Every year, in the dark days and cold nights of winter, we all dream of escaping somewhere warm and sunny. The cruise industry is at the ready to accommodate you during Wave Season with hundreds of itineraries around the world.  Cruise Wave Season starts in mid-January and ends in early March – think of it as three months of cruise sales, each more enticing than the other.  You’ll see cruise ads everywhere – splashy television ads, colorful magazine ads, ads that follow you around online and radio ads to tempt you to getaway!  It will be hard to escape the cruise ads in the next two months as the cruise lines want to fill the ships in advance to avoid last minute discounts (often one month ahead of sailing after final payments are due).  Last minute cruise prices might be great if you are flexible (I’ve done a few) but airfare might be much more expensive and hotels might be tight (great use of hotel points and airline miles).

As with any travel special, it’s key to do the following:

• Research, research, research to ensure the deals are really deals for you and the family. Call a Cruise Travel Agent if you’d rather they did the research for you.
• Arrive the day before the cruise sails.  Too many stories of weather delays, cancellations and nightmare flight delays which lead to missed cruises. The one night hotel is worth the peace of mind in my opinion.
• Check your credit card for travel insurance for flights, hotels and cruises, etc. Does it cover just the cardholder or all passengers booked?
• Book return flights in the afternoon to give you time in case of embarkation delays
• If traveling with seniors, Medicare doesn’t extend to international destinations so you’ll want to look at buying travel insurance for them.

What can you expect during Wave Season?

Each cruise line will tout different amenities to get you interested.  The cabin prices and “freebies” will be the same whether you book direct with the cruise line, travel agent, online cruise agent or other vendors.  The “extra” discount is usually a commission give back like gift card or cash credit once you have returned from vacation.

Wave Season Highlights –

• Discounted deposits (often $50 per person) which are helpful if you are waiting for your tax refund, want to pay the cruise off in installments or save for the final payment in full.
• Free or Discounted Shore Excursions
• Upgraded cabin
• One, two or three “free” onboard packages – this one is tricky as you may need to upgrade cabin category (pay more) to qualify for the “freebies”. Also, not all freebies are created equal.  Free Wi-Fi might be a $100 value, whereas the specialty restaurants $150 vs. a drinks package $250. Research what’s important to you and all travelers in your cabin.  Everyone needs to be on the same deal.

Note: On one of my sailings, the $989 balcony price where I would pick the cabin location included all the freebies whereas the balcony cabin only (location assigned by cruise line) was $689 – I didn’t need to pay $300 more for extras I wouldn’t really use (i.e. shore excursion discounts, Wi-Fi and drinks package (I drink one glass of $10 wine a day) and my friend had no use for the extras.  We were in agreement that the $689 price was better for us and we would pay for our extras onboard.

How to Budget for a Cruise

A cruise is the ultimate pay for what you want and use vacation.  What’s included has changed over the years but basically it’s the cabin, food in buffet and non-specialty restaurants, tap water, fountain juices, coffee/tea and access to the gym (machines only) – everything else is extra.

So how can you figure out a budget for a cruise?

I’ve created a How to Budget for a Cruise Guide with an A to Z list of extras you might be surprised by.

While cruises are tough to redeem via points, each cruise line does offer a loyalty program.  If you book via Chase Travel or American Express Travel you might be able to convert credit card points in those programs to cash to pay for cruise – very expensive use of points but option.

If you are a member of AAA or AARP or military, cruise lines will often offer additional discounts. Be mindful that the current wave season price might not be available to discount further.  You may need to pay higher price and then apply the discount.

Wave season discounts might also depend on cabin booked – for example if you book a high category then you get three “freebies” vs. booking lowest price cabin might only give you a choice of one of the three “freebies”.

Use a Cruise Specialist Travel Agent

You have many options available to book a cruise with.  A cruise specialist travel agent has knowledge of that cruise lines and/or ships to know that x room is over the dining room so not a problem but over or near the disco that is opened until 3 am might be a problem with noise.  A cruise travel specialist can also extend discounts that their agency has access to (basically a commission give back). All the major travel agencies have cruise divisions – Virtuoso, American Express Travel, Chase Travel.

 

Online Cruise Booking Sites

Online cruise agents and membership clubs (i.e. Costco, BJs, etc.) often offer a gift card when you return from the cruise. The $25 or $50 per person might be the difference for you to book the cruise.   Be mindful that some phone agents have not traveled on the cruise line or to the destination – they may be called a “specialist” because they attended training or webinars for that cruise line.  If you don’t feel comfortable with the first person you talk to, it’s ok to request someone else who has sailed on the ship and to the destination.   Ask questions that are important to you. I’ve used Cruises Only a few times.

Group Cruise Travel

If traveling with a group or large family, a travel agent can arrange for cabin location, connection cabins, group discounts and if you have enough to qualify – a free passenger or free cabin.  Larger groups require advance reservations and may even need their own private tours.  The travel agent can also arrange group air discounts if you are all leaving from the same city.

Sailing Solo on a Cruise

I’ve sailed solo on many cruises around the world and really enjoyed the opportunity to join a group when I felt like it or enjoy my solo-ness. Cruises are a nice appetizer to the world – quick stops for one day to see the highlights and then you can decide whether to return for a longer vacation in the future.  I’ve met so many wonderful “cruise people” on my vacation that quickly became friends so now when any of us is sailing we let the group know.  You’ll learn that you are solo for only a short time on a cruise because you will be adopted quickly to join folks as everyone has a story to tell and share.  The nice part is that you aren’t tied to anyone and can be a social butterfly to meet a variety of people and groups.  The dreaded single supplement does still exist on many cruises which means that $500 price will be $1000 for you as you pay per cabin no per person.

There are ships with single/solo cabins that do offer alternatives to paying 150%-200%.  Research them as always because the inside cabin price might be cheaper depending on the sales ongoing.

Listing of Cruise Ships with Single Cabins for Solos

Ship Tours vs Private Tours in Port

I’ve done both the ship tours as well as private tours in port.  Much will depend on destination, budget and timing.  Another thing to consider is the port – many ships will dock in the industrial ports and you’ll need a train (nearly an hour into Rome), bus from port or taxi to reach the city center.  Cruise Critic is an amazing resource for researching ports and learning from others.  The cruise ships will guarantee you won’t miss the ship with a cruise tour booked direct with them which is good.  I’ve booked private tours not through the ship and all guides were mindful of getting to the ship in time (it’s their business, one missed departure can ruin their business).

Cruise Destinations

Cruise to Alaska from Seattle

Alaska is a popular cruise destination for families because they sail in the summer when school is out. You can sail from Seattle or Vancouver or alternatively fly to Anchorage and go the other direction. In Alaska, the majority of tours are booked through the cruise ship.  When I visited the tour company website, it redirected me back to the cruise ship to book. When I emailed directly, they sent me back to the cruise line.  If you wait until you are in port, there are few options.  Because Alaska has limited space on helicopters, sea planes, hovercrafts and dog sleds, it’s best to book these adventures in advance.  There is the possibility to do two adventures in one day but all will depend on timing.

In Sitka, Alaska I booked an all day tour which included a boat tour, visit to the Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bear.  You can easily take a bus/taxi to the Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bear if you choose to do on your own.

More on Alaskan Cruises – Sailing to Alaska from Seattle – Holland America Cruise to Alaska

Port tours – Ketchikan Zodiac Nature Tour – Juneau Hovercraft Tour – Glacier Bay National Park – Sitka Wildlife and Nature Tour – Fortress of the Bear – Sitka Raptor Center

Baltics Cruise from Copenhagen

On the Baltics Cruise you can book a private guide tour in St. Petersburg, Russia in advance and avoid the big bus tour where everyone walks in a line wearing headphones.  Since you need a visa for Russia, the cruise tour or private tour guides will qualify as that visa so you can’t usually walk off the ship and wander. Look at the Cruise Critic rollcall for your sailing to meet others and join their private tours. In other cities like Stockholm (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Tallinn (Estonia), it’s easy to take public transit and see the major sights.  I booked a private tour for St. Petersburg and worked with the guide to craft a fantastic two day itinerary that the small group from cruise critic was most excited to experience.

Baltic Ports (sample) – St. Petersburg, Russia – Gdansk – Tallinn – Oslo – Stockholm – Copenhagen

Caribbean Cruises from Miami, Tampa and San Juan Puerto Rico

In the Caribbean, walking off the ship and through the cruise terminal, you will encounter tour desks to book a plethora of tours.  As so many folks are keen to relax at the local beaches, the longest lines are usually for taxis to the beaches.  The ship may offer a bus shuttle to certain beaches but be mindful of times. There is limited space on diving, snorkeling and sailing tours so you may want to pre-book these tours before you sail.

Caribbean Ports (sample) – Disney Cruise from San Juan – Saint Lucia Jalousie Beach – Barbados – Cayman Islands – St. Thomas, St. Maarten

Repositioning Cruises

Repositioning Cruises are great off season deals to sail with the ship as it goes from one destination port to another. Some will lump the Transatlantic and Transpacific into the Repo listing.   I’ve sailed from Venice to Lisbon in off season (November) with Royal Caribbean before it began its transatlantic sailing. I like to search for deals at Vacations To Go which has a easy listing of cruise deals for solos.

Europe Ports (sample)– La Havre (Normandy and Paris) – Zeebruges (Bruges) – Barcelona – Venice – Istanbul – Rome – Lisbon – Turkey – Azores

Transatlantic Cruises from New York and Miami

Transatlantic Cruises are another off season deal to help the boat move to its new port for the season.  Generally this is April/early May to move boats from the US and Caribbean to Europe for the summer and fall seasons.  The ships will return from Europe to the US and Caribbean in November/early December.  These sailings are known for being inexpensive (cheap) as they have many days at sea (5-7 consecutive days at sea) and given the temperatures using the outdoor pool isn’t an option.  I’ve sailed across the pond for $500 and returned on an award airline ticket.

The Queen Mary by Cunard does weekly crossings all year round from New York to England – you rarely see those on sale.

Transatlantic Sailings I’ve done – NCL Epic and NCL Getaway

Cruise Wave Season Final Thoughts

So this should prep you to start planning out your wave season cruise getaway.  There are so many cruises I’ve left out as they need their own category – Greek Isles cruises, Australia/New Zealand, South America, Antartica and The Galapagos. I’ve also left out the niche cruises for music, dancing, sports and other themed cruise that rarely discounts – they are filled with passengers who love 80’s music cruise or Salsa Dancing or the inaugral Eagles Football cruise in 2021.  I’ve left out the weekedn cruises from Miami to Bahamas that include drinks (a booze cruise weekend back Monday morning for work). I’ve left out so many other cruises too because there are just so many to choose from.

The world is ready to be explored and going by ship is a nice way to sample cities and for many check the box attractions, while others may return at a later day to immerse themselves in the cultures. My dream trip is a repositioning cruise from Hawaii to Sydney (or reverse) that stops at various Polynesia islands – Bora Bora anyone?  Hopefully you’ll find a great Cruise Wave Season deal to start the New Year with a fabulous vacation to look foward to. Maybe you’ll even meet Oprah on a cruise like I did!

Let me know if you plan on booking a cruise in 2020 or 2021 and are booking this wave season.  I’d love to know where you are sailing to.