The temptation when booking a cruise holiday is often to book it is the height the peak season in the region that you are sailing in, and with good reason.

It is normally when a region has the most options of ships, lines and itineraries and it is also when the region has its best weather.

So, on the face of it is the perfect time to go, so why wouldn’t you book to go then?

Well, there are plenty of reasons as not go during the peak period as it is also often the time of year when the price of your holiday is at its highest, it is when there are the most ships joining you in port and it is also the peak time for non-cruisers to head to your destination making everywhere you go crowded and often making it impossible to enjoy what you want to do.

The counter option to that is go during the low season but whilst prices can often be less and places are less crowded, the poor weather can often impact on your getaway and some attractions can be shut when you visit.So what does that leave you with, well it’s the period between the peak and low seasons which are known as the shoulder season or seasons.

To simplify things, most places will have the summer months as their peak season, the winter months as their off season so the shoulder seasons are the spring and autumn months.

It does of course vary from region to region, and some will only has a shoulder season of few weeks whilst some may have many months, but no matter when and how long this period lasts, it is often the best time to visit somewhere and the reasons why are what we look at in this list.

Our Top 10 Reasons Shoulder Season Cruises Are Ideal

Better Value

One of the great things about cruising during the shoulder season is the fact that all of the points on this list comes together to often make your whole cruise much better value than at any other time of the year.

As this period is often a down time and away from things such as school holidays or big festivals and with ships and resorts quieter than during other periods, you will often find that your ship will offer lower cost getaways, flights to and from your start and end ports are cheaper and any hotel stays you need are cheaper.

When you add in all of the other points in this list, from quieter ships and ports to more special offers to often better weather and you have everything you need for a great cruise experience whilst getting the same thing for a lower cost.

Less Crowded Ports

With your visit coming outside of the main peak periods in the region you are sailing and with it also been outside of school holidays, it will more often than not mean the port that you visit is much less crowded.

This is something that can be a real game changer when visiting major tourist destinations that during the peak season can have multiple ships in port as well as visitors flying in from around the world.

With everybody all trying to head to the same tourist spots and attractions, you just tend to feel that you are following the crowd and shuffling from one sight to the other and then struggling to even see what you are there to see.

Even if you are heading to a more out of the way region, the ports will likely be quieter as there will be fewer ships and even if you are always the only ship in port, it will also be quieter and with those sort of ports normally been about heading off to explore and getting to meet local people, it just makes your experience much more enjoyable.

Milder Weather

In most places you visit, the peak season is when the region has its best weather and whilst the thought of glorious sunshine and blue skies seems like the perfect weather for your day onshore, the reality can often be different.

If you are heading to a warm weather destination, such as the Mediterranean, you can often find that whilst the weather is ideal when you first get to your port of call, by early afternoon it is just too hot to walk around and you find yourself heading back to your ship and missing out on some of things you wanted to do.

Conversely, if you are sailing somewhere where winter is the key period for visiting, the wettest weather and shortest days can often be during that region peak period, so by sailing slightly outside of that period, you can have more time on shore in daylight and maybe even stay dryer.

Less Crowded Ships

Sailing outside of the peak seasons can have two big benefits to your onboard experience and that is not only do ships often sail with spare capacity in terms of empty staterooms, but there will often be hardly any children onboard your ship so family rooms and rooms with pull out beds are also below capacity.

That should mean that you sail on a less crowded ship, which is always a benefit that’s allows you to do what you want when you want whilst onboard.

No queuing for the theatre, no getting to the poolside sun loungers at 6am and no standing in a bar to listen to a music act.

Wildlife Experiences

With the shoulder season of most regions falling in Spring and Autumn, that tends to align with animal migration patterns as they head between breeding and feeding regions during the winter and summer months.

Whilst it does, of course, depend on where you are sailing, it can often lead to incredible wildlife watching experiences right from your own balcony or the top deck of your ship.

There is always something special about spotting a whale, dolphin or orca from your cruise ship but if you are fortunate enough to see a large pod of any of the majestic animals, it can quickly become a highlight of your getaway- not bad for something that is a free bonus not really planned into your adventure.

It’s not just about aquatic animals though as you may see large flocks of sea birds migrating and even have the chance to see migrating land animals on a shore excursion.

Spring is also the time of year when most animals give birth to allow their offspring to take advantage of the summer months to grow and bulk up for winter, so you can often see baby animals on your adventure which always makes for a Instagramable photo.

More Flexibility For Bookings

When you cruise in peak periods, you often have to book as soon as an itinerary goes on sail if you are wanting a specific stateroom, especially one that is in limited supply such as a backward facing balcony cabin at the aft of the ship.

Even if you are wanting a more regular type of room, such as an inside or regular balcony, but don’t want them in an area of the ship that will be noisy, such as next to a bar or nightclub, you will also need to book early and then there will be some trips that constantly sell out, such as Christmas ones, so you will also need to book straight away even if you are choosing a sail away rate.

When you choose outside of the peak period, you can often have access to more types of cabin, even if you don’t book incredibly early, and can book when you want to book and when you have confirmed things like hotels and flights fit into your budget.

Fewer Tourists = More Authentic Experience

Cruising outside of the peak season can have lots of advantages and we do take a look at some of those in this list but thing that can often get overlooked is that when there are fewer tourists, there are more locals, so you visit can often feel and actually be more authentic.

My favourite type of port is where you can simply walk off of your ship, head into destination and just take things in.

I love to eat where the locals eat, drinks where the locals drink, use public transportation and experience things as the local’s experience where they live.

Of course, you can only get a small insight into things on a day visit and sometimes we do like to head out on excursion if there is something specific to the area we want to see or do.

When you visit somewhere in the peak of tourist season, you often miss out on the experience you were hoping to have by visiting where you are and instead of gaining an insight into local life, you simply spend time with people looking for a more touristy experience.

More Special Offers

With ships during the shoulder seasons often not at full capacity, lines have to try and entice as many people as possible to step onboard.

That can often lead to some great special offers, but it is not just all about a lower cost of travel but what you get included in your cruise fare.

Even if you don’t save too much on the cost of the cruise, you can often get much more included or heavily discounted including tips, wi-fi, shore excursions and even onboard credit.

Get The Excursion You Want

One of the big frustrations about cruising is when you need to book an excursion to have the experience you want in a port only to find then when you go to book it, it has already sold out.

That is often the case when you are cruising in the peak season and your ship is full and there are multiple other ships in port which restricts the number of places available as local providers can only offer some many coaches and tourist hotspots can only take so many people.

The opposite problem can occur in the low season as there are just not enough people wanting to take the excursion to make it worth while for a line or local providers to offer it.

Sailing during the shoulder season is often that perfect mix of the variety and availability of shore excursions offered.

New Ships and New Ports

As shoulder seasons are seen as downtimes but with still enough interest to make things viable, many cruise lines use these periods to welcome new ships ahead of peak periods, so they can iron out all of those small issues found on inaugural sailings, and they also will often trial new ports of call.

It makes sense from the lines point of view as there are enough people onboard to get a sense of how things are working on a new ship or in a new port but without been at full capacity and, just in case issues crop up, full of people paying the heavily premiums of the peak period.

Lines will also use these periods to reposition cruise ships from one region to another which can often see a ship move to a region it has never sailed in, so if there is a ship you want to try or if there is a port you have always wanted to sail on, these periods can open up new options to do just that.