As long as travelers know the risks, they can get good deals.
Sailing off-season might be cheaper, but there’s a reason for that – you are risking bad weather.
“Where we are hearing rumbling of concerns is that the cruise lines are definitely pushing the season in the Mediterranean,” says Carolyn Spencer-Brown, editor of CruiseCritic.com. “When people think of the Mediterranean they think of it as the Caribbean of Europe. But it snows.”
In past years, the Mediterranean cruise season lasted from April to October. Then it was March to December. Now, ships like Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas are cruising even in January and February, when ports like Southampton, England; Dubrovnik, Croatia, or Venice, Italy, can hit 30 degrees.
Ports in winter can be quiet and crowds blessedly thin. But bad weather can affect a ship’s ability to stick to its itinerary.
Still, as long as travelers know the risks, they can get good deals. In fact, some travelers actually like to cruise off-season, such as going from New York to the Bahamas in January, or traveling across the North Atlantic in March, Spencer-Brown says.
“There is a reason why you are seeing a $500 deal for a 12-day cruise,” she says. “There’s a downside. It’s a trade-off.”
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