise lines are sailing new itineraries during the shoulder and low seasons. For travelers with a flexible schedule seeking a quieter experience, this is great news.

For years we planned our vacations around our kids’ time off from school. Now that they’re young adults, we can travel during less busy times. It’s even better when my parents are able to join us. That’s why we booked a multi-generational Mediterranean cruise a week  after the Christmas holidays on Viking. We just returned from a Crystal Cruise to the Adriatic before the crowds descended on Greece and Croatia this summer. Both were incredibly satisfying and cemented our commitment to traveling off season.

What can you expect? We found there were fewer people at key attractions. The restaurants and shopkeepers had time to chat and welcome us. We could easily navigate the streets and find local guides leading smaller groups. Cruise prices had dropped, and there were more incentives such as onboard credits and cabin upgrades. The best part was experiencing a friendlier Europe during a time when most travelers headed to warmer climates. 

What do experts say about such cruises? Adriana Montillo, a certified cruise planner and senior travel advisor for AAA with 25 years in the travel industry, offered her tips. “It’s best to avoid summer, because it’s the busiest time of year. If you’re flexible, you’ll find fewer crowds, lower prices and nice itineraries. Even the air reservations are a better price.” 

Along with cruising Europe in winter, late fall or early spring, Montillo recommends Alaska in May or late September when the crowds have disbursed. “There’s still plenty of beauty from the fall foliage or spring buds, and you have a better chance of seeing the northern lights when it’s dark for longer periods each day.”

Royal Caribbean debuted a late fall cruise to Japan when the maple trees are bursting with scarlet leaves. River cruises on AmaWaterways and Uniworld feature holiday markets and spring tulips. “If your goal is to visit museums and restaurants, weather should not be a major factor,” says Montillo. 

While it’s a must to buy trip insurance during hurricane season, Celebrity offers Caribbean cruises to the southern ports of Barbados, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, as these islands are less affected by storms. 

Other quiet times are repositioning cruises, when ships transfer between continents and seasons. In October of 2022, my husband and I booked a repositioning cruise from Costa Rica to Peru when Silversea’s Silver Cloud was on route to Antarctica. We were almost always the only ship in port.

We traveled to Egypt, Greece and Turkey on Celestyal Cruises in December, avoiding the heat of summer and enjoying the lack of crowds. If your schedule allows, I can’t recommend taking an off season cruise enough.