What is wave season for cruises?

Cruise wave season starts right after the winter holiday season and continues until the end of March. The “wave” refers to the tidal wave of cruise promotions offered during this time.



Wave Season is the cruise industry's equivalent of "Black Friday," typically spanning from January through March each year. During this window, cruise lines release their most aggressive promotions, including deep fare discounts, "free" cabin upgrades, onboard credits, and drink package bundles. In 2026, Wave Season is particularly intense as travelers seek early-bird deals for popular summer routes in Alaska and the Mediterranean. Research shows that roughly 21.7 million Americans are expected to cruise this year, with many booking during these first three months to secure limited-capacity "private island" excursions or new expedition ships. It is a peer-to-peer "best practice" to book during Wave Season even if you aren't sailing until much later in the year, as the competition between lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and MSC leads to "once-a-year" value adds that are rarely matched during the busy summer or holiday booking periods.

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Wet season and dry season are both good times to cruise the Caribbean. The worst time for a Caribbean cruise weather-wise is August to September, as it is peak hurricane season.

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To avoid crowds and experience cooler temperatures, consider traveling in the shoulder months of May and September or early October. Most Mediterranean cruises sail in the summer months, when the sun and sand in coastal ports are at their peak and cities come alive with activity.

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Sometimes, you can feel a cruise ship rock, but that very much depends on the weather, and specifically, the size of the waves. If the sea is flat you will feel no movement at all. You can't get seasick on a river cruise. Cruise ships can easily handle waves that are over 12 feet high.

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What is the cheapest time to book a cruise? Prospective cruisers can usually find a lot of good deals at the beginning of the year during wave season, Goldberg-Glazer said. That period typically lasts from January until March. However, the optimal time to book may depend on when you plan to sail.

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Hurricane season in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean officially runs from June 1 through November 30. Although the exact paths and initial development of individual hurricanes are hard to predict, the season is generally busiest between mid-August and mid-September.

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Midship cabins The big allure of a midship cabin is its stability. You won't feel the rocking of the sea in a midship cabin nearly as much as you will in a cabin toward the front or back of a vessel. This is because ships are like teeter-totters. They pitch forward and back around a central axis that barely moves.

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The summer months, especially June, July, and August, are the peak travel season for cruises. This is primarily due to families taking advantage of school holidays and vacation time. With increased demand, cruise prices tend to be higher during these months.

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If you're bringing the whole family, a 5 or 7 day cruise might be the best way to make sure everyone has an awesome getaway. And for those lucky folks with even more time to spare, a cruise of 10 days or more will give you an incredible experience of all the best things a cruise has to offer.

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But for the most part, the best time to cruise the Caribbean is January through April during the dry season, especially in April when temperatures are warmer. The worst time is September and October during the peak months of the Caribbean hurricane season. May is a brief rainy season for some destinations.

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September is a month when many schools are back in session and the summer vacation season is over. This means that demand for Caribbean cruises drops, and cruise lines lower their prices to attract more customers.

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The best time to take a Mediterranean cruise, however, is in the spring (May-June) or fall (September-October). Temperatures are comfortably warm, the sun is bright, and the crowds are far, far fewer than in July and August.

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What month should you avoid in the Caribbean? Due to the risk of hurricanes, September and October are the months when it is wise to avoid the Caribbean.

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You might get one or more extra days at sea, or the captain could swap out the missed port for a new port, should one be available. Sometimes, the entire order of ports is rearranged so that all are still visited but at times when the weather will be less disruptive.

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The total savings potential depends on how and when you book your cruise, and what deals you find. That said, it's possible to save 50% or more. We examined several last-minute deals for cruises departing within 30 days and found that some of the best deals offered savings from 60% to 70%. However, savings can vary.

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Northern Europe - May or October In other words, going during shoulder season while the temperatures and demand are lower will help you lock in some of the lowest prices of the season.

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13 Tips for Finding Cheap Cruise Deals
  1. Don't Wait for Last-Minute Cruise Deals on High-Season Sailings. ...
  2. Hunt Down Shoulder Season and Repositioning Cruise Deals. ...
  3. Use Cruise Critic's Deal Score to Know When a Deal is Really a Deal. ...
  4. Bundle Up for the Best Cruise Deals. ...
  5. Ask for a Price Drop Credit When Cruise Fares Change.


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Will I get seasick on a cruise? You don't need to worry about the possibility of seasickness unless you have a bad history with motion-sickness. The vast majority of people never get sick on a cruise, for two reasons: The first is that cruise liners have the benefit of sheer size, meaning they move less in the water.

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