‘Shoulder-season’ is the latest hot term within the travel industry. ‘Shoulder-season’ cunningly refers to the time just before, and just after, summer. This is quickly becoming the perfect time to travel, and cruise travel is no exception to this.
It’s increasingly rapidly in popularity due to the fact that before and after summer, the weather is still agreeable and, in truth, at this time it sometimes even nicer than summer.
For hot destinations, such as the Mediterranean, the searing, sticky heat that makes too much exploring or sightseeing uncomfortable has evaporated, leaving behind pleasantly warm summer days and refreshingly cool evenings. This makes it a prime time to check out new destinations and ports of call, or simply to relax on-board during the day in the sunshine.
It’s Not Just the Weather
Shoulder season is the perfect time to take your cruise holiday. Not only is the weather generally more pleasant, but prices at this time of year are far kinder to the wallet. Once the summer holidays are over, and the kids are back at school, prices generally drop dramatically.
This means you could snare a considerable discount on a cruise in June or September, which in the summer months, would have been dramatically more expensive. Often cruise companies run the same itinerary on one ship for a few months at a time, so the cruises can be literally exactly the same, just delightfully less expensive.
There’s also the added benefit of the fact that the kids are indeed back at school, and if you aren’t travelling with children of your own, and prefer a little peace and quiet on your holiday, you’re far more likely to be able to enjoy exactly that.
Fancy a Stateroom Upgrade
Another benefit is that often in shoulder-season, cruise ships are unable to fill all the staterooms on-board. This means you could be in with a chance of scoring an upgrade. Surely the perfect way to begin your cruise holiday would be a complimentary upgrade to a bigger and better cabin.
Of course, depending on where your destination of choice is, this may not always be true. Asia, Australia and the Caribbean have different summer and winter seasons to the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands for example. If you’re planning to travel in shoulder-season, be sure to take note of just exactly when the shoulder-season is, and when’s best to travel there.
So, next time you’re beginning to research your next cruise holiday, why not take a look at the itineraries and prices for cruises in shoulder season. You might be surprised.
Thanks Emma